Atari 2600

<h2 id="history">History</h2>
Atari VCS/2600 timeline<table><tbody><tr><th scope="row">1972</th><td>Formation of <a href="/facts/Atari%2c_Inc./CQh1gphs">Atari, Inc.</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1973</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">1974</th><td>Acquisition of <a href="/facts/Cyan_Engineering/yeeebJfs">Cyan Engineering</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1975</th><td>Debut of the <a href="/facts/MOS_6502/q9YLwkzm">MOS 6502</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1976</th><td>Sale of Atari to <a href="/facts/Warner_Communications/MvXvu3lU">Warner Communications</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1977</th><td>Launch of Atari VCS</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1978</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">1979</th><td>Formation of <a href="/facts/Activision/NmDDD1wW">Activision</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1980</th><td>Release of <a href="/facts/Space_Invaders/A4R9djwo">Space Invaders</a> and <a href="/facts/Adventure_(1980_video_game)/I87mwx04">Adventure</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1981</th><td>First bank-switched game: <a href="/facts/Asteroids_(video_game)/KVS49vQg">Asteroids</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" rowspan="2">1982</th><td>Rebranding to Atari 2600 (November)</td></tr><tr><td>Release of <a href="/facts/Pac-Man_(Atari_2600_video_game)/b6bKh1xr">Pac-Man</a> and <a href="/facts/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial_(video_game)/oIWX9UFM">E.T.</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1983</th><td><a href="/facts/Video_game_crash_of_1983/dvAcwzmf">Video game crash of 1983</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1984</th><td>Sale of Atari to <a href="/facts/Jack_Tramiel/fstS777U">Jack Tramiel</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1985</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">1986</th><td>Release of US$50 model</td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1987</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">1988</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">1989</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">1990</th><td>Final game from Atari: <a href="/facts/Klax_(video_game)/vIm1EkY4">Klax</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row">1991</th></tr><tr><th scope="row">1992</th><td>Discontinuation</td></tr></tbody></table>
Atari, Inc. was founded by <a href="/facts/Nolan_Bushnell/70lgtrLF">Nolan Bushnell</a> and <a href="/facts/Ted_Dabney/zGwfqq48">Ted Dabney</a> in 1972. Its first major product was <a href="/facts/Pong/r2IxJtsq">Pong</a>, released in 1972, the first successful <a href="/facts/Arcade_game/oBYn85uk">coin-operated video game</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3">3</a> While Atari continued to develop new arcade games in following years, <a href="/facts/Pong/r2IxJtsq">Pong</a> gave rise to a number of competitors to the growing arcade game market. The competition along with other missteps by Atari led to financial problems in 1974, though recovering by the end of the year.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> By 1975, Atari had released a <a href="/facts/Home_Pong/r2IxJtsq">Pong home console</a>, competing against <a href="/facts/Magnavox/Xu9qxbIS">Magnavox</a>, the only other major producer of home consoles at the time. Atari engineers recognized, however, the limitation of custom <a href="/facts/Logic_programming/Xgh8lj3F">logic</a> integrated onto the circuit board, permanently confining the whole console to only one game.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a> The increasing competition increased the risk, as Atari had found with past arcade games and again with dedicated home consoles. Both platforms are built from integrating discrete electro-mechanical components into circuits, rather than programmed as on a <a href="/facts/Mainframe_computer/nrBR6rWa">mainframe computer</a>. Thus, development of a console had cost at least $100,000 (equivalent to about $584,000 in 2024) plus time to complete, but the final product only had about a three-month shelf life until becoming outdated by competition.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a>
