Are Atari 2600 games not in the database? The Atari 2600 isn't listed when selecting Browse Database and then clicking By Platform.

They are in there

We definitely have Atari 2600 games in the database, but they are not currently available on the Browse by Platform page. We only add new platforms to that page when all of the relevant data (release dates, box art, etc) has been entered. You should still be able to use the Browse Database -> All Items option to find them though. If you're unable to fine one, feel free to post here and we'll get it added for you.

Just signed up. Love the layout of the site and the attention to detail you put into the game lists, particularly the browse by platforms section. With that said, what are you going to use for the 2600 games list? I only ask because the 2600 doesn't have an "officially licensed" game list, so everyone seems to have a differing opinion on what makes a complete set.

Welcome to the site!

Regarding the game list, that's a great question. The Atari 2600 is likely one of the next (big) ones that will added to the Browse by Platform page and I'll probably follow the list on Wikipedia as a starting point. Of course, their list even mentions that the third-party releases are incomplete, so that may not be the best idea. I'll probably end up cross-referencing multiple lists, which will hopefully get us close to where we need to be.

I would suggest using lazzeri's list. They worked with supergun from the atariage forums to kind of narrow down a list of every game commercially released during the 2600's lifespan. That can be found here: http://www.lazzeri.online/pub/Checklists.html. They also used RandomTerrain's website (https://www.randomterrain.com/rt-atari-2600-game-index.html) who did extensive research to determine the closest possible release dates for the games as well. There are still some questions to be answered with the list (I don't believe Asterix and Obelix were ever released in the US/the Xonox games were originally released as double enders) but overall it's the most accurate I've come across.

Thanks, I'll definitely reference those when compiling the data!

I've noticed some titles have covers with "Special Edition" on them, but I'm unclear if there are variants that do NOT have this? BASIC Programming is a good example. Anyone familiar with this? Trying to determine if there should be two separate releases or if the text is just part of the standard cover.

From discussions on the atariage forums, it looks like it was just there to make the product appear premium, as there was no discernible specialness to them.

Looking at some of the box and cart variants on atarimania, there were some non-special edition versions released, but the special edition version appears to be the first version.