This unit being reviewed is a pre-production version, the final version will have a slightly different game list included.
Released by Atgames November 2016, this little portable game player lets you take 60 classic Atari 2600 games on the go! Plus it has a SD card slot! Not all Atari 2600 games will work with this device though, so some experimenting will have to be done to see what ones you enjoy will work on this device.
The unit itself pretty much is a copy of AtGames Sega Genesis Portable with a different color scheme. The controls feel good and responsive. The extra buttons that can be seen above the red fire button are for Mono/Color, left and right difficulty, Game level select and a pause button. The unit also features a return to main menu button, a video out jack (cable can be obtained from Atgames.us), headphone jack, volume control, SD card slot, charging LED, power LED and the on/off switch.
The unit does not have a battery compartment, rather it has a internal rechargeable battery that can be charged from a USB port or a 6 volt charger. The screen is very crisp and bright and measures 3.2 inches.
The unit has 60 built in games that can be selected via a on screen menu that also features a box screenshot of each game.
Sound is pretty much typical for a AtGames portable, it sounds rather tinny and distorted at times. however if you use the headphone jack the sounds are improved. The SD card port is what really makes this device interesting! Care must be taken to make sure the unit is off before removing or inserting the card as damage can occur (according to the manual). The first game I tested was the 2600 version of Space Invaders and it worked perfectly!
Adding games to the SD card is very straight forward. Just put the games in a directory called “GAME” and if the unit can recognize the roms they will be listed (I had to rename the space invader rom in order to get it to show up). If the unit cannot recognize any games it will just go back to the SD Card Browser icon in the main menu.
Also be aware that the more files you have on the SD card the longer it seems for it to “index them”. So if the SD card menu does not come up immediatly, wait a few seconds. At the time I reviewed this I was able to get 91 additional games to run on the device.
A great write-up with the official game list can be found here:
Pros:
- Nice selection of games
- Controls feel good
- Bright, Crisp screen
- SD card slot!
- Lightweight
Cons:
- Built in speaker sounds “tinny”
- No paddle control for the paddle games included.
- Low compatibility with legacy Atari 2600 games.
- Still no 2600 version of Frogger or Space Invaders
Overall I really like this Portable Atari 2600. I only wish they had some way to include a control for the paddle games, playing breakout or circus Atari with a dpad takes the fun right out of it.
Rating: (4 out of 5 Minicades)
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