Happy Birthday, Atari 2600.

Elvis The Fat Years · 10-09-2007, 06:36 PM

Believe it or not, it's been 30 years since the Atari 2600 (also known as the Atari VCS "Video Computer System") first saw the light of day. The 2600/VCS helped turn video games from a narrow niche market into a mass market: over 30 million units through 1977 through 1992, although its biggest sales numbers were piled up from the late 1970s through about 1983, when more powerful consoles from Atari itself (the 5200 SuperSystem), Coleco (remember the Colecovision?) and Nintendo Entertainment System began to shunt it aside, and gamers began to discover that computers like the Atari 400/800 and Commodore 64 also made good gaming platforms.

Atari Showed the Industry How (and How Not) to Play
As befits an industry colossus, Atari set the pace for an entire industry:

Hits
The Atari 2600 showed the infant gaming industry the power of licensing arcade titles. The hottest arcade titles of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Defender, Stargate and others were broght home by Atari. Atari also boasted arcade and home gaming: Centipede and Missile Command were just two of Atari's own titles to play well in both environments.

Inspirations
Atari helped launch the third-party controller business, in part because of the poor responsiveness and durability of its own joysticks. Although Wico and other 2600-era controller companies are long gone (but some vendors still have inventory), companies like Logitech continue the tradition of providing alternatives for both consoles and PCs.

Atari fueled the rise of third-party game providers by refusing name credit to some of its best early programmers, four of whom formed Activision. Activision often beat Atari at its own game, and (unlike the original Atari), has continued into the present (today's Atari is a subsidiary of InfoGrames).

Misses
Atari was the victim of its own success: too many mediocre (Journey Escape) to outright unplayable (ET) titles for Atari 2600 and cartridge overproduction was one factor in the bursting of the video game bubble in 1982-83. Although Atari would produce other game systems and computers, it was never an industry leader again.

Lessons Learned - and Relearned
The Atari 2600 is more than a classic game system. Its rise and fall have important lessons for today's gamers.

The platform matters...
Although programming geniuses could squeeze amazing graphics out of the Atari 2600's 128 bytes of RAM (yes, bytes), it soon became apparent that more RAM (and ROM) made better games easier to create. Although the Atari 5200 never achieved more than a fraction of the 2600's popularity, its larger RAM and ROM space (similar to those of the Atari 400) made it easier to create arcade-quality versions of Pac-Man and other classics. The rise of even more powerful Colecovision and Nintendo game systems would provide further proof.

...But So Do the Programmers
Although the video game boom of the early 1980s led to many mediocre to terrible Atari 2600 titles, the best of them (Pitfall, Star Raiders, River Raid, and Demon Attack to name a few) are still worth playing.

Sometimes You Need a Keyboard...
Atari helped launch PC gaming by putting some of its classic licensed and original titles on its 400/800 computers and their successors.

Have You Played Atari Today?
Even if you never had a 2600/VCS console, you can still play many of Atari's greatest hits (and third-party titles) today. Today's Atari has republished many classic titles in various collections for PC, and other vendors offer TV-ready joysticks with Atari games already onboard, ready for a 'blast from the past.' The AtariAge website offers a huge number of resources, including downloadable ROM images of virtually all Atari-brand and many third-party Atari games for the 2600 and its successors, emulators, and rare prototype and abandoned game projects.

sickbadthing · 10-09-2007, 06:40 PM

yeah those fucking sucked. i can't believe i was so dumb and young and though the atari was cool. i really should have died at 5.

Skradgee · 10-09-2007, 07:13 PM

Oh man, Frogger was so great. There was an Atari pinball game that really sucked though.

Nimrod's Son · 10-09-2007, 07:32 PM

i had some game where you had to shoot indians and some of them were topless

man the 2600 was awesome

Elvis The Fat Years · 10-09-2007, 07:40 PM

i don't care what that article says, ET was a shitty, good game.

i was good at kaboom!

Nimrod's Son · 10-09-2007, 08:03 PM

i loved kaboom, and.. circus stars was it? any paddle games

ET sucked, man. you spend half of the game trying to climb out of pits that you have to jump into because there's no other way to find things

Elvis The Fat Years · 10-09-2007, 08:42 PM

i downloaded an atari emulator\rom thing-a-ma-jig. i downloaded kaboom for it, but the controls were shit.

my sister used to kick my ass in q*bert all the time. im still not over that.