By 1974, Atari had acquired <a href="/facts/Cyan_Engineering/yeeebJfs">Cyan Engineering</a>, a <a href="/facts/Grass_Valley%2c_California/XcLdmqXN">Grass Valley</a> electronics company founded by Steve Mayer and Larry Emmons, both former colleagues of Bushnell and Dabney from <a href="/facts/Ampex/xkhpGCzF">Ampex</a>, who helped to develop new ideas for Atari's arcade games. Even before the release of the home version of Pong, Cyan's engineers, led by Mayer and Ron Milner, had envisioned a home console powered by new programmable <a href="/facts/Microprocessor/Fx9CaQht">microprocessors</a> capable of playing Atari's current arcade offerings. The programmable microprocessors would make a console's design significantly simpler and more powerful than any dedicated single-game unit.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a> However, the cost $100–300 of such chips was far outside the range that their market would tolerate.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a> Atari had opened negotiations to use Motorola's new <a href="/facts/Motorola_6800/0D4BNIha">6800</a> in future systems.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a>

<h3>MOS Technology 6502/6507</h3>
In September 1975, <a href="/facts/MOS_Technology/1eKsjBS1">MOS Technology</a> debuted the <a href="/facts/MOS_Technology_6502/q9YLwkzm">6502 microprocessor</a> for $25 at the Wescon trade show in San Francisco.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a> Mayer and Milner attended, and met with the leader of the team that created the chip, <a href="/facts/Chuck_Peddle/wfXrSj7r">Chuck Peddle</a>. They proposed using the 6502 in a game console, and offered to discuss it further at Cyan's facilities after the show.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a>
Over two days, MOS and Cyan engineers sketched out a 6502-based console design by Meyer and Milner's specifications.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a> Financial models showed that even at $25, the 6502 would be too expensive, and Peddle offered them a planned <a href="/facts/MOS_Technology_6507/5IJG6CYM">6507 microprocessor</a>, a cost-reduced version of the 6502, and MOS's <a href="/facts/MOS_Technology_6532/xrJPYz4p">RIOT</a> chip for <a href="/facts/Input%2foutput/WQTE8Jas">input/output</a>. Cyan and MOS negotiated the 6507 and RIOT chips at $12 a pair.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a> MOS also introduced Cyan to <a href="/facts/Microcomputer_Associates%2c_Incorporated/uJawNXeS">Microcomputer Associates</a>, who had separately developed debugging software and hardware for MOS, and had developed the JOLT Computer for testing the 6502, which Peddle suggested would be useful for Atari and Cyan to use while developing their system.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a> Milner was able to demonstrate a proof-of-concept for a programmable console by implementing <a href="/facts/Tank_(video_game)/95uRnGBe">Tank</a>, an arcade game by Atari's subsidiary <a href="/facts/Kee_Games/d74qcgAK">Kee Games</a>, on the JOLT.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a>
As part of the deal, Atari wanted a second source of the chipset. Peddle and Paivinen suggested <a href="/facts/Synertek/2972gk9f">Synertek</a> whose co-founder, Bob Schreiner, was a friend of Peddle.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a> In October 1975, Atari informed the market that it was moving forward with MOS. The Motorola sales team had already told its management that the Atari deal was finalized, and Motorola management was livid. They announced a lawsuit against MOS the next week.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19">19</a>

<h3>Building the system</h3>

By December 1975, Atari hired <a href="/facts/Joseph_C._Decuir/T6AyEcqN">Joe Decuir</a>, a recent graduate from <a href="/facts/University_of_California%2c_Berkeley/MXVEjklr">University of California, Berkeley</a> who had been doing his own testing on the 6502. Decuir began debugging the first prototype designed by Mayer and Milner, which gained the <a href="/facts/Codename/MRq0mo4b">codename</a> "Stella" after the brand of Decuir's bicycle. This prototype included a <a href="/facts/Breadboard/fokXRhUn">breadboard</a>-level design of the graphics interface to build upon.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20">20</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21">21</a> A second prototype was completed by March 1976 with the help of <a href="/facts/Jay_Miner/1ymLV9AQ">Jay Miner</a>, who created a chip called the <a href="/facts/Television_Interface_Adaptor/q9r5G6Qb">Television Interface Adaptor</a> (TIA) to send graphics and audio to a television.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22">22</a> The second prototype included a TIA, a 6507, and a <a href="/facts/ROM_cartridge/mWLcNez7">ROM cartridge</a> slot and adapter.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23">23</a>
