The Atari 2600+ is live for preorders!

[Zoyous]

4 minutes ago, ForceInfinity said:

To be fair Amazon wasn’t an option at the time of preorder (at least not that I remember)

Ah, good point

[vagabondartist]

7 hours ago, Ben from Plaion said:

Atari and Plaion also today revealed three new accessories: 

 

the CX78+ Gamepad (supporting two-button 7800 games)

a standalone CX30+ Paddle Pack, and

an accessory extension cable. 

 

Additionally, coming early 2024 we will be bringing four additional 7800/2600 games to market. More details on retailer availability to come soon.  

 

My excitement levels are at their peak!!

[Electric-Dreams]

27 minutes ago, Albert said:

Maybe Atari-branded Q-tips?

 

  ..Al

Do not forget the ATARI branded twelve pack 99% Isopropyl Alcohol 😅

[atariman72]

Spent a couple of hours playing with the 2600+ tonight and really like the experience it gives.  Closest other thing I can liken it to is listening to an old bit of vinyl on a new record player.  Slotting in the cartridge, flicking the switches and picking up the joystick is a very tactile experience.  Although it would be nice to save high scores I'm kind of glad that there is no user interface or options.  It really does feel like the genuine article.  Already recorded my new Centipede 7800 high score in a notebook, just like back in the day.  

 

PRO'S

As close an experience as you will get to the original 2600.

HDMI picture is very crisp - so much so that I've already moved the 2600+ to the living room to play it on my main tv.

Joystick gives me cramp, maybe doesn't sound like a positive thing but that cramp feels exactly like I got back in the early 80's 😀

The light up Atari logo on the front of the console is very cool.

DIP switches on the 10-in-1 cart are a nice touch.

 

CON'S

The one thing I feel that lets down the 2600+ and games is the lack of printed documentation.  With the amount of in-game variations on a lot of the titles a manual is almost a must.  Fingers crossed Atari take on feedback (I've seen it mentioned on a few of the YouTube reviews) and fix this for future releases.  To use the previous comparison I made, it's like buying a new LP and it not having any sleeve notes!

Hard to think of any other negatives though, hopefully future firmware updates will fix compatibility issues.

 

Is there a release date yet for the 7800 pad or more information on the new releases?

 

 

 

 

[Albert]

17 minutes ago, Electric-Dreams said:

Do not forget the ATARI branded twelve pack 99% Isopropyl Alcohol 😅

Obviously they should be bundled together. Perhaps with optional tacos. 
 

  ..Al

[+MrZarniwoop]

9 minutes ago, atariman72 said:

The one thing I feel that lets down the 2600+ and games is the lack of printed documentation. [...] it's like buying a new LP and it not having any sleeve notes!

THIS ^

 

If one buys any new vinyl presses, one expects at the very least, a full retro 60s/70s/80s experience with sleeves and liner notes or more. Anything else feels cheap.

[Albert]

I'm on the same page as far as manuals go. But I may be biased since I've been producing physical manuals for games for the last 20 years, and of all the physical assets (boxes, labels, manuals, posters, etc.), manuals certainly take the most amount of work by far. I will wield my influence in this area, but cannot guarantee anything. 
 

  ..Al

[atariman72]

1 minute ago, Albert said:

I'm on the same page as far as manuals go. But I may be biased since I've been producing physical manuals for games for the last 20 years, and of all the physical assets (boxes, labels, manuals, posters, etc.), manuals certainly take the most amount of work by far. I will wield my influence in this area, but cannot guarantee anything. 
 

  ..Al

Thanks Albert, even just a guide to the options would be good.  Also be nice to see some of that famous Atari artwork being used again.

 

While you are it maybe you could wield your influence to talk Ben/Koch into importing some Atari VCS (the streaming console) to Europe and the UK 😉

[Albert]

11 minutes ago, atariman72 said:

While you are it maybe you could wield your influence to talk Ben/Koch into importing some Atari VCS (the streaming console) to Europe and the UK 😉

Trust me, Atari is well aware of  the international shipping issues.  Edit: And with regards to the VCS, it's not really a simple issue of simply shipping consoles to the EU and UK, or Atari would have been doing this from the get go...

