Gaming in 1977 was a physical hazard. If you grew up with a Woody or a Vader model, you remember the "Atari Tripwire." It was that thick, coiled cord stretching across the shag carpet, just waiting to catch a younger sibling’s foot and send your entire console flying off the TV stand. We lived like that for years. Then, the Atari 2600 wireless controller finally arrived, promising to liberate us from the three-foot leash.
It was a revolution. Or at least, it tried to be.
Honestly, the CX42—the official remote control version—was a beast of a machine. It didn't use modern Bluetooth or even 2.4GHz radio. It used Radio Frequency (RF) technology that was basically a mini radio station in your hand. If you haven't seen one in person, imagine a brick. Now imagine that brick has a joystick on top and requires a massive base station with antennas that looked like they were communicating with the Voyager probe. It was heavy. It was clunky. But it was wireless.
The Weird Science of the CX42 Wireless Joysticks
Most people think wireless gaming started with the WaveBird on the GameCube. Wrong. Atari was pushing this tech back when Reagan was in his first term. The CX42 "Remote Control Joysticks" came in a pair. You had the controllers themselves and a bulky receiver that plugged into the front of the console.
The tech was finicky.
Since it used RF, you didn't need line-of-sight like a TV remote, but you did need to be on the right frequency. There were two versions of the CX42: one that operated at 27.145 MHz and another at a slightly different frequency so you could play two-player games without the signals getting crossed. If you bought two of the same frequency? Tough luck. You were controlling both Combat tanks with one stick.
Battery life was a nightmare.
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You needed a 9-volt battery for each stick. These things chewed through power like a starving Pac-Man. If the battery dipped even a little, your response time lagged. In a game like Kaboom! or Starmaster, a millisecond of lag is the difference between a high score and a "Game Over" screen. Most kids ended up going back to the wired CX40 sticks because 9-volt batteries were expensive and didn't last through a weekend of Pitfall! marathons.
Why Modern Atari 2600 Wireless Controllers Are Totally Different
Fast forward to the 2020s. We aren't using RF anymore. If you buy a modern Atari 2600 wireless controller today—specifically the ones made by Hyperkin or the official ones bundled with the Atari 2600+—you're getting something that actually works.
The Atari 2600+ joystick, known as the CX40+, looks identical to the 1977 original. However, the wireless versions now utilize 2.4GHz technology. This is the same tech your wireless mouse or some Wi-Fi bands use. It’s snappy. There’s almost zero latency. You can sit on your couch, fifteen feet away from the 4K TV, and play Adventure without the console sliding toward the floor.
The Hyperkin Ranger vs. The Official Stick
Hyperkin released the Ranger, which is a bit of a "love it or hate it" peripheral. It’s shaped more like a modern gamepad but includes a joystick and a dial. It's wireless, uses a USB dongle, and works on the original hardware if you have the right adapter.
Some purists hate it. They want the stick.
The official Atari 2600+ wireless stick is the one getting most of the attention lately. It feels right. The "click" of the stick is there. The rubber boot feels authentic. But under the hood, it's a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. No more hunting for 9-volts in the junk drawer.
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The Latency Problem: Does It Actually Matter?
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: Lag.
If you ask a hardcore retro gamer, they'll tell you that any Atari 2600 wireless controller is a crime against humanity. They argue that the conversion from the controller's signal to the receiver adds frames of delay.
Technically, they’re right.
Practically, they're probably overreacting.
In a modern 2.4GHz setup, the latency is usually under 5 milliseconds. To put that in perspective, the human eye blinks in about 100-400 milliseconds. Unless you are competing in a world-record Dragster run where every single frame is a life-or-death decision, you won't feel it. The real lag usually comes from your modern TV’s image processing, not the controller.
If you want the best experience, put your TV in "Game Mode" first. That’ll do more for your response time than switching back to a wired joystick ever could.
How to Get Wireless Working on Original 1970s Hardware
Maybe you aren't using the new Atari 2600+ or an emulator. Maybe you have a heavy six-switcher from 1978 and you want to go wireless. You have a few options that don't involve hunting down 40-year-old RF bricks on eBay.
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- The RetroReceiver Approach: 8BitDo makes receivers for almost every console, but for the Atari, you often have to get creative with DB9-to-USB adapters.
- The DIY Route: There are boards like the BlueRetro which allow you to plug a Bluetooth receiver directly into the controller ports. This lets you use a PS5 or Xbox controller to play Missile Command. It feels sacrilegious, sure, but it works flawlessly.
- Modern Clones: Companies like My Arcade have released Atari-themed handhelds and consoles that come with integrated wireless, but the build quality varies wildly. Stick to the brands that actually bother with the DB9 port compatibility.
The DB9 port—the D-shaped 9-pin connector—is the standard. It’s what Sega Genesis and Commodore 64 used too. Because of this shared standard, a wireless controller made for a Genesis can sometimes work on an Atari, though the button mapping gets funky since the Atari only expects one button.
Technical Realities of Retro Wireless
It’s easy to get nostalgic and forget how bad the original wireless tech was. Those old CX42s were prone to interference. If your neighbor used a walkie-talkie or a cordless phone, your character on screen might just start walking left for no reason.
Modern 2.4GHz sticks use frequency hopping. They’re constantly jumping between channels to find the cleanest signal. You could have ten of them in the same room and they wouldn’t interfere with each other. That’s the real "magic" of the modern Atari 2600 wireless controller. It solves the interference and the battery drain in one go.
Final Actionable Steps for Your Setup
If you're ready to cut the cord, don't just buy the first thing you see on an auction site.
- Check your hardware: If you have the Atari 2600+, the official wireless CX40+ is your best bet for authenticity. It’s plug-and-play.
- Kill the TV Lag: Before blaming your controller, go into your TV settings. Turn off "Motion Smoothing" and enable "Game Mode." This reduces the time it takes for the TV to display the signal it receives.
- Consider the "D-Pad" factor: Joysticks are iconic, but they're tiring. If you find your wrist hurting after twenty minutes of Yars' Revenge, look into the wireless Hyperkin Ranger. The thumbstick is much easier on older joints.
- Original Hardware Users: Look for a DB9 Bluetooth adapter. This is the most versatile way to use modern wireless tech on a console from the 70s. It keeps the original motherboard intact while giving you the freedom to move around the room.
The dream of wireless Atari gaming took about forty years to actually become "good." We finally have the tech to match the ambition. Get a 2.4GHz stick, charge it up, and finally play Circus Atari from the comfort of a chair that isn't two feet away from the screen. Your carpet—and your siblings—will thank you.