Opry99er Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 I have an option for the same price... Nice 4 switch woody or a nice Jr. console. Both come with joys, no paddles. What would you choose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutsy Doodleheimer Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 I would choose the 4 switch woody. Woodgrain defines an Atari 2600. Plus these systems are more durable and have better parts in my honest opinion. The Juniors are cheaply made. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Hands down the 4-switch woody. Advantages: 1) Has that classic 2600 style. 2) The plastic pegs that open the dust cover door on the cartridge won't snap off like they do on the Jr. 3) The sliding switches on the Jr. are terrible. 4) The 4-switch is the most-compatible 2600 system in my experience. 5) More internal room if you want to modify the system (such as by adding A/V outputs or a pause mod). ..Al 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted August 21, 2015 Author Share Posted August 21, 2015 Thanks guys... I was leaning that way--- just wasnt sure about color output... Have heard some things about 4 switch colors that were concerning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister-VCS Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Hands down the 4-switch woody. Advantages: 1) Has that classic 2600 style. 2) The plastic pegs that open the dust cover door on the cartridge won't snap off like they do on the Jr. 3) The sliding switches on the Jr. are terrible. 4) The 4-switch is the most-compatible 2600 system in my experience. 5) More internal room if you want to modify the system (such as by adding A/V outputs or a pause mod). ..Al I would choose the 4 switch woody. Woodgrain defines an Atari 2600. Plus these systems are more durable and have better parts in my honest opinion. The Juniors are cheaply made. Get a vader! The best looking 2600 system. Strange: 2600 Double Dragen is harder and faster if i play it on my PAL 2600JR on a flatscreen-TV-set in comparison to my PAL 2600A vader on a 1994 Sony Black Trinition-TV set! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mef Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Strange: 2600 Double Dragen is harder and faster if i play it on my PAL 2600JR on a flatscreen-TV-set in comparison to my PAL 2600A vader on a 1994 Sony Black Trinition-TV set! There must be some truth in this. My 40" LED hands down loses with the ~13-14" CRT Commodore 1084S monitor. It's a combination of post-processing delay and having to cover too big a chunk of your field-of-view to be comfortable. I remember struggling to get the badge-score of 40k in Seaquest on the LED and easily going above 100k on every single try after switching to CRT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 (edited) Strange: 2600 Double Dragen is harder and faster if i play it on my PAL 2600JR on a flatscreen-TV-set in comparison to my PAL 2600A vader on a 1994 Sony Black Trinition-TV set! I, too, suspect the processing delay in the digital flatscreen is likely the cause. Edited August 21, 2015 by BigO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigO Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 I would choose the 4 switch woody. Woodgrain defines an Atari 2600. Plus these systems are more durable and have better parts in my honest opinion. The Juniors are cheaply made. I agree with this. Probably because of my age and when I originally exited the video game scene, the Junior just doesn't feel like a legitimate "Atari" to me. Full disclosure, I can only barely accept the 4 switch as legitimate. On the other hand, a good friend who is 9 years younger than me specifically requested a Junior when I offered to give him an Atari from my stockpile. To him, that was the real 2600. But, there are lots of things he's wrong about. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 I third (or fourth? Fifth?) the recommendation for a Woody. When I was a kid we got a Light Sixer. Shortly thereafter we started seeing 4-Switch Woodies all over and several of my friends had them. So to me personally, "Atari" used as a noun (e.g., "We played Atari today." or "We played the Atari at Mike's house.") will always mean a Sixer of some flavor or a 4-Switch Woody. By the time the Vaders were out, let alone the Juniors, I was heavily into the Atari 8-bit computer scene and paid hardly any attention to other consoles except for briefly lusting after a 5200 until I realized it was the same as my 8-bit computer aside from controllers. When I decided to get another VCS/260, it was no question that I'd start with a Light Sixer. Then I picked up a super clean 4-Switch Woody as a backup for a song ($15 shipped!) - that has become my main system until I get around to restoring the bezel trim paint and polishing the aluminum switches on my Light Sixer one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikey.shake Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 I LOVE the Jr. I