Console
A 6507 console with no frame buffer. The running program builds each scanline as the beam draws it, so the picture is composed in real time by the processor itself.
An Atari 2600 in the four-switch wood-veneer case, shown with the joystick sold with it.
Racing the beam is the only way the machine works. There is too little writable memory to hold a screen, so the running program must feed the video chip in step with the scan, which welds a game’s code to the display timing it was written against.
| Component | Role | Count | Clock | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOS Technology 6507 | Main CPU | 1 | 1.19 MHz Nominal clock | — |
| Television Interface Adapter | GPU | 1 | unknown Nominal clock | — |
| Atari 2600 RIOT RAM | System memory | 1 | — | 128 B shared |
| Atari 2600 launch cartridge Removable launch cartridge; storage, not writable system memory. | Storage | 1 | — | not applicable |
provisional A figure marked provisional is recorded but not accepted: its evidence is unsettled. It may rely on one source, an unconfirmed announcement, or a digit read from a damaged scan. The reason appears under the figure. The catalog shows the figure but never uses it in a multiplier. How records are judged.
| Metric | Value | Evidence | Basis | Method | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clock frequency cpu provisional | 1.19 MHz | Rumored | Vendor-rated | Nominal clock From community documentation The cited guide states no processor clock. Wikipedia gives 1.19 MHz for the 6507 as it runs in this console, and the catalog carries it as rumored. | |
| Memory capacity whole-system | 128 B | Confirmed | Derived | Design capacity Computed here from figures the vendor stated Adds 1 memory-capacity figure obtained by design-capacity. Left out: removable game-cartridge ROM (removable program storage, not memory the console can write to). A total is only as trustworthy as the decision about what belongs in it, so both the terms and the exclusions are named records. |
| Metric | Value | Evidence | Basis | Method | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clock frequency gpu provisional | unknown The cited manual names the tile-and-sprite graphics unit but does not publish one standalone GPU clock. | Not stated | Vendor-rated | Nominal clock Stated by the vendor The cited source does not support a fixed base-console cartridge capacity. | |
| Memory bandwidth memory provisional | unknown The reviewed guide gives no memory bandwidth. | Not stated | Vendor-rated | Theoretical peak Stated by the vendor The Stella Programmer's Guide documents the TIA timing and its eight-bit processor interface, but not a memory transfer rate. | |
| Rated power consumption whole-system provisional | unknown The reviewed guide gives no whole-system power rating. | Not stated | Vendor-rated | Rated power Stated by the vendor The Stella Programmer's Guide describes the TIA and PIA but gives no whole-system power rating. |
| Metric | Value | Evidence | Basis | Method | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak FP32 rate cpu provisional | not applicable This console CPU has no integrated floating-point execution unit. | Not stated | Vendor-rated | Theoretical peak Stated by the vendor Provisional record for atari-2600: the cited primary manual is registered, but its page-level transcription and independent review are still pending. |
| Metric | Value | Evidence | Basis | Method | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak FP32 rate gpu provisional | not applicable This is a tile, sprite or scanline graphics unit, not a floating-point processor; it executes no FP32 operations. | Not stated | Vendor-rated | Theoretical peak Stated by the vendor Provisional record for atari-2600: the cited primary manual is registered, but its page-level transcription and independent review are still pending. |
| Metric | Value | Evidence | Basis | Method | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memory capacity memory | 128 B | Confirmed | Vendor-rated | Design capacity Stated by the vendor Atari's service manual identifies the fitted 6532; its MOS datasheet specifies the RAM capacity. |
| Metric | Value | Evidence | Basis | Method | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Storage capacity storage provisional | not applicable Cartridges are removable and vary by title; the cited source does not support one fixed capacity for the console. | Not stated | Vendor-rated | Design capacity Stated by the vendor |
128 B
a sum v1 Adds 1 memory-capacity figure obtained by design-capacity. Left out: not applicable (removable program storage, not memory the console can write to). A total is only as trustworthy as the decision about what belongs in it, so both the terms and the exclusions are named records.