2600
Latest
Atari is indeed working on a new console, says CEO
When Atari first revealed its Ataribox project at E3 this year, the announcement was met with skepticism as to whether the teaser was even real. The company hadn't made a home game console in more than 20 years and yet it was choosing 2017 to get back in the game? Welp, apparently so, because Atari CEO Fred Chesnais confirmed to GamesBeat on Friday that the company is doing just that.
Atari 2600 fans get the revival console they deserve
If you want to play retro Atari 2600/VCS games, you're not short on options. There's eBay for the original console, of course. You can play some on mobile, buy one of those Flashback all-in-ones or splurge on the ultimate man/woman cave table. But for those who have the original cartridges but don't want to keep an old console on permanent life support or tinker with modifications under the hood, your options aren't so good. Enter the RetroN 77 -- the VCS reimagined for the modern age. Importantly, it plays most if not all of the original game cartridges in glorious 1080p and at a modern aspect ratio, right out of the box.
2600 Volume 1 released as a DRM-free ebook: phreak like it's 1984
Long-running hacker magazine 2600 has been digging into its archives quite a bit as of late (it began releasing videos of the early HOPE conferences in December), and it's now gone back right to the beginning for its latest offering. It's just released 2600: The Hacker Digest - Volume 1, a DRM-free ebook that collects its first year of newsletters -- reformatted in book form for easier reading, but with every last detail intact (including typos). That's available in both the Kindle and Nook stores, as well as through 2600's own site in plain old PDF form, each of which set you back just under $4. What's more, while there's no firm word on any additional volumes just yet, 2600 says it'll keep them coming if there's enough support for the first one.
cTrix forges Atari 2600 and guitar together, mesmerizes nerds (video)
If you're going to rock out, you might as well do so with a video game console from the '70s as the core of your guitar. In fact, this is precisely what modder cTrix has done with his gATARI2600. In his configuration, he's able to write and play new music through an Atari 2600 by using an EPROM programmer (a software application he wrote) and daughterboards to feed the new music back through the instrument. The gATARI also features equalizer and flange pedals, a track selector, and whammy bars that allow the player to switch tracks and make changes on the fly. No details have been posted as to how to make your own just yet, but click past the break to watch cTrix jam both thoroughly and effectively at Blip Fest 2011 in Japan.
Maingear and Origin PC shove Intel's Core i7 2700K into gaming rigs, overclock it beyond 5GHz
Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock were both unavailable for comment, but we're guessing the pair would be quite pleased to see that the tech world's Need For Speed is hardly fading. Maingear and Origin PC have both announced this week that their high-end gaming desktops are now available with Intel's Core i7 2700K -- a beast of a processor that's clocked from the factory at 3.5GHz. Maingear's shoving this guy into its SHIFT (starting at $1,985) and F131 (starting at $1,228) rigs, with factory overclocking options pushing it beyond 5GHz. Origin is hawking its Genesis desktop with a factory speed of 5.2GHz, and yes, gratis warranties are thrown in for the paranoid. Hit the links below to give your wallet the dent it's been asking for.
'Atari's Greatest Hits' app brings 100 new old games to iOS
A new universal iOS app from Atari is making the standard App Store rounds today, starting in New Zealand and propagating worldwide throughout the day. The Atari's Greatest Hits app is a free download that provides paid access to 100 games from Atari's arcade and 2600 library, including classics like Yars Revenge, Haunted House and Asteroids, weird games like Circus Atari, and even rarities like Quadrun. The app comes bundled with Pong, with additional titles available in four-game packs for $1 each, or $15 for the whole collection. Some of the games, including the whole RealSports series, Warlords and Breakout, have been updated with Bluetooth multiplayer. This is the latest in a recent Atari effort to repackage its classics once again. Atari's Greatest Hits: Volume 1 was released as a retail cartridge on DS in November 2010.
iFixit continues its retro gaming rampage, reduces an innocent Atari 2600 to bare components
iFixit, is no device safe from the scars of your screwdriver? These eyes have been scarred, forced to witness the destruction of yet another childhood icon. Previously it was the RCA Studio II and the Magnavox Odyssey 100 before that. Now it's the rather more memorable Atari 2600 going under the scalpel, four simple screws removed to reveal an eight-bit, 1.19MHz processor featuring 128 bytes of RAM (yes, a massive 1,024 bits) and a graphics adapter capable of 192 x 160 resolution with 128 colors -- though only four could be used on any given line. Through these humble beginnings the cartridge-based console was born... and now here it rests.
