Should You Buy The NEW Atari 2600+?

[@RetroDodo]

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[@MurrayLewis]

The 'black & white' toggle switch does actually have a purpose beyond retro novelty: it was always software-controlled, so some later games cleverly used it for gameplay instead (often as a pause button). In that light, it makes sense that they kept it on the 2600+ to maintain compatibility with those games.

[@garypranzo9334]

Agree Circa 1977 when Atari was released most kids did not have their own TV but the ones that did typically had a B/W hand-me-down TV's and it was important to get the B/W right or some objects would literally disappear. Later in the early 80's when few were using B/W TV's game companies would instead use the B/W switch for features like Pause.

[@wolfshanze5980]

They kept it because you never know who still has a Black and white TV. I have a Samsung 75" OLED Black and white TV in my living room.

[@madmax2069]

I think the only switches on the 2600 that aren't software controlled are the power and reset.

[@intel386DX]

Fun fact : French Atari 2600 (SECAM) have hardware B/W switch and all games really become black and white, so bo pouse or other special functions from some games.

[@GarryGri]

The Space Shuttle game uses this as a toggle switch, along with the other buttons. So you have to reach around the back of the console to use this one now.

[@darkridearts]

I’m so hyped for this. I wish every console manufacturer would do this with their legacy systems

[@tenchuu007]

*Looks at five 2600s in closet waiting for recapping, output upgrades, and general cleaning. * Welp.

[@RetroDodo]

hahaha

[@Mr_ToR]

yea i wouldnt even call it recapping on 2600, how many caps are there 6? swapping caps with new ones on 2600 is probably easier than ordering the new one online. you're making it sound like as if its something.

[@GarryGri]

@@Mr_ToR The 2600 dosn't necessarily need recapping as a mater of course. It was released before the bad caps flooded the market. I don't believe in 'upgrading' the video output of machines as old as this unless it's completely and easily reversible.

[@GarryGri]

@provisionalhypothesis They were designed to be played on a CRT and that is where they look best to me. To me upscaling kills these games graphically, they were not intended to look like that. What' a hassle about getting a CRT?

[@gordonrichardson9393]

dont trash em by upgrading output, keep them original :)

[@DisneyBatchman]

Slight correction as someone who actually played this back in the day ...usually the A setting was harder,the B setting was easier.

[@MurrayLewis]

Yep - it seems counterintuitive at first, but A stands for Advanced and B stands for Beginner

[@ppowerman5000]

...ordered mine through the manufacturers website, as soon as I knew of it. Coming in a few days. Now will hunt down all the games I had as a kid, and buy them. I also have the Atari Gamestation Pro... Obviously I have tons of retro roms in my PC and Raspberry Pi3b...but having something official is kinda magic for me.

[@Sam501UK]

Hi Rob - just wanted to say how great it is to see how well you've settled in at Retro Dodo. Great job sir 👍

[@IvoryTowerCollections]

The original controllers had pretty much the same length of cables back then. What was long was the power cord from the wall adapter to the console and the RF cable. That is because going back to the roots of their Pong stand-a-lone units from the 70s, they intended that the 2600 would site on a coffee table near to the players. With that in mind, the controller cable length makes sense and is why the controls on the console deck weren't an issue back then.

[@SoulforSale]

You have to have access to the switches on the console itself. Would be more irritating to walk across the room to hit reset.

[@IvoryTowerCollections]

That was my point of my post was to point that out. Again, Atari was taking after their pong setups that were sitting righ there in front of you. so they figured this new console of theirs back then would be the same. Played with it near the players so there was no need to have those functions anywhere else. The did try and resolve that with the 5200, but the controller cables on those were even shorter so...?@@SoulforSale

[@spittertron4920]

Most of us got it wrong, but during the previous century you were supposed to sit with the console close to you. Particularly during the 2600 era, games were short, so you'd likely be changing carts frequently during a session, or adjusting the switches for different game modes. That's why the power and tv connection cords were so long while the controller cords were so short. This was demonstrated in many of the old commercials, but no one clued in since we thought they were just showing off the machine. This design philosophy carried over into the next generation, as seen in the Famicom, before longer games started being produced which led to the sale of extension cords before wireless controllers became common place. Try moving the console closer when you're playing.

[@Madjack32]

the was a company called starpath that made games for the atari 2600 but you needed a tape player along with a cartrage insert to pass the data to the 2600. they were some of the best games i played when i was a kid. they had better graphics and were quite fun. Mindmaster, Dragon stomper and Communists Mutants from Outerspace were my favorite games. i think they only made like 8 or 9 games before going under.

