Task: Load Cassette Games on Your Atari 2600 Needed: Arcadia / Starpath Supercharger, compatible cassette game Time: 10-15 mins Introduction One of the many limitations of the Atari 2600 video console system (VCS) was that it only had 128 bytes of RAM. This and the
Read morePlay Atari 2600 Games in Your Web Browser (10-15 mins)
Task: Play Atari 2600 Games in Your Browser Needed: Web browser and Atari 2600 ROMs Time: 10-15 mins Introduction Emulation has been a lifesaver for bringing Atari goodness to the masses without the need for original hardware. The Stella emulator for the Atari 2600 is
Read morePlay Spacewar! on a PDP-1 Emulator (10-15 mins)
Task: Play Spacewar! on a PDP-1 Emulator Needed: Web browser Time: 10-15 mins Introduction When Nolan Bushnell started Atari he had inspiration from two major sources. First, he had worked at an amusement park in the 1960s where he was exposed to early coin-operated games
Read moreConnect Your Atari Joystick to a PC (10-15 mins)
Task: Connect Your Atari Joystick to a PC Needed: Atari Joystick and a USB adapter Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction The Atari 400 and 800 were by far the best gaming computers when they hit the market. This was largely due to the awesome ANTIC graphics chip
Read moreRead the Book “Racing the Beam” by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (3-6 Hours)
Task: Read the Book “Racing the Beam” by Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost (3-6 Hours) Needed: The book Time: 3-6 hours Introduction I had an Atari Video Computer System (VCS) or 2600 before I owned an Atari 400 and then 800 computer. The 2600 was
Read moreEaster Eggs (15-60 mins)
Task: Find Easter eggs in several Atari home computer games Needed: Dig Dug and/or Donkey Kong cartridges Time: 15-60 minutes Introduction There are several Atari home computer games that have Easter eggs left by the programmers. I list here three of these that I personally
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