Former Microsoft VP brings Halo to the Atari 2600
Sometimes you just can't stop a man and his dream. In this case, the man is Ed Fries, the former vice president of Microsoft's game publishing division, and the dream is a version of Halo for the Atari 2600. That actually started out simply as a way for Fries to learn to program for the 2600, but quickly turned into a full-fledged, Adventure-style game that made its debut at this past weekend's Classic Gaming Expo -- in cartridge form, no less, and with a label that'd look at home in any shoebox full of 2600 carts (check it out after the break). Just as impressive as the game itself, however, is the story behind it. Here's just a sample: It's around this time that I discovered the existence of what I call "Magic Land". I was working on a bug with the boss encounter and accidentally found myself completely outside the 64 room map. I was wandering through memory that was never intended to be interpreted as part of the map but the code was doing the best it could to interpret what was being thrown at it. Strange, misshapen monsters attacked me in even stranger ways as I wandered through this bizarre land that I had unintentionally created. I left a bug or two in the final game to allow others to find and explore this strange landscape as I did. Oh, did we mention you can play it right now? Hit up the source link below and prepare to forget that Halo Reach even exists.
Students create CRT emulator, hope to recapture that analog gaming vibe of yesteryear
The retro gaming insurgence seems as strong as vinyl these days, but you don't see as many people looking for a CRT monitor to complete the set. More likely, they're playing a HD remake or the original title on a digital screen in more detail than the developers ever anticipated or intended. A group of Georgia Tech students are looking to change all that by modifying open-source Atari 2600 VCS emulator Stella to give players that good ole fashion analog vibe. As highlighted by associate professor Ian Bogost, key attributes such as color bleed, "burned" afterimage, RF-engendered signal noise, and texture created by the phosphor glow have been imitated here in recreating the effect. Hit up the gallery below for pictorial examples while we wait anxiously for video and / or the mod itself to rear its blurry head.
Ben Heck crams Xbox 360 controller into Atari 2600 joystick
As we've seen, a little Atari 2600 is a sure way to liven almost anything -- cakes, candles, landfills -- and it looks like the Xbox 360 is no exception, as none other than Ben Heck has proved with his new so-called 3600 controller. As you might expect, Ben didn't exactly take the expected route to wind up at this creation, instead opting to use the guts of a Guitar Hero 3 controller, which he somehow managed to squeeze into the base of everyone's favorite one-button controller (even leaving room for a guide button and ring of light on the underside). Be sure to hit up the link below for a must-see video of the controller in action and, of course, plenty more pics.[Via Xbox-Scene]
AT&T's BlackBerry Curve 8320 (and friends) make an appearance
If you've been jonesing for a few more shots of that trippy Samsung a637 that's starting to trickle into AT&T stores... well, here you are. We also have additional footage of Nokia's carrier-branded 6650 and 2600 classic, and new to this photo batch is the Curve 8320, one-upping AT&T's existing 8300 with WiFi (not to say you'd really know it from a dummy model). A little something for everyone here, really.[Thanks, Andy C.]%Gallery-32374%
Nokia 6650, 2600 classic, and a funny Samsung show up in AT&T stores
It's that most exciting time again for AT&T store owners and their customers -- yes, that's right, it's dummy time. Empty husks representing the Nokia 6650 and 2600 classic are now finding their way into employee hands, along with a rather curious Samsung that we're told might be the a637. Seriously, Sammy's done just about every form factor and gone down just about every design direction, but does this translucent white pill of a candybar not look completely fresh? Looks pretty low-end -- GoPhone territory, if we had to guess -- but if you covered up the logo, we'd guess Pantech, LG... heck, even Huawei before we put our money on Samsung. Stay tuned for versions of these things with actual electrical circuitry in 'em; they can't be far off now.[Thanks, Kal]%Gallery-32345%
Nokia's 1209 and 2600 classic, simple and super cheap
Doesn't seem like that long ago that Nokia totally juiced its low-end offerings, but the world of inexpensive ear candy moves just as quickly as the rest of the market -- if not quicker -- and so the fleet is getting rejuvenated just a tad. The 1209 (pictured left) is naturally the lower end of the pair, a phone that Nokia has specifically designed for the concept of "phone sharing" that is largely unique to emerging markets; special features include extra cost tracking apps and separate phonebooks for up to five users. The more interesting of the two is the 2600 classic, featuring interchangeable Xpress-on (wow, it's been a while since we've heard that word) covers, support for MP3 ringtones, a VGA cam, and integrated FM radio. Look for the 1209 to start shipping next quarter for a mere €35 (about $51) while the 2600 classic has already kicked off deliveries for €65 (about $95).
