Welcome to the repository containing the code for my JavaScript Atari 2600 Emulator pet project!
My first interaction with a computer was way back in the 80s on an Atari 2600, so when I decided to write an emulator in JavaScript, it seemed only natural to start with this magnificent piece of hardware.
That's how I learned the hard way that it's a terrible idea to start with the Atari 2600 if you just want to learn about emulation, because a lot of effort will go into getting timing, and interpeting documentation just right, which - to me - is not particularly fun or useful.
So if you're thinking of dabbling with emulation, I recommend you consider CHIP-8 instead, since it is way more concise and straightforward.
This emulator is a pet project that I wrote to gain a deeper understanding of how emulators work, not to compete with the already existing and excellent implementations out there, such as Stella and Javatari.
I don't plan on ironing out the many bugs, although I will probably circle back to the project every once and again to fix a thing or two when I feel the urge.
You can read more about the journey of writing this emulator here
- A modern browser that supports JavaScript - Chrome and Firefox have been tested
You can try out the emulator here.
Couldn't have done it without the help of the following resources:
- Atari 2600 Specifications
- 6502 Family CPU Reference
- 6502 "Illegal" Opcodes Demystified
- 8-Bit Workshop IDE
- 2600 Programming For Newbies
See the contributing guide to learn how to contribute to the repository and the development workflow.
Contributor Code of Conduct. By participating in this project you agree to abide by its terms.
MPL-2.0