Atari 2600
- Manufacturer
- Atari
- Production
- 1977–1992
- Generation
- Gen 2
- Type
- Home
- Launch price
- $199
- Units sold
- 30.0M
About Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released c. September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System, 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 and later Pac-Man. Sears sold the system as the Tele-Games Video Arcade. Atari rebranded the VCS as the Atari 2600 in November 1982, alongside the release of the Atari 5200.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Library & collector facts
565licensed games
- North America: 565
Pricing
Launch price (1977)
- 🇺🇸 USD
- $199
Launch titles & exclusives
Combat · Air-Sea Battle · Basic Math · Blackjack · Indy 500 · Star Ship · Street Racer · Surround · Video Olympics
Combat
Adventure · Pitfall! · Yars' Revenge · Asteroids · Missile Command · Centipede · Pac-Man · Space Invaders · Defender · River Raid
Klax (1990) was among the last licensed releases; Atari kept the 2600 in production through 1992
Air Raid (no Atari logo, sealed examples reach $30k+); Red Sea Crossing (Christian-themed homebrew, ~$15k); Birthday Mania (personalized run, ~$8k)
Hardware specs
- Cpu
- 8-bit MOS Technology 6507
- Gpu
- Television Interface Adaptor
- Ram
- 128 bytes RAM
Hardware revisions
- Heavy Sixer(1977)
original launch hardware made in Sunnyvale CA, premium plastics, 6 front-panel switches
⚠ collector premium for first-6-month production
- Light Sixer(1978)
Hong Kong/Taiwan manufacturing, identical look, lighter build quality
- 4-switch wood-grain(1980)
difficulty switches moved to rear, cost reduction
- 'Vader' 4-switch all-black(1982)
all-black redesign aligning with 5200 family
- Atari 2600 Jr(1986)
final low-cost rebox, smaller footprint, less reliable cartridge port
Launch colorways & special editions
- Heavy Sixer launch units (1977, USA-made, premium plastic — collector prized)
- Sears Tele-Games rebadge (1977)
- Atari 2600 Jr cost-reduced rebox (1986)
Modding scene
- Difficulty
- soft-mod
- Custom firmware
- N/A (ROM-based); modern flashcarts: Harmony Cart, UnoCart-2600
Reception & legacy
Modest launch with thin first-year library; sales exploded in 1980 after the Space Invaders port (the first 'killer app' for any home console)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) — rushed five-week development, millions of returns, the Alamogordo NM landfill burial in 1983 became a defining symbol of the 1983 video game crash
First massive-success home console; established the cartridge model and home video games as a mainstream entertainment medium; its market collapse triggered the 1983 crash that nearly killed the industry
References
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