Task: Play Dark Chambers on an Atari 7800 Needed: Atari 7800 or emulator Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction One of my all-time favorite arcade games is Gauntlet that was produced by Atari games and released in 1985. I enjoyed playing it back in the day on
Read moreInstall an Atari 7800 Emulator (10-15 mins)
Task: Install an Atari 7800 Emulator Needed: Web browser Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction Emulation software for the 7800 is not as far along as for other Atari consoles and computers. I have tried two emulators that I recommend for those wanting to play 7800 games
Read moreTry the Diamond Graphical Operating System (10-15 mins)
Task: Try the Diamond Graphical Operating System Needed: Diamond GOS ATR file Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction The command line interface of DOS was cumbersome, but we didn’t mind because we were pioneers in the early days of home computing. It was all we knew and
Read morePlay Qix on Your Atari 8-Bit Computer (15-30 mins)
Task: Play Qix on Your Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: Qix cartridge, ROM, or ATR file Time: 15-30 mins Introduction Qix was one of the first cartridges I owned for the Atari 400 and 800. I still love this game. It has simple rules, good graphics,
Read moreExplore Disk Operating System (DOS) Versions (30-60 mins)
Task: Explore Disk Operating System (DOS) Versions Needed: DOS ATR files Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction I remember vividly the excitement of getting my first Atari 810 disk drive and the magic of the disk operating system (DOS). Since we got our 800 and 810 around
Read moreExplore Floppy Disk Collections (30-60 mins)
Task: Explore Floppy Disk Collections Needed: Floppy disks Time: 30-60 minutes Introduction One of my favorite things to do with my Atari home computers is explore the contents of my floppy disk collections. I still have my floppies from back in the day and have
Read morePurchase an Atarimax SD Multi-Cart for Atari 5200 (10-15 mins)
Task: Purchase an Atarimax SD Multi-Cart for Atari 5200 Needed: Web browser Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction My previous post covers purchasing an Atari 5200 console if you don’t already have one. As with all Ataris, the cartridges can be quite expensive with prices of $20
Read morePlay Sea Dragon on Your Atari 8-Bit Computer (15-30 mins)
Task: Play Sea Dragon on Your Atari 8-Bit Computer Needed: Sea Dragon disk or ATR file Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction My all time favorite game on the Atari 8-bit computers was and still is Sea Dragon. I still have my original 16K cassette version of
Read morePurchase an SDrive-Max Floppy Emulator (15-30 mins)
Task: Purchase an SDrive-Max Floppy Emulator Needed: SDrive-Max Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction The ability to boot software from SD card devices makes using Atari computers a breeze. These devices allow you to load up lots of executables and ATR files on an SD card and
Read moreTips for Finding Local Atari Hardware and Software (15-30 mins)
Task: Tips for Finding Local Atari Hardware and Software Needed: Persistence! Time: 15-30 minutes Introduction The easiest place to find Atari hardware and software is on eBay. However, even the most common Atari goodness is way overpriced. There is also the problem of shipping that
Read moreListen to the Inverse ATASCII Podcast (15-60 mins)
Task: Listen to the Inverse ATASCII Podcast Needed: Web browser or podcast app Time: 15-60 minutes Introduction One of my favorite things to do while driving is to listen to retrocomputing podcasts. I have previously posted about the ANTIC Atari podcast and the Retro Computing
Read moreLoad Cassette Games on Your Atari 2600 (10-15 mins)
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 moreDump Your Atari Computer Screen to Printer or Disk (10-15 mins)
Task: Dump Your Atari Computer Screen to Printer or Disk Needed: Screen dump utility like Magic Dump II Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I loved computer graphics back in the day. I used to write BASIC programs to draw interesting graphics on the screen. I also
Read moreMake Custom Atari 2600 Cartridges (30-60 mins)
Task: Make Custom Atari 2600 Cartridges Needed: Binary, label art Time: 30-60 mins Introduction When I finished my Atari 2600 homebrew game Gene Medic I couldn’t wait to make it ‘real’ by having an actual cartridge made. Fortunately, the folks down at Atari Age make
Read moreEdit ATR Disk Images (10-15 mins)
Task: Edit ATR Disk Images Needed: Altirra emulator Time: 10-15 mins Introduction I have previously posted about backing up floppy disks to ATR files on your PC using the Atarimax ProSystem software. This process can also be reversed allowing you to write ATR files from your
Read morePlay Atari 2600 Christmas Music (10-15 mins)
Task: Play Atari 2600 Christmas Music Needed: Atari 2600 or Stella emulator, A Very 2600 Christmas binary file Time: 10-15 mins Introduction The Atari 2600 had a 6502 series processor like the Atari 8-bit computer line but lacked additional hardware to make it a powerful game
Read moreCelebrate Christmas with Seasonal Demos (10-15 mins)
Task: Celebrate Christmas with Seasonal Demos Needed: Demo software Time: 10-15 mins Introduction If you celebrate Christmas then you are in luck. There are several nice seasonal demos that you can download and run in Altirra. Even better, load these up on your favorite Atari
Read moreBackup Cartridges to Floppy Disk Using “The Pill” (15-30 minutes)
Task: Backup Cartridges to Floppy Disk Using “The Pill” Needed: Floppy disks, disk drive, The Pill, The Pill software Time: 15-30 mins Introduction Software pirating was rampant back in the early 1980s and there were plenty of software and hardware tools that made this easy.
Read moreInstall the Stella Atari 2600 Emulator (10-15 mins)
Task: Install the Stella Atari 2600 Emulator Needed: Stella Time: 10-15 minutes Introduction The Atari Video Computer System (VCS) or 2600 was released in 1977 and took the world by storm. It is hard to believe that Atari sold the 2600 in its different forms
Read moreSave an ATR File from Altirra to Your PC (10-15 mins)
Task: Save an ATR File from Altirra to Your PC Needed: Altirra emulator Time: 10-15 mins Introduction When I first started using the Altirra 8-bit emulator I decided I wanted make ATR floppy disk images that I could then save to my hard disk for
Read morePurchase an Atarimax Maxflash Cartridge (30-60 min)
Task: Purchase an Atarimax Maxflash Cartridge Needed: Atarimax Maxflash Cartridge, USB Cartridge Programmer, A to A USB Cable, and Maxflash Studio Software Time: 30-60 mins Introduction I love the ease of use of cartridges compared to cassette or disk. Fortunately, there are some easy modern
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