As the TIA's design was refined, <a href="/facts/Al_Alcorn/zp7HVpjY">Al Alcorn</a> brought in Atari's game developers to provide input on features.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24">24</a> There are significant limitations in the 6507, the TIA, and other components, so the programmers creatively optimized their games to maximize the console.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25">25</a> The console lacks a <a href="/facts/Framebuffer/kr8I4mm3">framebuffer</a> and requires games to instruct the system to generate graphics in synchronization with the <a href="/facts/Electron_gun/l6nahAeW">electron gun</a> in the <a href="/facts/Cathode-ray_tube/8NVGx5C7">cathode-ray tube</a> (CRT) as it scans across rows on the screen. The programmers found ways to "race the beam" to perform other functions while the electron gun scans outside of the visible screen.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26">26</a>
Alongside the electronics development, Bushnell brought in Gene Landrum, a consultant who had just prior consulted for <a href="/facts/Fairchild_Camera_and_Instrument/X7AfnP76">Fairchild Camera and Instrument</a> for its upcoming <a href="/facts/Fairchild_Channel_F/Bzo9Guun">Channel F</a>, to determine the consumer requirements for the console. In his final report, Landrum suggested a living room aesthetic, with a <a href="/facts/Wood_grain/yyPhv8oP">wood grain</a> finish, and the cartridges must be "idiot proof, child proof and effective in resisting potential static [electricity] problems in a living room environment". Landrum recommended it include four to five dedicated games in addition to the cartridges, but this was dropped in the final designs.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27">27</a> The cartridge design was done by James Asher and Douglas Hardy. Hardy had been an engineer for Fairchild and helped in the initial design of the Channel F cartridges, but he quit to join Atari in 1976. The interior of the cartridge that Asher and Hardy designed was sufficiently different to avoid patent conflicts, but the exterior components were directly influenced by the Channel F to help work around the static electricity concerns.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28">28</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29">29</a>
Atari was still recovering from its 1974 financial woes and needed additional capital to fully enter the home console market, though Bushnell was wary of being beholden to outside financial sources.> Atari obtained smaller investments through 1975, but not at the scale it needed, and began considering a sale to a larger firm by early 1976. Atari was introduced to <a href="/facts/Warner_Communications/MvXvu3lU">Warner Communications</a>, which saw the potential for the growing video game industry to help offset declining profits from its film and music divisions. Negotiations took place during 1976, during which Atari cleared itself of liabilities, including settling a patent infringement lawsuit with <a href="/facts/Magnavox/Xu9qxbIS">Magnavox</a> over <a href="/facts/Ralph_H._Baer/u9mPbWjV">Ralph H. Baer</a>'s patents that were the basis for the <a href="/facts/Magnavox_Odyssey/59I9yY0X">Magnavox Odyssey</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30">30</a> In mid-1976, Fairchild announced the Channel F, planned for release later that year, beating Atari to the market.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:31" href="#fn:31">31</a>
By October 1976, Warner and Atari agreed to the purchase of Atari for $28 million.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:32" href="#fn:32">32</a> Warner provided an estimated $120 million which was enough to fast-track Stella.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:33" href="#fn:33">33</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:34" href="#fn:34">34</a> By 1977, development had advanced enough to brand it the "Atari Video Computer System" (VCS) and start developing games.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:35" href="#fn:35">35</a>

<h3>Launch and success</h3>

The unit was showcased on June 4, 1977, at the Summer <a href="/facts/Consumer_Electronics_Show/JUmN49Fl">Consumer Electronics Show</a> with plans for retail release in October. The announcement was purportedly delayed to wait out the terms of the Magnavox patent lawsuit settlement, which would have given Magnavox all technical information on any of Atari's products announced between June 1, 1976, and June 1, 1977.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:36" href="#fn:36">36</a> However, Atari encountered production problems during its first batch, and its testing was complicated by the use of cartridges.

