Atari 2600 clones: Where are they?

[Jeckidy]

With as many Famiclones as there are that dominate the market, why are there no Atari 2600 clones? It would be nice to have A/V and other features. It's so simple I can't imagine it being difficult to make one, especially with 7800 support. I'm not talking about the plug-n-plays, either!

[Moirai]

NES is the best console ever, with tons of classics like zelda and super mario bros 3!


Atari 2600 sucks, just look at ET! worst game ever.

[Guntz]

You basically answered your own question by saying Famiclone. The NES/Famicom have huge pirate markets thanks to China and other Asian countries. Any NES clones today are an aftershock of that immense piracy popularity. Mega Drive has been similarly subjected to such levels of piracy.

The 2600 was marketed as the Atari 2800 in Japan and hardly sold any units at all, it was never popular there. There was never much interest in piracy anywhere in North America, so there was nothing to build off of with the retro craze of the last decade, thus there are almost no modern 2600 clones, just the Flashback line.

Really though, old hardware clones are where its at. I love my Coleco Gemini, it's the perfect 2600 for my needs. I'm also waiting for an Atari 5200 and a 2600 adapter, it'll be fun to take a look at that. I hear the 2600 adapter is literally a standalone 2600 console that uses the 5200 for power in and AV out, it doesn't even use the 5200 controller ports.

[FoxHound]

I'm not talking about the plug-n-plays, either!

i think the plug n plays took all the thunder away, there were 4 released already and with composite hook ups..what more could you ask for?

i have the flashback 2 and its enough to get my atari 2600 fix. my light sixer hardly gets turned on at all.

[zetastrike]

i think the plug n plays took all the thunder away, there were 4 released already and with composite hook ups..what more could you ask for?

i have the flashback 2 and its enough to get my atari 2600 fix. my light sixer hardly gets turned on at all.

Yeah, but

1) With the Flashback units you're stuck with whatever games are built in. Tired of them? Too bad

2) Even the Flashback 4 doesn't have proper paddle controller support, even though it comes with them

3) By buying a Flashback, you're giving money to Atgames. Don't give money to Atgames. That's the opposite of what you should do.

[Guntz]

The Flashback 2 and 2+ can be modified with a cartridge slot. Those weren't sold by ShatGames either.

[zetastrike]

The Flashback 2 and 2+ can be modified with a cartridge slot. Those weren't sold by ShatGames either.

That's true, but I just like things to be easy sometimes. Shatgames picked up the license with the FB 3? I was in a drugstore last summer and saw a new Flashback 4 and immediately went over to it. Then I saw that logo and put it down.

[profholt82]

The Flashback and Flashback 2 were actually designed to be easy to modify for cartridges. They were not equipped with cartridge slots to begin with due to legal reasons, but the designers made the mod easily accessible. This thread contains links to a number of mods.

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/794...-fb2-portable/

[Guntz]

The Flashback 1 is notable for being a NES clone, with all the games being ported to work on that hardware. At the time it was probably far cheaper to use a NOAC.

[zetastrike]

The Flashback 1 is notable for being a NES clone, with all the games being ported to work on that hardware. At the time it was probably far cheaper to use a NOAC.

Yeah, they were the same as the Jakks Pacific plug and play joysticks from around 2004. I had the activision one. Everything about them was wrong. I was really disappointed as a kid.

[Knuckle Duster]

I still have my old Gemini from the 80s. It was a clone, and it was better.

[FoxHound]

Yeah, but

1) With the Flashback units you're stuck with whatever games are built in. Tired of them? Too bad

2) Even the Flashback 4 doesn't have proper paddle controller support, even though it comes with them

3) By buying a Flashback, you're giving money to Atgames. Don't give money to Atgames. That's the opposite of what you should do.

I got mine from a thrift store!! no money to Atgames