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An Atari 2600 homebrew (short for ''Atari 2600 homebrew game'') is a video game designed for the Atari 2600 by an independent developer following the discontinuation of the console in 1992. The first 2600 homebrew was written in 1995, and since then over 100 homebrew titles have been released. There is an active community of Atari 2600 homebrew developers—the largest among classic video game homebrew communities.〔 There are several types of homebrew games, including original titles, ROM hacks of existing games, and ports of arcade games, personal computer games, and games from other consoles. Several homebrew games have received attention outside the homebrew community; some have even been featured on an Atari 2600 game anthology produced by Activision. With severe resource limitations including a mere 128 bytes of RAM and no video frame buffer, the 2600 is considered to be a difficult machine to program. However, several tools, such as emulators, a high-level programming language, and a wealth of documentation, exist to assist the homebrewer. == History == The Atari 2600 game console was introduced to the market by Atari, Inc. in 1977 as the Atari VCS, or Video Computer System.〔 Since the console's release, hundreds of different game titles, by dozens of game manufacturers, have been released for the console,〔 with the most popular titles, such as ''Pac-Man'', ''Pitfall!'' and ''Missile Command'', selling millions of copies each.〔 Atari 2600 consoles continued to be manufactured throughout the 1980s, but by 1992 production had ceased.〔 The last new Atari 2600 game title to be commercially released that year was ''Acid Drop'' – a puzzle game sold by Salu Ltd.〔 The next year, hobbyist Harry Dodgson released the first homebrew cartridge, titled ''7800/2600 Monitor Cartridge''.〔 The cartridge was not a game, but rather a diagnostic tool that Dodgson hoped to persuade Atari Corp to market to customers interested in programming their own Atari 7800 games. As Atari no longer manufactured the keyboard controller required by the cartridge, they declined, so Dodgson decided to manufacture and market the cartridge on his own.〔 Dodgson purchased a batch of Atari 7800 ''Hat Trick'' games at Big Lots for a dollar or less each, and cannibalized the parts to create the new monitor cartridge. He then advertised the cartridge on Usenet and in a catalog for video game store Video 61, ultimately selling around 25 cartridges. With the relatively small number of hand-made cartridges, the title is considered a rarity among homebrews.〔 The rights to the cartridge were later purchased by Video 61.〔 In 1995 – three years after Atari's withdrawal of the 2600 from the marketplace – independent developer Ed Federmeyer released another Atari 2600 homebrew project, titled ''SoundX'',〔 a cartridge that demonstrated the sound capabilities of the Atari 2600. Federmeyer used the term "homebrew" to describe this type of hobbyist-driven development, inspired by the California Homebrew Computer Club of early computer enthusiasts that included Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.〔 Originally designing the cartridge for his own use, Federmeyer decided to gauge interest among fellow retro game enthusiasts; like Dodgson, Federmeyer advertised his creation on Usenet, ultimately receiving over 50 responses.〔 Following ''SoundX'', Federmeyer created an unlicensed port of the game ''Tetris'', titled ''Edtris 2600''. Since then, over 100 homebrew games for the Atari 2600 have been released,〔 many by AtariAge, a website that features "information on game cartridges, consoles, Atari artwork and all other topics Atari".〔 Among them are the boxing game ''K.O. Cruiser'' by Devin Cook, ''Halo 2600'' by Ed Fries, and ''Duck Attack!'' by Will Nicholes – all released at the Classic Gaming Expo in July 2010.〔 In 2012, homebrewers Thomas Jentzsch and Andrew Davie released an officially licensed 2600 port of ''Boulder Dash'' – a title they had been working on for nearly 10 years. There currently exists an active community of Atari 2600 homebrew developers.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Atari 2600 homebrew」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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