The Atari VCS was launched in September 1977 at $199 (equivalent to about $1,030 in 2024), with two joysticks and a <a href="/facts/Combat_(video_game)/MVKjpVvd">Combat</a> cartridge; eight additional games were sold separately.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:37" href="#fn:37">37</a> Most of the <a href="/facts/Launch_games/KvCvXrMA">launch games</a> were based on arcade games developed by Atari or its subsidiary <a href="/facts/Kee_Games/d74qcgAK">Kee Games</a>: for example, Combat was based on Kee's <a href="/facts/Tank_(video_game)/95uRnGBe">Tank</a> (1974) and Atari's <a href="/facts/Jet_Fighter_(video_game)/zIH2KKtq">Jet Fighter</a> (1975).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:38" href="#fn:38">38</a> Atari sold between 350,000 and 400,000 Atari VCS units during 1977, attributed to the delay in shipping the units and consumers' unfamiliarity with a swappable-cartridge console that is not dedicated to only one game.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:39" href="#fn:39">39</a>
In 1978, Atari sold only 550,000 of the 800,000 systems manufactured. This required further financial support from Warner to cover losses.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:40" href="#fn:40">40</a> Bushnell pushed the Warner Board of Directors to start working on "Stella 2", as he grew concerned that rising competition and aging tech specs of the VCS would render the console obsolete. However, the board stayed committed to the VCS and ignored Bushnell's advice, leading to his departure from Atari in 1979. Atari sold about 600,000 VCS systems in 1979, bringing the installed base to a little over 1.3 million.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:41" href="#fn:41">41</a>
Atari obtained a license from <a href="/facts/Taito/jwfCHr1o">Taito</a> to develop a VCS conversion of its 1978 arcade hit <a href="/facts/Space_Invaders/A4R9djwo">Space Invaders</a>. This is the first officially licensed arcade conversion for a home console.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:42" href="#fn:42">42</a> Atari sold 1.25 million Space Invaders cartridges and over 1 million VCS systems in 1980, nearly doubling the install base to over 2 million, and then an estimated 3.1 million VCS systems in 1981.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:43" href="#fn:43">43</a> By 1982, 10 million consoles had been sold in the United States, while its best-selling game was <a href="/facts/Pac-Man_(Atari_2600_video_game)/b6bKh1xr">Pac-Man</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:44" href="#fn:44">44</a> at over 8 million copies sold by 1990.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:45" href="#fn:45">45</a> Pac-Man propelled worldwide Atari VCS sales to 12 million units during 1982, according to a November 1983 article in <a href="/facts/InfoWorld/EJ0zA8FV">InfoWorld</a> magazine.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:46" href="#fn:46">46</a> An August 1984 <a href="/facts/InfoWorld/EJ0zA8FV">InfoWorld</a> magazine article says more than 15 million Atari 2600 machines were sold by 1982.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:47" href="#fn:47">47</a> A March 1983 article in <a href="/facts/IEEE_Spectrum/tmbdcCq5">IEEE Spectrum</a> magazine has about 3 million VCS sales in 1981, about 5.5 million in 1982, as well as a total of over 12 million VCS systems and an estimated 120 million cartridges sold.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:48" href="#fn:48">48</a>
In Europe, the Atari VCS sold 125,000 units in <a href="/facts/Video_games_in_the_United_Kingdom/yV9WVTCu">the United Kingdom</a> during 1980,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:49" href="#fn:49">49</a> and 450,000 in <a href="/facts/West_Germany/oCydk787">West Germany</a> by 1984.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:50" href="#fn:50">50</a> In France, where the VCS released in 1982, the system sold 600,000 units by 1989.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:51" href="#fn:51">51</a> The console was distributed by <a href="/facts/Epoch_Co./1D6zhVjx">Epoch Co.</a> in Japan in 1979 under the name "Cassette TV Game", but did not sell as well as Epoch's own Cassette Vision system in 1981.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:52" href="#fn:52">52</a>
