Atari 2600 – Video Game Console
- The original Atari 2600
Product Description
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all sports meeting built in. The first game console to use this format was the Fairchild Channel F; but, the Atari 2600 is credited with making the plug-in concept well loved among the game-playing public.
Buy Atari 2600 – Video Game Console
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Item was shipped and delivered promptly. My only complaint would be that there was only one controller…I just assumed there would be two. But, I was very pleased with the by and large transaction and the item was in excellant shape. Would recommend this seller to all.
Rating: 5 / 5
Atari Incorporated had achieved moderately alot of success from their previous Pong machines that they introduced in the mid-70’s for arcades and family households. Unfortunately, the pong machine industry was in terrible shape by 1976, largely due to the sheer amount of harvest offered from various companies such as Magnavox, Wizards, Coleco, and others more.
As a result, Atari chose to further enhance their success with a new creation: the Atari Video Computer System (VCS). Released in 1977, Atari drew the mark of what modern game systems today should be: a normal, yet unadorned, console that could play exchangeable sports meeting, exchangeable controllers, and copious other accessories.
There is a splendid library of sports meeting available for the machine, including tons of splendid shooters. Galaxian, Spider Fighter, Laser Blast, and Asteroids come to mind. There are also some well-done game cartridges by Activision including: Pitfall, Dragster, Pressure Cooker, River Raid, and more. Simply place, the game library of the Atari 2600 gaming system is so immense and MASSIVE, that it has something to offer for everyone. Heck, it even had educational programs!
Why the 3 stars? Well, while this gaming console IS considered a classic by retro-gamers such as myself, I could nitpick the cons of it based on MODERN standards. Denying these unenthusiastic aspects would be an hideous thing. Classic or not, young gamers may or may not be forgiving about gaming consoles nowadays, so it should come as no bolt from the blue. Also, there are unenthusiastic aspects that this machine ALONE made: they weren’t existent before.
For one thing, I HATE how so many of the game cartridges require you to hit the reset button before you start playing! Come on, you didn’t have to do that with the Pong machines! With the ancient, yet lovely, Pong machines you did have to brilliant options such as difficulty or game selection, but you did NOT have to reset the whole machine just to have fun. And with the VCS unit, to make matters worse, it isn’t a reset button… IT’S A RESET SWITCH! That means you have to place in considerable finger-strength prior to starting a game like normal!
Fortunately, there are multiple versions of the machine. These include types that used a reset button instead of a switch, such as the Colecovision Expansion Module #1 or the Atari 2600 Junior unit. I own both of those units, and let me tell you… buttons rule and switches drool.
I should also give note about the controllers: they break easily. While they do have charm, they didn’t have the build quality for long periods of gameplay. Atari VCS fans could tell you the number of disfunctional joysticks that are hidden in the basement. Other than just that, the joystick itself is stiff, and the firing button is located in an awkward position. That’s why 3rd-party controllers were made: Wico and Spectravision were 2 of those types of companies that built some fascinating controllers for household gamers. It’s not a terrible thought to check them out.
Finally, as for the sports meeting themselves: Strangly enough, cartridges were made until the early 90’s. So, I’d HIGHLY recommend that you stay away from any Atari 2600 game released between 1982 and 1985. You see, Atari Inc. was putting more attention into their Atari 5200 SuperSystem at the time; and when not that, arcade machines and home computers. Therefore some of the later Atari VCS sports meeting will feel cheap and written-off, as if they released them just because. Vanguard, Centipede, and Moon Patrol are not but a few examples of those to beware of. Fascinatingly though, some of the best VCS cartridges were in fact made during the Atari 7800 Pro System Era.
But, all in all, the Atari Video Computer System is a splendid machine. Even in today’s world, it’s hard to deny a library of hundreds of sports meeting. Not only that, the aged Atari VCS controllers can be modified with modern tools to enhance the joystick gameplay. Try out Best Electronics, they hold plenty of repair kits. That, AND sports meeting are still being made for the system TODAY; that shows what a following it has.
Rating: 3 / 5