Ok, so I got off-subject. Well, not really. I have to show my passion for Atari, don't I? Well, anyway!

I sat there on the phone waiting, and I started doodling. Doodling, is, you know, what people did before they had Photoshop. So, I was like, hm, hm, portable Atari 2600... that'd be neat... cartridge here, batteries here, circuits here, screen, controls... On paper it looked very much like a Gameboy Color! I continued doodling. I thought, "Hm, maybe it's possible... I've heard that the Atari 2600 was a very simple machine... Perhaps I could rip the chips off it and make a custom circuit board to fit in a small box... hm... Hm.... HMMM....."

Tech support came back on and I was snapped back into work. But the idea was in my head!

I am ashamed to say this, but, it must be said. At the time (February 2000), I did not own an Atari 2600. Probably because I have a 7800, and it will play all the same games, but still, is that any excuse? And those 7800 controllers, UGH! Which monkey designed those, and when will he be sent back to the zoo? Besides, I knew for a fact that the 7800 had a lot more chips and things that I would have to figure out, so I didn't want to tackle that. Also, the 7800's are somewhat hard to find, so I didn't want to rip mine apart. Also, I wanted the portable Atari to be pure. A pure, 100%, older-than-dirt vintage Atari 2600 unit, with wood grain and everything!

A friend of mine had one that he (gasp!) was not using. We pulled it out of storage and I began my task!