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| The first hugely successful home video game console, the Atari 2600 laid the groundwork for the NES, PS1, PS2, etc. |
Atari established their dominance of the early video game market with the Pong Arcade and later home systems, but they truly rose to prominence with their Video Computer System, the system that would eventually become known as the Atari 2600. The name Atari 2600 actually was not used until later (it referred to the unit's product number in the sears catalog I believe) and the system was originally known as the Atari VCS or Tele-Games VCS when sold through Sears.
The release and progression of the 2600 is a very interesting one and understanding it helps one understand the difference in the video game market and industry of the time and today. Atari was breaking relatively new ground, besides Magnavox (with the Magnavox Odyssey) and Fairchild (with the Channel F) the Atari 2600 was really one of the first cartridge based home video game consoles - that is, a console that could play different games over time utilizing ROM-based game cartridges.
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| One of the things that made the 2600 so popular (and eventually led to its downfall) was the abundance of games. |
The Atari 2600 launched initially with 9 games, the only well-known of which was 'Combat' that came with the system. Later big game releases in the late 70's and early 80's included 'Breakout' and 'Adventure' along with highly successful Arcade ports of 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Other companies wanted in on all the money that Atari was making and the first 'third parties' began to appear. Some of the third parties, such as Activision (a company formed from former Atari workers) had some successful games like 'Pitfall!' and 'River Raid' but others made games like the now infamous 'Custer's Revenge' and the market became quite saturated by 82-83. Atari's late arcade port of 'Pac-Man' and their big name movie tie-in game 'E.T. The Extra Terrestrial' were both much lower quality than expected for the time and have come to symbolize the crash of the video game market in North America in 1983.
After the crash the Atari 2600 never really regained prominence, in a few years the Nintendo Entertainment System came along and shifted gaming focus to Japanese gaming and reinvigorated the market in a different way. Atari would try again with the Atari 7800, the Atari 5200, the Atari Lynx (a handheld meant to compete with the Nintendo Game Boy) but they never were able to really become popular again.
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| The Atari continues to have a cult following with 'Homebrew' games continuing to be made for the system. |
Long after its rise and fall, the Atari 2600 (and other Atari systems) continue to have a cult following and presence on the Internet. One site, AtariAge, sells reproductions and homebrew games for the Atari 2600, 5200 and 7800 (among other systems) including their most well known product, Halo 2600. A game based around the Halo IP for the Atari 2600 (programmed by Ed Fries, former VP of Game Publishing at Microsoft who worked closely with Bungie Studios). Other games they have include 'Adventure 2' a game for the Atari 5200 that is billed as the unofficial successor to the Atari 2600's 'Adventure' which is very popular among Retro Gamers.
A note:
I have chosen several Atari 2600 games of note to include in my timeline, these are obviously not all of the games that came out on the Atari 2600, nor are they all of the important, high quality or otherwise notable games for the system - they are simply the ones I wanted to highlight because they were fun or otherwise important. If you find yourself wanting to learn more about the Atari 2600 please see the links below and start delving in, the Atari Retro scene is actually quite healthy!
Another note:
I included only the Atari 2600 as far as home consoles in the 2nd Generation of gaming in my timeline, there are many others (the Magnavox Odyssey and ColecoVision are notable ones that come to mind, plus there were many Computers/Consoles like the TI/99A and other unique computers that also had a lot of games at the time, plus the Arcade was getting big and that meant all sorts of other games) if you're interested in really retro games there is a whole ocean to explore!
A note:
I have chosen several Atari 2600 games of note to include in my timeline, these are obviously not all of the games that came out on the Atari 2600, nor are they all of the important, high quality or otherwise notable games for the system - they are simply the ones I wanted to highlight because they were fun or otherwise important. If you find yourself wanting to learn more about the Atari 2600 please see the links below and start delving in, the Atari Retro scene is actually quite healthy!
Another note:
I included only the Atari 2600 as far as home consoles in the 2nd Generation of gaming in my timeline, there are many others (the Magnavox Odyssey and ColecoVision are notable ones that come to mind, plus there were many Computers/Consoles like the TI/99A and other unique computers that also had a lot of games at the time, plus the Arcade was getting big and that meant all sorts of other games) if you're interested in really retro games there is a whole ocean to explore!
Further Reading:
Wikipedia Articles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Atari_2600_games
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_video_game_crash_of_1983
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_video_game_crash_of_1983
Atari Age:
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