Gameloader Commodore 64 Atari 2600 Emulator with SuperCharger BASIC
2023 Release for PAL and NTSC with improved SID sound
How it works: Like the vaporware Adapter from 1983, GameLoader adds fantastic Commodore graphics and sound to Atari 2600 video games!
Gameloader SuperCharger BASIC combines the Atari 2600 Virtual Machine and the ROM into a program binary for the Commodore 64.
Shift-lock is the Atari 2600 BW/Color switch.
How to install: Gameloader SuperCharger BASIC IDE is already present on Windows as the Powershell ISE.
To run the compiler from the Powershell ISE
1.Install the Commodore folder at c:\commodore and install the VICE C64 emulator at this path (if you have WUDSN Atari tools VICE is already present here):
c:\jac\wudsn\tools\emu\winvice\x64\x64.exe
2. load the SuperCharger BASIC powershell script into the ISE from the Commodore folder and any BASIC or Assembly program you wish to compile in the next tab.
3. Press Play on the compiler script tab to launch your Atari program in the VICE emulator.
Note the first time you run the compiler you may have to unblock the script for Windows security (right click file/windows security tab/unblock).
Here is a screenshot of an Atari 2600 demo program running in the Atari 2600 emulator Stella and in the Commodore 64 VICE emulator:
Download GameLoader. The Atari 2600 Programming manual can be used here,
and an overview of the racing the beam architecture here with more Atari 2600 sample demos and programs.
Adding PETSCII graphics to Atari games:
The Virtual Machine assembly template can be edited to change the background and foreground tiles four petscii characters added to Atari programs.
They are also available programmatically as BASIC array variables.
The Atari demo running on the C64 has extra BASIC code to animate the petscii graphics on the background tiles.
More Programming Examples
Commodore 64 programs from the Atari 2600 demo scene:
Some short classic BASIC games from the 10 line basic10liner.com vintage BASIC programming contests are also included:
These programs use classic old-school BASIC mode with line numbers.
Read through the example programs BASIC listings to learn more about how they work and have fun writing your own BASIC games and demos for the C64 and the Atari 2600!
With GameLoader Adapter 1 Mhz on 1 Mhz cycle perfect emulation the Commodore 64 becomes an Atari 2600 with Fantastic Commodore graphics.
