Hyperkin teased us last year with the Retro 77 console, a clone console that finally supports the Atari 2600 (possibly 7800 as well). It was covered heavily in the retro gaming scene at the time, but since then has essentially turned into vaporware. It may get a release or might only ever be a prototype, but what exactly is the Retron 77?
A quick history of the 2600
The Atari 2600 is one of the most important video game consoles of all time. While it wasn’t the first console, it was the first to be widely successful. It sold around 30 million consoles, which is more than the Gamecube, Xbox, Saturn and Wii U, so at the time this was the game console ‘everyone’ had.
The graphics and sounds were primitive, but with roots going back to the mid-70’s we have to consider the technology that was available at the time. The maximum resolution of the console was just 160x192 and it featured a palette of just 128 colors and just 128 bytes of RAM. This was a primitive machine.
However, clever programmers were able to achieve some remarkable things with this piece of antique computing hardware. Games like Solaris really show what the console was capable of by smart developers.
Blocky Atari games in glorious HD!
The Retron 77 is a system dedicated to bringing these simple games into the HD era, with modern bells and whistles like HD upscaling. Some would say, what’s the point of upscaling games that simple? I’d argue that it doesn’t matter how simple the graphics are, getting a clean and vibrant picture should always be welcomed. Remember, the original Atari 2600 was often hooked up to to ancient (sometimes black and white) televisions using forks that you had to screw down into antenna terminals. The best picture you could get was always a fuzzy RF signal.
Hooking up an Atari 2600 to a modern television is difficult, and will always result in an image that disappoints. A modern solution is needed!
The Retron 77 solution
Hyperkin, who is known for its line of clone consoles with modern features, demonstrated their dedicated Atari 2600 clone system last June. The system was met with much fanfare, since nothing like this has been available to Atari fans, as we’ve been stuck with composite mods as the best option for upgrading the picture until now.
However, Hyperkin hasn’t made any new announcement about the Retron 77 since it was first unveiled, leading people to think that its never going to get a release. They’ve gotten into trouble in the past by utilizing open-source emulators in their software, so perhaps that has become a problem once again.
I’ll keep my finger on the pulse of this console and if any news is released, I’ll post about it here. For now consider it a possibility, but something that may never see the light of day.
And it isn't so much about the upscaling as it is just being able to play these games on modern televisions.
I like to think that its not really about upscaling, but getting rid of the fuzzy edges on pixels to create a more vibrate image and getting rid of all the noise that comes with an RF signal. Adventure is never going to look like Skyrim, but we can get to play it without all the signal noise and artifacts that downgrade the image.
wow. really nice write up and great pics.
I was a child of the 80's and have played the Atari 2600 here and there but I've never really had much nostalgia for the system.
It certainly intrigues me but I think it's the hassle of trying to hook the console up using that RF dongle thingy. That and being discouraged by the blurry picture when I finally do get it hooked up. Now if I had an easy way to play these games on a modern television that would be a whole other story. :)
I'm excited to see if this comes to fruition and who knows, maybe I'll gain a whole new appreciation for that generation of video games.
There's a simple adapter you can use with the 2600 to allow for a basic coaxial connection. It simply plugs into the output connector instead of the RF adapter and they can be bought for a couple of dollars, though they still output a inferior signal.
Another thing to note is that if you don't like the joysticks that came with the 2600, you can plug in a Sega Genesis controller and it works flawlessly! They use the same pin configuration, and the controller plugs right into the 2600!
Handy! I'll definitely have to check that out!
And buying physical copies of games is actually affordable in most cases. This is cool, I didn't even know they were working on this!
I'm hoping they finish and release it. The fact that they've said nothing about it since June makes me nervous that they may have abandoned the project, but they do seem to be an unpredictable company.
But I like their products. I do all of my retro reviews using my Retron 5, which works beautifully.