«Centipede» revives on the Atari 800XL | Download
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Norbert Kehrer, an Austrian programmer renowned for adapting classic games, returns to the Atari 800XL after more than five years with an emulator of Centipede, the iconic arcade game released by Atari in 1981.
This version builds upon his previous project for the Commodore 64, leveraging the Atari hardware's capabilities. Centipede Emulator utilizes the 6502 processor of the 800XL to run the original game code directly.
The sound effects, generated by the POKEY chip, are played natively, as this component is built into the Atari computer. For graphics, Kehrer designed assembler routines to replicate the arcade’s visual hardware.
The game includes a settings screen where players can configure options such as language and the number of lives, mirroring the arcade machine's features. The emulator operates in free play mode, eliminating the need for coins. Games are started with the fire button, ensuring ease of use.
On NTSC systems, some flickering has been reported, while PAL systems offer more stable performance. Kehrer plans to add trackball support—an essential feature of the original arcade—though this will require further adjustments.
Originally developed in 1981 by Lyle Rains and Dona Bailey, Centipede was both a commercial and technical success, ported to numerous platforms. With this emulator, Kehrer expands his portfolio, which includes projects such as Asteroids Emulator (2012), PET Galaga (2014), Sprint I (2015), and Radar Rat Race (2019). All these versions are available on his official website.
Centipede Emulator for Atari 8-bit computers
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