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`
`Atari 2600 - Wikipedia
`
`Atari 2600
`
`initially branded as the Atari Video
`The Atari 2600,
`Computer System (Atari VCS)
`from
`its release until
`November 1982, is a home video game console developed and
`produced by Atari, Inc. Released
`in September 1977,
`it
`popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on
`swappable ROM cartridges, a format first used with the Fairchild
`Channel F in 1976. The VCS was bundled with two joystick
`controllers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a game
`cartridge—initially Combat[3] and later Pac-Man.[4]
`
`Atari was successful at creating arcade video games, but their
`development cost and limited lifespan drove CEO Nolan Bushnell
`to seek a programmable home system. The first inexpensive
`microprocessors from MOS Technology in late 1975 made this
`feasible. The console was prototyped as codename Stella, by Atari
`subsidiary Cyan Engineering. Lacking funding to complete the
`project, Bushnell sold Atari to Warner Communications in 1976.
`
`The Atari VCS launched in 1977 with nine simple, low-resolution
`games in 2 KB cartridges. The system's first killer app was the
`home conversion of Taito's arcade game Space Invaders in 1980.
`The VCS became widely successful, leading to the founding of
`Activision and other third-party game developers and to
`competition from console manufacturers Mattel and Coleco. By
`the end of its primary lifecycle in 1983–84, games for the 2600
`were using more than four times the storage size of the launch
`games[5] with significantly more advanced visuals and gameplay
`than the system was designed for, such as Activision's Pitfall!.
`
`In 1982, the Atari 2600 was the dominant game system in North
`America. Amid competition from both new consoles and game
`developers, a number of poor decisions from Atari management
`affected the company and the industry as a whole. The most
`public was an extreme investment into licensed games for the
`2600, including Pac-Man and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Pac-
`Man became the system's biggest selling game, but the
`conversion's poor quality eroded consumer confidence in the
`console. E.T. was rushed to market for the holiday shopping
`season and was critically panned and a commercial failure. Both
`games, and a glut of third-party shovelware, were factors in
`ending Atari's relevance in the console market. Atari's downfall
`reverberated through the industry resulting in the video game
`crash of 1983.
`
`Atari 2600
`
`Manufacturer
`Type
`
`Four-switch VCS model (1980–
`1982)
`Also known as Atari VCS (prior to
`November 1982)
`Atari, Inc.
`Home video game
`console
`Second generation
`NA: September
`1977
`EU: 1978
`FRA: 1982
`JP: October 1983
`(Atari 2800)
`
`Generation
`Release date
`
`Lifespan
`Introductory
`price
`
`Discontinued
`Units sold
`
`Media
`CPU
`
`1977–1992
`US$189.95
`(equivalent to
`$850 in 2021)
`January 1, 1992[1]
`30 million (as of
`2004)[2]
`ROM cartridge
`8-bit MOS
`Technology 6507
`@ 1.19 MHz
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`IGT EXHIBIT 2034
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`

`

`Memory
`Graphics
`
`Controller
`input
`
`Best-selling
`game
`Predecessor
`Successor
`
`128 bytes RAM
`Television
`Interface Adaptor
`Joystick, paddles,
`driving, keypad,
`Trak-Ball
`Pac-Man, 8 million
`(as of 1990)[a]
`Atari Home Pong
`Atari 5200
`
`Atari 2600 - Wikipedia
`8/29/22, 10:41 AM
`Warner sold Atari's home division to former Commodore CEO
`Jack Tramiel in 1984. In 1986, the new Atari Corporation under
`Tramiel released a lower-cost version of the 2600 and the
`backward-compatible Atari 7800, but it was Nintendo that led the
`recovery of the industry with its 1985 launch of the Nintendo
`Entertainment System. Production of the Atari 2600 ended on
`January 1, 1992, with an estimated 30 million units sold across its
`lifetime.
`
`Contents
`History
`MOS Technology 6502/6507
`Building the system
`Launch and success
`Third-party development
`Decline and redesign
`Hardware
`Console
`Graphics
`Controllers
`Console models
`Minor revisions
`Sears Video Arcade
`Atari 2800
`Atari 2600 Jr.
