Atari 2600+ Unboxing Experiences

[tradyblix]

It's too bad because we can't even get some of those 7800 games that he made that are good like you know space invaders 7800. I have ms. Pac-Man so I can live without Pac-Man collection for a bit, but yeah, I mean I really want some of those amazing ports that were done. Now that Atari age doesn't carry them, it sucks, because they are super hard to find on ebay, nobody parts ways with them.

[eCockpit89]

I'm really looking forward to unboxing my 2600+. Unlike most of the target audience of the 2600+, I'm a millennial (born in 1989), but I 100% get the legacy and importance of Atari.  It has a strange allure that really no other era of gaming can duplicate.

[Bitsized]

54 minutes ago, tradyblix said:

It's too bad because we can't even get some of those 7800 games that he made that are good like you know space invaders 7800. I have ms. Pac-Man so I can live without Pac-Man collection for a bit, but yeah, I mean I really want some of those amazing ports that were done. Now that Atari age doesn't carry them, it sucks, because they are super hard to find on ebay, nobody parts ways with them.

I hope they bring these back too!

I saw the Pac-Man collection on eBay a few months ago...

Edited November 29, 2023 by Bitsized

[+Intellivision Master]

15 hours ago, Lord Thag said:

The 7800 *needs* homebrews working.

Yes, I agree.  We need 7800 homebrews to work on the 2600+.  Hopefully it happens.

[Lord Thag]

1 hour ago, Intellivision Master said:

Yes, I agree.  We need 7800 homebrews to work on the 2600+.  Hopefully it happens.

I think it will. I've dealt with the new Atari quite a bit (a friend of mine got me a surprise VCS for xmas last year) and I've come to the conclusion that, while they may be small and their stuff is a bit janky at launch, unlike Hyperkin, they always make it right, support the hardware (what are we on, year 4 of the VCS now?) and have good communication with fans. Al also seems to be hinting that firmware is in development for this. So if it's anything like the VCS, we'll get the firmware, it just may take a minute. Given that the only issues I've had with the 2600+ are homebrews, Coleco and M-Network carts, I'm content to wait a bit. Got plenty to keep me busy. And damn... do Atari games look nice in HDMI.

[YonderVittles]

16 hours ago, eCockpit89 said:

I'm really looking forward to unboxing my 2600+. Unlike most of the target audience of the 2600+, I'm a millennial (born in 1989), but I 100% get the legacy and importance of Atari.  It has a strange allure that really no other era of gaming can duplicate.

Same, I was born in 86 and only experienced the 2600 at my Uncle's house, but didn't understand how the option switches worked and didn't have access to manuals. It was all so mysterious, but kept me coming back to play. 

[Flyindrew]

Unboxed my 2600+ 2 days ago. As a kid in the late 70s-early 80s when I got the Atari brand new, this unboxing and experience felt a bit more special than the dozens of unboxings Ive experienced over the past 40 odd years. Played 4 games over 2 hours. Brief summaries:

 

7800 Donkey Kong Junior with 7800 controller-Controller worked perfectly. The game play was fine, but the sprites appeared to be a bit more pixalated as opposed to the game on an actual 7800

 

2600 Breakout with original paddles-Here is where I was super impressed. The HDMI picture was so crisp and beautiful (as it was on all 2600 games). My 45 year old paddles also worked great.

 

2600-Donley Kong with new CX40 +joystick-Cartridge needed a cleaning, but worked perfectly once cleaned. CX 40 + needs a teeny bit of breaking in with first use (like a baseball mit), but worked just as great as the original. Here is where I had old school Atari memories.

 

2600-Yars on new 10 in 1 cartridge-Everything worked great start to finish.

 

Overall, Im super happy with the 2600+ and I would recommend it to anyone.

[scifidude79]

Mine came a day early. 😁 I was doing dishes and the view from my kitchen window is the street in front of my house, so I saw that Amazon truck pull up and the guy get out with my 2600+. It was a struggle to wait until I got to a point where I could stop doing dishes, then get the package, then finish the dishes before opening it.

