z26

z26 is a leading Atari 2600 emulator released under the GNU GPL. It is an open source emulator, meaning those with a bit of experience can modify it as they wish. The emulator works on Microsoft Windows, Linux and Mac OS X systems. The latest version can also work wonders on modern devices with no issues at all. It is quite demanding, so users will require fast processors and hardware support for OpenGL. A vsync is also needed for full functionality. The emulator is available for free and has a straightforward interface. Bringing the games in is fairly simple.

While demanding, z26 is quite fast and replicates the old fashioned experience in the smallest details. It brings access to pretty much any game on the Atari 2600 platform – great accuracy and no major bugs to alter the gaming experience. The good news is ROM images are relatively easy to find too.