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Just got an atari 2600 at a garage sale and have a couple questions

U

Ultima_5

Member
and i'm quite stoked. it was only $5 and came with a bunch of games and some controllers. i'll upload pics in a few minutes.

the one thing i've noticed is it's lacking a power supply. Anyone got info on what kind it needs/where to get one? I'm hoping i could get a generic one at radio shack or walmart or something.

fRUqKQj.jpg

TGjtob9.jpg

C6MqpbZ.jpg

gBzTC1t.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Hawk269

Hawk269

Member
Ultima_5 said:
and i'm quite stoked. it was only $5 and came with a bunch of games and some controllers. i'll upload pics in a few minutes.

the one thing i've noticed is it's lacking a power supply. Anyone got info on what kind it needs/where to get one? I'm hoping i could get a generic one at radio shack or walmart or something.
Click to expand...

I am doing some house work today, but I have my box with my 2600 and stuff in a closet that I need to re-organize. When I get a chance, I will take a look at it and let you know what kind and what the voltage is. You can then match it up at a radio shack or someplace like that.

What games did you get? I have about 50 games or so, but I know I am missing some of the ones I use to play as a kid.
 
H

Huw_Dawson

Member
Using the power of Google, here is a PSU for it:

POWERSUPPLY.jpg


Looks like you can easily make one with a mono 3.5mm jack and a 9V 500mA adaptor, but I would query if that was a good idea with an expert first. If you have shaky hands, chat to a friend who can solder.
 
U

Ultima_5

Member
got some pics up in the OP

Vic20 said:
http://compare.ebay.com/like/261110554766?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar
Click to expand...

i was hoping to find it locally and/or cheaper.

Huw_Dawson said:
Using the power of Google, here is a PSU for it:

POWERSUPPLY.jpg


Looks like you can easily make one with a mono 3.5mm jack and a 9V 500mA adaptor, but I would query if that was a good idea with an expert first. If you have shaky hands, chat to a friend who can solder.
Click to expand...

oh man, i'd burn down my house doing that. i'll leave it to the professionals.

im gonna go to the old video game place downtown and see if he has any.
 
Harlock

Harlock

Member
If the controllers are busted you can use any master system or genesis joystick. I think that dpad is better to control than the original atari 2600 stick.
 
H

Huw_Dawson

Member
Damn, you even got Yars Revenge? I hear that one is a classic.

I think you're missing Missile Command and that one where you run through a jungle and swing over lakes etc. Otherwise you're good to go.
 
W

winjet81

Member
Is that the Star Raiders push button pad I see there?

Anyway, have fun. The good games I see there in your haul include:

Starmaster
Chopper Command
Space Invaders
Asteroids
Video Pinball
Empire Strikes Back
Frogger
Yars' Revenge

Never cared for the VCS version of Berserk, but some fans swear by it.
 
B

Bulk_Rate

Member
You got Laser Blast - that is a great twitch shooter once you get past the first few easy levels. It has a cool move/aim mechanic.

I actually beat the score necessary to get a T-shirt or something as a kid, mailed off a pic, and never heard anything back.
 
Hawk269

Hawk269

Member
Huw_Dawson said:
Damn, you even got Yars Revenge? I hear that one is a classic.

I think you're missing Missile Command and that one where you run through a jungle and swing over lakes etc. Otherwise you're good to go.
Click to expand...

Yars Revenge was a great game. Missile Command is also great. The jungle game you mentioned could be two different games. There was Jungle Hunt and then there was Pitfall. Both were great games, but Pitfall was the shit back then.

If you can find any games by a company called Imagic, grab them. They made some incredible games for the 2600 with Demon Attack being the best of the best.
 
R

rudieboy77

Member
I remember walking to a K Mart that was a couple miles from my house to play the 2600 display they had. Sat there at least a hour each time playing.
 
cheststrongwell

cheststrongwell

my cake, fuck off
Kinda off topic, but I was wondering if anyone can help me find a game. It was either on the Intellevison, Colecovision, or Atari.

-I think you were a viking
-One section involved hunting deer
-One section involved getting across a frozen river
-May have been a castle siege section

I loved this game, but can't remember much about it.

Edit: Ok, found it. Ice Trek for Intellivision.
 
M

Manmademan

Member
Congrats but...uh..speaking as someone whose first experience with gaming was those things, they've aged REALLY, REALLY badly. most are completely unplayable. not just by modern standards, completely unplayable.

NES games as a whole have aged well and are still pretty solid experiences. 2600 atari games? not really. without the nostalgia factor they're good for 5 minutes of novelty value.

edit: how do you plan on hooking it up? I don't see an RF connector there, and IIRC they came by default with a really funky connector designed to connect to tv antenna screws.
 
J

jaypah

Member
caffeware said:
dat e.t.
Click to expand...

This. You literally can't get a bundle of 2600 games without E.T. being in there somewhere. I got a free 2600 and about 150 games (no controllers though) earlier this year and I think I had 4 copies of E.T. And this was someones personal collection!
 
A

androvsky

Member
Manmademan said:
Congrats but...uh..speaking as someone whose first experience with gaming was those things, they've aged REALLY, REALLY badly. most are completely unplayable. not just by modern standards, completely unplayable.

NES games as a whole have aged well and are still pretty solid experiences. 2600 atari games? not really. without the nostalgia factor they're good for 5 minutes of novelty value.
Click to expand...

I started on the TRS-80 and moved up to the 2600 later, but yeah, most of those games don't hold up at all well. Still worth playing just to see ancient home console games, and the paddle games like Breakout and Warlords are still great... if the paddle works. Yar's Revenge and River Raid especially are still decent though. Combat could still probably be a fun two-player game, I still see clones coming out with pretty much the same gameplay.
 
B

BillyBats

Banned
Oh shit, you got a couple of the best controllers ever made...those clicky ones that fit perfectly in the palm of your hand. Good haul.
 
Harlock

Harlock

Member
I had a couple of non-oficial cartridges with switches for change the games. Very nostalgic.

-atari-cartucho-marca-dactar-no-encarte-com-4-jogos-_MLB-O-143682806_7575.jpg


And you need play Bobby is Going Home. You will see.

bobby.jpg
 
I

I am Christina Aguilera

Member
One thing that no one has mentioned yet that confounded me the first couple of times I tried to plug in my hand-me-down 2600:

Unless the Atari has already come with a video/RF adapter of some sort, probably the only video/audio cable you have looks like a single RCA/composite/etc.-style jack, but it isn't an composite plug -- it's actually carrying an RF signal, and as such, this particular type of cord won't plug directly into most TVs from the last 20 years. There may also be one of thesehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/Video-Game-TV-Adapter-Connector-Switch-Atari-/161052975763?pt=US_Video_Game_Cables_Adapters&hash=item257f816293 included that attaches to said cable, which also won't connect directly to most TVs from the last 20 years.

What you're going to need is one of these and a coaxial cable to plug into your TV's or cable/satellite box's RF/cable input jack. I think that I probably bought my adapter off of eBay, but I'd bet that you could probably get one of those and a coaxial cable in one throw from a Radio Shack.

I pretty much only use my 2600 as a dedicated E.T. "look at this legendary horrible game" box
 
TriAceJP

TriAceJP

Member
I had a great time with Laser Blast as a kid. I found this sweet spot where you could rapid fire and change the shot directions to take out all of the cannons in a second.

Have fun, dude.
 
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