[MOD] Atari VCS/2600 - Add PAUSE To Any Game

[@geekwithsocialskills]

I'm so happy that you didn't drill a hole in your Heavy Sixer. As a side note, the Color/Black and White switch is actually used in the game Space Shuttle by Activision to control the primary engines. If you don't ever plan on playing the game on this console, you're pause switch mod update is good 🙂

[@syntaxerror9994]

Then you'd hate me...I know I do

[@kennymurray3249]

I did this with a coleco gemini atari clone back in the 80's... it did not require a circut. the pause was simple to do by adding a switch between two points. its nice to see this in modern times. i was only a child fixing the game when i discovered this.. it was a cool feature to add to the game.

[@Kikay0n]

Missed opportunity for the best joke you “ had to replace the power cord and worked out the bug “ 😂

[@adventurebloc]

You may want to reconsider the B&W switch pause implementation. There are a few games like Starmaster which require the use of BW for game play elements (eg. map toggle) Is this function preserved?

[@3vi1J]

Came here to say the same thing. I'd composite mod the system and use the 2/3 channel select as the pause.

[@RetroHackShack]

Good point. Forgot about Starmaster. Luckily it's easily reversed if/when I want to.

[@RetroHackShack]

The channel select in this model it inside the case. Not great for pause.

[@3vi1J]

@@RetroHackShackAh, must be the '77 model then. I completely forgot they didn't have the channel select on the first sixers. Guess that only leaves two possibilities: Cut the case someplace where it won't show (and maybe used a more stealthy slider for the pause switch), or go nuts and develop a mod you can connect to the joyport lines and trigger with a two button joystick. Hehe.

[@MrJDNJ]

Just run the wires out of the RF hole and put the switch in it's own box (like a wired remote).

[@artemius130]

it's okay) the insect that flew out of the TV is an ordinary night moth. They always seem big, but in fact they are harmless and do not bite. During the day they live in a dark place and at night they fly to the light.

[@WilliamHostman]

Note that there's an entire genus of Moths that do bite... Calyptra, also colloquially called Vampire Moths. 2 or 3 more maintain mouths as adults but are not blood-seekers. They're dispersed to all major continents except antarctica; I've not seen references to them in Australia, but undoubtedly, they have worse things...

[@RacerX-]

NIce! I have yet to mod my Ataris and I think now is the time for this mod and a composite one. Looking forward to seeing the stereo mod. Thanks!

[@H8fulTeddyBear]

This is a pretty good idea for a mod! wonder if people back in the day attempted too do something similar either way really really neat, also I noticed you sound really confident in your newer videos even on the second channel good job Aaron and keep up the good work!

[@RetroHackShack]

Thanks for that feedback! Always trying to improve.

[@thanhmcgriff3387]

❤ the Kessel run t shirt & Star Trek movie poster. Hits me in the nostalgia feels.

[@BilisNegra]

Congrats on such a neater and tidier implementation of the original mod, Aaron. Very satisfying to watch.

[@RetroHackShack]

Thanks

[@gregledbetter5942]

Super Rad your tsr80 video came up suggested. I watched part 1 I watched part 2 and it was going good so I watched this and wow. I'm enjoying your Channel

[@deucalion5168]

This is just so cool! I think I have seen a similar hack with the NES, but it was about adding a turbo/auto-press button to the console.

[@WilliamHostman]

There are several games which use the color/B&W switch as an in play toggle. Activision's Space Shuttle being the most memorable.

[@RetroHackShack]

Good point. I am going to use this as an excuse to my wife to justify how many 2600s I have. 😁

[@WilliamHostman]

@@RetroHackShack Just checked, and Activision's Starmaster also uses the C/B&W. It's the map toggle. Note that Star Raiders, which is almost identical to Starmaster in play, uses the numeric pad, rather than the B&W switch. Have both, prefer Starmaster. Played the hell out of Space Shuttle. (Last time I played was 2015... haven't been able to access my Adam since then.

