So my Atari 2600 isn't playing games.  I turn it on and I see some black lines with vertical squiggles and I've tried every game I own and haven't had any luck.  It's supposedly been cleaned so that shouldn't be the problem.

Any ideas on ways to fix this?  I don't entirely trust the thing that connects to my TV and I hope that could be it.

dude i am really sry for u i would search for new component cables and then try it again and if not ur atari 2600 has died R.I.P.

I don't trust those 2600 TV connectors either. I'd investigate replacing that or finding another way to connect it. Other than that, I have no ideas.

I always knew they were unreliable.

Atari squiggle lines of doom confimed?

Ugh... Twesterm and all of his Sony hate.

they still make those?

*checks his nintendo to see if it works*

Spoken from someone who has NO fucking clue what connections revolve around a 2600.

T, I'd check your RF connector. Those things go out like crazy. On top of that, you're doing like a triple switch on that crap so there are a myriad of problems that could arise.

Honestly, I'd search out an old school gaming site and troubleshoot there. I have a 2600 but I haven't bothered to hook it up in almost 10 years. I think the main detractor is the frightening connectors that would allow me to hook it up to my 45" 1080p LCD.

I find it amazing that you had a functioning unit all this time.

It's not that hard... Now if he had an old wood-paneled functioning unit, I'd be impressed. There were later models made that were much more reliable (my parrot dropped a seed into my wood-paneled unit in 1981 and that killed the box).

squiggle lines of doom ?

Well played