The Atari 2600+ is live for preorders!

[Atari Superman]

19 hours ago, RockLobster said:

How do people who are interested in the 2600+ generally feel about the Retron products that also allow for physical carts but run under emulation?

The Retron is currently the best possible way for me to have Atari in the living room without putting a strain on my aging vintage equipment. I don't like messing with adapters, modifying electronic components, or jury-rigging unstable workarounds. I just want to play Atari in the living room like I've wanted to do since I was 8. The various Flashbacks have sucky controllers and don't include licensed games like Pac-Man, which I love and you can hate all you want. The new VCS is an unending source of frustration and disappointment. It never updates itself properly without requiring me to flash the BIOS every gd time, and after all that I'm still no closer to Pac-Man. As a way to play the 2600 library, it is suboptimal by every measure.

 

I wish the Retron had a better paddle solution. I wish it supported driving controllers and keyboard controllers without some stupid-looking gearhead jumble of multiple dongles and cables and adapters. I wish the controllers in general were more robust. But they are better than the Flashback controllers, and I'm happy for what I'm getting and not fixated over what I'm not getting, which I suppose makes me the exception to the rule around here.

 

Emulation isn't the same experience, but it's close enough, and if the options are emulation or no Atari once my 2600s and CRTs inevitably bite the dust, I will take emulation gladly.

[+GoldLeader]

5 hours ago, alex_79 said:

Yep, my bad, I was already editing my post while you posted.

 

EDIT:

No, I actually was remembering correctly: the official page didn't have any mention of emulation when it first appeared. The FAQ section looked like this (courtesy of the Intenet Archive):😄

 

 

 

Could you imagine if you'd bought one based on this original script?

 

You'd be thinking you're getting an "enhanced" machine;  I  guess they mean the HDMI output.  But how pissed would you be the first time you put in a cart that doesn't work?  You'd want your money back and in my mind you'd be well within your rights to get it.

[+GoldLeader]

7 minutes ago, Atari Superman said:

 

 

 

 

Emulation isn't the same experience, but it's close enough, and if the options are emulation or no Atari once my 2600s and CRTs inevitably bite the dust, I will take emulation gladly.

 

I think this is fair.  At this point I've got a RetroN 77 and a Flashback, (Well,  many Flashbacks) so this niche is covered...

[RockLobster]

3 minutes ago, GoldLeader said:

Could you imagine if you'd bought one based on this original script?

Can you elaborate?

 

While most of us don't have a production copy in our hands yet, is there controversy with that list of "enhancements" rn?    

 

6 minutes ago, GoldLeader said:

But how pissed would you be the first time you put in a cart that doesn't work?  You'd want your money back and in my mind you'd be well within your rights to get it.

I agree that I would be upset indeed.  

 

I'm not thrilled with their "No cartridge left behind slogan" while simultaneously have an admitted less than full compatibility.   OTOH, they have published their compatibility list at the time of pre-order.   https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3658/5381/files/Atari-2600Plus-Compatibility.pdf

 

So I don't know what commercial or moral stance I would have to get a refund.

[+GoldLeader]

Speaking for Myself,  I Love the actual hardware!  I like it A/V/S-video modded and have fun outputting it to my Retro Tink and tuning it for an LCD;  Once you crank up the Contrast and Brightness and get it looking Great!  It's slick, runs all carts, and it looks nice and sharp with no ghosting or static like you had back in the day.  That's all I ever wanted...(Except now I also want them to make new one with HDMI out that is Not an emulator,  heh)...

[Thomas Jentzsch]

20 hours ago, RockLobster said:

 

How do people who are interested in the 2600+ generally feel about the Retron products that also allow for physical carts but run under emulation?

Why the "but"? The 2600+ is running an emulator too.

[+GoldLeader]

26 minutes ago, RockLobster said:

Can you elaborate?

 

 

I could, but I shouldn't have to...(Again,  I was only referring to the Original script before they modified it).

 

My comments are in BOLD. (Below)

26 minutes ago, RockLobster said:

Can you elaborate?  OK

 

While most of us don't have a production copy in our hands yet, is there controversy with that list of "enhancements" rn?    (Maybe disappointment is a better word than controversy)

 

I agree that I would be upset indeed.  (Me Too!)

 

I'm not thrilled with their "No cartridge left behind slogan" while simultaneously have an admitted less than full compatibility.  (Me neither!)  OTOH, they have published their compatibility list at the time of pre-order.   https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3658/5381/files/Atari-2600Plus-Compatibility.pdf (Now they have)

 

So I don't know what commercial or moral stance I would have to get a refund.