Elvis The Fat Years · 10-09-2007, 08:46 PM

i had a huge score in pitfall - took a pic of the screen and sent it in. i got a high score pitfall patch in the mail.

DeviousJ · 10-09-2007, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sickbadthing

yeah those fucking sucked. i can't believe i was so dumb and young and though the atari was cool. i really should have died at 5.

I had a ZX Spectrum when I was a kid, then one day my dad brought home a 2600 he'd borrowed from some guy at work. Instant loading, so many colors - I thought I was in an arcade!

Tchocky · 10-09-2007, 08:51 PM

Solaris was the shit.

Elvis The Fat Years · 10-09-2007, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nimrod's Son

ET sucked, man. you spend half of the game trying to climb out of pits that you have to jump into because there's no other way to find things

you make me sick.

finding the ship was a pain in the ass.

Elvis The Fat Years · 10-09-2007, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeviousJ

I had a ZX Spectrum when I was a kid, then one day my dad brought home a acid he'd borrowed from some guy at work. Instant loading, so many colors - I thought I was in an arcade!

.

DeviousJ · 10-09-2007, 08:55 PM

Man where do I put the coins in this thing?!

DeviousJ · 10-09-2007, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elvis The Fat Years

.

Next you'll be telling me I didn't spend hours waggling my joystick

Elvis The Fat Years · 10-09-2007, 08:58 PM

going to the bottom was a waste of time. gotta go over the crocs. i know it was scary cause they're so realistic, but it has to be done.

East Rocket · 10-11-2007, 04:07 AM

Makes me feel old. I remember playing Gyruss when I was 5 and thinking 'does this game ever end?'

TheMilstead · 10-11-2007, 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeviousJ

Man where do I put the coins in this thing?!

Haha...we're doing these fake road sign things for one of my graphic design classes, and my friend did a faithful recreation of the Pitfall guy jumping over the alligators as an "Alligator Crossing" sign. I used to love that game. The sequel wasn't too bad, either.

Future Boy · 10-11-2007, 05:25 AM

Our uncle broke ours if memory serves. Another reason to hate that bastard. We wouldnt get another game system til the Nintendo 64.

aurel · 10-11-2007, 12:08 PM

Amstrad cpc 464.

10-09-2007, 06:36 PM	#1
Elvis The Fat Years 007 373 5963 Posts: 31,408	Happy Birthday, Atari 2600. Believe it or not, it's been 30 years since the Atari 2600 (also known as the Atari VCS "Video Computer System") first saw the light of day. The 2600/VCS helped turn video games from a narrow niche market into a mass market: over 30 million units through 1977 through 1992, although its biggest sales numbers were piled up from the late 1970s through about 1983, when more powerful consoles from Atari itself (the 5200 SuperSystem), Coleco (remember the Colecovision?) and Nintendo Entertainment System began to shunt it aside, and gamers began to discover that computers like the Atari 400/800 and Commodore 64 also made good gaming platforms. Atari Showed the Industry How (and How Not) to Play As befits an industry colossus, Atari set the pace for an entire industry: Hits The Atari 2600 showed the infant gaming industry the power of licensing arcade titles. The hottest arcade titles of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Defender, Stargate and others were broght home by Atari. Atari also boasted arcade and home gaming: Centipede and Missile Command were just two of Atari's own titles to play well in both environments. Inspirations Atari helped launch the third-party controller business, in part because of the poor responsiveness and durability of its own joysticks. Although Wico and other 2600-era controller companies are long gone (but some vendors still have inventory), companies like Logitech continue the tradition of providing alternatives for both consoles and PCs. Atari fueled the rise of third-party game providers by refusing name credit to some of its best early programmers, four of whom formed Activision. Activision often beat Atari at its own game, and (unlike the original Atari), has continued into the present (today's Atari is a subsidiary of InfoGrames). Misses Atari was the victim of its own success: too many mediocre (Journey Escape) to outright unplayable (ET) titles for Atari 2600 and cartridge overproduction was one factor in the bursting of the video game bubble in 1982-83. Although Atari would produce other game systems and computers, it was never an industry leader again. Lessons Learned - and Relearned The Atari 2600 is more than a classic game system. Its rise and fall have important lessons for today's gamers. The platform matters... Although programming geniuses could squeeze amazing graphics out of the Atari 2600's 128 bytes of RAM (yes, bytes), it soon became apparent that more RAM (and ROM) made better games easier to create. Although the Atari 5200 never achieved more than a fraction of the 2600's popularity, its larger RAM and ROM space (similar to those of the Atari 400) made it easier to create arcade-quality versions of Pac-Man and other classics. The rise of even more powerful Colecovision and Nintendo game systems would provide further proof. ...But So Do the Programmers Although the video game boom of the early 1980s led to many mediocre to terrible Atari 2600 titles, the best of them (Pitfall, Star Raiders, River Raid, and Demon Attack to name a few) are still worth playing. Sometimes You Need a Keyboard... Atari helped launch PC gaming by putting some of its classic licensed and original titles on its 400/800 computers and their successors. Have You Played Atari Today? Even if you never had a 2600/VCS console, you can still play many of Atari's greatest hits (and third-party titles) today. Today's Atari has republished many classic titles in various collections for PC, and other vendors offer TV-ready joysticks with Atari games already onboard, ready for a 'blast from the past.' The AtariAge website offers a huge number of resources, including downloadable ROM images of virtually all Atari-brand and many third-party Atari games for the 2600 and its successors, emulators, and rare prototype and abandoned game projects. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

