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The controller was a standard one button and a joystick. This was the main control scheme for most of the games released on the console. There was a paddle controller which had a wheel and one button on the side. This controller was mostly used for games like Pong and Breakout. Both of these controllers came with the console. There were a lot of other controllers that would be released later on like a driving controller, a keyboard, and a trackball.
There was also a lot of third party controllers released for the console thanks to the standard controller port (9 pin connector) used for the console. Controllers for different consoles, like the Sega Genesis, can work on the Atari 2600.
The console came in a sleek, wooden cover, fitting in with the look of regular TVs of the time. There were a lot of different looks that came along during the years. There was even an Atari 2600 Jr, which was a smaller version of the Atari 2600 that looks like the Atari 7800.
There are two games that will forever be remember as being the worst offenders leading to the Video Game Market Crash of 1983. These games were Pac-Man and E.T. Atari decided to get the exclusive rights to port Pac-Man (the most popular arcade game during the time) to the Atari 2600. This idea looked excellent on paper, but in practice was a dismal failure of business and design. The final release of Pac-Man for the Atari 2600 VCS barely resembled what the arcade version was both in mechanical execution and visual presentation. This was because they ended up using a proof-of-concept prototype of what would eventually be a polished product and simply released the prototype to the consumer market. They had pressed more copies than the number making up the 2600's installed base, assuming it would sell systems. The result could not have been more disasterous. retailers sold few copies and Atari was stuck in an awkward financial situation. As for E.T., that title was a disaster all on its own. Though it does not have quite the convoluted history that the Pac-Man port has, it is still quite significant as it shows that Atari created this nightmare for itself. Atari had the notion to press more copies of E.T. than there were Atari 2600 VCSs already sold to the public. The rationale was that it would be a system seller. However, the game was of such poor quality that almost all sold copies of E.T. were returned and refunded. Not one of these copies were part of an attatchurate figure. This was such a disaster that it was more cost effective for Atari to simply bury all the copies in a landfill in New Mexico; Atari actually had this done with all the extra copies of E.T.
One of the first home consoles. It was really the first that had any major mainstream success. Could be said that it began an industry and was one of the factors that nearly caused an industry to cease to exist.
Rundown
The Atari Video Computer System (VCS, later to become 2600) was the first gaming console by Atari released in 1977. It was the most innovative systems for its time, bringing in many new concepts like changeable cartridges. It was successful thanks to the ports of old arcade games like Pong, Asteroids, and Space Invaders, and new IPs specifically made for consoles, like Pitfall. This was the first gaming console that made the home videogame market mainstream, selling 30 million units worldwide.System
The Atari VCS is an 8-bit videogame console that had two outputs. One of them was an RF output, which was mostly used for black and white TVs at the time, and there was an RCA output, which was mostly used for color TVs.The controller was a standard one button and a joystick. This was the main control scheme for most of the games released on the console. There was a paddle controller which had a wheel and one button on the side. This controller was mostly used for games like Pong and Breakout. Both of these controllers came with the console. There were a lot of other controllers that would be released later on like a driving controller, a keyboard, and a trackball.
There was also a lot of third party controllers released for the console thanks to the standard controller port (9 pin connector) used for the console. Controllers for different consoles, like the Sega Genesis, can work on the Atari 2600.
The console came in a sleek, wooden cover, fitting in with the look of regular TVs of the time. There were a lot of different looks that came along during the years. There was even an Atari 2600 Jr, which was a smaller version of the Atari 2600 that looks like the Atari 7800.