 

We've enhanced the 2600+ from the original in the following ways:  (Enhanced you say?  You have my attention.)

 

- Plays both Atari 2600 and 7800 game cartridges (Except when it Doesn't;  And this is the Main reason you bought one!)

 

- HDMI output makes it easy to connect (True)

 

- Widescreen mode (K...)

 

- 80% of original size (Well,  we could all stand to lose a little weight)

 

- Enlarged cartridge socket reduces sticking (Was this a 'Sticking Point' for most people?  heh)

 

- Atari logo lights up when being played (That's nifty)

 

 

 

[+pboland]

I think I will still get this even knowing the limitations, because at the end of the day I'm a collector.

 

I'm wondering how the 2600+ compares to the My Arcade Atari GameStation Pro?🤔 (outside of the cart slot and retro look)

[+x=usr(1536)]

20 hours ago, RockLobster said:

How do people who are interested in the 2600+ generally feel about the Retron products that also allow for physical carts but run under emulation?

Preface: I'm not interested in the 2600+ as something to acquire and use, but am mildly curious as to how the hardware implemented the emulation.  As regards the latter part, I think we now have a fairly decent grasp on how it goes about doing that.

 

As for the former: it's not that I love or hate the device, but rather that it's just not for me.  While it does do some things differently to the Flashback units that came before it (7800 support, cartridge slot), it ultimately doesn't do anything that I can't do on original hardware or in emulation.  It seems to be aimed more at the casual and collector end of things, which is fine, but that's not really where my interests tend to lie.

 

If someone likes it and picks one or two or eighteen up, fine by me   For me personally, though, it's just not something that falls into must-have territory.

 

As for how this relates to the Retron 77: much the same applies.  It's a neat device, but just doesn't do much that I can't already do elsewhere.  More power to anyone who wants or buys one, but it's just not for me.

[+GoldLeader]

22 minutes ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

Why the "but"? The 2600+ is running an emulator too.

 

[+GoldLeader]

For the record,

 

I'm not against anyone buying this product,  (and never said I was), but I like to call a spade a spade...

[Albert]

7 minutes ago, GoldLeader said:

Widescreen mode (K...)

This is actually a nice feature to have built-in.  I much prefer seeing the games in their original 4:3 ratio, as opposed to being stretched to a widescreen display.  I'm curious what is displayed on the sides, though.  But I'm sure others will prefer that the full width of the display is used, even if the games are stretched. 

 

 ..Al

[+frankodragon]

I'd like to see if it can handle 7800 carts that are 256K and up.  If it's one of those systems that locks out certain carts because it's not "Atari-worthy" then forget about it.  

[Thomas Jentzsch]

1 minute ago, Albert said:

 But I'm sure others will prefer that the full width of the display is used, even if the games are stretched. 

Or Bezels  

[Albert]

1 minute ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

Or Bezels  

I'm not a big fan of bezels as I've seen done in some cases, I think they are a bit distracting in emulators.  I'd prefer just black be used, which I'm hoping is the case here. 

 

 ..Al

[+swlovinist]

I am sure the target audience for the 2600+ is more casual than the hardcore audience here.    It has gained a fair amount of discussion on my channel, way more than the average video.  Lots of fair points are being raised here on all sides.   I for one am looking forward to testing this unit and have reached out to Plaion.  If anything, this offers a modern device that can play Atari 2600/7800 carts.   At the end of the day, more people are going to be playing Atari and for me that is a good thing.   

[+bent_pin]

7 hours ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

But if you are aware, you know that the port is a fake. How can you get an authentic experience from a known fake?

It's the genuine leather of cartridge ports.

[+sramirez2008]

5 minutes ago, swlovinist said:

I for one am looking forward to testing this unit and have reached out to Plaion.

Can you ask Plaion what emulator is being used for the 7800? -Thanks.

[+swlovinist]

7 minutes ago, sramirez2008 said:

Can you ask Plaion what emulator is being used for the 7800? -Thanks.

If I have the opportunity, yes.   I do not know if I am getting a review unit, and many times, it is last minute.   I will try.  

[RockLobster]

1 hour ago, Atari Superman said:

The Retron is currently the best possible way for me to have Atari in the living room

What a fantastic perspective summary.   Thank you!

 

1 hour ago, Atari Superman said:

I'm happy for what I'm getting and not fixated over what I'm not getting, which I suppose makes me the exception to the rule around here.

