The Video Game Console Library

Picture courtesy of Miguel Duran

	Atari VCS (2600)
	DW FACTS by Dark Watcher
	Page content, development and design by Marriott_Guy

Developer	Manufacturer	Release Date	Country(s)	Initial Price	Model Number	Game Releases	Overall Rating
Atari, Inc.	Atari, Inc.	14-Oct-77	North America, Europe, Japan	$199 USD	CX-2600	418	N\A
Ratings	Reviews	Pictures\Media	Specs\Manuals	Games\Emulation	Models	Clones	Links

Ratings
Consoles are rated based upon the available technology at the time of its release. Ratings based upon a 10 point scale (10 being excellent\very rare).
Console Design (appearance, functionality)	N\A
Console Durability (sturdy or frail and fragile)	N\A
Controllers (design, response, feel, use)	N\A
Graphics (graphical capability and presentation)	N\A
Audio (sound, music, speech, effects)	N\A
Media (game media format, design, durability)	N\A
Packaging (appeal, durability of packaging)	N\A
Game Library (quality, quantity of game library)	N\A
Innovations (technological industrial strides)	N\A
Gamer Value (good investment for the gamer?)	N\A
Collector Value (good collector investment?)	N\A
Games Rarity (general availability of games)	N\A
Console Rarity (general availability of a system)	N\A

Reviews

Atari VCS CX-2600 (Light Sixer) with games

DW FACTS
- by Dark Watcher

The Atari VCS (Video Computer System), later called the 2600, was released in 1977 and became the dominant console in the 1970s. The system boasted amazing specs for its time and amassed a huge library of games. The popularity of the 2600 grew even further when the arcade game Space Invaders was ported for the first time to a console. The success was also in part to the many arcade and movie licenses acquired by Atari. These licenses gave Atari the marketing edge over other consoles of the time. The console introduced an enormous variety of games and controllers and was the console of choice well into the early 80s even when graphically out performed by newer consoles.

The success of Atari spawned many console redesigns. One example was the reduced sized Atari 2600 Jr., released in 1986 as part of a campaign to rekindle the console's success. Also the Atari 2800, which essentially was the same build, but offered 4 controller ports instead of 2. The controllers were also redesigned to be a hybrid of both a joystick and paddle. The 2800 model was sold in the US under the Sears label Tele-Games II. This model was also the first official Atari released in Japan in 1983 and retailed for 24,800 Yen.

The success of Atari 2600 also triggered its fall from glory. The console spawned numerous clones and adapters (these adapters allowed 2600 software to be played on other consoles). The Atari 2600 cart format also contained no restrictions, which allowed anyone to make their own 2600 games. These factors contributed to the fall of Atari in early years and played a role to the Videogame Crash of 1983.

FACT: The Atari 2600 was the first console to
play adult type games such as Bachelor Party and
the infamous Custers Revenge.

Various Atari VCS \ 2600 advertisements courtesy of Atari Mania (click image to enlarge)

Pictures & Media

Various picture\media for this console. Click pictures to enlarge.

Atari 2600 prototypes. Pictures courtesy of the Atari Historical Society. Please check out their website for more information on these systems.

Atari 2000

Atari 2200

Atari 2500

Atari 2700 Advertisement
(click image to enlarge)

Atari 2700

Atari 2700 Advertisement
(click image to enlarge)

Specs & Manuals

For the hardware enthusiasts out there - all the detail you\we love.

Processor Type	Processor Speed	Other Processor Information	RAM \ Video RAM
8 bit MOS Technology 6507	1.19 MHz	TIA (Television Interface Adaptor) running at 3.58 MHz (A\V)	128 bytes \ None
Screen Resolution	Color Palette	Polygons \ Sprites	Audio
320 x 200	128 Total Colors (16 colors x 8 variations)	N\A	Two Channel, Mono (handled through TIA)
Media Format	Media Capacity	Games Released	Other Supported Formats
Cartridge	Up to 4 KB	418	None
Internal Storage	External \ Removable Storage	Game Controllers	Other Game \ Peripheral Devices
None	None	Joystick with one (1) Fire button	Paddles, Racing Wheel, Keyboard, Touch Pads, etc.
Controller Ports	Network Ports	Other Ports	Audio \ Video
Two (2)	None	None	RF Connection
Power Supply - External	Other Outputs	Other Details \ Notes
Input: 120VAC 60Hz Output: 9V DC 500mA ( - + - )	None	None
Manuals
Atari VCS (Video Computer System) Owners Manual (PDF) - 0.88 MB Atari 2600 Owners Manual (PDF) - 0.47 MB

Games & Emulation

Games, media format, emulators and screen shots for titles released on this system.

Atari 2600 Box Variations Software for the Atari 2600 was distributed on ROM cartridges, with various designs utilized for both cart graphics and box cover art. See the examples to the left and right that illustrate just a few of the variations.

The boxes themselves are typically designed using a flimsy, cheap cardboard that provides very little structural integrity for the carton. Early versions advertized the number of game variations on the front cover to both educate the consumer and convey 'excellent value' in the purchase.