 

 ..Al

[+swlovinist]

8 hours ago, Ben from Plaion said:

UGH I had a look earlier and the new one was live, looks like the old one is back there, I've asked for it to be refreshed

 

In the meantime here is the PDF version of the new one

 

73 changes. 68 move from 'Not Tested' or 'Fail' to now 'Pass' with 5 remaining or new 'Fails'

2600Plus Compatability launch day update.pdf 2.29 MB · 48 downloads

7800 Rampage does not work as I tested two different carts.  2600 Tunnel Runner does not work either nor does Burgertime.      2600 Starpath Supercharger with at least The Offical Frogger does not work.   In the nicest way possible, my suggestion in the future is to reach out to few collectors before launch.   We could of easily had a more accurate checklist :).  

[+MrZarniwoop]

4 minutes ago, swlovinist said:

7800 Rampage does not work as I tested two different carts. 

There's an alternative ROM for Rampage. Curious if perhaps it works from Dragonfly?

[donjn]

Well I received it and really, really like it.

 

Early positives

Packed well, does not feel cheap at all. The true classic experience feel is there. I didnt think I NEEDED that feeling of plugging in games again but I did. The HDMI graphics are so crisp. 

 

Early negatives

Vertical scrolling isnt as smooth as I hoped. Fantastic Voyage and River Raid dont 100% scroll smoothly but that might be how the game is coded.

I am a CX40 nutcase for stiffness, I die on a hill for this and even for me this joystick felt slightly too stiff. I assume it will loosen up a bit.

 

Final thoughts

Congrats, you have achived something great here. Now I want to buy the new Bezerk and can't wait for the 7800 controller.
If there would EVER be a way to run digital roms or a multicart this machine would be THE killer piece of hardware. Also would like to be to access the Stella menus for various video and scanlines settings.

 

8.5 out of 10

Edited November 18, 2023 by donjn

[Chemical Burrito]

Now Amazon says that my 2600+ will be here on Sunday the 19th.  The date keeps moving in the right direction.

 

I've only got the one bottle of isopropanol, though.  Probably need to run to the store tomorrow.  Or will they be out since everyone got their 2600+ before me and caused a run on isopropanol?

[Chemical Burrito]

9 hours ago, Ben from Plaion said:

Heres some pics of the finished CX78+

 

 

Looks great.  If this has been answered elsewhere, feel free to point me in that direction, but is the D-pad on the new 7800 controller more of an attempt to just recreate the original 7800 pad (and make it available worldwide for we poor Atari fans in the US), or has an attempt been made to modernize the feel of the controller's buttons and D-pad?

 

[T.A.P.]

Amazon just sent me a message saying they don't know when they will actually be able to ship my copies of Berzerk Plus and Mr Run and Jump, and they want to know if I still want them.

 

Fucking Amazon. Let this be a lesson to everyone bitching and moaning about Atari being slower than them: at least Atari isn't messing up your order, splitting it into multiple packages set to arrive at the same time, and failing to fulfill your order.

Edited November 18, 2023 by T.A.P.

[Jake67]

3 minutes ago, T.A.P. said:

Let this be a lesson to everyone bitching and moaning about Atari being slower than them: at least Atari isn't messing up your order, splitting it into multiple packages set to arrive at the same time, and failing to fulfill your order.

That remains to be seen for those of us still waiting for word about our orders from Atari. 

[+LS650]

11 minutes ago, T.A.P. said:

Amazon just sent me a message saying they don't know when they will actually be able to ship my copies of Berzerk Plus and Mr Run and Jump, and they want to know if I still want them.

Is this in the States?  Amazon Canada shipped my 2600+ yesterday morning, and my copy of Berzerk today - seems odd that they didn't ship together.  Amazon is claiming that Berzerk will arrive Sunday but the console on Tuesday, which says to me the cart was small enough to ship by air but the console got thrown on the back of a truck.

