The Atari 2600+ takes its style hints from the early-1980s modification of the initial console, with fake wood grain on the front and 4 control switches. But Atari says the console is just 80 percent as large as the original console, “making it simpler to fit into contemporary living spaces.” The console also has an HDMI output and utilizes USB-C for power.
The thing about the 2600+ that may switch off some retro-gaming enthusiasts, nevertheless, is that it uses a software application emulator to play games on a Rockchip 3128 Arm SoC. This is the same method taken by some aftermarket consoles that take the “hardware cartridge, software application emulator” path, like Hyperkin’s RetroN 77, which runs a version of the Stella emulator.
Software application emulation can add input lag and present mistakes that weren’t present on the initial hardware, and Atari’s compatibility list for the 2600+ (PDF) lists a handful of unplayable games and much more untried ones, regardless of the “no cartridge left” marketing copy. That stated, there are several games marked as playable on Atari’s compatibility list that aren’t suitable with the RetroN 77.
Without utilizing the original hardware, the best way to get near to 100 percent compatibility is to utilize a field-programmable gate selection (FPGA), which is a modern-day chip that can be used to imitate the original hardware with all of its flaws and peculiarities undamaged. Utilizing software emulation and a product Arm processor most likely makes the system cheap and simple to produce, and at $130, it’s definitely less costly than the $500 Analogue Nt (which used chips harvested from “undesirable” or non-functional NES systems), the $190 Super Nt, or the $220 Analogue Pocket (both of which use FPGAs).
The system also includes 256MB of RAM and 256MB of storage, enough to open the possibility that the device might be functional and hackable to run other sort of games, as both the NES and SNES Classic Editions were.
The Atari 2600+ is not to be puzzled with the Atari VCS, an AMD Ryzen-powered (however aging) mini desktop PC that likewise imitates old Atari video games however does a couple of other things on top of that.
Noting image by Atari