Atari 2600 enters Strong National Museum of Play's Hall of Fame
We know that the Atari 2600 doesn't really need more accolades, but it's always nice to see the system get propers from the man upstairs. In this particular case, the man upstairs happens to be the Strong National Museum of Play's Toy Hall of Fame (that's a mouthful). To date, the museum has only added 38 toys to its list, so Atari's old pixel pusher joins the ranks of luminaries such as G.I. Joe, Barbie, the Slinky, Hula Hoops, and the Kite. In addition to being the newest entry, the console also has the distinction of being the most recently invented toy in the Hall of Fame, though we understand that claim was nearly edged out by Silly Putty. Congratulations, 2600, you've come a long way.[Via Next Generation]
Ericsson launches 2.6GHz HSPA equipment, chipset makers cry uncle again
No, seriously, how many global 3G bands do we need? We're still dealing with chipset and handset manufacturers hemming and hawing over adding 850 and 1900MHz for support in the Americas, for goodness' sake, and that's the least of our problems. T-Mobile's starting to light up little fragments of its 1700MHz spectrum (good luck getting Sony Ericsson to buy into that one, guys) while Europe may start to add UMTS 900 to supplement the 2100MHz networks that are currently deployed over in those parts. Alas, here comes Ericsson trotting out an array of 2.6GHz HSPA wares, suggesting that it gives carriers greater "cost efficiency" by tacking on to existing infrastructure. Norway, the UK, and Sweden have all announced plans for 2.6GHz auctions recently so Ericsson's announcement is indeed a timely one -- but still, talk about 3G band overload![Via PhoneMag]
Ben Heck's NEStari is virtually a virtual console
In a way, it's better than our own Virtual Console, because it's portable and it can play Journey Escape. Master console portablizer Ben Heckendorn made this portable NES/Atari monster out of an Atari Flashback 2 and a "NES-on-a-chip" found in many Famiclones and joystick-based TV games.The placement of the Atari cartridge slot is a little unfortunate, but we're sure he wouldn't build a device with an unusable screen, so we doubt the cartridge obscures the view too severely. Cramming two whole consoles and four rechargeable AA batteries into a tiny handheld takes some maneuvering!Seeing Ben's work always makes us want to learn electronics. It also makes us want to play old games-- guess which one we end up doing. [Via Engadget]
Virtually Overlooked: Journey Escape
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative. Workin' hard to get my fill Everybody wants a thrill Payin' anything to roll the dice Just one more time Some will win Some will lose Some were born to sing the blues Oh, the Atari 2600 game never ends It goes on and on and on and on
ATI ships out Radeon HD 2400 and HD 2600 graphics cards
While some of you may be holding out for a 1GB Radeon HD 2900 XT, those looking to spend a little less can get a bit of instant gratification. ATI has just announced that the Radeon 2400 HD and 2600 HD are now shipping to board customers, meaning that a few more DirectX 10 graphics cards will be hitting store shelves in the not too distant future. Both cards will also include the company's Unified Video Decoder (UVD), are based around a 65-nanometer chip, and will support HDMI and HDCP. Time to start scouring the neighborhood couches for spare change, eh?[Via TGDaily]
Atari candlestick makes us pine for the pre-Pong world
We've always considered ourselves lucky for having grown up in the modern world -- video games just wouldn't be the same without electricity -- but every once in a while, we find ourselves inexplicably drawn to the simplicity and elegance of the pre-Pong world. Lucky for us then, that the designers at Mixko have seen fit to make these Atari 2600-themed candlesticks which effortlessly blend -- mix even -- our irrational and conflicting sentiments. Now, two of these and a Wii and we're in business.[Via BoingBoing]
AMD names names: R600 now the ATI Radeon HD 2900 XT
AMD is losing the "X" prefix of its ATI graphics lineup, and slapping on "HD" to denote the changes and advancements in its R600-based DirectX 10 cards. Up top is the Radeon HD 2900 XT (the rumors were close), with 320 stream processors, double that of the GeForce 8800 GTX from NVIDIA. The lower-end RV630- and RV610-based cards will go as the HD 2600 Pro / XT and the HD 2400 Pro / XT. HD on all these cards denotes the Avivo HD technology on board for decoding H.264 and VC-1 video off of Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. The 2900 series also has full HDMI outs, with integrated 5.1 surround sound. No exact launch date or pricing yet, but we shouldn't have too much longer to wait.