`Games
`Legacy
`Clones and reissues
`Unreleased prototypes
`Notes
`References
`Citations
`General bibliography
`External links
`
`History
`
`Atari, Inc. was founded by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney in 1972. Its first major product was Pong,
`released in 1972, the first successful coin-operated video game.[6] While Atari continued to develop
`new arcade games in following years, Pong gave rise to a number of competitors to the growing
`arcade game market. The competition along with other missteps by Atari led to financial problems in
`1974, though recovering by the end of the year.[7] By 1975, Atari had released a Pong home console,
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`Atari 2600 - Wikipedia
`Atari VCS/2600 timeline
`
`1972
`1973
`1974
`1975
`1976
`1977
`1978
`1979
`1980
`1981
`
`1982
`
`1983
`1984
`1985
`1986
`1987
`1988
`1989
`1990
`1991
`1992
`
`Formation of Atari
`
`Acquisition of Cyan Engineering
`Debut of the MOS 6502
`Sale of Atari to Warner Communications
`Launch of Atari VCS
`
`Formation of Activision
`Release of Space Invaders
`First bank-switched game: Asteroids
`Rebranding to Atari 2600
`Release of Pac-Man and E.T.
`North American video game crash
`Sale of Atari to Jack Tramiel
`
`Release of Atari 2600 Jr.
`
`Final game from Atari: Klax
`
`Discontinuation
`
`competing against Magnavox, the only other major producer of home consoles at the time. Atari
`engineers recognized, however, the limitation of custom logic integrated onto the circuit board,
`permanently confining the whole console to only one game.[8] The increasing competition increased
`the risk, as Atari had found with past arcade games and again with dedicated home consoles. Both
`platforms are built from integrating discrete electro-mechanical components into circuits, rather than
`programmed as on a mainframe computer. Therefore, development of a console had cost at least
`$100,000 (equivalent to about $504,000 in 2021) plus time to complete, but the final product only
`had about a three-month shelf life until becoming outdated by competition.[7]
`
`By 1974, Atari had acquired Cyan Engineering, a Grass Valley electronics company founded by Steve
`Mayer and Larry Emmons, both former colleagues of Bushnell and Dabney from Ampex, who helped
`to develop new ideas for Atari's arcade games. Even prior to the release of the home version of Pong,
`Cyan's engineers, led by Mayer and Ron Milner, had envisioned a home console powered by new
`programmable microprocessors capable of playing Atari's current arcade offerings. The
`programmable microprocessors would make a console's design significantly simpler and more
`powerful than any dedicated single-game unit.[9] However, the cost $100–300 of such chips was far
`outside the range that their market would tolerate.[8] Atari had opened negotiations to use Motorola's
`new 6800 in future systems.[10]
`
`MOS Technology 6502/6507
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`In September 1975, MOS Technology debuted the 6502 microprocessor for $25 at the Wescon trade
`show in San Francisco.[11][9] Mayer and Milner attended and met with the leader of the team that
`created the chip, Chuck Peddle, and proposed using the 6502 in a game console, and offered to
`discuss it further at Cyan's facilities after the show.[10]
`
`Over two days, MOS and Cyan engineers sketched out a 6502-based console design by Meyer and
`Milner's specifications.[12] Financial models showed that even at $25, the 6502 would be too
`expensive, and Peddle offered them a planned 6507 microprocessor, a cost-reduced version of the
`6502, and MOS's RIOT chip for input/output. Cyan and MOS negotiated the 6507 and RIOT chips at
`$12 a pair.[10][13] MOS also introduced Cyan to Microcomputer Associates, who had separately
`developed debugging software and hardware for MOS, and had developed the JOLT Computer for
`testing the 6502, which Peddle suggested would be useful for Atari and Cyan to use while developing
`their system.[9] Milner was able to demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a programmable console by
`implementing Tank, an arcade game by Atari's subsidiary Kee Games, on the JOLT.[9]
`
`As part of the deal, Atari wanted a second source of the chipset. Peddle and Paivinen suggested
`Synertek whose co-founder, Bob Schreiner, was a friend of Peddle.[8] In October 1975, Atari informed
`the market that it was moving forward with MOS. The Motorola sales team had already told its
`management that the Atari deal was finalized, and Motorola management was livid. They announced
`a lawsuit against MOS the next week.[10]
`
`Building the system
`
`By December 1975, Atari hired Joe Decuir, a recent graduate from
`University of California, Berkeley who had been doing his own