10-09-2007, 06:40 PM	#2
sickbadthing Out fart the hottie! Location: I have super gonorrhoea Posts: 24,316	yeah those fucking sucked. i can't believe i was so dumb and young and though the atari was cool. i really should have died at 5.

10-09-2007, 07:13 PM	#3
Skradgee Boardcaster Location: reporting live Posts: 3,720	Oh man, Frogger was so great. There was an Atari pinball game that really sucked though.

10-09-2007, 07:32 PM	#4
Nimrod's Son Master of Karate and Friendship Location: in your butt Posts: 72,943	i had some game where you had to shoot indians and some of them were topless man the 2600 was awesome

10-09-2007, 07:40 PM	#5
Elvis The Fat Years 007 373 5963 Posts: 31,408	i don't care what that article says, ET was a shitty, good game. i was good at kaboom!

10-09-2007, 08:03 PM	#6
Nimrod's Son Master of Karate and Friendship Location: in your butt Posts: 72,943	i loved kaboom, and.. circus stars was it? any paddle games ET sucked, man. you spend half of the game trying to climb out of pits that you have to jump into because there's no other way to find things

10-09-2007, 08:42 PM	#7
Elvis The Fat Years 007 373 5963 Posts: 31,408	i downloaded an atari emulator\rom thing-a-ma-jig. i downloaded kaboom for it, but the controls were shit. my sister used to kick my ass in q*bert all the time. im still not over that.

10-09-2007, 08:46 PM	#8
Elvis The Fat Years 007 373 5963 Posts: 31,408	i had a huge score in pitfall - took a pic of the screen and sent it in. i got a high score pitfall patch in the mail.

10-09-2007, 08:51 PM	#10
Tchocky Minion of Satan Location: Wher I en nd yu begn Posts: 6,996	Solaris was the shit.

10-09-2007, 08:55 PM	#13
DeviousJ CORNFROST Location: GUREITO DESU YO Posts: 24,891	Man where do I put the coins in this thing?!

10-09-2007, 08:58 PM	#15
Elvis The Fat Years 007 373 5963 Posts: 31,408	going to the bottom was a waste of time. gotta go over the crocs. i know it was scary cause they're so realistic, but it has to be done.

10-11-2007, 04:07 AM	#16
East Rocket Ownz Location: Denton Texas Posts: 922	Makes me feel old. I remember playing Gyruss when I was 5 and thinking 'does this game ever end?'

10-11-2007, 05:25 AM	#18
Future Boy The Man of Tomorrow Posts: 26,972	Our uncle broke ours if memory serves. Another reason to hate that bastard. We wouldnt get another game system til the Nintendo 64.

10-11-2007, 12:08 PM	#19
aurel Apocalyptic Poster Location: Maximum Homosapien crammed down your HaHa hole. Posts: 2,339	Amstrad cpc 464.