Retro Video Games: The Atari 2600

The Atari 2600, released in October 1977, is the video game console credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in. The first game console to use this format was the Fairchild Channel F. However, it was the Atari 2600 that made the plug-in concept popular among the game-playing public.

Originally known as the Atari VCS-for Video Computer System-the machine's name was changed to "Atari 2600" (from the unit's Atari part number, CX2600) in 1982, after the release of the more advanced Atari 5200. The 2600 was typically bundled with two joystick controllers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a cartridge game-initially Combat and subsequently Pac-Man.

The Atari 2600 was wildly successful, and during the 1980s, "Atari" was a synonym for this model in mainstream media and, by extension for video games in general similar to "Nintendo" and "PlayStation" in the 1980s and 1990s.

Development and market considerations

Atari Inc. had purchased an engineering think-tank in 1973 called Cyan Engineering to research next-generation video game systems, and had been working on a prototype known as "Stella" (named after one of the engineers' bicycles) for some time. Unlike prior generations of machines which used custom logic to play a small number of games, Stella's core was a complete CPU, the famous MOS Technology 6502 in a cost-reduced version, known as the 6507. It was combined with a RAM-and-I/O chip, the MOS Technology 6532, and a display and sound chip of their own design known as the TIA, for Television Interface Adapter. Beyond those three, the first two versions of the machine contain just one more chip, a standard CMOS logic buffer IC, bringing the total chip count to the very low and cost-effective number of four. Some later versions of the console eliminated the buffer chip.

Programs for small computers were generally stored on cassette tape, disk, or paper tape. By the early 1970s, Hewlett Packard manufactured desktop computers costing thousands of dollars such as the HP 9830 which packaged ROM memory into removable cartridges to add special programming features, and these were being considered for use in games. At first, the design was not going to be cartridge-based, but after seeing a "fake" cartridge system on another machine, they realized they could place the games on cartridges essentially for the price of the connector and packaging.

In August 1976, Fairchild Semiconductor released their own CPU-based system, the Video Entertainment System. Stella was still not ready for production, but it was clear that it needed to be before there were a number of "me too" products filling up the market - which had happened after they released Pong. Atari Inc. simply didn't have the cash flow to complete the system quickly, given that sales of their own Pong systems were cooling. Nolan Bushnell eventually turned to Warner Communications, and sold the company to them in 1976 for US$28 million on the promise that Stella would be produced as soon as possible.

Key to the eventual success of the machine was the hiring of Jay Miner, a chip designer who managed to squeeze an entire breadboard of equipment making up the TIA into a single chip. Once that was completed and debugged, the system was ready for shipping. By the time it was released in 1977, the development had cost about US$100 million.

Launch and runaway success

The initial price was US$199 and shipped with two joysticks and Combat cartridge. In a move to compete directly with the Channel F, Atari Inc. named the machine the Video Computer System (or VCS for short), as the Channel F was at that point known as the VES, for Video Entertainment System. The 2600 was also rebadged as the Sears Video Arcade and sold through Sears, Roebuck and Company stores. When Fairchild learned of Atari Inc.'s naming, they quickly changed the name of their system to become the Channel F. However, both systems were now in the midst of a vicious round of price-cutting: Pong clones made obsolete by these newer and more powerful machines sold off their boxes to discounters for ever-lower prices. Soon many of the clone companies were out of business, and both Fairchild and Atari Inc. were selling to a public that was completely burnt out on Pong. In 1977, Atari Inc. sold only 250,000 VCSs. For the first year of production, the 2600 was manufactured in Sunnyvale, California. The consoles manufactured here had thick internal RF shielding & thick plastic molding around the sides & bottom. These added weight to the console, and being that all 6 switches were on the front, these consoles were nicknamed "Heavy Sixers". After this first year, production moved to Hong Kong, and the consoles manufactured there had thinner RF shielding & plastic molding. In 1978, only 550,000 units from a production run of 800,000 were sold, requiring further financial support from Warner to cover losses. This led directly to the disagreements that caused Atari Inc. founder Nolan Bushnell to leave the company in 1978.

Once the public realized it was possible to play video games other than Pong, and programmers learned how to push its hardware's capabilities, the 2600 gained popularity. By this point, Fairchild had given up, thinking video games were a passed fad -- thereby handing the entire quickly growing market to Atari Inc. By 1979, the 2600 was the best-selling Christmas gift (and console), mainly because of its exclusive content, and one million units were sold that year.