`testing on the 6502. Decuir began debugging the first prototype
`designed by Mayer and Milner, which gained the codename
`"Stella" after the brand of Decuir's bicycle. This prototype
`included a breadboard-level design of the graphics interface to
`build upon.[7][9] A second prototype was completed by March
`1976 with the help of Jay Miner, who created a chip called the
`Television Interface Adaptor (TIA) to send graphics and audio to a
`television.[14] The second prototype included a TIA, a 6507, and a
`ROM cartridge slot and adapter.[7]
`
`The first Stella prototype on display
`at the Computer History Museum
`
`As the TIA's design was refined, Al Alcorn brought in Atari's game developers to provide input on
`features.[9] There are significant limitations in the 6507, the TIA, and other components, so the
`programmers creatively optimized their games to maximize the console.[12] The console lacks a
`framebuffer and requires games to instruct the system to generate graphics in synchronization with
`the electron gun in the cathode-ray tube (CRT) as it scans across rows on the screen. The
`programmers found ways to "race the beam" to perform other functions while the electron gun scans
`outside of the visible screen.[15]
`
`Alongside the electronics development, Bushnell brought in Gene Landrum, a consultant who had
`just prior consulted for Fairchild Camera and Instrument for its upcoming Channel F, to determine
`the consumer requirements for the console. In his final report, Landrum suggested a living room
`aesthetic, with a wood grain finish, and the cartridges must be "idiot proof, child proof and effective in
`resisting potential static [electricity] problems in a living room environment".[9] Landrum
`recommended it include four to five dedicated games in addition to the cartridges, but this was
`dropped in the final designs.[9] The cartridge design was done by James Asher and Douglas Hardy.
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`Hardy had been an engineer for Fairchild and helped in the initial design of the Channel F cartridges,
`but he quit to join Atari in 1976. The interior of the cartridge that Asher and Hardy designed was
`sufficiently different to avoid patent conflicts, but the exterior components were directly influenced by
`the Channel F to help work around the static electricity concerns.[9][16]
`
`Atari was still recovering from its 1974 financial woes and needed additional capital to fully enter the
`home console market, though Bushnell was wary of being beholden to outside financial sources.[9]
`Atari obtained smaller investments through 1975, but not at the scale it needed, and began
`considering a sale to a larger firm by early 1976.[9] Atari was introduced to Warner Communications,
`which saw the potential for the growing video game industry to help offset declining profits from its
`film and music divisions.[9] Negotiations took place during 1976, during which Atari cleared itself of
`liabilities, including settling a patent infringement lawsuit with Magnavox over Ralph H. Baer's
`patents that were the basis for the Magnavox Odyssey.[9] In mid-1976, Fairchild announced the
`Channel F, planned for release later that year, beating Atari to the market.[16]
`
`By October 1976, Warner and Atari agreed to the purchase of Atari for $28 million.[9] Warner
`provided an estimated $120 million which was enough to fast-track Stella.[7][17] By 1977, development
`had advanced enough to brand it the "Atari Video Computer System" (VCS) and start developing
`games.[7]
`
`Launch and success
`
`The unit was showcased on June 4, 1977, at the Summer
`Consumer Electronics Show with plans for retail release in
`October. The announcement was purportedly delayed to wait out
`the terms of the Magnavox patent lawsuit settlement, which would
`have given Magnavox all technical information on any of Atari's
`products announced between June 1, 1976, and June 1, 1977.[9]
`However, Atari encountered production problems during its first
`batch, and its testing was complicated by the use of cartridges.
`
`The Atari VCS was launched in September 1977 at $199
`(equivalent to about $890 in 2021), with two joysticks and a
`Combat cartridge; eight additional games were sold separately.[18]
`Most of the launch games were based on arcade games developed
`by Atari or its subsidiary Kee Games; for example, Combat was
`based on Kee's Tank (1974) and Atari's Jet Fighter (1975).[7] Atari
`sold between 350,000 and 400,000 Atari VCS units during 1977,
`attributed to the delay in shipping the units and consumers'
`unfamiliarity with a swappable-cartridge console that is not
`dedicated to only one game.[19]
`
`The second VCS model has lighter
`plastic molding and shielding, and a
`more angular shape, than the 1977
`launch model.
