I’ve released version 1.0.3 of “Circus Linux!,” my “Circus Atari” clone
written using SDL. (The gameplay is quite similar to Breakout or Arkanoid)
This version adds support for real, honest-to-goodness Atari 2600 paddle
controllers. (This is thanks to a simple adapter you can build to
connect paddles to a PC joystick port. See the instructions that come
with “Stella,” the Atari 2600 emulator for Linux and Windows.)
All that I really needed to do was reverse the X value coming in, since
the paddle input is simply one axis and one firebutton.
http://www.newbreedsoftware.com/circus-linux/
A friend of mine is building the adapter for me. He’s only got one DB9
port working so far. Once it’s all finished and I can hook up the paddles
to port 1 (instead of 2), I’ll see about adding two paddle support, and
maybe bumping the game up to four players (MAYBE). 
-bill!