[@jasonmeister6988]

They should have made it a multi-CPU case so you could put a x86 system and a Raspberry 5 in it. that would have been neat

[@xreev0x]

You need an adapter to make the Genesis controller work. Not sure why, but John Handcock talked about it in his video.

[@RobsRetroGaming]

Woohoo! I pre-ordered. Can't wait to get mine!

[@grouchyolebear6226]

Thanks for this review. I guess I’m the target demographic, as I still have my original 2600 I got for Xmas as a child, plus dozens and dozens of my original game cartridges boxed away but all sit unused for decades bc of the pita of having to convert the analog box to hook up to a modern tv. This looks like it would be a clever and “relatively” clean and not too expensive solution to be able to enjoy and share my old vintage 2600 game collection from time to time.

[@SynthAddict]

great thorough video - as a kid that lived on the 2600 I'm happy to see all of this - I will be buying 🙂

[@nykraftlemagnifique]

Hi ! For Berzerk enhanced, it's the robot enemy who can now fire in diagonal ! Good review.

[@rubyvolt]

the fact that I can use the old cartridges and plug right in to any monitor or TV.....HELL YES!!!!

[@andrewfreel8721]

Can't wait for this system to come out!

[@darrengrimmer8541]

If they release some of the legendary games as well.. for me it’s a no brainier to get one

[@PixelShade]

Although I am not interested in the Atari 2600 at all, I must hand it down to this company... This is really what retro gamers want, I think they struck gold with the features of the device, how it works, how authentic it is, yet modern. The only improvements I see right now is for them to add manuals to the games, even the multi-carts. Perhaps some kind of method to add a high quality CRT filter... my idea would be to have some kind of dip switch on the underside, and you can choose between scanlines + apature grille, scanlines + appature grille + color bleed (RCA), scanlines + colorbleed + static (RF). Although I don't have nostalgia towards the 2600. I do remember the console and the image quality never looked like this. So some of the nostalgia is lost with the pristine output.

[@intel386DX]

You have short joystick cord becouse the TV cord is long enough and you keep the Console near you to change, restart and change the setting for the games

[@Corsuwey]

I had the Colecovision with the Atari2600 adapter.... The Atari part was simply for when we were bored and didn't care about quality.

[@intel386DX]

Actually on the end of Atari 2600 live in 1992 there are some multicards with 2 or 4 games with on screen menu.

[@daviniarobbins9298]

The difficulty switches: A = advanced, B = beginner. The Colour/B&W switch has a pause function in Super Football. I had the Superman game for years back in the day. Had no clue what you are supposed to do until I came across a copy of the manual and I was like oh that's what you do. The keyboard controllers and the driving controllers won't work on the plus. So no Star Raiders or Indy 500 or Code Breaker. The original hard ware had a built in TV cable that was over 5 meters long. You didn't need to be sitting right in front of the TV.

[@username7763]

There is a lot to love here. The cart port is a great feature. The only thing I find disappointing is it is emulated. 6502s are still used and produced. They could have partnered with WDC on this. I'd even be excited by a FPGA on it. Ultimately people just care if it works but I care about authenticity. Can emulate 2600 anywhere for cheaper. The point of this system is to be authentic. I'll be keeping my MiSTer.

[@Mango22Shorts]

I'm just waiting to see if the Harmony cartridge works with this.

[@mattx449]

It’s does not

[@shawnwade302]

Demon attack for the Atari 2600 is one of my favorite games. It was fun back in the day and it's still fun today.

[@PitfallHarry72]

Instead of leaning forward or even sitting on the floor to play, why not just use a longer HDMI cable and put the console near you?

[@anthonycassino9769]

Great video. Thanks for the heads up on the power supply for my preorder.

[@GarryGri]

Everything I already had, except for the star raiders keypad, worked fine including games and controllers.

[@SaanMigwell]

The dip switches aren't there to make it "feel" old. The emulator needs them because it thinks it only has access to 128 bytes of RAM, and 4K of ROM, bank switching can expand it 64k, though it won't behave as a true 16bit bus. Those dips are connecting the proper ROM bank to the edge connector.

[@davidprater8402]

Does it have the option to add scan lines?

[@SoulforSale]

Why do they have people review these with no memory or connection to the original console. They are always so clueless about the experience.

[@derfferd9096]

As a veteran Atari player that has 3 Ataris and tons of games I would buy this just because it would be easier to hook up to a newer tv and the picture won’t be fuzzy like an original system.

