As a member of the GenX generation growing up in the 1970s, the Atari VCS holds a special place in my heart. Santa Claus was good to us in 1978 or 1979, bringing the "light sixer" with both Combat and Breakout. The Atari quickly became a centerpiece of family entertainment. A year later, Space Invaders arrived as a gift in Christmas 1980, and in 1981, Asteroids became another iconic addition to our collection.
My dad was especially drawn to Video Chess and spent hours on end challenging himself against the computer, always striving to outwit it and consistently coming out victorious. Watching him play taught me not only the appeal of early video games but also the determination and strategy they could inspire.
This project is my way of reconnecting with those memories while diving into the challenge of programming assembly language for one of the most iconic consoles in gaming history.
Here are some resources that might be useful for development and learning:
DASM is the de facto assembler for Atari 2600 development. It is lightweight, versatile, and specifically designed for 8-bit platforms like the Atari 2600.
Stella is a multi-platform Atari 2600 emulator. It’s an invaluable tool for testing and debugging your Atari VCS assembly programs.
This course, taught by Gustavo Pezzi, offers a deep dive into assembly programming and game development for the Atari 2600. Gustavo is very methodical and precise in his approach, presenting the material in a highly accessible and engaging way.
An interactive development environment for retro platforms. Perfect for experimenting with Atari 2600 assembly code in real-time.
- Basic understanding of assembly language.
- Familiarity with the Atari VCS hardware architecture.
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Install DASM
Download and set up DASM for assembling your code. -
Use Stella for Testing
Install Stella for running and debugging your ROMs. -
Explore Code in 8bitworkshop
Use 8bitworkshop's online tools for quick testing and iteration. -
Learn from Pikuma
If you're new to assembly programming, Gustavo Pezzi's course on Pikuma is an excellent starting point.
As a software developer by trade, I eventually became curious about what development was like on the Atari VCS. Hearing the stories from Rob Fulop and the other guest speakers at the Central Ohio Retro Gaming Society (CORGS) Convention in 2022 really piqued my interest to explore further. Finding Gustavo Pezzi's course on Udemy then lit the path forward.
I’m now interested in creating a few homebrew games for the Atari VCS as a way of blending my passion for retro gaming with my love of software development. You can learn more about CORGSCon and its special guests here.
This project is open-source and available under the MIT License.
Happy coding and enjoy the journey into the world of Atari VCS assembly programming!