Atari Inc. then licensed the smash arcade hit Space Invaders by Taito, which greatly increased the unit's popularity when it was released in January 1980, doubling sales again to over 2 million units. The 2600 and its cartridges were the main factor behind Atari Inc. grossing more than $2 billion in profits in 1980. Sales then doubled again for the next two years, with almost 8 million units selling in 1982.

In 1980, the Atari 2600 was given a minor revision in which the left and right difficulty switches were moved to the back of the console, leaving 4 switches on the front. Other than this, these 4-switch consoles looked nearly identical to the earlier 6-switch models. In 1982, another version of the 4-switch console was released without woodgrain. They were nicknamed "Darth Vader" consoles due to their all-black appearance. These were also the first consoles to be officially called "Atari 2600", as the Atari 5200 was released the same year.

During this period, Atari Inc. expanded the 2600 family with two other compatible consoles. They designed the Atari 2700, a wireless version of the console that was never released because of a design flaw. The company also built a sleeker version of the machine dubbed the Atari 2800 to sell directly to the Japanese market in early 1983, but it suffered from competition with the newly released Nintendo Famicom.

Sears Tele-Games 2600s

Atari Inc. also continued their OEM relationship with Sears under the latter's Tele-Games brand label started in 1975 with the original Pong. Sears released several versions of the 2600 as the Sears Video Arcade series from 1977 to 1983. These include the Rev. A "Heavy Sixer" model in 1977, the Rev. B "4 switch" model in 1980, and the US version of the Atari 2800 branded as the Sears Video Arcade II in 1983. Sears also released their own versions of Atari Inc.'s games under the Tele-Games brand, which included the Tele-Games branded variations of text and picture labels. Three games were also produced by Atari Inc. for Sears as exclusive releases under the Tele-Games brand: Steeplechase, Stellar Track, Submarine Commander.

Decline

During this period, Atari Inc. continued to grow until it had one of the largest R&D divisions in Silicon Valley. However, it spent much of its R&D budget on projects that seemed rather out of place at a video game (or even home computer) company; many of these projects never saw the light of day. Meanwhile, several attempts to bring out newer consoles failed for one reason or another, although Atari Inc.'s home computer systems, the Atari 8-bit family, sold reasonably, if not spectacularly. Warner was more than happy anyway, as it seemed to have no end to the sales of the 2600, and Atari Inc. was responsible for over half of the company's income.

The programmers of many of Atari Inc.'s biggest hits grew disgruntled with the company for not crediting game developers and many left the company and formed their own independent software companies. The most prominent and longest-lasting of these third-party developers was Activision, founded in 1980, whose titles quickly became more popular than those of Atari Inc. itself. Atari Inc. attempted to block third-party development for the 2600 in court but failed,[citation needed] and soon other publishers, such as Imagic and Coleco, entered the market. Atari Inc. suffered from an image problem when a company named Mystique produced a number of pornographic games for the 2600. The most notorious of these, Custer's Revenge, caused a large number of protests from women's and Native American groups because it depicts General George Armstrong Custer raping a bound Native American woman. Atari Inc. sued Mystique in court over the release of the game.

Atari Inc. continued to scoop up licenses during the shelf life of the 2600, the most prominent of which included Pac-Man and E.T. Public disappointment with these two titles and the market saturation of poor third-party titles are cited as big reasons for the video game crash of 1983. Suddenly, Atari Inc.'s growth meant it was losing massive amounts of money during the crash, at one point about $10,000 a day. Warner quickly grew tired of supporting Atari Inc., and started looking for buyers in 1984.

Although not formally discontinued, the 2600 was de-emphasized for two years after Warner's 1984 sale of Atari Inc.'s Consumer Division to Commodore Business Machines founder Jack Tramiel, who wanted to concentrate on home computers. He froze all development of console games, including a 2600 Garfield game and an Atari 5200 port of Super Pac-Man. In 1986, a new version of the 2600 was released (although it was planned for release two years earlier). The new redesigned version of the 2600, unofficially referred to as the 2600 Jr., featured a smaller cost-reduced form factor with a modernized Atari 7800-like appearance. The redesigned 2600 was advertised as a budget gaming system (under $50) that had the ability to run a large collection of classic games. With its introduction came a resurgence in software development both from Atari Corp. and from a few third parties (notably, Activision, Absolute Entertainment, Froggo, Epyx, and Exus). The Atari 2600 continued to sell in the USA and Europe until 1990, and in Asia until the early 1990s. Its final Atari-licensed release was KLAX in 1990. Over its lifetime, an estimated 40 million units were shipped, and its video game library reportedly numbers more than 900 titles with commercial games released for this system all the way until 1991. In Brazil, the console became extremely popular in the mid-1980s. The Atari 2600 was officially retired by Atari Corp. on January 1, 1992, making it the longest-lived home video game console in US game history. It had a lifespan of 14 years and 2 months, nearly three times the typical lifespan of a console.

