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Stella – Atari 2600 Emulator

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Stella is a long established Atari 2600 emulator that was first released in 1996. Stella supports a wide range of Atari 2600 ROMs and offers customizable input options, including gamepad support, as well as video and audio settings. It is available for various platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Stella Download

Select which version you require below to be taken to either the official website or app store for your device where you can download:

Windows
apple [#173] Created with Sketch. macOS
Linux

Stella Setup Instructions

This guide will walk you through the process of setting up the Stella emulator to play Atari 2600 games.

1. Downloading Stella Emulator

Steps:

  • Visit the official Stella website at stellamu.github.io.
  • On the left sidebar, click on Downloads under Stable Releases.
  • Choose Stella version 6.2.1 64-bit for Windows. Note that this version has not been updated in over a decade, but it remains functional.
  • Click on the link to download the installer.

2. Installing Stella

Steps:

  1. Once the download is complete, run the installer file.
  2. A prompt will appear asking, “Do you want to allow this app from an unknown publisher to make changes to your device?” Select Yes.
  3. The Stella Setup Wizard will open. Click Next to continue.
  4. Choose the installation location. By default, it installs in the C: drive, but you can change this by clicking Browse. In this example, it’s installed on an external hard drive (D: drive).
  5. Click Next to select a Start Menu Folder where the shortcut will be placed. You can choose a specific folder or leave the default.
  6. If you want a desktop shortcut, check the option Create a desktop icon, then click Next.
  7. Finally, click Install and then Finish once the installation is complete.

3. Setting Up Your Controller

Steps:

  1. Open Stella from your desktop or start menu.
  2. Navigate to Options > Input to configure your controls.
  3. Connect your Xbox One controller or any other controller of choice.
  4. Map the basic controls:
    • Quit button: Select “Quit” and click Map, then press the desired button on your controller.
    • Reset button: Select “Reset”, click Map, and assign a button.
    • Select button: Select “Select”, click Map, and assign a button.
  5. Configure the joystick controls:
    • Joystick Up: Click Joystick Up, then Map, and press the Up button on your controller.
    • Repeat this process for Joystick Down, Left, and Right.
  6. Assign the Joystick Fire Button. This will replicate the single button on an Atari joystick. Choose the button you’d like for firing, such as the A button on the Xbox controller.
  7. Once all buttons are mapped, click OK to save your settings.

4. Adjusting Video and Audio Settings

Although the default settings work well, you can make adjustments:

Steps:

  1. Go to Options > Video and Audio.
  2. The Renderer is set to Direct3D by default. You can switch to OpenGL if desired, though both work fine.
  3. If you want full-screen mode, check the Full-Screen option.
  4. For audio, the default settings should provide satisfactory sound, as the Atari’s audio is quite basic.

5. Loading Atari 2600 Games (ROMs)

Steps:

  1. Locate your game files (ROMs), which typically have a .bin or .a26 extension.
  2. In Stella, click Go Up to access your system’s drives.
  3. Navigate to the folder where your ROMs are stored. For example, if your games are on an external drive, select D: Drive, and then open the folder containing your games.
  4. Select the game you want to play, such as Space Invaders, and double-click to load it.

Once the game loads, you can play using the controls you configured.