It took 29 years, 12 beers, 1 dead bear, a vibrant community and the genius of just one programmer, but at last the first GUI (Graphical User Interface) for the legendary Atari 2600 (a.k.a. VCS) is now available for your downloading retro pleasure (here, it is). Oh, and you might actually need an emulator too. Try this link, then.Mind you, this is a fully enabled GUI, with operational windows, a version of Pong, evolutionary tendencies and extremely low RAM requirements. All squeezed in a 4Kb .bin file. Beat this Microsoft. Ha!
Anyway, here's the video to prove the whole thing actually works:
Related @ Gnome's Lair: Will Wright's first game, free Gameboy gaming, the AMSTRAD feature, Wik
Related Tags: Atari 2600, Atari, Atari VCS, GUI, G.U.I., OS, Retro, Console, Consles, Retro gaming, Emulation, Free, Freeware, Atari GUI
4k your kidding (ping.... pong....ping...) no your right
ReplyDeleteHow typical of me... Kidding and being right at the same time. Now... let's see if this thing makes it in cartridge format...
ReplyDeleteHow cool is that?! I take it you move the 'pointer' with the keys? Is there a 'Control Alt Delete' incase it freezes. Oh wait - that's just windows. You constantly amaze me with your finds Gnome. Well in!
ReplyDeleteIt's a joystick I believe, and people have actually suggested the implementation of our much loved Blue Screen of Death.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it Tomleece. Oh, and congratulations on hitting the 20k mark with the Yard.
Keep it up!
Hah! That is wicked as hell =)
ReplyDeleteMr. Gnome is always giving us such lovely gifts.
ReplyDeleteNow, whose ready for a game of pong?
Glad you liked it my friends... Let's have a Missile Command tournament now...
ReplyDeleteping.......pong
ReplyDeletepong....ping
plonk!
ping.....pong
I'm in shock. That must be rediculously difficult to pull off, given the way the 'graphics' hardware works on the 2600. Still, great effort by the author and another great post from the gnome, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteNo Elderly dear, not pong. Missile Command. It should probably go like bleep.. bleep.... click... fzzzz... boom... bleep..bleep... boom.
ReplyDeleteAh, Steve, great to see you back... But the real question is.. are you really?
:)
you play your game, i'll play mine
ReplyDeleteping.....pong
ping...pong
ping... drop a stitch... pong
Very well... I'll have a try too... May I?
ReplyDeletesure here.....
ReplyDeleteping!..........
pong.
ReplyDelete:)
you're good at this
ReplyDeleteping!........
pong...
ReplyDeleteping.
Yep, got it allright..
hey you can't do that.... you rewired the controllers.... well you!!!
ReplyDelete(pulls controller from gnome, wire snags in television, which comes crashing to the floor in a thousand pieces and a puff of smoke)
ahmmmmmmm Tea?
Yes of course... Thank you.
ReplyDeletePitty for the TV. Thought it was dear to you... Still, you can come to my place and play Dreamcast on my 102'' plasma screen...
hold on I'm in your house......
ReplyDelete(looks around at the familiar furnishings....)
oh shit!...... (stares at his tv in a thousand pieces on the floor)
I don't get it, how did.......
you transported me again..... you shoulda warned me......
okay then if you can do transport what about rewinding the clock... to before my unfortunate incident?
please
I'd love to, but unfortunately the temporal is so much more complicated than the spatial... Still... I could give it a try... Not afraid of dinosaurs, are we?
ReplyDeletewhat live ones?... there live ones arent't they?....
ReplyDelete(picks up television bits......stops turns to gnome)
so why didn't you study the temporal spatial module? I mean i presume your qualified with your master magician masters....
I really can't answer ... brain rotting away...
ReplyDelete(elderly resorts to caveman etchings)
ReplyDelete:)