OK, here's my list of favorite Atari 2600 games. They are in no particular order, I made the list as I remembered those good ol' days. Here they are:

   

BERZERK

It is a "futuristic" game where you are the last human survivor in some other planet, and you need to shoot and escape from the bad guys. Room walls are electrified, so you can't touch them. You see that "happy face" guy in the above screenshot? That's "Evil Otto", one of the baddest game villains of all-time. Don't get confused with his big smile and friendly color, he will kill you in no time. And he is immune to your bullets, so all you can do is run away from him (similar to Matrix agents). A classic shooter.

   

MS. PAC_MAN

I guess I don't need to describe this game too much. It was a big step up after the Atari port of "Pac-Man", which is considered one of the biggest video game disappointments of all time. Did you know Ms. Pac-Man was originally an unofficial "game hack" from the original Pac-Man, just trying to do a better version of it? But then, after some negotiations and some program mods, they turned it into Ms. Pac-Man.

   

PITFALL!

This may be the best "platform"/"Mario style" game this console has to offer (and probably the best Atari 2600 game overall). You are Pitfall Harry, an "Indiana Jones" type of character. Scorpions, crocodiles, water jumping, treasure hunting... this game is a whole lot of fun (even today).

   

DONKEY KONG

Another video game which needs no description. I remember those days, when Donkey Kong was the bad guy and Mario was "just another dude" (he even wasn't dating Princess Peach yet). It was not the best arcade game port in this console, but good enough to have some fun.

   

CENTIPEDE

Killing bugs for points. Another good and well known arcade game port. Although it is not the same experience without the "tracking ball" controller from the arcade game.

   

ADVENTURE

This is the godfather of all rpg video games. Adventure is in the Atari 2600 games top list of most hardcore retro gamers. It was a little difficult for me when I was a kid, but I still played it a lot.

   

HAUNTED HOUSE

Who said Resident Evil was the originator of horror video games? Despite of the 4-bit graphics, this game is pretty scary. Gameplay is good and sounds are very "creepy", creating a cool horror atmosphere. A solid game.

   

COMBAT

This is the first Atari 2600 game that I ever played (since it came bundled with the console). A very nice 2-player shooter.

   

DEMON ATTACK

A Galaxian-like kind of game from the IMAGIC game developers (makers of high quality games). In a few words: your spaceship fights against flying demons. Controls are very good, interesting gameplay, and nice graphics (for its time, at least).

   

YARS' REVENGE

Another game that is considered by many the best Atari 2600, or at least one of the best games. You are Yars, some kind of hyper-mega-intergalactic fly fighting against the Quotile, this other "bad intergalactic thingie". You have to shoot and eat the protective shield of the Quotile, charge your cannon, shoot and destroy. A very challenging game you can't stop playing.

   

ATLANTIS

Another cool game by IMAGIC. Atlantis was distinguished by its high quality and colorful graphics. Spaceships are attacking Atlantis, and you are in control of three cannons in order to defend the underwater city. It's a good game, although it might get repetitive after some time. But once again, game graphics are great (some of the best graphics you can find for this console).

   

BATTLEZONE

Battlezone game was pretty advanced for its time. It is a battle tank simulation, with first person shooting graphics. This was another game with great graphics, it have a radar and all... and gameplay was very realistic for the early 80's. Another must-have game.

   

VANGUARD

With very nice and colorful graphics, this is an arcade port that is very close to the original. Another favorite by avid retro gamers.

   

GALAXIAN

This is a Space Invaders-inspired game, which later made its own name and became a true classic. This game is very challenging and with nice graphics. It does not have as many enemies as the original arcade game, but they are more separated from each other and they are harder to hit than in its arcade counterpart. A nice game to play.

   

WARLORDS

This game on its own is not so different than some other games (like "Combat" for example). What makes this game to come apart of others is its simultaneous 4-player capability. It was the best "party" video game of its time. I still remember my friends bringing their own joysticks to play it. Creating "alliances" against certain player, then breaking those alliances... aaahhh, those were the days...

   

MISSILE COMMAND

Another Atari classic game. It was a scaled down version of the arcade original, with some missing features (top flying saucers, 3 missiles at a time instead of one, etc). But stills a solid game that should be in every collection.