 

Unboxing it was pure joy. Of course, the Amazon packaging was standard. The console box inside a box that's slightly larger with not much in the way of padding. Looking at the Atari box itself, I love the presentation, it really pushes those nostalgia buttons. We never had a 2600 when I was a kid, but we had the 5200 and 7800, and I love the way Atari packs things. The imagery and color scheme of the box are just great. The inside was a neat little package, with the console protected by a molded plastic sheet, and the box with the controller and cartridge next to it, and the one with the cables underneath. Of course, there was no wall adapter, but I knew that ahead of time. I have at least 20 of those anyway, and nothing really comes with them anymore. Even the Samsung cell phone I bought a few months ago didn't come with one. Besides, I just plugged the console into my TV to power it anyway.

 

The console itself looks and feels great. Of course, it's on the light side, but I respect Atari for not adding weights. The plastic feels strong and sturdy. The cartridge slot feels great, putting in a cartridge is neither too easy or too difficult, it's just right. I also like the way the controller feels, and I love the branded plugs. That's such an Atari thing to do. And, lastly, I fired it up and tested some cartridges. I tested 62 cartridges, my whole collection, (complete list in a different thread) and I got no rejects, at least none after some were cleaned. So, yeah, this is a great system and I'm looking forward to doing some real game playing now that the testing has been done.

[Ben from Plaion]

20 hours ago, scifidude79 said:

Mine came a day early. 😁 I was doing dishes and the view from my kitchen window is the street in front of my house, so I saw that Amazon truck pull up and the guy get out with my 2600+. It was a struggle to wait until I got to a point where I could stop doing dishes, then get the package, then finish the dishes before opening it.

 

Unboxing it was pure joy. Of course, the Amazon packaging was standard. The console box inside a box that's slightly larger with not much in the way of padding. Looking at the Atari box itself, I love the presentation, it really pushes those nostalgia buttons. We never had a 2600 when I was a kid, but we had the 5200 and 7800, and I love the way Atari packs things. The imagery and color scheme of the box are just great. The inside was a neat little package, with the console protected by a molded plastic sheet, and the box with the controller and cartridge next to it, and the one with the cables underneath. Of course, there was no wall adapter, but I knew that ahead of time. I have at least 20 of those anyway, and nothing really comes with them anymore. Even the Samsung cell phone I bought a few months ago didn't come with one. Besides, I just plugged the console into my TV to power it anyway.

 

The console itself looks and feels great. Of course, it's on the light side, but I respect Atari for not adding weights. The plastic feels strong and sturdy. The cartridge slot feels great, putting in a cartridge is neither too easy or too difficult, it's just right. I also like the way the controller feels, and I love the branded plugs. That's such an Atari thing to do. And, lastly, I fired it up and tested some cartridges. I tested 62 cartridges, my whole collection, (complete list in a different thread) and I got no rejects, at least none after some were cleaned. So, yeah, this is a great system and I'm looking forward to doing some real game playing now that the testing has been done.

Love this, let's go.

[PowerDubs]

On 12/1/2023 at 7:17 PM, scifidude79 said:

Mine came a day early.

 

Unboxing it was pure joy.

 

What is your serial #?

[scifidude79]

22 hours ago, PowerDubs said:

What is your serial #?

Why do you want to know?

[Chemical Burrito]

5 hours ago, scifidude79 said:

Why do you want to know?

If someone knows your 2600+'s serial number, then they can use it to take over your games.  You have to learn why things work on a game console.  Each console has its own serial number ... to prevent an enemy from doing what he's attempting: using his console to order your 2600+ to hand over all your games.

[Nall3k]

5 hours ago, scifidude79 said:

Why do you want to know?

PowerDubs is an investor of Atari, and a serial number gives an idea of how many units have been sold. Although, Atari should be releasing an annual report with that information.

[scifidude79]

7 hours ago, Nall3k said:

PowerDubs is an investor of Atari, and a serial number gives an idea of how many units have been sold. Although, Atari should be releasing an annual report with that information.

Thanks for the serious answer. I was curious why anyone would care what serial number someone else had on their console.

[+LS650]

3 hours ago, scifidude79 said:

 I was curious why anyone would care what serial number someone else had on their console.

There's a whole thread here dedicated to serial numbers.  Why?  

Curiosity mostly.  People want to see which regions are getting what number ranges, how many sold, etc.

[scifidude79]

8 hours ago, ls650 said:

There's a whole thread here dedicated to serial numbers.  Why?  

Curiosity mostly.  People want to see which regions are getting what number ranges, how many sold, etc.

Yeah, I saw that. I posted it in that thread. I really hadn't even paid attention to it before I unhooked it from my TV just now to take a look and take a picture.

