Atari 2600 Programming Page

Last page: Intro

Programming Tools

Sections are available for: Commodore 64/128, DOS, Amiga, Mac, Linux, and the Atari 2600 itself.

Playbin25 by Robin Harbron - Plays binary files from the C64's memory into a Supercharger. Loads into one of two memory locations, and can be called from an assembler. Read the docs to find out more about this miraculous program and its future. Future versions are expected by the end of the year which will add more user-friendly features.

Stella, by Bradford W. Mott, et al. A faithful open-source Atari emulator for many platforms.
PC Atari version 2.2, by John Dullea. . Runs under DOS or Windows 9x. Invaluable for those developing on slow machines, especially now that it's so much more compatible. This one even handles the Cosmic Ark starfield effect, as well as more realistic Pitfall II music.
DASM versions 2.02, 2.12 by Matt Dillon. Compiles 6502 source code. Much of the code on this page is in DASM format. Use -f3 switch to compile standard .BIN files.
Makewav version 3.1, by Bob Colbert. Converts 2k, 4k, or 6k BIN files into WAV files that can be played into the Supercharger.
DiStella by Bob Colbert. Disassembles BIN files. Includes cycle counts, too. Find out what makes your favorite game tick.

DASM by Matt Dillon. Compiles 6502 source code. Much of the code on this page is in DASM format. Use -f3 switch to compile standard .BIN files.
Makewav version 3.1, by Bob Colbert. Converts 2k, 4k, or 6k BIN files into WAV files that can be played into the Supercharger.

Linux VCS package, contains DASM, Makewav, and DiStella executables for Linux. Executables ONLY, no source code or docs. Thanks to Greg Troutman for compiling these for everyone. Download the zipped file, and then visit the pages for Makewav, and DiStella.

Running certain programs on the target machine itself can yield some insight about its nature, such as how colors and sound work.

FTSFX by Eckhard Stolberg - Explore the RIOT chip's sound capabilities. Use it to design songs and other sound effects for your 2600 projects. Get the .BIN file here.
COLOURS by Eckhard Stolberg - Explore the TIA chip's palette. Pick the right color for the right job. Get the .PAL file here.