If you’re like me you grew up in the 1970s / 1980s, chances are you loved a game on the old Atari console. Moving big old blocks around the screen to shoot, gobble or jump you enemy was a fantastic experience. Graphics so lifelike you could almost imagine they were real (ok, am exaggerating a bit there…)
The Atari 2600, also known as the Atari Video Computer System or VCS for short, was a home video game console released in 1977. It was one of the first consoles to use cartridges, which allowed users to easily switch between different games by swapping out the cartridges. The Atari 2600 was developed by Atari, Inc. and was designed to be a more affordable and accessible alternative to other home consoles at the time. This led to it be pretty ubiquitous in early 1980s households, and how we all loved to visit a friend who had one!
One of the key features of the Atari 2600 was its use of a microprocessor, which allowed it to run more complex games than previous consoles. It also had a variety of controller options, including joysticks, paddles, and a keypad, which gave users more control over the games they were playing. Playing Breakout with a paddle was such a better experience than trying to use a joystick!
The Atari 2600 was a huge success and helped to launch the home console market as we know it today. It was popular for its simple, yet addictive games, and it was widely available in stores, making it easy for people to get their hands on it.
Some of the most popular games for the Atari 2600 included “Pac-Man,” “Space Invaders,” “Asteroids,” and “Breakout.” These games helped to establish the Atari 2600 as a major player in the home console market and cemented its place in gaming history. I loved the Pitfall games, which for me were a predecessor of later explorers like Tomb Raider, and took you into another world, all be a very blocky one!
In addition to its popular games, the Atari 2600 also had a wide variety of third-party developers creating games for the console, which helped to keep the console relevant and popular for many years.
Overall, the Atari 2600 was a revolutionary console that helped to shape the home console market as we know it today. Its simple, yet addictive games, and wide availability made it a popular choice for many gamers and helped to establish it as a classic console that is still remembered and revered to this day.
