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Learn how the to program your game to use the two paddle controllers on the Atari 2600

Programming Atari 2600 Paddles

In this episode, we unravel the mystery of the ATARI 2600 Paddle controllers - what they are, how they work, and most excitingly, how you can program them into your very own games!

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Learn how the to program your game for differnt world regions for the ATARI 2600 game system

Programming Asymmetrical Playfields, Decimals & Scoreboards on the ATARI 2600

A deep dive into the precision timing required to create asymmetrical playfields, how to create scoreboards, and how to use binary coded decimals.

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Learn how the to program your game for differnt world regions for the ATARI 2600 game system

Programming for Different World Regions on the Atari 2600

In this episode we learn about the formation and technical challenges of the 3 world broadcast standards and how you can program your own ATARI 2600 games to target one or more.

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Learn how to us the Stella emulator to debug your code and hack existing games

Debugging on the ATARI 2600 and Hacking Pitfall!

In this episode we demonstrate the debugging capability of the Stella emulator to trace yoru code and even hack other games.

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Learn how the to generate sound using the three audio registers on the ATARI 2600 game system

Adding SOUND to your ATARI 2600 game

In this episode we talk about how sound is generated on the Atari 2600 using the Control, Frequency and Volume registers, along with a couple of examples in 6502 assembly language!

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Learn how the to generate random numbers and the use of a linear-feedback shift registers to build your game world

Random Numbers and the POWER of a Linear-feedback Shift Register

In this episode we talk about generating random numbers, and how they relate to linear-feedback shift registers that built the entire world of Pitfall in a single byte!

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Monthly random video game subscription box delivery service for the atari 2600

ATARI 2600 Monthly Subscription Box

In this episode of Quick Blits we try out the Retro Game Treasure monthly subscripton box to see what it's like for ATARI 2600 games.

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Learn how the ATARI 2600 handles collision detection and how the game Combat does boucing missiles

How the ATARI 2600 and COMBAT Handle Collision Detection

In this episode we talk about collision detection, how it works, and the 15 registers we can use. We also explore how the game Combat handles collisions and bouncing missiles, and have a look at some example code to create a ball that bounces around the playfield. As always, sample code for the episode is available in our github. Learn to program games for the Atari 2600!

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Enjoy some holiday music while watchin a warm fire on an ATARI 2600

80's Retro 8Blit Christmas Atari 2600 Yule log Holiday Special

It's 1982, and baby it's cold outside. Warm up sitting by the fire and listening to a fine selection of seasonal music on the local AM radio station in 1982. Open your presents with cheer on Christmas morning while listening to classic seasonal songs with a charming host. Your 1982 8-bit Christmas is waiting for you.

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Learn how to split your screen into multiple multi-scanline kernels to drawy your playfield. player graphics, missiles, and ball objects.

Too Many Kernels on the ATARI 2600?

In this episode we explore using kernels to draw our playfields, graphics, backgrounds, etc. We cover what types of kernels there are, multi-scanline kernels, and using multi-kernels in the same frame. We'll do a break down of the kernels used in the classic game Pitfall

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Learn how to set the four available timers on the ATARI 2600

How does the ATARI 2600 keep time?

In this episode we explore how to use the various timers available for the Atari 2600, including the 1-clock (TIM1T), 8-clock (TIM8T), 64-clock (TIM64T), and 1024-clock (T1024T) timers, how to set the timing interval, reading the timer (INTIM) and how they can be used in the Vertical Blank, and Overscan area's of the CRT television screen.

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Learn how about the ATARI 2600, Nintendo NES, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis, and the Super Nintendo

The ATARI 2600 is an 8-bit Game Console

In this episode of Quick Blits we explore a topic that occasionally comes up in conversations. How many ‘bits’ is the Atari 2600? What does that mean, and makes it that way? We’ll cover the Atari 2600, Nintendo NES and SNES, Sega Masters System and Genesis… with a surprise inside!

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Learn more about how to read input from the cx-40 joysticks and the atari 2600 console switches.

How the ATARI 2600 Responds to Joysticks and Switches

In this episode we explore how to read input from cx-40 joystick controllers and the console switches

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Learn more about how player graphic animation and pointers work on the Atari 2600

Animating Graphics on the ATARI 2600

In this episode we learn how to creating player graphic animations and using pointers to simplify your code.

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Learn more about how the channel was started and what was achieved

Season One Review

It's been an exciting year, and I glad to see so many people interested in the original game console. I share my thoughts about starting the channel, and my goals as we look to the future.

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Learn more about about programming in assembly language using the atari dev studio

Code Faster With The Atari Dev Studio

In this episode we explore what languages and processes were used when creating games for the Atari VCS when it was first launched, and how today we can use Visual Studio Code and the Atari Dev Studio to code and debug faster than ever before.

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Learn more about adding more sprites and color on the atari vsc

More Sprites & Color on the ATARI VCS

In this episode we explore how to add color to our graphics, the pitfalls of poor timing, spanning multiple scanlines, drawing duplicates of our graphics and spacing them apart. Lots of information is packed in here and plenty of code examples in our github.

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Learn more drawing asymmetrical playfields on the atari 2600

Asymmetrical Playfields + 125 Subscribers

In this special 125th subscriber episode we're briefly explore how to draw an asymmetrical playfield on an ATARI 2600, with code example provided in our GITHUB. Thanks everyone for your continued support!

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Learn how to draw and position sprints using the atari tia

Sprites on the ATARI VCS?!

In this episode we explore how the Atari VCS uses graphics registers to draw what we now call sprites. We'll examine Graphics Player Zero (GRP0), and the Horizontal Motion registers in the TIA to place our graphics anywhere on the screen.

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Learn how to clean your atari 2600 cartridges with a free 3d printed pac-man tool

Brief History of Game Cartridges and a Free Cleaning Tool

In this first episode of Quick Blits we talk about the history of electronic game cartridges, starting with the Fairchild Channel F, through the Atari 8-bit line of computers and all the way to today's Nintendo Switch. We present a free cartridge cleaning tool you can download from thingiverse.

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Learn how to build your own playfield on the atari 2600

Building Your Playfield on an Atari 2600

In this episode we go deeper into scan lines and their ‘ideal’ numbers, and also the design and programming of the ATARI 2600 playfield to create interesting and appealing games. We also explore how some commercial games designed their own playfields and all the different components involved in the creating rich worlds within a restricted environment.

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Learn how to draw the playfield on the atari avc

Drawing a Playfield on an Atari 2600

In this episode we talk using the Atari 2600's playfield pixels. We'll discuss the various intricacies of the registers, how we can mirror the playfield, and look at a demo of the playfield register positions on our screen.

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Learn what the assemly code from the previous episode was doing

Analysing the Atari 2600 Code

In this episode we look at the code from the previous episode, stepping through it line by line. We'll talk about some of the 6507 op-codes and Atari Television Interface Adaptor registers. We'll also touch on the difference between colour palettes for NTSC, PAL, and SECAM CRT's. A small change to the example code highlights the colour capabilities of the TIA.

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Learn how to setup your atari development environment

Code. Compile. Play. Setting up our ATARI 2600 Dev Tools

In this episode we look at the basic tools that will make up the development environment for programming and testing a game for the ATARI 2600. We’ll install the Stella emulator, along with the Dasm 8-bit compiler. Afterwards we’ll use a code snippet to compile and test in the emulator.

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Learn about the early founding and early history of the atari corporation.

Introduction to ATARI, INC - Part 1

Starting with the ATARI 2600. In this video we learn about about the beginnings of ATARI, the false starts, the people behind it, and the launch of the ATARI VCS.

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