[@Mr_ToR]

i have an original 2600 woody light sixer. it has an rgb mod, i also have the harmony cartridge. i play it from time to time on my sony trinitron crt on the retro corner in my livingroom which also has wii. i really like old consoles on the proper crt but with proper rgb connection and good image. wii also has rgb cable. looks amazing. if you can not have a real crt, this seems nice and serms very close to the geniune experience. retro arch on n.switch/wiiu or stella on wii is also great though.

[@Thatonepoyo]

7:16 they actually realised a extension cord for that and the only problem with that is that its £10

[@clappinmonkey0944]

The dip switches are a nice touch

[@BigPlatinumDragon]

now I know that I will buy this console eventually. I just wish that Magnavox would do something similar by releasing a retro console of the Odyssey 2 and include the original K.C. Munchkin, because when I was a kid and many of my friends had Atari 2600s our family had the Odyssey 2 and to be honest the games on our console were a lot better for the most part.

[@XV250]

I preordered the basic console and a copy of the new enhanced Berzerk. I can't wait for it to arrive!

[@Mr_ToR]

there were so many multi-game cartridges with menus for the original 2600.

[@AnotherMovieStudio]

Does anyone know if Xevious works on the system? Cause I bought the game the other day and I didn’t see it on the compatibility list at all.

[@joeg4707]

Pre-ordered mine a while ago. I still have my original 2600--still works but the RF signal isn't great and I only one TV still with an RF tuner--so this will be nice for easy hook-up via HDMI.

[@michaelbotting806]

I would really like to know if any of the multi cart games work. They are all untested on the Atari website. So things like the Activision “Rad Acrion Pak”, or “Super Hits Pak” etc - really hope they will work

[@scelbi8h]

The dip and console switches are far from being something "analog". They are digital by definition. You could say they look "retro" or "vintage", but "analog" is not really a good choice of a word. Anyway, this is a really good review:)

[@Michael-yp9ip]

I'll stick with the My Arcade Gamestation Pro

[@rossydv]

No. It excludes ability to play the recharged series. It was a no brainer for me when I assumed it would play the recharged series but thankfully I found out by accident it won’t. Phew. Fantastic video review however!👍

[@Sammy-be5dc]

Very good review greetings from serbia 🇷🇸

[@DrGarfink]

Megadrive controllers have a different pinout compared to Atari. They aren't the same and not compatible without hardware changes.

[@gordonrichardson9393]

you could always shoot diagonally in bezerk :)

[@shawnwade302]

Yeah the original Atari 2600 came with 2 joysticks and the paddles.

[@cacodaemon1]

Steering wheel controller support for Indy 500?

[@ericwilder7679]

Awesome. Can't wait for mine to arrive. If you're looking for a good classic 2600 title, get yourself a copy of Vanguard.

[@BartezPL]

i have my old cartidge 100in1 witch this manual analog dip switches to change game

[@notagainwiththisdyingferfe7722]

Thanks so much for the review Rob. Awesome as ever.

[@RETRONuts]

You can use the Atari50 Flashback Joysticks and Paddles from the gold edition with this and its joystick is not stuff, it has slots in it so it moves better, I tested them so do not see why others from Atari Flashback 7, 8, 9 and 10 too work. Atari have been making Atari Flashbacks for 20 years, I hope this stops them now and this is the last one, because there be on point to making it and selling carts for it. The Flashback 10 and Atari50 Flashback uses switches like this(they are the same model both are AF10) so they probably copied the switches from ATGames AF10 console, thats why it uses the same hardware, a Rockchip RK3128, 256mb ram and 256mb nand, AF10 uses a Rockchip RK3036.

[@PL4Y3R_ON3]

This was so close to perfection. But it is 2023. Wireless controllers should have been standard. Nobody's nostalgic for wires and given the size of our screens these days we need to be further away.

[@user-hr1qe1jr5n]

Great review. Thank you.

[@mattmyers9351]

Have you heard anything about when Atari is shipping the 2600+ for those of us who bought this console from the official website? It's Wednesday and I still haven't received a shipping e-mail notification from them.

[@ZimtikiBar]

If they did this with the NES, I’d be so happy. No more blue screens 😭

[@DavidUrbina-gg9zx]

Excellent review very well showcased left a like on the video 🕹️

[@galacticusX]

Sure buddy, nothing replicates the feeling of an authentic Atari than waiting for 20 seconds for a game to load.