In 1982, Atari launched its second programmable console, the <a href="/facts/Atari_5200/QlQbxMEx">Atari 5200</a>. To standardize naming, the VCS was renamed to the "Atari 2600 Video Computer System", or "Atari 2600", derived from the manufacture part number CX2600.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:53" href="#fn:53">53</a> By 1982, the 2600 cost Atari about $40 to make and was sold for an average of $125 (equivalent to $410 in 2024). The company spent $4.50 to $6 to manufacture each cartridge, plus $1 to $2 for advertising, wholesaling for $18.95 (equivalent to $60 in 2024).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:54" href="#fn:54">54</a>

<h3>Third-party development</h3>
<a href="/facts/Activision/NmDDD1wW">Activision</a>, formed by Crane, Whitehead, and Miller in 1979, started developing third-party VCS games using their knowledge of VCS design and programming tricks and began releasing games in 1980. <a href="/facts/Kaboom!_(video_game)/cEwbUNPC">Kaboom!</a> (1981) and Pitfall! (1982) are among the most successful with at least one and four million copies sold, respectively.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:55" href="#fn:55">55</a> In 1980, Atari attempted to block the sale of the Activision cartridges, accusing the four of intellectual property infringement. The two companies settled out of court, with Activision agreeing to pay Atari a licensing fee for their games. This made Activision the first third-party video game developer and established the licensing model that continues to be used by console manufacturers for game development.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:56" href="#fn:56">56</a>
Activision's success led to the establishment of other third-party VCS game developers following Activision's model in the early 1980s,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:57" href="#fn:57">57</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:58" href="#fn:58">58</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:59" href="#fn:59">59</a> including <a href="/facts/U.S._Games/NP41BngC">U.S. Games</a>, <a href="/facts/Telesys/mxyjSrxq">Telesys</a>, <a href="/facts/Games_by_Apollo/jnxBwqka">Games by Apollo</a>, <a href="/facts/Data_Age/rXazTMyx">Data Age</a>, <a href="/facts/Zimag/xT05uKT3">Zimag</a>, <a href="/facts/Mystique_(company)/j5AYGtY1">Mystique</a>, and <a href="/facts/CommaVid/QVrzYCor">CommaVid</a>. The founding of <a href="/facts/Imagic/FtUtVLsI">Imagic</a> included ex-Atari programmers. Mattel and Coleco, each already producing its own more advanced console, created simplified versions of their existing games for the 2600. Mattel used the <a href="/facts/M_Network/9qEE69jb">M Network</a> brand name for its cartridges. Third-party games accounted for half of VCS game sales by 1982.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:60" href="#fn:60">60</a>

<h3>Decline and redesign</h3>
In addition to third-party game development, Atari also received the first major threat to its hardware dominance from the ColecoVision. Coleco had a license from <a href="/facts/Nintendo/dMrLpaHu">Nintendo</a> to develop a version of the arcade game <a href="/facts/Donkey_Kong_(1981_video_game)/C6LxVrLl">Donkey Kong</a> (1981), which was bundled with every ColecoVision console. Coleco gained about 17% of the hardware market in 1982 compared to Atari's 58%.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:61" href="#fn:61">61</a> With third parties competing for market share, Atari worked to maintain dominance in the market by acquiring licenses for popular arcade games and other properties to make games from. Pac-Man has numerous technical and aesthetic flaws, but nevertheless more than 7 million copies were sold. Heading into the 1982 <a href="/facts/Economics_of_Christmas/akb2FpCj">holiday shopping</a> season, Atari had placed high sales expectations on <a href="/facts/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial_(video_game)/oIWX9UFM">E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial</a>, a game programmed in about six weeks. Atari produced an estimated four million cartridges,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:62" href="#fn:62">62</a> but the game was poorly reviewed, and only about 1.5 million units were sold.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:63" href="#fn:63">63</a>