[MysticSword]

I just got my Atari 2600+ a few days ago. Yay!🤩

I was excited to finally get it and have really been much enjoying it. Ahh, such a good hit of nostalgia to play some classic games on it.

I did an unboxing and review video of it and posted it on my YouTube (if anyone here might be interested to see):

 Cheers!

[Brad_from_the_80s]

1 hour ago, MysticSword said:

I just got my Atari 2600+ a few days ago. Yay!🤩

I was excited to finally get it and have really been much enjoying it. Ahh, such a good hit of nostalgia to play some classic games on it.

I did an unboxing and review video of it and posted it on my YouTube (if anyone here might be interested to see):

 Cheers!

Nice review!

[SpareHead3]

My kit arrived yesterday. This being the first new Atari console I have ever owned (my original light sixer was a refurb my mom bought from a friend who's husband worked 'in sunnyvale'), so i took my time. I investigated the paddles first, then the system (I saved Berzerk, Mr. Run and Jump and the extra joystick for last). My 26 year old son wanted to be part of the fun and we both LOVED the feel of the paddle pots, not to mention the switches on the 2600+.

We took everything to one of the TVs and spent the next hour laughing and having a blast playing combat, surround, video olympics (in pong mode) and, of course, an OG Warlords. Everything worked great. I will likely never hot swap as it feels 100% wrong (maybe if I hadnt grown up and still have the original HW).

Spent the rest of the evening cleaning my old cartridges in anticipation of a weekend of gaming -- 2.5 hrs of 99% isopropyl fumes

Addendum: The dust cover in the box is a huge win for houses with cats!

Edited December 9, 2023 by SpareHead3

[scifidude79]

2 hours ago, MysticSword said:

I just got my Atari 2600+ a few days ago. Yay!🤩

I was excited to finally get it and have really been much enjoying it. Ahh, such a good hit of nostalgia to play some classic games on it.

I did an unboxing and review video of it and posted it on my YouTube (if anyone here might be interested to see):

 Cheers!

Great video.

 

Also, I just have to say, any man who has a VCR/DVD combo hooked up to his TV clearly enjoys the finer things in life.

[XEGS88]

On 11/30/2023 at 3:38 PM, Lord Thag said:

I think it will. I've dealt with the new Atari quite a bit (a friend of mine got me a surprise VCS for xmas last year) and I've come to the conclusion that, while they may be small and their stuff is a bit janky at launch, unlike Hyperkin, they always make it right, support the hardware (what are we on, year 4 of the VCS now?) and have good communication with fans. Al also seems to be hinting that firmware is in development for this. So if it's anything like the VCS, we'll get the firmware, it just may take a minute. Given that the only issues I've had with the 2600+ are homebrews, Coleco and M-Network carts, I'm content to wait a bit. Got plenty to keep me busy. And damn... do Atari games look nice in HDMI.

Yeah they sure do look nice in HD. I can't quite put my finger on what it is but it just feels right.

Not quite an unboxing pic but first pic I took after getting mine.

[scifidude79]

35 minutes ago, XEGS88 said:

Yeah they sure do look nice in HD. I can't quite put my finger on what it is but it just feels right.

Not quite an unboxing pic but first pic I took after getting mine.

I like that you included your original 2600 console in the pic. 🙂 Plus, you have one of the best games ever in the 2600+.

[MysticSword]

@Brad_from_the_80s@scifidude79

Thanks!

And It's great to read and see about other people's unboxing experiences and reviews here too. 

 

Edited December 10, 2023 by MysticSword
Updating.

[XEGS88]

@scifidude79 thanks. It had to be done. Not only is River Raid the first game I ever played on an Atari it's still my favourite.

[Brad_from_the_80s]

15 hours ago, XEGS88 said:

Yeah they sure do look nice in HD. I can't quite put my finger on what it is but it just feels right.

 

I and others have made similar remarks but haven't focused on it much.  I've also not quite put my finger on it.  The games do look very good, where we might have expected them to look stark or blocky or something.  I mean, they are blocky, but still, there's a crispness to the image and the colors, just really pops.  We're talking about a very low resolution image upscaled to HD, and then 4k on some of our sets.  All the post-processing on my TV is turned off, and I don't think the 2600+ is doing very much, but something about the way it is being scaled or maybe a sharpening filter or something... it just looks really good.