`
`In 1978, Atari sold only 550,000 of the 800,000 systems
`manufactured. This required further financial support from
`Warner to cover losses.[19] Atari sold 1 million consoles in 1979,
`particularly during the holiday season, but there was new competition from the Mattel Electronics
`Intellivision and Magnavox Odyssey², which also use swappable ROM cartridges.[20]
`
`From 1980, the VCS has only four
`front switches and a capital-letters
`logotype.
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`Atari obtained a license from Taito to develop a VCS conversion of its 1978 arcade hit Space Invaders.
`This is the first officially licensed arcade conversion for a home console.[21] Its release in March 1980
`doubled the console's sales for the year to more than 2 million units, and was considered the Atari
`2600's killer application. Sales then doubled again for the next two years; by 1982, 10 million consoles
`had been sold in the United States, while its best-selling game was Pac-Man[22] at over 8 million
`copies sold by 1990.[a] Pac-Man propelled worldwide Atari VCS sales to 12 million units during
`1982,[25] eventually selling 15 million consoles worldwide by the end of the year.[26]
`
`In Europe, the Atari VCS sold 125,000 units in the United Kingdom during 1980,[27] and 450,000 in
`West Germany by 1984.[28] In France, where the VCS released in 1982, the system sold 600,000 units
`by 1989.[29]
`
`In 1982, Atari launched its second programmable console, the Atari 5200. To standardize naming, the
`VCS was renamed to the "Atari 2600 Video Computer System", or "Atari 2600", derived from the
`manufacture part number CX2600.[30] By 1982, the 2600 cost Atari about $40 to make and was sold
`for an average of $125 (equivalent to $350 in 2021). The company spent $4.50 to $6 to manufacture
`each cartridge, plus $1 to $2 for advertising, wholesaling for $18.95 (equivalent to $50 in 2021).[25]
`
`Third-party development
`
`Activision, formed by Crane, Whitehead, and Miller in 1979, started developing third-party VCS
`games using their knowledge of VCS design and programming tricks, and began releasing games in
`1980. Kaboom! (1981) and Pitfall! (1982) are among the most successful with at least one and four
`million copies sold, respectively.[31] In 1980, Atari attempted to block the sale of the Activision
`cartridges, accusing the four of intellectual property infringement. The two companies settled out of
`court, with Activision agreeing to pay Atari a licensing fee for their games. This made Activision the
`first third-party video game developer and established the licensing model that continues to be used
`by console manufacturers for game development.[32]
`
`Activision's success led to the establishment of other third-party VCS game developers following
`Activision's model in the early 1980s,[33][34][35] including U.S. Games, Telesys, Games by Apollo, Data
`Age, Zimag, Mystique, and CommaVid. The founding of Imagic included ex-Atari programmers.
`Mattel and Coleco, each already producing its own more advanced console, created simplified
`versions of their existing games for the 2600. Mattel used the M Network brand name for its
`cartridges. Third-party games accounted for half of VCS game sales by 1982.[36]
`
`Decline and redesign
`
`In addition to third-party game development, Atari also received the first major threat to its hardware
`dominance from the Colecovision. Coleco had a license from Nintendo to develop a version of the
`smash hit arcade game Donkey Kong (1981), which was bundled with every Colecovision console.
