We can play Pitfall II! Latest Atari 2600+ / 7800+ Firmware Update

[@bencha3341]

Hi Coach, Ben from Plaion here, I'm in charge of the manufacture of these machines, accessories and games. I've been enjoying your Atari+ videos for a while. Great to see you playing Pitfall II finally. We watch videos like yours and respond to them by making decisions on what products we bring out and what we work on in terms of improving game compatibility with firmware updates. Keep the videos coming, thanks for your efforts.

[@CoachTroyRetro]

@bencha3341 Wow, I’m shocked to see you noticed my little channel. Keep up the good work. I hope my videos bring some good insight and don’t just come across as the crazed ramblings of a madman, heheh. I will say I’ve been having a lot of fun with all this stuff over the last year or so, much appreciated.

[@ArttuTheCat]

The old retro games - especially from the 1970's and 1980's - are still amazing and inspiring 😺👍🕹️. It is also a good thing to notice, that many of us still play some classic games on the original hardwares 😺👍🕹️. Luckily, i still own the Commodore ViC-20, Commodore 64 and Commodore Amiga 500 😺👍🕹️. Plus, you got yourself a new retrospective channel subscriber from Vantaa, Finland 🇫🇮 😺👍🕹️. Thank you 😸😺👍🕹️.

[@CoachTroyRetro]

Fanatic! Glad to hear it. Yes, I cannot believe what they were able to accomplish on the old systems. Not just the later stuff like Pitfall II and Solaris, but the early games as well like Superman and Adventure. The Commodore 64 I loved the most. I played it even when I had all my other gaming systems from Atari to PS2. Glad to hear you still have yours!

[@datassetteuser356]

Great news, AtarAge ftw!

[@CoachTroyRetro]

Absolutely, that community is pretty amazing.

[@legendodinson7082]

Burgertime is supposed to actually have color. This looks almost completely black and white.

[@CoachTroyRetro]

Yup, the video transfer is making an already washed out game look even more faded. But at least no green patties like on the NES!

[@ecdhe]

My guess is that Rikki & Vikki (a great homebrew 7800 game) doesn't work on the + line due to the specialty sound chip the cart is using.

[@CoachTroyRetro]

Haven’t been able to test it out myself but that’s what I’ve been hearing. Not sure if that one will ever be possible.

[@ecdhe]

@@CoachTroyRetro I'm sure it is possible, there's an emulator out there which is designed to run Rikki & Vikki. The question is more whether this is worth it. It was a limited production of 550 carts it seems - very hard to find today.

[@d.vaughn8990]

I love Atari 7800 Double Dragon - bad music and all! Not happy that the paddles lag stupidly on my 2600+. There’s no excuse for this!!

[@CoachTroyRetro]

@d.vaughn8990 Ya know it’s been growing on me. It’s been fun figuring out how to play it. I do ok till the Abobos in the mountains and the bridge, then I get whooped. The paddles are better with the 7800 but still they should be better. Breakout is too difficult to play.

[@kevinfisher5492]

Is the firmware update still Windows-only? If so, people should know that. And you're not alone with M-Network....I'm quite fond of the 2600 version of Lock and Chase despite the fact that it is quite different from Intellivision and the Arcade version.

[@CoachTroyRetro]

That is a good point. I’m so computer basic I’m not even thinking outside of windows. The laptop I use is actually over 10 years old, don’t judge. The Atari Lock and Chase is one of my favorite Pac-Man style games. Super basic looking compared but as long as the gameplay is good I’m happy.

[@sprrwhwk1]

BurgerTime is good. For some reason I want to play Chaotic Grill.

[@CoachTroyRetro]

I made a video about BurgerTime about a year ago. I definitely feel it’s fun despite it being not the greatest port. Chaotic Grill always looked amazing to me. I need to get more into the home-brews. There is some gold out there.

[@kevinfisher5492]

@@CoachTroyRetro Just got "Bentley Bear's Crystal Quest." It's a lot of fun, plus it has POKEY for sound and music. I've also got Tutankham and GORF from Champ Games for the 2600 (which sadly still do not work on the plus machines...glad I've got an original 7800). They are absolutely excellent ports.

