Whether it’s nostalgia or the simplicity of the games and their graphics, the immortal Atari 2600 is still cherished by most if not all retro gaming enthusiasts. To be able to play on a 40+ year-old system and integrate it within a comprehensive gaming setup is nothing short of convenient. This is where the “Atari 2600 MulitMod” comes into play.
Will Gentry from UK based “Will’s Game Console Modding and Repairs” just announced a double-purpose board for the 2600 that basically offers composite video out and a pause gameplay function.
I talked to Will and he was kind enough to give me an insight into the “Multimod” board: first, it comes pre-assembled and installation should be fairly easy. The board will convert the raw video signal from the 2600 to composite video (this will involve the removal of one transistor and a few resistors). 3 RCA ports will be placed at the back of the system: the composite-out port will replace the original RF port and the other 2 audio ports must, unfortunately, be drilled out.
The pause-button feature will require the removal of a resistor and lifting 2 pins on the CPU.
The “Multimod” board will be sold for 15£.
While there’s an RGB solution out there (Tim Worthington’s RGB mod kit) and plenty of DYI guides on extracting composite video from the 2600, I found the “Multimod” to be a neat little product that should go along pretty well with the RetroTINK-2x.
The “Multimod” announcement post on Will’s facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WillsConsoleModifications/posts/971112389755298
Official website: https://www.wdgm-electronics.co.uk/