thought I wouldn't. Seemed like a cheap piece of crap. Got one for a steal, and love it. Good colors, much more convenient if you're lacking in space, the detachable RF cable is a nice touch, and the cheaper switching style really isn't as bad as it's made out to be. A total surprise, but a tasty little machine. I'd STILL get the Woody. The switch layout, the aesthetic, the heavy-duty plastic and construction, the way it feels to click those switches... the 4-switch is totally the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 I bought the Woody... Even though it had a snapped-off color/bw switch... That kinda sucks... They took a few dollars off the price and gave me a set of paddles though. On my 6 switch I had as a kid, that same switxh was broken off... We used a butter knife. That a hard fix? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DrVenkman Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 I bought the Woody... Even though it had a snapped-off color/bw switch... That kinda sucks... They took a few dollars off the price and gave me a set of paddles though. On my 6 switch I had as a kid, that same switxh was broken off... We used a butter knife. That a hard fix? Dig around online or hit eBay for a replacement switch - take about 10 minutes to desolder the old one and then about 5 minutes to solder on the replacement. Easy peasy. Just make sure you get the correct type - the spring-loaded momentary contact switches used for Game Select and Reset are different than the slide switches used for Power, Color/B&W, (and for 6 switch units) Player difficulty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 Thanks! I'm not a soldering kind of guy... Just don't have the equipment or patience. LOL I'll probably play this one as-is and buy a sixer as a collector's piece at some point. Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nutsy Doodleheimer Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 I agree with this. Probably because of my age and when I originally exited the video game scene, the Junior just doesn't feel like a legitimate "Atari" to me. Full disclosure, I can only barely accept the 4 switch as legitimate. On the other hand, a good friend who is 9 years younger than me specifically requested a Junior when I offered to give him an Atari from my stockpile. To him, that was the real 2600. But, there are lots of things he's wrong about. Agree! When you think of Atari 2600, the first thing that comes to mind is woodgrain and chrome switches. Love the 70's look and feel to it. Clicking the switches is where it's at, not sliding them. I also enjoy the Vader as well. I have all the different systems. But a Heavy Sixer, Light Sixer, and 4 switch woody just stands out from the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Thanks! I'm not a soldering kind of guy... Just don't have the equipment or patience. LOL I'll probably play this one as-is and buy a sixer as a collector's piece at some point. Thanks!! You can change the top parts of the switch by just opening the metal crimp tabs with pliers and transfer the parts to yours. If you have a dead system around for parts, it is even easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 ^^Hey, that's swell!^^ Thanks for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SumerNivek Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 I guess the Jr would only get the nod if space is a commodity on your entertainment stand...like it is on mine! Jr is hooked up over my heavy sixer for the moment so my Jag, Sega Saturn, PS1, and a few others get some space as well. But, as others say, normally the 4 switch woody would be the better choice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Opry99er Posted August 22, 2015 Author Share Posted August 22, 2015 Thanks guys... It is quite a nice system... I wish it were a 6er, but soon enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Woody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloth-machine Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 (edited) Even though it's cheaply made, I still like the Junior because it matches the body case of the 5200, and 7800. They all look great next to one another. This is when Atari was moving into the next generation of a sleeker age, even though it was too little too late. Much like the top loader NES, by the time it came out, no one cared about NES anymore, yet now it's a collectable. The Junior is the same way for me. It was ridiculous back then and just looked like a pathetic attempt to repackage an aging console. Now it makes me smile as I admire it's sleek 'answering machine / mid 80s look'. It's dare I say...'cute'. Don't get me wrong, I love the woody because it's what I grew up with. But I can't help think of my grandpa's slippers and smoking jacket with that woodgrain sometimes. That's also why I prefer the Vader. Edited August 23, 2015 by sloth-machine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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