Video Game Market Crash of 1983
In 1983, the videogame market was going into a decline. Atari was getting hit the hardest for this crash and was partially a nightmare of Atari's own making. The main problem with the 2600 at this time was its game lineup was overcrowded with bad games. This was mostly because Atari had placed no limitations on who could develop games and how many games could be put out in years or even financial quarters, which is now a mainstay in video game business first implemented by companies like SErvice GAmes (SEGA) and Nintendo. This was around the time that Activision broke off of Atari for more developmental freedom and before stricter clauses on product limitations to prevent the market from being overly saturated. During 1983, the market was saturated with tens to hundreds of games, with most of them being of poor quality. Since anyone could make games for the Atari 2600, there were all kinds of companies making games who had no place doing so like cereal and dog food companies. People would likely either buy these games and return them for a refund or just not buy them in general. With limited shelf space, retail outlets would eventually stop ordering new software while underselling currently in-store products just make for some shelf space. Games were heading into bargain bins, which helped in selling the bad games, but overshadowed the more expensive good games.There are two games that will forever be remember as being the worst offenders leading to the Video Game Market Crash of 1983. These games were Pac-Man and E.T. Atari decided to get the exclusive rights to port Pac-Man (the most popular arcade game during the time) to the Atari 2600. This idea looked excellent on paper, but in practice was a dismal failure of business and design. The final release of Pac-Man for the Atari 2600 VCS barely resembled what the arcade version was both in mechanical execution and visual presentation. This was because they ended up using a proof-of-concept prototype of what would eventually be a polished product and simply released the prototype to the consumer market. They had pressed more copies than the number making up the 2600's installed base, assuming it would sell systems. The result could not have been more disasterous. retailers sold few copies and Atari was stuck in an awkward financial situation. As for E.T., that title was a disaster all on its own. Though it does not have quite the convoluted history that the Pac-Man port has, it is still quite significant as it shows that Atari created this nightmare for itself. Atari had the notion to press more copies of E.T. than there were Atari 2600 VCSs already sold to the public. The rationale was that it would be a system seller. However, the game was of such poor quality that almost all sold copies of E.T. were returned and refunded. Not one of these copies were part of an attatchurate figure. This was such a disaster that it was more cost effective for Atari to simply bury all the copies in a landfill in New Mexico; Atari actually had this done with all the extra copies of E.T.
Atari 2600 games
Edit
| Platform Name: | Atari 2600 |
| Release Date: | Oct. 14, 1977 |
| Online Support: | False |
| Install Base: | 30,000,000 |
| Original Price: | $200 |
| Producing Company: | Atari, Inc. |
| Total Games: | games |
My Top 5 Favorite Consoles
a list of 5 items by ColMustard
a list of 5 items by ColMustard
Console's/handhelds I've owned in my lifetime
a list of 16 items by BD_Mr_Bubbles
a list of 16 items by BD_Mr_Bubbles
my machines
a list of 16 items by macker33
a list of 16 items by macker33
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Chuck Norris first in Chuck Norris Superkicks |
4
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Mario first in Donkey Kong |
3
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Blinky first in Pac-Man |
3
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Pac-Man first in Pac-Man |
3
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Pinky first in Pac-Man |
3
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Inky first in Pac-Man |
3
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Pitfall Harry first in Pitfall! |
2
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Peter Venkman first in Ghostbusters |
2
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Q*Bert first in Q*Bert |
2
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Slimer first in Ghostbusters |
2
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Space first in Spacewar! |
22
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The United States of America first in The Oregon Trail |
4
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Jungle first in |
4
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Underground first in |
4
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Hoth first in |
3
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New York first in |
3
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Star Wars Galaxy first in Star Wars: Jedi Arena |
3
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Desert first in |
2
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Underwater first in |
2
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Death Star first in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Death Star Battle |
2
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2D first in Tennis for Two Simulator |
56
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Unbeatable Games first in Tennis for Two Simulator |
37
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High Score first in Seawolf |
30
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Game Over first in |
29
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Single-Screen level first in Tennis for Two Simulator |
28
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Launch Titles first in |
28
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Tie-In first in |
25
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Gravity first in |
21
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Anthropomorphism first in |
20
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Lives first in |
19
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Gun first in |
14
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Spaceship first in Spacewar! |
13
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Airplane first in |
8
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Platform first in Donkey Kong |
8
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Bomb first in B-17 Bomber |
8
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Helicopter first in |
8
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Egg first in |
7
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Hamburger first in Eamon |
7
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Cherry first in |
7
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Laser first in |
7
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