There was very little brand control when it came to third party distributors in game quality as well as packaging. Atari was a part of this problem as well, changing their base casing design more than five times and releasing some truly horrific titles.

The nice thing about Atari 2600 games is that you can usually score a good sized lot of loose games on the cheap. 95% of all garage sales usually have a bin of these carts located somewhere in the mess of everything else they are trying to peddle.

Launch Games for the Atari Video Computer System (2600)

Atari 2600 Air-Sea Battle Atari 2600 Basic Math Atari 2600 Blackjack Atari 2600 Combat Atari 2600 Indy 500 Atari 2600 Star Ship Atari 2600 Street Racer Atari 2600 Surround Atari 2600 Video Olympics

Atari 2600 Game Screenshots

Adventure

Air-Sea Battle

Air-Sea Battle Screenshot

Asteroids

Asteroids Screenshot

Atlantis

Atlantis Screenshot

Battlezone

Battlezone Screenshot

Berzerk

Berzerk Screenshot

BMX Airmaster

BMX Airmaster Screenshot

Burgertime

Burgertime Screenshot

Centipede

Centipede Screenshot

Commando Raid

Commando Raid Screenshot

Defender

Defender Screenshot

Dig Dug

Dig Dug Screenshot

Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong Screenshot

Frogger

Frogger Screenshot

Galaxian

Galaxian Screenshot

International Soccer

International Soccer Screenshot

Laser Gates

Laser Gates Screenshot

Maze Craze

Maze Craze Screenshot

Millipede

Millipede Screenshot

Missile Command

Missile Command Screenshot

Montezuma's Revenge

Montezuma's Revenge Screenshot

Pac-Man

Pac-Man Screenshot

Pete Rose Baseball

Pete Rose Baseball Screenshot

Pitfall!

Pitfall! Screenshot

Pole Position

Pole Position Screenshot

River Raid

River Raid Screenshot

Space Invaders

Space Invaders Screenshot

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Screenshot

Super Breakout

Super Breakout screenshot

Super Challenge Football

Super Challenge Football Screenshot

Tomcat F14 Fighter Simulator

Tomcat F14 Fighter Simulator Screenshot

Vanguard

Vanguard Screenshot

Video Pinball

Video Pinball Screenshot

Third Party Emulators
Program	Website	Description
Stella	http://stella.sourceforge.net/	Multi-platform Atari 2600 emulator that is our favorite.

Models

Additional authorized releases for this console. These are just a few of the releases for this system.

Atari VCS CX-2600 "Heavy Sixer"
Year : 1977

Atari VCS CX-2600 "Heavy Sixer"

Atari VCS CX-2600 "Light Sixer"
Year : 1978

Atari VCS CX-2600 "Light Sixer"

Atari VCS CX-2600A
Year : 1980

Atari VCS CX-2600A

Atari 2600
Year : 1982

Atari 2600

Atari 2600 Advertisements
(click image to enlarge)

Atari 2800
Year: 1983 (Japan)

Atari 2800 (Japan)

Atari 2600 Jr. (Rainbow)
Year : 1986

Atari 2600 Jr. (Rainbow)

Atari 2600 Jr. (Black)
Year : 1987

Atari 2600 Jr. (Black)

Other officially licensed models

Sears Video Arcade
Year : 1977

Sears Video Arcade

Beginning in 1977, Sears purchased the rights to distribute the Atari 2600 throughout their chain of stores. They rebranded the console as the Video Arcade. There were several models released, each reflecting the changes that Atari implemented with the original line. Sears would do the same with various 2600 games, which are all branded with the Tele-Games logo.

Sears Video Arcade II
Year : 1987

Sears Video Arcade II

Clones

Non-licensed releases (clones). Pictures courtesy of our good friend Adrian Scheel.

The Atari 2600 had a ton of clones during its glory years and beyond, including those with games built directly into the hardware.
The following lists just a few of the more obscure units. Please check out Pong Picture Page for even more Atari 2600 clone images.

Coleco Gemini
Year : 1982 Region: North America

Coleco Gemini

Dactar Video Game
Year : 1983 Region: Brazil

Dactar Video Game

Dactar Video Game II
Year : 1984 Region: Brazil

Dactar Video Game II

EDU Video Computer 2600
Year : 1985 (?) Region: Brazil

EDU Video Computer 2600

Funvision Home Video Game
Year : 1986 (?) Region: Spain

Funvision Home Video Game

Gracia TV Game 2600 Compatible
Year : 1980 Region: Europe

Gracia TV Game 2600 Compatible

Matra 3600
Year : 1989 Region: Italy

Matra 3600

Polyvox Atari 2600
Year : 1983 Region: Brazil

Polyvox Atari 2600

TV Game 2600
Year : 1979 Region: Italy

TV Game 2600

Links

Highly recommended additional sites\resources for this system.

Name	Website	Description
Atari Historical Society	http://www.atarimuseum.com	Excellent site to revisit the history of Atari consoles\protos
AtariAge	http://www.atariage.com	One stop shop for everything Atari
Atari Mania	http://www.atarimania.com	One of the largest game databases for all Atari systems

visitors since 01-Apr-2008
Page last updated 11-Dec-2011

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