`Coleco gained about 17% of the hardware market in 1982 compared to Atari's 58%.[37] With third
`parties competing for market share, Atari worked to maintain dominance in the market by acquiring
`licenses for popular arcade games and other properties to make games from. Pac-Man has numerous
`technical and aesthetic flaws, but nevertheless more than 7 million copies were sold. Heading into the
`1982 holiday shopping season, Atari had placed high sales expectations on E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,
`a game programmed in about six weeks. Atari produced an estimated four million cartridges,[38] but
`the game was poorly reviewed, and only about 1.5 million units were sold.[39]
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`Warner Communications reported weaker results than expected in December 1982 to its
`shareholders, having expected a 50% year-to-year growth but only obtaining 10–15% due to declining
`sales at Atari.[40][41] Coupled with the oversaturated home game market, Atari's weakened position
`led investors to start pulling funds out of video games, beginning a cascade of disastrous effects
`known as the video game crash of 1983.[40] Many of the third-party developers formed prior to 1983
`were closed, and Mattel and Coleco left the video game market by 1985.[42]
`
`In September 1983, Atari sent 14 truckloads of unsold Atari 2600 cartridges and other equipment to a
`landfill in the New Mexico desert, later labeled the Atari video game burial.[43] Long considered an
`urban legend that claimed the burial contained millions of unsold cartridges, the site was excavated in
`2014, confirming reports from former Atari executives that only about 700,000 cartridges had
`actually been buried.[44] Atari reported a $536 million loss for 1983 as a whole,[45]: ch14 and continued
`to lose money into 1984, with a $425 million loss reported in the second quarter.[46] By mid-1984,
`software development for the 2600 had essentially stopped except that of Atari and Activision.[47]
`
`Warner, wary of supporting its failing Atari division, started looking for buyers in 1984. Warner sold
`most of Atari to Jack Tramiel, the founder of Commodore International, in July 1984 for about
`$240 million, though Warner retained Atari's arcade business. Tramiel was a proponent of personal
`computers, and halted all new 2600 game development soon after the sale.[46]
`
`The North American video game market did not recover until about 1986, after Nintendo's 1985
`launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. Atari Corporation released a
`redesigned model of the 2600 in 1986, supported by an ad campaign touting a price of "under 50
`bucks".[48] With a large library of cartridges and a low price point, the 2600 continued to sell into the
`late 1980s. Atari released the last batch of games in 1989–90 including Secret Quest[49] and Fatal
`Run.[50] By 1986, over 20 million Atari VCS units had been sold worldwide.[51][52] The final Atari-
`licensed release is the PAL-only version of the arcade game KLAX in 1990.
`
`After more than 14 years on the market, the 2600 line was formally discontinued on January 1,
`1992,[1] along with the Atari 7800 and Atari 8-bit family of home computers.
`Hardware
`
`Console
`
`The Atari 2600's CPU is the MOS Technology 6507, a version of the 6502,[53] running at 1.19 MHz in
`the 2600.[54] Though their internal silicon was identical, the 6507 was cheaper than the 6502 because
`its package included fewer memory-address pins—13 instead of 16.[55] The designers of the Atari
`2600 selected an inexpensive cartridge interface[56] that has one fewer address than the 13 allowed by
`the 6507, further reducing the already limited addressable memory to 4 KB (212 = 4096). This was
`believed to be sufficient as Combat is itself only 2 KB.[57] Later games circumvented this limitation
`with bank switching.[58]
`
`The console has 128 bytes of RAM for scratch space, the call stack, and the state of the game
`environment.
`
`The top bezel of the console originally had six switches: power, TV type selection (color or black-and-
`white), game selection, player difficulty, and game reset. The difficulty switches were moved to the
`back of the bezel in later versions of the console. The back bezel also included the controller ports, TV
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`output, and power input.
`
`Graphics
`
`Atari 2600 - Wikipedia
`
`The Atari 2600 was designed to be compatible with the cathode-
`ray tube television sets produced in the late 1970s and early 1980s,
`which commonly lack auxiliary video inputs to receive audio and
`video from another device. Therefore, to connect to a TV, the
`console generates a radio frequency signal compatible with the
`regional television standards (NTSC, PAL, or SECAM), using a
`special switch box to act as the television's antenna.[59][12]
`
`Atari developed the Television Interface Adaptor (TIA) chip in the
`VCS to handle the graphics and conversion to a television signal. It
`provides a single-color, 20-bit background register that covers the
`left half of the screen (each bit represents 4 adjacent pixels) and is
`either repeated or reflected on the right side. There are 5 single-
`color sprites: two 8-pixel wide players; two 1 bit missiles, which
`share the same colors as the players; and a 1-pixel ball, which shares the background color. The 1-bit
`sprites all can be controlled to stretch to 1, 2, 4, or 8 pixels.[60]
`
`David Crane's Pitfall! (1982) shows
`more advanced graphics than the
`games the VCS was launched with.