[@RETRONuts]

The Atari2600+ is a Flashback model really made by the people that made THEC64,THEA500 Mini and the Capcom Home Arcade, all were made in the same factory, RichCo Hong Kong, China and they were all designed in the UK, because its PlaIon UK, Ben Jones that made the Atari2600+ he made all of RGL machines too, they uses to be Koch Media UK and Ireland, they changed there name to Plaion because you play on most of there machines, well you will be... :).

[@pimpedoutstereos9747]

I doubt I’ll pick one of these up but I think it’s a product done rite. The fact that it’s not ur typical mini console loaded with roms, it’s an actual 2600 but with the convenience of hdmi. Would b nice if other companies follow and do sumthing similar with other retro consoles. I reckon plenty of n64 fans would love an n64 redone in the same kinda way

[@Williamthehedonist]

I’ve got mine preordered Rob… along with Mr Run & Jump and Berserk… my GF is getting me the paddle and 4 game pack for xmas…. I will look out for new titles as and when they come out…. in answer to your question…. I personally think Atari have come up with a stroke of genius… it’s way more appealing to me to physically own a cartridge and play like i did as a kid than to download or have a game preloaded…. it just feels more original…. I just can’t wait until tomorrow when my console is due to be delta my gf whilst i’m at work… I will be playing all weekend probably!!!!

[@jamescollette5011]

I'm definitely wanting to get one

[@jonniefast]

the genesis controller doesnt work with the original system either its just a coincidence that one of the signals blips to ground (pinout doesnt match) genesis controllers have a multiplexer circuit

[@jonniefast]

it will "work" but not because it is intended or that it is functioning as intended 😅 try getting a genesis controller extension cable and pulling a specific pin (follow sega master system pinout) SMS controllers work w/ 2600 [and the new system as well]

[@andrewkoretsky2695]

Some type of Atari 2600 Plus store for new cartridge offerings.

[@retrowarp6528]

In times where a lot of things are made to be most profitable, a coloured manual would be great.

[@musicremixerlord6125]

There’s a hand held Atari that comes with 100 games I’m planning on getting that ngl

[@AnotherGuyV]

If Sega wants(i don't know if there is an actual new console to play the old games) to make a new console like the Genesis there is some must-have games it should include : 1-Beyond Oasis( fun but way too short) 2-Phantasy Star 4 3-Phantasy Star 3(way underrated to my opinion) 4-Sonic 1 and 2 5-Shinning Force 1 and 2 I could add a lot more but i don't want to waste anyone's time. What are your must-have games on Genesis?

[@ultramaximusreviews]

I am not buying an Atari that cannot play all of the Atari 2600 and 7800 games. I was down for this until I found out some of the games cannot be played.

[@Azagthoth12]

I didn't see two of my favorite games on the compatibility list: Beamrider, and H.E.R.O.

[@dontpanic1092]

Rob, your videos are a real treat! Retro Dodo is even more interesting to watch now :-)

[@joshmiller887]

Can we say it works identical to the original when it needs to pause to load the game cartridge?

[@Mr_ToR]

the controller cable is actually quite long. you're sposed to play it close to your screen. the screen is not sposed to be big so you want to be close to the screen anyways. dude, authentic 2600 experience is not for an 60" screen. my original controller cables are much shorter and they are fine. why you want long cables, they are a mess. play it on an emulator with a proper wiress controller.

[@user-ec8zd8zp4x]

Lovely in depth review! Well done! I am going to order the paddles + 4 in 1 games for sure for my OG Atari 2600! (I have modded it with composite video out.) ...And Mr. Jump & Run is also on my most wanted list! Hearing Super Cobra not working on the new one, is a major let down. It's one of my favorites Atari 2600 games. I still might buy the 2600+ as an easy to connect backup, though.

[@auralynn3862]

"and that's what you're stuck with forever" [Manually adding games to retro mini consoles has entered the chat]

[@Kr3m_]

I think your issues with the game Combat, may actually have to do with the control scheme. You said you keep going in circles. Have you tried left and right for turning and pushing up to move forward?

[@RetroDodo]

As much of an idiot as I can be sometimes, it's definitely not a mistake on my end haha! I would like to think that I'm normally pretty good at Combat and at the very least I know the basic movement controls! It was definitely either that my controller was broken or that it simply doesn't work with the 2600+ :D - Rob

[@Kr3m_]

@@RetroDodo Well, that's a bummer. At least that has been ruled out. I think your conclusion is probably a safe bet though. The downside is, there's no real fix for this. If this were a PC game or a game for any modern console, adding controller support is relatively easy. Just not the case here. In other news, this release has caused me to look into demaking some of the casual high score type games I've worked on over the years for an Atari port. Never thought I'd see the day, but here we are and it's actually pretty fun. I haven't had to code in assembly in a very long time though. 🙂

[@MrMegaManFan]

The Mega Drive/Genesis pad was never meant to work with the 2600/7800 just because it has a nine pin plug. Same plug, different lines, different voltages. In fact if you weren't using a proper adapter to do it those lines could damage an Atari. Thankfully adapters are readily available and John Hancock has already reported the Mega Drive controllers work with 2600+ if you use them.