[+Neon Wraith]

I ordered from Atari so hopefully my entire order will ship all at once.  I ordered when the release date (I specify "release date" because that is the terminology that Atari used) was specified as November 17th.  A "release date" does not indicate a "ship date".  With the volume of orders that Atari and Plaion have received, I can only imagine that this will take a week or so to get all of the units out the door.  Hopefully my entire order will ship within a couple days as I had ordered the day following the announcement.  Anyway, I hope everyone that has gotten one so far is enjoying it.  Game on!

[T.A.P.]

7 minutes ago, ls650 said:

Is this in the States?  Amazon Canada shipped my 2600+ yesterday morning, and my copy of Berzerk today - seems odd that they didn't ship together.  Amazon is claiming that Berzerk will arrive Sunday but the console on Tuesday, which says to me the cart was small enough to ship by air but the console got thrown on the back of a truck.

In the States, yes.

[82-T/A]

1 hour ago, joeatari1 said:

I ordered from Atari so hopefully my entire order will ship all at once.  I ordered when the release date (I specify "release date" because that is the terminology that Atari used) was specified as November 17th.  A "release date" does not indicate a "ship date".  With the volume of orders that Atari and Plaion have received, I can only imagine that this will take a week or so to get all of the units out the door.  Hopefully my entire order will ship within a couple days as I had ordered the day following the announcement.  Anyway, I hope everyone that has gotten one so far is enjoying it.  Game on!

 

Heh, yeah... I ordered everything literally within 10 minutes of receiving the e-mail.

[Giles N]

2 hours ago, donjn said:

can't wait for the 7800 controller.

If Atari will release an official 7800-controller with retro-looks and feel, they ought to go with the Euro-Pad, not the american handheld-joystick.

 

Atari is shipping and selling this worldwide.

 

The 7800 wasn’t some American-only thing.

 

Many Americans back in 86-91, actually wanted to get hold of the Euro-Pad.

 

They’ve already provided a retro-look -stick.

 

It should be the Euro-Pad, or they spoil an opportunity, imho.

[82-T/A]

15 minutes ago, Giles N said:

If Atari will release an official 7800-controller with retro-looks and feel, they ought to go with the Euro-Pad, not the american handheld-joystick.

 

Atari is shipping and selling this worldwide.

 

The 7800 wasn’t some American-only thing.

 

Many Americans back in 86-91, actually wanted to get hold of the Euro-Pad.

 

They’ve already provided a retro-look -stick.

 

It should be the Euro-Pad, or they spoil an opportunity, imho.

 

I always wondered why that Euro-Pad was never available in the U.S., once I realized it even existed. I have to assume maybe they thought it was too similar to the Nintendo controller? Or maybe they just figured people who bought Atari products expected a controller like that. Was the Euro-Pad sold for any other Atari system specifically?

[Albert]

26 minutes ago, Giles N said:

It should be the Euro-Pad, or they spoil an opportunity, imho.

It is based on the Euro pad, and there are photos of it posted today by @Ben from Plaion in this very thread. 

 

 ..Al

[Albert]

10 minutes ago, 82-T/A said:

I always wondered why that Euro-Pad was never available in the U.S., once I realized it even existed. I have to assume maybe they thought it was too similar to the Nintendo controller? Or maybe they just figured people who bought Atari products expected a controller like that.

The 7800 was released in Europe a year later after the US release.  Perhaps by this point they realized the 7800 ProLine controllers sucked and decided to make something that was similar to the NES gamepad and more comfortable use.  Probably less expensive to produce than the ProLine controller as well, and that could very well have been their primary motivating factor.

13 minutes ago, 82-T/A said:

Was the Euro-Pad sold for any other Atari system specifically?

Not that I'm aware of.

 

 ..Al

[Giles N]

9 minutes ago, 82-T/A said:

Was the Euro-Pad sold for any other Atari system

I don’t think so. I believe the story went something like, they’d started a production-run in US, with things packaged this way.

 

Then as criticism of the American joystick began appearing, they decided to make European release better: build Asteroids into the console and provide a much more comfortable controller.

 

But changing the US stock of 7800-packages would cost too much. 
 

Something like that. Yet another totally unnecessary decision making Atari fall behind due to accentuating short-time profit at the expense of providing quality-gaming, which is the only way to stay in the game long-term.