   

FROGGER

Everybody loves Frogger. This game resembles the original arcade game pretty well, and it's really fun to play. Very challenging and with high replay value.

   

SMURFS: RESCUE IN GARGAMEL'S CASTLE

I know, I know... Smurfs are kind of gay. But leaving that aside, this game was really cool. It have excellent graphics, and gameplay is very good. Stages are long enough and challenging. But it is a very rare game, it may be a little more expensive than most games in this list if you want to buy it today.

   

STAMPEDE

This game may not be in the list of many other retro gamers, but I sure had lots of fun playing this game (I still play it with a PC emulator from time to time). It was very simple, but addictive (like a video game should be). You are a cowboy trying to tie up cattle with your lasso. If you have never played it, you should give it a try...

   

SPACE INVADERS

Is it me, or space invaders' cannon looks like a chess pawn?... Anyway, here's another Atari giant. Space Invaders was a huge arcade hit, and its game port helped Atari company sales a lot in a time when it wasn't selling so well (many people bought the Atari 2600 VCS just to play Space Invaders... similar to what happened many years later with the XBOX and Halo). Another game you should own.

   

BREAKOUT

Ufff, I didn't realized I had so many games in this list, at least I'm almost done now... anywhoo... Here's Breakout, one of Atari's oldest games. It was created way before the Atari 2600 VCS, short after Pong. It actually was released in some previous "no cartridge" consoles made by Atari (similar to Pong consoles) before it came out for the Atari 2600. It is a solid game, and the inspiration of some later hits like Arkanoid. Plus you need some paddle controller games so you can use them too, don't you?...

   

CIRCUS ATARI

Speaking of paddle controller games, here's another one for your collection. Again, this is not a popular game and it's not in many favorites lists... but it gave me many hours of fun when I was a kid. This is a Breakout-inspired game, but instead of breaking walls you are catching balloons and instead of a ball there are two guys jumping on a trampoline. A nice game for this console.

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E.T, The Extra Terrestrial

Ok, this is the other side of the picture. This is considered by many the worst game of all time (not only for the Atari 2600, the worst video game overall). I remember when it just came out, its advertising was huge. I was counting the days to get it. Then when I played it, it was a great disappointment. Graphics were ok, but everything else was really bad (gameplay, sound, replay value, etc.). Most kids didn't know what they were supposed to do... it was horrible... There are rumors that the Atari Company buried over a million copies of this game in a landfill in New Mexico, although it has never been proved. Believe me, you can skip this one...

The Atari 2600 had a relatively long life span (close to 10 years, that's a lot of time compared with today's consoles). During that time, it's design was modified several times (and that's not counting "retro-style" and "Flashback" models recently marketed). The basic models are the following:



Atari VCS CX2600 ("Sixer")

This model was manufactured from 1977 to 1980. It was nicknamed "Sixer" because it have six silver switches, three at each side of the cartridge slot.
The first version was manufactured in Sunnyvale, California. It had extra plastic on the back of the case and heavy internal RF shielding, because of that it was nicknamed "heavy sixer". In 1978 they started making a new version, which was identical to the "heavy sixer" but it was a lot lighter and manufactured in Hong Kong. It came bundled with Combat video game.



Atari VCS CX2600A ("Four-Switch Woody")

This model was introduced in 1980. It was very similar to the previous model, but this had four switches on top instead of six (two of the switches were moved to the back of the console). It was nicknamed "woody" for its woodgrain finish. It still comes bundled with the Combat cartridge.



Atari 2600 ("Four-Switch Darth Vader")

Introduced in 1982, this was the first model to be officially named "Atari 2600" (previously it was called "Atari VCS" or just "Atari"). But since the new Atari 5200 was introduced and they would continue producing the Atari 2600, they needed to differentiate one from the other. Its "Darth Vader" nickname came from its all black finish (with no woodgrain), besides that, it is identical to the
CX2600A. It came in two versions: one with two joysticks controllers and two games (Combat and Pac Man), and another version with one joystick controller and no games.



Atari 2600JR

This model was manufactured in 1986. It had the same functionality as

previous models, but it had a smaller and cooler design. The one in the picture
is the second version of the design, the first version had a smaller "rainbow"
on top of the console and there was a third version with a black band instead of
silver.

Atari 2800

Now here's a true collectors item. The Atari 2800 was just another version of
the Atari 2600 made for the Japan market. This console was not very successful
in Japan, so only a few of this were made. If you can find one of these cheap,
do not think it twice and buy it!