[@IvoryTowerCollections]

This is true, but in the case of Space Shuttle, you can also use the player 1 difficult switch to activate the emergency OHMs burn rockets. That is how I used to play the game on my 7800 back in the day. For Starmaster, I believe if you have a controller plugged into the second port, you can use the fire button on it to also bring up the galactic chart screen? It has been awhile but I'm pretty sure that is possible. It is almost like Activision could predict the future and programmed around this.

[@fairlyamused]

That's a much cleaner mod using the via under the T.I.A. good stuff!

[@slightlyevolved]

As stated elsewhere, i would not mod the BW/Color switch since there *are* some games that use it for some features. In fact, I seem to remember one game actually using it as a pause switch....fittingly enough.

[@MrJDNJ]

Fairly certain that the 8bitsinthebasement channel worked on a 2600 (clone console?) that had a built-in game feature.

[@RetroHackShack]

Cool. There isn't a ton of info on it compared to the other mods.

[@mopspear]

6:44 Pogs are back! In toggle form!

[@RetroHackShack]

Lol

[@cdrugly]

Your new friend looks like a hummingbird moth.

[@jetpak12]

Or you can be like me and be a terrible Atari player who dies quickly enough to not need this functionality. ;) I wonder, though, if it would be possible to route the pause button to the controller? I know there is a mod for the SMS to do that. It would require modification of a controller, probably add complexity to the mod, and would require the modded controller to use. So maybe not worth it, but at least controllers are more readily available and could be cut up with somewhat less concern. Also, apparently the 7800 pause button serves as the BW switch for 2600 games, so interesting coincidence with your switch choice!

[@Plarndude]

I had an NES, and all my games had Pause ability. But Dad would just walk into the room and turn the NES OFF!!!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[@RetroHackShack]

Ouch! I think my parents did that a few times too.

[@bonemar66]

Perhaps a discreet 3mm hole for the new feature's switch wouldn't have been so bad after all?

[@squelchtone]

This mod would work well on a 4 switch VCS. You would just need to pilfer a power switch or TV type switch from another VCS or find a switch on fleabay and then Dremel an oval hole for the Pause switch to the right of the Game Select switch or the left of the Power switch. You could then stencil Game Pause above the switch with the pause icon || to the right of the switch to make it look stock.

[@RetroHackShack]

Yeah. I thought about showing that. It's nice because there is that extra space on either side.

[@jwhite5008]

I think if you can find an (on)-off-on switch that fits you can dual-purpose game select switch

[@CallousCoder]

Just put a switch in between the clock signals to the 6502 either with a pull down or inline. No clock no update of state :D

[@dr.frankenstein5421]

Games that uses the Color/B&W switch for game functionality? Here's a list of the games: Beany Bopper (pause function) Bump 'n' Jump (background music on/off) Cosmic Ark [later version] (disables 'background stars' effect) Fast Eddie (pause function) Ghost Manor (selects protagonist's gender) Journey Escape (turn star field effect on/off) Off the Wall (pause function) Phasor Patrol (turn shields on/off) Quest for Quintana Roo (pause function) Riddle of the Sphinx (various functions) Seawolf (??) Secret Quest (turn status screen on/off) Snoopy (pause function) Space Shuttle (primary thrusters, but difficulty switch performs same functionality) Starmaster (Galactic Chart on/off, but either difficulty switch will perform the same functionality) Super Cobra (pause function) Turmoil (pause function)

[@ryanzmuda3167]

Very nice. How about a save game mod

[@RetroHackShack]

That seems doable actually. Kind of just save the state.

[@50shadesofbeige88]

I called Atari Super Service but they just wanted to sell me a time share on a cruise line.

[@RetroHackShack]

Lol

[@bountyhunter4885]

Ah yes, a Mod Moth.

[@RetroHackShack]

Mod Moth-ma?

[@bountyhunter4885]

@@RetroHackShack 😁... Nice find on that CRT set. When I think of so many of those sets, often still in good shape, tossed out all because of flat screens available, it's kinda sad and now they want them back because of the better gaming refresh rate Lol. Great video / mod. Thanks for sharing. ✌️

[@RetroHackShack]

Thanks. There are so many that just go to scrap.