Atari 2600 Plus (Exclusive to Amazon.co.uk)

A great product. I added the purchase of a pair of the paddle controllers, which work great, too. Real cartridge games for the system can still be very expensive 😕, but keep searching, car boots, second hand stores, etc, sometimes a bargain will be found, especially after the application of some 'contact cleaner,' on the edge connector of the cartridge, then the games will work again.

This little gem arrived in the post today. The console is a little bit bigger than an Atari Jnr and comes with 1 joystick and a 10 in 1 multicart of games. The console connects to the TV via an HDMI and is powered via a USB C port. Both HDMI and USB C cables are supplied but you will have to provide your own power adapter.I have seen some debate online as to whether an UNO Cart will work with this. It does not, I know beacause it was the first thing I tried. That aside all the Atari 2600 cartridges that I have work with no issue.The joystick is a little on the stiff side but I suspect that will loosen up with use, but the joystick is really good. I also have some original Atari Joysticks and Paddles (I'm a retro restorer/collector) and these work as advertised with this unit without issue.I can't comment on Atari 7800 compatibility as I do not have any cartridges.You should be aware that this unit is an emulator, it uses the Stella emulator software to drive the console. Having said that, even though it is an emulator I can see no lag between the joystick movement and games. As this is an emulator then it will be interesting to see whether this unit will be updatable. Having looked at some youtube videos there appears to be a micro USB connector internally so whether this has been used to flash the Stella emulator software on it, well time will tell.......The big question..... is it worth the money? I'm going to say yes. Especially if you want the retro gaming experience.

Whilst the original Atari 2600 was slightly before my time, I’ve always been curious of the earliest home games that were released during late 70s and the 80s.. So I tried the Atari Flashback series and the fantastic Atari 50 collection (available on Switch, PS5 and Xbox). Whilst the flashback series are decent 'mini' consoles, their devices were not true to the original hardware in many regards, and none had the ability to accept original cartridges. That’s why I was so excited to hear that Atari, as it is in its current form, was to release the Atari 2600 plus, a console that is as close to an original Atari machine as you can get without buying an original and all that entails.The machine itself is 80 percent the size of the original device and comes as the four switched version. The build seems pretty good and the switches seem high quality. There is a HDMI port for connection to TV (I really appreciate this, since it makes it so easy to hook up to modern TVs and the HDMI cable is provided in the box). Power is provided via a USB C port, and a cable (USB A to USB C) is provided in the box too, though note that you need to provide your own USB power adapter. Also in the box is a single joystick (CX-40) that connects via an original DB9 connector (and as far as I know, original accessories from the original are compatible). The joystick seems really good, if a bit stiff... but I don't think these joysticks were ever the most comfortable input devices. Expect sore hands after a few hours of gaming. A 10 in 1 game cartridge is provided in the box and contains a few Atari classics. Choosing each game is a matter of setting the DIP switches on the back of the cart as per the instruction on the cart label. Of these games, I felt Missile command was currently my favourite. It is a pity they don't have pitfall, asteroids, space invaders or the infamous ET on this cart.Same as the original consoles, there is a cartridge port on top that you insert the cartridge into (either the new carts released by Atari, or original carts). Once the cartridge is inserted and the unit switched on you’re presented with an Atari boot screen and after 10 or 15 seconds your game is booted up and ready to play. A nice touch is the lit up Atari logo on the front of the device!As far as I can tell, without owning original hardware… the games run as original console and play as expected. I think some reviews online have suggested some slight input lag (I believe with the paddles), but I haven't had any issues with the paddles myself. My own opinion is that there is a very, very slight amount of latency, without doing any complicated latency tests, but nothing to stop you enjoying and playing the games. Input with the joystick is perfect.According to the Atari website this console uses emulation to play games. I guess this system dumps the ROM from the games cartridge onto the internal memory for the emulation software to run it, hence the slight delay at boot up. Since this is emulation and not original hardware, there may be some games that don’t run and Atari have posted a games compatibility list on their website.Whilst the build quality and function are superb, I must warn that many of the games from the 70s and 80s have not aged well. If you know what you’re getting into and are an Atari fan, I think you will love it. Otherwise, I think many will play with this an hour or two and put it away. This really is a system for people who already have a collection of Atari games cartridges, or for those who are very much into early Atari or passionate retro collectors.Further Updates:I’ve also purchased the paddles now and my first impressions are excellent. You get two paddles in the pack and a 4 game cartridge. The paddles are of very high quality and the mechanism is really nice and smooth and with just the right amount of resistance for precision during games. The single button also gives good feedback too. The games are pretty good, especially breakout, canyon bomber and video Olympics. Night driver is ok… it’s got interesting graphics but I found it hard to control. All in all the paddles are a great deal considering what you get in the box.In addition, I bought an extra Joystick and the Mr Run and Jump game. The separate joystick is as per the Joystick included with the 2600 plus console. As such is also stiff, and from what I know, this is how it was at the time of the original 2600. The fire button is nice, with good feedback. I have to say, I think I like the looser joysticks that came with the Flashback series of mini consoles...they feel a bit more comfortable to use for long gaming sessions. But still, this joystick has fantastic build quality and it does the job well. The new Mr Run and Jump game looks superb considering its simplicity. I will update this review once I have time to give it a play through.

Got it here for £34. 😂 Definitely worth a punt at that. Would never spend £100 on it. Very deep core memories induced!

This Atari 2600+ has nice packaging, and is nicely designed on the Stella emulator system, so it work slightly different to the old heavy sixers and the like. Its a bit tricky to upgrade the firmware, as you need to get 4 downloads to get the upgrade completed, but once you have done it once, you need just one download for the operating system, on future upgrades. The other 3 programs are drivers and ways to make the connection from your PC to 2600+.Its easy to setup, but mine started at V1.00 and after the upgrade is 2.001. The 10 free games are a poor selection, so I recommend buying some old original tittles like Pacman, Frostbite, Pressure Cooker, Keystone Capers, Asteroids and Space Invaders, as some good gameplay classics, that you will play time and again. The only halfway decent game is missile command, but the others are poor unless you are playing with two players, and as the console only comes with one joystick, the 19 are not the best choices. The Atari icon that lights up at the front when in operation is a nice tough and the quality of the new joystick feels very good. All in all I am happy with the new system, as the picture is pin sharp and you can extend the old 4:3 ratio, to fill a modern 10:9 TV. I also like that the old 2600 and 7800 cart titles are supported in the main, their are a few exceptions, but the firmware upgrade sorts out a lot of the initial compatibility issues. This new system is not for everyone, but as time goes on, and new software is added to the library of programs, I am sure it will out shone the 2600. I am surprised Plaion has made this move to rerelease the 2600, but its exactly what I want and had in mind, so I am happy to have the 2600 back in my life. A tip I can suggest is using the plastic clear shield that cover the console in the box, can be used a dust cover, with a few slots cut out for the cables etc. You could also use this shield as a template to make a cover from other materials.