Atari 2600
| |
| Four-switch VCS model (1980–1982) | |
| Manufacturer | Atari, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Second |
| Release date | NA: c. September 1977 EU: 1978 FRA: 1982 BR: September 1983 JP: October 1983 (Atari 2800) |
| Discontinued | 1992 |
| Predecessor | Atari Home Pong Atari Video Pinball |
| Successor | Atari 5200 |
| Emulated | ✓ |
The Atari 2600 (also known as Video Computer System or simply VCS) is a second-generation console released by Atari on September 11, 1977. It had a 6507 CPU at 1.19 MHz with 128 bytes of RAM. It had a 160x192 16-color, out of 128, display.
Despite the apparent simplicity of the console and its games, emulation of the 2600 is surprisingly difficult relative to other early consoles due to its unusual primitive hardware designed as a cost-saving measure, including the complete lack of a framebuffer and resulting need to "race the beam" to display graphics. Despite this, at least two emulators have offered highly accurate 2600 emulation for years.
Emulators
edit| Name | Platform(s) | Active? | Latest version | License | Compatibility | Accuracy | libretro core | Recommended? (overall) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC | ||||||||
| Stella
stella2014_libretro |
      
|
✓ | 7.0 | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | Cycle | ✓ | ✓ | |
| MAME | 
|
✓ | 0.289 | GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause |
Cycle | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Z64K |  |
✓ | 3.0.0 | Proprietary | Cycle | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Stella - Pyra |  |
✗ | 0.1 | ? | ? | ✗ | ✓ | |
| 2600.emu | |
✓ | 1.5.46.02 Pyra | Proprietary | ? | ✗ | ✓ | |
| ares | 
|
✓ | git Artifacts | ISC (Permissive | 46.43% 26 out of 56 reported titles |
? | ✗ | ~ |
| BizHawk
(Original, Stella) |
|
✓ | Dev builds | MIT (Permissive) GPL |
? | ✗ | ~ | |
| javatari |  |
✗ | 5.0.3 | AGPLv3 (Copyleft) | ? | ✗ | ~ | |
| Pantheon | |
✓ | 16.458 | Proprietary | High | ✗ | ~ | |
| PCAE | 
|
✗ | 2.6 | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | High | ✗ | ~ | |
| z26 | |
✗ | 4.07 | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | High | ✗ | ~ | |
| CLK | |
✓ | 2026-07-23 | MIT (Permissive) | Mid | ✗ | ✗ | |
| Gopher2600 | |
✓ | 0.56.1 | GPLv3 (Copyleft) | High | ✗ | ✗ | |
| EMU7800 | |
✓ | 5.7.0.0 | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | Mid | ✗ | ✗ | |
| Stellarator | |
✓ | git | BSD-3-Clause (Permissive) | ? | ✗ | ✗ | |
| Mobile | ||||||||
| stella_libretro
stella2014_libretro |
   |
✓ | libretro core | GPLv3 (Copyleft) | ? | ✓ | ✓ | |
| 2600.emu |
|
✓ | 1.5.85 | Proprietary | ? | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Ataroid | |
✗ | 1.0.4 | Proprietary | ? | ✗ | ✗ | |
| g2600 | |
✗ | 7.2.0 | Proprietary | ? | ✗ | ✗ | |
| Manic EMU | 
|
✓ | 2.0.0 | AGPLv3 (Copyleft) | ? | ✗ | ? | |
| Provenance | 
|
✓ | 3.3.0 | ? | ? | ✗ | ? | |
| Console | ||||||||
| stella_libretro
stella2014_libretro |
         |
✓ | libretro core | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | Mid | ✓ | ✓ | |
| StellaDS | 
|
✓ (Phoenix Edition) |
git | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | ? | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Wii2600 | |
~ | git | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | Mid | ✗ | ✓ | |
| PSP2600 |
|
✗ | 1.2.0 | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | Mid | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Stella GC |  |
✗ | 18-12-2007 | ? | Mid | ✗ | ✓ | |
| PVCS Reloaded |  |
✗ | 0.3 | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | Mid | ✗ | ✓ | |
| Stella DC |  |
✗ | 0.2F | Proprietary | ? | ✗ | ✓ | |
| stella_libretro
stella2014_libretro |
|
✓ | libretro core | GPLv3 (Copyleft) | ? | ✓ | ? | |
| Other | ||||||||
| 1FPS Atari 2600 Emulator | Minecraft | ✓ | 0.2 | ? | ? | ✗ | ✗ | |
Comparisons
edit- Stella has been the go-to emulator for this system for many years. While the user interface is dated, its feature set is extensive, including support for multiple peripherals and debugging capabilities. It is one of the oldest console emulators still in active development.
- MAME is a respectable alternative to Stella. It is also cycle-accurate, and accuracy is likely comparable between both emulators in most cases.
Enhancements
edit| Name | Stella | MAME | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Misc. | RetroAchievements | ✓ Exclusive to libretro core. |
✗ |
Hardware features and peripherals
edit| Name | Stella | MAME | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware features | Atari 2800's 4 controller ports | ✗ | ? | |
| Peripherals | AtariVox | ✓ | ? | |
| Booster Grip | ✓ | ? | ||
| Cassette/tape player | Kid Vid Voice Module | ✓ | ? | |
| Starpath Supercharger | ? | ? | ||
| Driving controller | ✓ | ? | ||
| Joy2B+ | ✓ | ? | ||
| Keypad | ✓ | ? | ||
| MindLink | ✓ | ? | ||
| Mouse | Amiga mouse | ✓ | ? | |
| Atari mouse | ✓ | ? | ||
| Paddles | ✓ | ? | ||
| QuadTari | ✓ | ? | ||
| SaveKey | ✓ | ? | ||
| Sega Genesis Controller | ✓ | ? | ||
| Trak-Ball | ✓ | ? | ||
| XG-1 light gun | ✓ | ? | ||
| Vortex 3D glasses | ✗ | ✗ | ||
| Misc. | Androman robot | ✗ | ✗ | |
| Atari 7800 Development Card[note 3] | ? | ? | ||
| Atari 7800 pause button | ✓ | ? | ||
| Display Processor Chip[note 4] | ✓ | ? | ||
| Frying | ✓ | ? | ||
| MovieCart | ✓ | ✗ | ||
Notes
edit- ↑ Even though it's updated frequently, some hardware features are exclusive to the standalone version. Therefore, using the standalone version is recommended.
- ↑ As 0.251, 0.139 (2010), 0.78 (2003), 0.37b5 (2000)
- ↑ Some 2600 prototypes expect it.
- ↑ Only used in Pitfall II: Lost Caverns.
