What do I need to start programming an Atari 2600

Short Description
trying to write new games for the old Atari 2600 video game. … You'll definitely want to get a copy of Steve Wright's Stella Programmer's Guide, …

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What do I need to start programming an Atari 2600?
Below I’ve collected a list of links and references that you will probably find helpful in
trying to write new games for the old Atari 2600 video game. It isn’t exhaustive, but it is
meant to help you find the information that you need quickly and with as little frustration
as possible.
A Cross Development System
If you’ve got any Windows, Linux or MacOS system, you can probably use it to cross
develop games for the Atari 2600. Pick whichever one you feel comfortable with.
You’ll need a basic text editor to write your programs: I like vim http://vim.org.
A Good Emulator
I recommend Stella, available from http://stella.sourceforge.net. It’s a terrific
emulator, and even includes a visual debugger that allows you single step through
your code and examine the various hardware registers to see what’s going on.
Without a good emulator, programming this machine would be very difficult. Stella
runs on Windows, MacOS and Linux, so whatever your chosen platform would be
fine.
An Assembler
All Atari 2600 programs are written in assembly code: there simply isn’t enough
resources in the machine use higher level…