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Optional extras
The 2600+ accepts cartridges from both the 2600 and the more powerful 7800, and the controller ports are the old DB-9 style, so you can plug in original pads. I tried it, and it works, but there are a few wrinkles.
First, the 2600+ does not support every single game. Atari has published a compatibility list showing which work, and it is the majority of them, but with some notable names missing. Unusual, regional or unofficial carts (of which there are many) will be a crap shoot.
The system works with newly made cartridges (top) and ageing originals.Credit: Tim Biggs
Second, these carts are 40 years old. They are simple and hardy, but some of mine are inexplicably dead. The glue on most labels has turned. Some have corroded pins. You see some truly cursed looking units on eBay which would need a good clean before you could put them near a new device you’d just bought.
Every single old cartridge I tried also failed to load the first time, which is a frequent problem with these carts even on a real Atari. The 2600+ at least will keep trying to load every few seconds while it’s on, so you can move the cart around to get a good connection. Once it’s booted, the games run great.
If you’d rather not go digging in garage sale bins for new games, there are also a few options at retail for expanding the experience.
Blast robots in Berzerk.
First are two standalone cartridges which each contain a single game. Berzerk is an “enhanced” version of the 2600 original with bug fixes and the synthesised speech from the 5200 version, while Mr Run & Jump is a tough new speed run platformer of the type that didn’t exist in the time of Atari. Getting new physical 2600 games in 2023 is awesome, and these come in high quality retro packaging and nice matte plastic casing, but at $40 each they may be a bit steep.
Or for $60 you can get a set which includes a replica of the original Atari Paddle (two Pong-style controllers that plug into one of the controller ports), together with a 4-in-1 cartridge full of old paddle games. The smooth analogue movement of the paddles is recreated perfectly here, and the set provides some good opportunities for two-player fun. Video Olympics is more or less an expanded Pong, and was a launch title for the 2600. Then there’s the classic Breakout and Canyon Bomber, which were also popular with the kids. The fourth game is Night Driver, which is great if you want to find out what it’s like to take a midnight joyride on mescaline.
A full line-up of fresh games and accessories could go a long way to alleviating some of the issues with tracking down ancient gear, but at this point it’s unclear if Atari plans to continue offering new compatible products in the future, or if this is all there is.
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Who is this for?
The 2600+ is a slick unit that looks great and works well, but it’s also a bit of a head-scratcher. If you’re a lapsed Atari fan with some old cartridges lying around and no way to play them, $180 could be totally reasonable. It’s around what you’d pay for an actual working 2600, and this one works with new TVs and has 10 games. But lapsed Atari fans is a small market.
Hardcore retro enthusiasts, meanwhile, might not be a fan of the software emulation here and the less-than-total compatibility. At the other end of the spectrum, casual retro fans may find the games (which are largely ports of 70s score-chase arcade cabinets) are a bit slight for the asking price, which works out to $18 a pop if you only get the console.
Then again, the market for old games is booming, so the timing could be right. Atari 2600 is one of the few systems that hasn’t seen huge price inflation, in part because the hardware is inaccessible. So if there are people out there who would like to start a collection of kitschy cool games like Mario Bros, Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, each of which go for less than $50, the 2600+ could be a good way to play them.
For everyone else, there’s always the excellent Atari 50 which was released last year on all current consoles, containing more than 100 games and fascinating documentary materials.
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