Atari 2600 Console Installation
To honor its place in pioneering the video game industry, IGN named the Atari 2600 the second best video game console of all time in 2009. While games have come far since the Atari's release in 1977, players still enjoy the classic console. If you've got an old 2600 you want to hook up again, it will take a bit more effort now that television technology has changed, but you can install the system with the right parts.
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Instructions
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Attach the Atari power cord to the system, and plug it in to the wall. Connect one end of the RCA output cable included with the system into the console. Though this cable looks like a composite cable, it also transmits audio, so you can't attach it directly to your TV.
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Attach the other end of the Atari's RCA cable to the coaxial to RCA adapter. You need an adapter with a female port on the RCA end and a male port on the coaxial end.
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Screw the coaxial end of the adapter into the antenna or cable input on your TV. Turn on the TV, and tune it to the proper input by pushing the "Input" or "Source" button on the set's remote control.
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Insert a game cartridge in the Atari 2600, and connect a controller compatible with that game. Turn on the power to experience a bit of video game history.
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Tips & Warnings
If you still have the TV/Game Switchbox that came with the Atari, you can use this instead of the coaxial to RCA adapter, but you may need a 300 to 75 ohm matching transformer to make it work with your television. This method offers worse video quality and is harder to connect, so use the adapter method if possible.
Auto-switching connector boxes included with later game systems, such as the NES, do not work with the Atari 2600, as its signal is weak.
