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| | | | | | | | | Alpha Beam with Ernie - Atari 2600 |
| | | Atari 2600 joystick: |  |
| Joystick control: | | Player 1: | Player 2: | | joystick | ↑↓←→ | TGFH | | trigger | Spacebar | A | | turbo | Del | . | | RESET | F12 | F12 | | SELECT | F11 | F11 | | Pause | Alt+P | Alt+P | | black-white / color mode: F2 | | paddle / joystick mode: Alt+L |
| Emulation speed: | If the game emulation is slow, try to speed it up by reloading this page without ads or choose another emulator from this table. |
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| | Other platforms: | Unfortunately, this game is currently available only in this version. Be patient :-) |
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| Game info: | 
box cover | Game title: | Alpha Beam with Ernie | | Console: | Atari 2600 | | Author (released): | Atari, Inc. (1983) | | Genre: | Educational | Mode: | Multiplayer | | Design: | Michael Callahan, Preston Stuart, Gus Allen | | Music: | | | Game manual: | manual.pdf | File size: | 3076 kB | | Download: | not available (stream only) | Game size: | 8 kB | | Recommended emulator: | Stella |
| | Detailed game description: | Alpha Beam with Ernie is an educational video game released for the Atari 2600 by Atari, Inc. in 1983. Developed in collaboration with the Children’s Computer Workshop, the title was programmed by Michael Callahan and Preston Stuart and is part of a series of family-friendly Sesame Street licensed games intended to provide both entertainment and early learning experiences for young children.  | | Alpha Beam with Ernie (Atari 2600) |
The game casts players in the role of Ernie, the beloved Sesame Street character, who must pilot a small shuttle and collect letter-marked “fuel tanks” floating in space to refuel his spaceship so that he can return to Earth. Gameplay revolves around moving the shuttlecraft left and right to align with specific letters and using a transporter beam to pick them up and deliver them to matching docking bays on Ernie’s rocket. Successfully completing the required letter matches causes the ship to blast off, accompanied by a simple celebratory animation.
Designed with an educational focus, Alpha Beam with Ernie was marketed as a way to help children practice prereading skills, including identifying and matching alphabet letters, and reinforce concepts such as letter recognition and ordering. The game was compatible with the specialized Atari Kid’s Controller keypad, which allowed for more intuitive control of movement and selection for its target age group, though it could also be used with the standard keyboard controller. Daily Rocket fueling and letter matching were intended to encourage learning through basic play rather than reflex-based action.
The title includes multiple game variations and difficulty levels, increasing in complexity from simple letter matches to more advanced tasks, and supports cooperative two-player modes that allow players to work together in collecting and matching letters. The progression of game challenges was designed to accommodate very young players and provide replay value through its structured levels.
While Alpha Beam with Ernie received limited attention compared to mainstream video game releases, it remains a notable example of early edutainment on home consoles and Atari’s efforts to address concerns about video game content by offering non-violent educational options aimed at preschool and early elementary audiences. Its use of a well-known children’s television character and straightforward mechanics reflects the industry’s early attempts to blend learning objectives with interactive entertainment. More details about this game can be found on Wikipedia.org. | | For fans and collectors: | | Find this game on video server YouTube.com or Vimeo.com. | | Buy original game or Atari 2600 console on Amazon.com or eBay.com. | Find digital download of this game on GOG or Steam. | | | | Videogame Console: |  This version of Alpha Beam with Ernie was designed for Atari 2600, which was commercially very successful video game console of second generation produced by Atari from 1977 to 1992. It was the first console that used removable memory modules with games. At the time of its greatest fame, more than 30 million units of this console were sold for about $ 200 a piece. To date, the game library for this console contains nearly 1,000 original games. More information about the Atari 2600 can be found here. |
Recommended Game Controllers: | You can control this game easily by using the keyboard of your PC (see the table next to the game). However, for maximum gaming enjoyment, we strongly recommend using a USB joystick that you simply plug into the USB port of your computer. If you do not have a joystick, buy a suitable USB controller on Amazon or AliExpress or in some of your favorite online stores. | | | | Available online emulators: | 5 different online emulators are available for Alpha Beam with Ernie. These emulators differ not only in the technology they use to emulate old games, but also in support of various game controllers, multiplayer mode, mobile phone touchscreen, emulation speed, absence or presence of embedded ads and in many other parameters. For maximum gaming enjoyment, it's important to choose the right emulator, because on each PC and in different Internet browsers, the individual emulators behave differently. The basic features of each emulator available for this game Alpha Beam with Ernie are summarized in the following table:
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| Similar games: | If you like Alpha Beam with Ernie you'll probably like also some of the similar games in the overview below. The games you see here are selected based on title similarity, game genre, and keywords. However, the list is generated automatically and can therefore be very 'subjective' especially for some specific games. To find a particular game, please use our search form.
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