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Pioneering Home Gaming. The Atari 2600 played a pioneering role in bringing video gaming from arcades to the homes of consumers. Released in 1977, the Atari 2600, originally known as the Atari Video Computer System (VCS), was one of the earliest home video game consoles.
Feb 14, 2024 · I bought the 2600+ because I never had an Atari 2600 before. I did have the Atari FB 9 but that is a plug and play. For me, it's nice to have an actual replica that plays original carts.
Feb 10, 2021 · Contrary to popular belief, the Atari 2600 wasn't the first home gaming console—that honor belongs to the Magnavox Odyssey, released in 1972. However, the 2600 was the first to achieve widespread commercial success, thanks to its innovative hardware and an impressive library of games.
Nov 1, 2021 · Why? Because the innovations it introduced to the world represent the building blocks of the gaming universe we love today. Here are ten innovations and ideas that Atari pioneered. Each one made...
- Scott Bernberg
- Press Reset
- The Key to Success
- Riding High
- The Market Splinters
- What Goes Up…Well, You Know
- Atari Forever
Atari was already flying high by the mid-1970s, having launched the coin-op video game industry with Computer Space and Pong. But it had nothing in the home yet—that fell to Magnavox, which was selling Ralph Baer's brilliant Odyssey. Originally designed in 1967 and launched in 1972, the Odyssey played 12 different games on your television; it didn'...
Thanks to the 2600’s cartridge slot, you could never get bored of the system—all you had to do was buy another game, or ask your parents to. Some early cartridges were mediocre (anyone out there love Basic Math?), but other games were fun despite their simplicity. It’s tough to beat two friends shooting up the carriages, and each other, in Outlaw. ...
Mattel tried to compete by launching the Intellivision, a solid system with numerous hardware advantages over the 2600 that especially helped in sports and strategy games. Mattel secured licenses from all the major sports organizations such as the NBA, NFL, and NHL. It eventually sold several million units, but it never threatened the 2600’s lead. ...
Famously, Atari kept its formulas secret—and even its employees, refusing to give them credit in games. In response, the Adventure cartridge contained the first popular Easter Egg, a hidden feature that showed programmer Warren Robinett's name in a special room if you executed exactly the right steps, a wonderful protest in retrospect. Four other k...
Then it all went south. Many people erroneously blame E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial as the reason the market sank. It certainly wasn’t a great game, with its crude graphics and frustrating pits. Anything less than perfection would have made a mockery of Atari’s $20 million deal with Steven Spielberg, but it wasn’t a terrible cartridge. Still, it fuel...
Perhaps the most amazing thing about the 2600 is how much has happened since. The homebrew scene lit up in the 1990s with excellent titles such as Oystron (1997) and Conquest of Mars (2003). All kinds of people began hacking existing titles, such as “fixing” the original 2600 Pac-Man release in various ways, or adding the missing voices to Berzerk ...
- Jamie Lendino
- Editor-In-Chief, Extremetech
Key Takeaways. Common Atari 2600 consoles loose sell for $25-$60, boxed $100+ depending on model and condition. Rare Atari 2600 and 7800 variants like the Heavy Sixer or the Atari XEGS can fetch over $500. High demand Atari 2600 cartridges like Air Raid and Red Sea Crossing are valued at $10,000-$15,000 new/sealed.
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Nov 21, 2023 · We take a look at why the new ATARI 2600+ pioneers and innovates where the original console didn't and why we really, really like it.