`
`The system was designed without a frame buffer to avoid the cost of the associated RAM. The
`background and sprites apply to a single scan line, and as the display is output to the television, the
`program can change colors, sprite positions, and background settings. The careful timing required to
`sync the code to the screen on the part of the programmer was labeled "racing the beam"; the actual
`game logic runs when the television beam is outside of the visible area of the screen.[61][15] Early
`games for the system use the same visuals for pairs of scan lines, giving a lower vertical resolution, to
`allow more time for the next row of graphics to be prepared. Later games, such as Pitfall!, change the
`visuals for each scan line[62] or extend the black areas around the screen to extend the game code's
`processing time.[63]
`
`Regional releases of the Atari 2600 use modified TIA chips for each region's television formats, which
`require games to be developed and published separately for each region. All modes are 160 pixels
`wide. NTSC mode provides 192 visible lines per screen, drawn at 60 Hz, with 16 colors, each at 8
`levels of brightness. PAL mode provides more vertical scanlines, with 228 visible lines per screen, but
`drawn at 50 Hz and only 13 colors. SECAM mode, also a 50 Hz format, is limited to 8 colors, each
`with only a single brightness level.[60][64]
`
`Controllers
`
`The first VCS bundle has two types of controllers: a joystick (part number CX10) and pair of rotary
`paddle controllers (CX30). Driving controllers, which are similar to paddle controllers but can be
`continuously rotated, shipped with the Indy 500 launch game. After less than a year, the CX10
`joystick was replaced with the CX40 model[65] designed by James C. Asher.[66] Because the Atari
`joystick port and CX40 joystick became industry standards, 2600 joysticks and some other
`peripherals work with later systems, including the MSX, Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari 8-bit family,
`and Atari ST. The CX40 joystick can be used with the Master System and Sega Genesis, but does not
`provide all the buttons of a native controller. Third-party controllers include Wico's Command
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`Control joystick.[67] Later, the CX42 Remote Control Joysticks, similar in
`appearance but using wireless technology, were released, together with a
`receiver whose wires could be inserted in the controller jacks.[68]
`
`Atari introduced the CX50 Keyboard Controller in June 1978 along with
`two games that require it: Codebreaker and Hunt & Score.[65] The
`similar, but simpler, CX23 Kid's Controller was released later for a series
`of games aimed at a younger audience.[69] The CX22 Trak-Ball controller
`was announced in January 1983 and is compatible with the Atari 8-bit
`family.[70]
`
`CX40 joystick
`
`There were two attempts to turn the Atari 2600 into a keyboard-
`equipped home computer: Atari's never-released CX3000 "Graduate"
`keyboard,[71] and the CompuMate keyboard by Spectravideo which was released in 1983.[72]
`Console models
`
`Minor revisions
`
`The initial production of the VCS was made in Sunnyvale during 1977, using thick polystyrene plastic
`for the casing as to give the impression of weight from what was mostly an empty shell inside.[9] The
`initial Sunnyvale batch had also included potential mounts for an internal speaker system on the
`casing, though the speakers were found to be too expensive to include and instead sound was routed
`through the TIA to the connected television.[9] All six console switches on the front panel. Production
`of the unit was moved to Taiwan in 1978, where a less thick internal metal shielding was used and
`thinner plastic was used for the casing, reducing the system's weight. These two versions are
`commonly referred to as "Heavy Sixers" and "Light Sixers" respectively, referencing the six front
`switches.[73][9]
`
`In 1980, the difficulty switches were moved to the back of the console, leaving four switches on the
`front. Otherwise, these four-switch consoles look nearly identical to the earlier six-switch models. In
`1982 Atari rebranded the console as the "Atari 2600", a name first used on a version of the four-
`switch model without woodgrain, giving it an all-black appearance.
`
`Sears Video Arcade
`
`Atari continued its OEM relationship with Sears under the latter's Tele-Games brand, which started in
`1975 with the original Pong. This is unrelated to the company Telegames, which later produced 2600
`cartridges.[74][75] Sears released several models of the VCS as the Sears Video Arcade series starting in
`1977. In 1983, the previously Japan-only Atari 2800 was rebranded as the Sears Video Arcade II.[76]
`
`Sears released versions of Atari's games with Tele-Games branding, usually with different titles.[77]
`Three games were produced by Atari for Sears as exclusive releases: Steeplechase, Stellar Track, and
`Submarine Commander.[77]
`
`Atari 2800
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`The Atari 2800 is the Japanese version of the 2600 released in
`October 1983. It is the first Japan-specific release of a 2600, though
`companies like Epoch had distributed the 2600 in Japan previously.
`The 2800 was released a short time after Nintendo's Family
`Computer (which became the dominant console in Japan), and it did
`not gain a significant share of the market. Sears released the 2800 in
`the US in 1983 as the Sears Video Arcade II packaged with two
`controllers and Space Invaders.[78] Around 30 specially branded
`games were released for the 2800.