[@3vi1J]

You don't need an adapter (kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYK0g56AqrKipZo). The only "voltages" involved are 5 volts for both systems. The 2600 provides 5v on pin 7, which the same 5v line Genesis controllers uses as a signal to know whether pins 6 & 9 represent buttons B and C vs. A and Start. Mega Drive/Genesis controllers use the exact same lines for up, down, left, right and fire/B.

[@d4qatoa]

It's kind of cool to recreate the 7800 experience with actual cartridges and HDMI out. No I didn't misspeak, the 7800 also played 2600 carts. This is a 7800 clone. I like the idea, but, to me it would've been better to have one other mode - a native mode that allowed the best the little hardware would allow. Make up a name, say the 15600 mode, let home brewers do what they can with it.

[@jockmattock9239]

Untested? Why didn't they test all of them?

[@RunnyElephant44]

This is what the nintendo classic and ps1 classics should have been

[@jockmattock9239]

Apart from all the negatives, I think it's great!

[@johntoon7172]

Got mine coming.

[@SpareChangeGamer]

Good review. Thanks. I would check our River Raid, Pitfall!, Frostbite, Demon Attack, Dragonfire, Centipede, Millipede, Ms. PAC-MAN, Jungle Hunt, Keystone Kapers, Qbert, Frogger. Sorry I got a little carried away ther. H.E.R.O is also a great game but is on the more expensive side.

[@RetroDodo]

Thanks! And no that's good! I'm not very familiar with the Atari 2600 library so any help is appreciated! At the moment I've only got Asteroids and Pac-Man so I definitely need to bulk up the collection :D - Rob

[@voidformer839]

does it come with E.T.

[@jnerdsblog]

"10 or so games" I mean c'mon, given most of the mini systems had 30 or so games on them this feels a bit loaded. Regardless, I want one of these quite badly!

[@MrMet2087]

I wish Sony and Nintendo would do this as opposed to their classic consoles. Just release a new PS1 or N64/SNES with an hdmi output that plays original games, and I can’t imagine how well they’d sell especially with how retro collectors are gobbling up these games.

[@madmax2069]

$60-$70 maybe, but $130 no. I'm just waiting for someone to figure out HDMI output on an original 7800.

[@guyverjay1289]

No its just an emulation box in an atari 2600 shell

[@neophytealpha]

Atari and Sega controllers are electrically different and could damage the system without a special adapter

[@WakandaForever1776]

This system collected a lot of dust and was hard to keep clean, they should of got rid of the grooves.

[@charlesarcand5223]

Sooo no emulator?

[@juliusmega7373]

Yes every buck, and im very happy that atari is going to sell games in EU, and thank you man that you said in the video how much Power it needs. Well i hope homebrews from atari age will work on it ?

[@MrElpizo1982]

I looked at one of these as a curio, something to mess around with during Christmas, am I right, however, in assuming if you don't already have any games it's not really worth getting?

[@RetroDodo]

Hmmmm, yeah we recommend picking a few up for sure, otherwise you'll get bored quite quickly with just one "10 in 1" game.

[@MrElpizo1982]

@@RetroDodo pretty much what I suspected, thanks for the reply!

[@MurrayLewis]

Luckily, 2600 games are generally very cheap! They made absolutely tons of most games and it's a niche system, so prices have stayed low.

[@Thomaticus]

I love real sports boxing!

[@bobhuber8480]

Yes, it’s worth it.

[@juliusmega7373]

Good Atari games are: Real Sports tennis Demon Attack Cosmic Ark Enduro

[@daankoelewijn5211]

Who gave your nintendo classics a pack of marlboros😳

[@FoundOasis]

Compaines need to take action when it comes to supplying gamers with there old games on modern platforms. Microsoft is def the best with this just straight up updating games and making them work on disc or software wise and even upgrading graphics etc.Nintendo is still catching up due to restarting there retro library every console but out of the selection for nes and snes and once the other platforms have most of the games the majority of people actually wanna play they will be better at this. PlayStation def is the worse though with struggling to get older games from the ps1-3 working on modern consoles.