The Future: You can now pause an Atari 2600

10:00 AM on 07.03.2010   |   Matthew Razak

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If you're like me then you started gaming on the Atari 2600 back when gamers were gamers and men were men. The one I played was in a relative's basement that I had to walk up hill barefoot in the snow both ways to get to, and I had some epically long marathons on that sucker. No breaks. Why? The Atari 2600 didn't have a pause button, and that meant that sometimes you just had to man up and hold it in like a real American.

Yeah, you whippersnappers don't know how good you've got it. Back in my day we couldn't stop the game for nuthn'. But these days everyone is weak and mollycoddled little Nancy boys, so I suppose that explains why someone has finally developed a way to pause Atari 2600 games.

The wimps over at Atari Age have created a kit that lets you pause the games or, to put it more accurately, freeze them into oblivion until you come back. If you're a little ladies man like they are, all you need to do is plop down $20 and do some soldering, and you can go to the bathroom all you want without have to worry about any asteroids ramming into your ship. If you're a manly man with electronics, but still a girly man when it comes to gaming, you can even follow the instructions to make a kit yourself.

The kit was created by Victor Trucco, who based it off of an "Onyx Jr.," a Brazilian Atari clone console from the 80s, and the only Atari system with a pause button. Quite impressive for someone who can't control their bladder long enough to beat an entire videogame in one sitting.

It Took 30 Years, But Now We Can Pause Atari 2600 Games [Retro Thing]