Warner Communications issued revised earnings guidance in December 1982 to its shareholders, having expected a 50% year-to-year growth but now only expecting 10–15% due to declining sales at Atari.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:64" href="#fn:64">64</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:65" href="#fn:65">65</a> Coupled with the oversaturated home game market, Atari's weakened position led investors to start pulling funds out of video games, beginning a cascade of disastrous effects known as the <a href="/facts/Video_game_crash_of_1983/dvAcwzmf">video game crash of 1983</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:66" href="#fn:66">66</a> Many of the third-party developers formed prior to 1983 were closed, and Mattel and Coleco left the video game market by 1985.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:67" href="#fn:67">67</a>
In September 1983, Atari sent 14 truckloads of unsold Atari 2600 cartridges and other equipment to a landfill in the New Mexico desert, later labeled the <a href="/facts/Atari_video_game_burial/KM1n5MoC">Atari video game burial</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:68" href="#fn:68">68</a> Long considered an <a href="/facts/Urban_legend/zBubH9kG">urban legend</a> that claimed the burial contained millions of unsold cartridges, the site was excavated in 2014, confirming reports from former Atari executives that only about 700,000 cartridges had actually been buried.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:69" href="#fn:69">69</a> Atari reported a $536 million loss for 1983 as a whole,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:70" href="#fn:70">70</a>: ch14  and continued to lose money into 1984, with a $425 million loss reported in the second quarter.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:71" href="#fn:71">71</a> By mid-1984, software development for the 2600 had essentially stopped except that of Atari and Activision.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:72" href="#fn:72">72</a>
Warner, wary of supporting its failing Atari division, started looking for buyers in 1984. Warner sold most of the assets of Atari's counsumer electronics and home computer divisions to <a href="/facts/Jack_Tramiel/fstS777U">Jack Tramiel</a>, the founder of <a href="/facts/Commodore_International/SlfXKbCN">Commodore International</a>, in July 1984 in a deal valued at $240 million, though Warner retained Atari's arcade business. Tramiel was a proponent of <a href="/facts/Personal_computer/koaYfNce">personal computers</a>, and halted all new 2600 game development soon after the sale.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:73" href="#fn:73">73</a>
The North American video game market did not recover until about 1986, after <a href="/facts/Nintendo/dMrLpaHu">Nintendo</a>'s <a href="/facts/History_of_the_Nintendo_Entertainment_System/qz9casg7">1985 launch</a> of the <a href="/facts/Nintendo_Entertainment_System/YD59GCQQ">Nintendo Entertainment System</a> in North America. <a href="/facts/Atari_Corporation/xEQfvRP7">Atari Corporation</a> released a redesigned model of the 2600 in 1986, supported by an ad campaign touting a price of "under 50 bucks".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:74" href="#fn:74">74</a> With a large library of cartridges and a low price point, the 2600 continued to sell into the late 1980s. Atari released the last batch of games in 1989–90 including <a href="/facts/Secret_Quest/1hFxj2RY">Secret Quest</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:75" href="#fn:75">75</a> and Fatal Run.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:76" href="#fn:76">76</a> By 1986, over 20 million Atari VCS units had been sold worldwide.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:77" href="#fn:77">77</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:78" href="#fn:78">78</a> The final Atari-licensed release is the PAL-only version of the arcade game <a href="/facts/Klax_(video_game)/vIm1EkY4">KLAX</a> in 1990.
