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The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridges, a format first used with the Fairchild Channel F in 1976.
Atari 2600: Introduced in 1982, this model officially uses the name "2600" for the first time to help differentiate it from the newly introduced 5200 Super System. The 2600 is primarily black with no woodgrain, and otherwise looks like the VCS CX2600A.
ConsolePictureAtari VCS - CX2600 Sunnyvale EditionThis is the original 1977 Atari Video ...Atari VCS - CX2600Introduced in 1978, this CX2600 was very ...Atari VCS - CX2600AIntroduced in 1980, the CX2600A model VCS ...Atari VCS - CX2600A Promotional ConsoleThis looks similar to a standard CX2600A ...- Six Switch / Woody
- Four Switch
- Sears Video Arcade Ii/Atari 2800
- 2600 Jr.
- Coleco Gemini/Columbia Home Arcade
Branded as the "Video Computer System", these systems possess six switches on the top of the console and have an internal two-piece construction, with the switches, RF modulator and power circuitry residing on a separate board from the main board, the latter of which is housed in thick RF shielding. Both Atari and Sears-branded models exist for all...
The first major revision to the Atari 2600 since its introduction. In an effort to further reduce production costs, the entire console was consolidated to a single PCB with thin RF shielding, as opposed to the six-switch's two-piece construction and thick shielding. The most notable external difference is that the difficulty switches were reduced t...
Perhaps one of the most unique variations of the 2600 hardware, this console was initially released in the US as the "Sears Video Arcade II" in late 1982, and in Japan as the "Atari 2800" in 1983. This console features a sleek and relatively small case, which was later reworked for the Atari 7800. On the top of the console are the difficulty switch...
The final variation of the 2600 hardware, originally released in Europe in 1984 and the rest of the world in 1986. Though still officially branded as the "Atari 2600", this model is colloquially known as the "2600 Jr." due to its small form factor. Functionality is the same as the four-switch models, but the design has been significantly overhauled...
The Gemini is a clone of the Atari 2600 released by Coleco Industries in early 1983. At the time of its release, Coleco had been sued by Atari for alleged patent infringement, as the ColecoVision Expansion Module 1 used a reverse-engineered clone of the TIA graphics/sound chip, also used in the Gemini. The suit was eventually settled out of court a...
Sep 10, 2022 · On Sept. 11, 1977, Atari unveiled the Video Computer System (VCS). It wasn’t the first game console, or even the first console to accept cartridges. But the Atari 2600, as the VCS came to...
- Jamie Lendino
- Editor-In-Chief, Extremetech
May 28, 2021 · Atari Corporation released a redesigned model of the 2600 in 1986, supported by an ad campaign touting a price of “under 50 bucks”. With a large library of cartridges and a low price point, the 2600 continued to sell into the late 1980s.
The Atari 2600 hardware was based on the MOS Technology 6507 chip, offering a maximum resolution of 160 x 192 pixels (NTSC), 128 colors, 128 bytes of RAM with 4 KB on cartridges (64 KB via bank switching).
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Sep 10, 2022 · Sep 10, 2022. On Sept. 11, 1977, Atari unveiled the Video Computer System (VCS). It wasn’t the first game console, or even the first console to accept cartridges. But the Atari 2600, as the...