[@CoachTroyRetro]

Crystal Quest is a gem of a game. Such quality work. Sad to hear about Gorf. It’s one I’ve been looking to pick up. I will definitely keep ahold of my OG 7800 for all those that just won’t play. Plus if I ever pick up a light gun I’ll need it to hook up to the CRT.

[@Da4Ying3]

I'm surprised you didn't receive an Atari 400 mini as a gift for one late December holiday or another. The graphics on the 400, I mean... the boxers look WAY MORE like Logan Paul. ;-)

[@CoachTroyRetro]

Me too, I feel Atari should have sent me one just cuz I’m so likable. Or at least my wife. Ok, maybe not, I’ve got enough crap. But I do like the idea of punching an 8 bit facsimile of either Paul brother.

[@Da4Ying3]

Kickstarter idea worth one million dollars: a romhack to get the Paul brothers and Mike Tyson into the same video game.

[@CoachTroyRetro]

I’m surprised that idea hasn’t been done already. It’s gotta be out there somewhere.

[@80skid61]

I wish I could update mine, but am no good at computer stuff. Maybe I can pay someone to update mine?

[@CoachTroyRetro]

It is seriously incredibly easy. Even I did it. Watch that linked video for a step by step tutorial and it takes about 7 minutes to do.

[@kevinfisher5492]

@@CoachTroyRetro I've updated a lot of firmwares across a wide array of devices in my time, but I honestly thought I bricked the 2600+ during the update. It's not particularly user friendly. And it is Windows-only so if you're running anything other than Windows, you're out of luck. I wish it was as easy as the 400 Mini to update.

[@thomasm9942]

Burger time looks terrible! But you like it so enjoy!

[@CoachTroyRetro]

Oh it’s a visual abomination for sure. But somehow more fun than it should be.

[@kevinfisher5492]

@@CoachTroyRetro I feel the same way about Lock and Chase. For some reason I find it addictive despite how it looks and sounds.

[@EgGu-l9y]

If Atari would've used FPGA hardware in the 7800+ you wouldn't need these updates just to play original games. There would also be zero load times, zero timing delays and games would run at their proper speeds. Emulation is the problem. It's half ar$ed cheap emulation hardware that probably cost $30 to make.

[@CoachTroyRetro]

Yeah, it definitely could have been better. But still I’m having fun messing around with it.

[@Da4Ying3]

Dude, my heart breaks for you, but c'mon... admit it... both the 2600+ and 7800+ are dire disappointments in retrospect. I've been disappointed with all the Neo Geo retro stuff I've bought, and I keep pouring money into it anyway. (BTW, this is from the artist formerly known as Retro Gaming Lore, now banned from KZbin.)

[@CoachTroyRetro]

What can I say, I’m a simple man with simple pleasures. And I’ve been wondering where you’ve been! What happened?

[@Da4Ying3]

I've switched to doing podcasts (including "video podcasts" on Spotify that compete directly with KZbin). Google "Everyone Hates Eisel Mazard" and you'll get my comedy, "Doomed Republic" and you'll get the serious side (Ancient Rome, etc.). I am tempted to start a Retro Gaming Lore podcast, but I'd rather do it with two voices (not as a monologue) when I have a friend in town.

[@CoachTroyRetro]

Ok, just looked it up. Listening now. Good luck with it!

[@chrisd8458]

I dont think they were disappointments at all. Sure 2600+ was rough until that firmware update finally arrived. But 7800+ came with it. The only 2 complaints I have are that flashcarts don't work unless there is only 1 rom on the card and ChampGames releases don't work. Other than that. They play the old carts I have. They play the new carts I bought from Atari. And they play the homebrews I buy from AtariAge. So if you're into buying games. These things are fuckin awesome. If you're into ROMs and flashcarts.... then yeah, I can see why someone would be disappointed. But I got original hardware for all that. I play all my new purchased carts in HD both 2600/7800+. It's awesome. But I do wish they would play the Champ releases. But totally understand why they can't. John uses some advanced shit in his games.

[@CoachTroyRetro]

Not at all disappointing. Maybe a lil unfinished. But part of the fun has been watching it grow and being able to update with it. I’m one of those weird guys that likes physical carts. Like preferring to enter an actual store as opposed to ordering online or a printed book over a kindle. So for that reason this has been right up my alley.