My 2 cents is that lamenting over the lack of features in the way you want IS how some people enjoy their hobbies.   Much like die hard Trekkies/Trekkers secretly enjoy complaining about nuance use of transporters, holodeck, warp, etc. by writers or directors they don't like.

 

[RockLobster]

1 hour ago, Thomas Jentzsch said:

Why the "but"? The 2600+ is running an emulator too.

I want to avoid touching on some nerves on AA but I understand some people have strong options on "real" hardware, "real" Atari on an SoC or even hardware emulation via FPGA... that is, they feel that anything less than those designs, software emulation isn't up to par regardless of whether they would be able to tell the difference IRL w/o the use of tools.

 

1 hour ago, GoldLeader said:

OTOH, they have published their compatibility list at the time of pre-order.   https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0609/3658/5381/files/Atari-2600Plus-Compatibility.pdf (Now they have)

OH!  I wasn't there at the second of release but wow, they delayed making the compatibility list available after their pre-order launch?   whoa.

 

1 hour ago, GoldLeader said:

- Enlarged cartridge socket reduces sticking (Was this a 'Sticking Point' for most people?  heh)

I thought the same.  I *guess* they meant it was hard for old crusty cartridges to go into original or 3rd party systems (like Retron77?) and that warranted a design "feature" to address it?

 

1 hour ago, swlovinist said:

I for one am looking forward to testing this unit and have reached out to Plaion.  If anything, this offers a modern device that can play Atari 2600/7800 carts

I fit into this camp should I end up getting one.  Between real 2600 and 7800 consoles hooked up along with 2600 "adapters" for other Gen2 consoles like the ColecoVision plus a MiSTer and RGB-Pi OS setups all ready to go with original and non-original controllers...  there's really no capability something like the 2600+ that will add to the actual playing of 2600/7800 games.   

 

Any sort of play (for me) would be to see how it will differ than the aforementioned systems/methods.

 

1 hour ago, swlovinist said:

At the end of the day, more people are going to be playing Atari and for me that is a good thing. 

You're not the first to say this of course but I wish it was repeated more often.

 

1 hour ago, sramirez2008 said:

Can you ask Plaion what emulator is being used for the 7800? -Thanks.

Per other threads (meaning I don't have 1st hand knowledge), supposedly a recent build of Stella.

 

 

[RockLobster]

1 hour ago, x=usr(1536) said:

Preface: I'm not interested in the 2600+ as something to acquire and use, but am mildly curious as to how the hardware implemented the emulation.  As regards the latter part, I think we now have a fairly decent grasp on how it goes about doing that.

I would absolutely go bonkers over an FPGA device with

1. Cartridge support (even if it doesn't support the SuperCharger)
2. Analog out:  Composite, S-Video and RGB
3. Full support for all compatible (within spec) DB-9 based controllers and accessories

The MiSTer knocks fully #2 and partially #3.    Adding a 2600dapter-d9 helps #3 get a little closer since there is no 2-button support for the 7800 (and no plans for the future).

[alex_79]

10 minutes ago, RockLobster said:

Per other threads (meaning I don't have 1st hand knowledge), supposedly a recent build of Stella.

For the 2600 side, yes. But Stella doesn't emulate the 7800 and there still no info about what 7800 emulator will be in the console.

[Thomas Jentzsch]

15 minutes ago, RockLobster said:

I want to avoid touching on some nerves on AA but I understand some people have strong options on "real" hardware, "real" Atari on an SoC or even hardware emulation via FPGA... that is, they feel that anything less than those designs, software emulation isn't up to par regardless of whether they would be able to tell the difference IRL w/o the use of tools.

No problem. It sounded like you think the 2600+ does not use emulation, that's why I asked for the "but".

[leech]

39 minutes ago, RockLobster said:

I would absolutely go bonkers over an FPGA device with

1. Cartridge support (even if it doesn't support the SuperCharger)
2. Analog out:  Composite, S-Video and RGB
3. Full support for all compatible (within spec) DB-9 based controllers and accessories

The MiSTer knocks fully #2 and partially #3.    Adding a 2600dapter-d9 helps #3 get a little closer since there is no 2-button support for the 7800 (and no plans for the future).

I am sort of shocked that at this point someone hasn't attempted to make a line of cart adapters for the MiSTer.  Would be a wonderful thing to be able to dump our carts directly using it, whether into memory to play, or to an SDCard for playing later.