`
`Designed by engineer Joe Tilly, the 2800 has four controller ports
`instead of the two of the 2600. The controllers are an all-in one
`design using a combination of an 8-direction digital joystick and a
`270-degree paddle, designed by John Amber.[78] The 2800's case
`design departed from the 2600, using a wedge shape with non-
`protruding switches. The case style is the basis for the Atari 7800,
`designed by Barney Huang.[78]
`
`Atari 2600 Jr.
`
`The 1986 model has a smaller, cost-reduced form factor with an
`Atari 7800-like appearance. It was advertised as a budget gaming
`system (under $49.99) with the ability to run a large collection of
`games.[79] Released after the video game crash of 1983, and after the
`North American launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System, the
`2600 was supported with new games and television commercials
`promoting "The fun is back!". Atari released several minor stylistic
`variations: the "large rainbow" (shown), "short rainbow", and an all-
`black version sold only in Ireland.[80] Later European versions
`include a joypad.[81]
`Games
`
`The all-black model that first
`used the Atari 2600 name
`(released in November 1982)
`
`Sears rebranded the VCS as the
`"Video Arcade" for its Tele-
`Games line.
`
`The design of the Japan-only
`Atari 2800 was later used in the
`US for the Sears Video Arcade
`II.
`
`In 1977, nine games were released on cartridge to accompany the
`launch of the console: Air-Sea Battle, Basic Math, Blackjack,
`Combat, Indy 500, Star Ship, Street Racer, Surround, and Video
`Olympics.[82] Indy 500 shipped with special "driving controllers",
`which are like paddles but rotate freely. Street Racer and Video Olympics use the standard paddle
`controllers.
`
`The 1986 cost-reduced version,
`nicknamed "2600 Jr."
`
`Atari determined that box art featuring only descriptions of the game and screenshots would not be
`sufficient to sell games in retail stores, since most games were based on abstract principles and
`screenshots give little information. Atari outsourced box art to Cliff Spohn, who created visually
`interesting artwork with implications of dynamic movement intended to engage the player's
`imagination while staying true to the gameplay. Spohn's style became a standard for Atari when
`bringing in assistant artists, including Susan Jaekel, Rick Guidice, John Enright, and Steve
`Hendricks.[83] Spohn and Hendricks were the largest contributors to the covers in the Atari 2600
`
`https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_2600
`
`10/19
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`Atari 2600 - Wikipedia
`8/29/22, 10:41 AM
`library. Ralph McQuarrie, a concept artist on the Star Wars series, was
`commissioned for one cover, the arcade conversion of Vanguard.[84]
`These artists generally conferred with the programmer to learn about the
`game before drawing the art.[83]
`
`An Atari VCS port of the Breakout arcade game appeared in 1978. The
`original is in black and white with a colored overlay, and the home
`version is in color. In 1980, Atari released Adventure,[85] the first action-
`adventure game, and the first home game with a hidden Easter egg.
`
`Rick Maurer's port of Taito's Space Invaders, released in 1980, is the first
`VCS game to have more than one million copies sold—eventually
`doubling that[86] within a year[87] and totaling more than 6 million
`cartridges by 1983.[23] It became the killer app to drive console sales.
`Versions of Atari's own Asteroids and Missile Command arcade games,
`released in 1981, were also major hits.
`
`Each early VCS game is in a 2K ROM. Later games like Space Invaders,
`have 4K.[5] The VCS port of Asteroids (1981) is the first game for the
`system to use 8K via a bank switching technique between two 4K
`segments.[88] Some later releases, including Atari's ports of Dig Dug and
`Crystal Castles, are 16K cartridges.[5] One of the final games, Fatal Run
`(1990), doubled this to 32K.[89]
`
`Cover art for Atari's games,
`such as this cover for
`Combat illustrated by Cliff
`Spohn, were aimed to
`capture the player's
`imagination and obviate the
`low fidelity of game
`graphics.
`
`Atari, Inc. was the only developer for the first few years, releasing dozens of games.
`
`Two Atari-published games, both from the system's peak in 1982, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[90] and
`Pac-Man,[91] are cited as factors in the video game crash of 1983.
`
`A company named Mystique produced a number of pornographic games for the 2600. The most
`notorious, Custer's Revenge, was protested by women's and Native American groups[92] because it
`depicted General George Armstrong Custer raping a bound Native American woman.[93] Atari sued
`Mystique in court over the release of the game.[94]
`Legacy
`
`The 2600 was so su