After more than 14 years on the market, 2600 production ended in 1992,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:79" href="#fn:79">79</a> along with the <a href="/facts/Atari_7800/3ePkUWxo">Atari 7800</a> and <a href="/facts/Atari_8-bit_computers/aT04N5zR">Atari 8-bit computers</a>. Despite this fact, Atari continued sales in Europe for years to come. It cost less than £39.99 and was mainly distributed through mail order chains. In 1991, 200,000 units were sold on the continent and in it was a bestseller at <a href="/facts/Littlewoods/Dg1sBSRE">Littlewoods</a> stores in UK.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:80" href="#fn:80">80</a> After the fall of communism, Atari attempted to legally introduce the Atari 2600 and 7800 to the former Eastern Bloc countries, with small price being main advantage of the system, but Atari was defeated by even more cheaper and easily available clones called "Rambo TV Game 2600" (advertised with the 1982 movie character <a href="/facts/First_Blood/8nFU0YlC">Rambo</a> played by <a href="/facts/Sylvester_Stallone/SBUezs8T">Sylvester Stallone</a>), containing up to several hundred built-in games.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:81" href="#fn:81">81</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:82" href="#fn:82">82</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:83" href="#fn:83">83</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:84" href="#fn:84">84</a> In Western Europe, last stocks of the 2600 and 7800 were sold until Summer/Fall of 1995.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:85" href="#fn:85">85</a>

<h2 id="hardware">Hardware</h2>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Atari_2600_hardware/fPmH7Lt6">Atari 2600 hardware</a>
The Atari 2600's CPU is the <a href="/facts/MOS_Technology_6507/5IJG6CYM">MOS Technology 6507</a>, a version of the <a href="/facts/MOS_Technology_6502/q9YLwkzm">6502</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:86" href="#fn:86">86</a> running at 1.19 <a href="/facts/Megahertz/6Wshj5qm">MHz</a> in the 2600.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:87" href="#fn:87">87</a> Though their internal silicon was identical, the 6507 was cheaper than the 6502 because its package included fewer <a href="/facts/Memory_address/7EsUmbea">memory-address</a> pins—13 instead of 16.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:88" href="#fn:88">88</a> The designers of the Atari 2600 selected an inexpensive cartridge interface<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:89" href="#fn:89">89</a> that has one fewer address pins than the 13 allowed by the 6507, further reducing the already limited addressable memory from 8 KB (213 = 8,192) to 4 KB (212 = 4,096). This was believed to be sufficient as <a href="/facts/Combat_(video_game)/MVKjpVvd">Combat</a> was only 2 KB.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:90" href="#fn:90">90</a> Later games circumvented this limitation with <a href="/facts/Bank_switching/9y09qE2k">bank switching</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:91" href="#fn:91">91</a>
The console has 128 <a href="/facts/Byte/BNHUp9Qq">bytes</a> of <a href="/facts/Random-access_memory/DuD4bxh6">RAM</a> for scratch space, the <a href="/facts/Call_stack/1sMt713v">call stack</a>, and the state of the game environment.
The top bezel of the console originally had six switches: power, TV type selection (color or black-and-white), game selection, left and right player difficulty, and game reset. The difficulty switches were moved to the back of the bezel in later versions of the console. The back bezel also included the controller ports, TV output, and power input.

<h3>Graphics</h3>
Main article: <a href="/facts/Television_Interface_Adaptor/q9r5G6Qb">Television Interface Adaptor</a>

The Atari 2600 was designed to be compatible with the <a href="/facts/Cathode-ray_tube/8NVGx5C7">cathode-ray tube</a> television sets produced in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which commonly lack auxiliary video inputs to receive audio and video from another device. Therefore, to connect to a TV, the console generates a <a href="/facts/Radio_frequency/aWku7h4R">radio frequency</a> signal compatible with the regional television standards (<a href="/facts/NTSC/HYWIvxCR">NTSC</a>, <a href="/facts/PAL/mRJsqVPG">PAL</a>, or <a href="/facts/SECAM/vexpud7W">SECAM</a>), using a special switch box to act as the television's antenna.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:92" href="#fn:92">92</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:93" href="#fn:93">93</a>
Atari developed the <a href="/facts/Television_Interface_Adaptor/q9r5G6Qb">Television Interface Adaptor</a> (TIA) chip in the VCS to handle the graphics and conversion to a television signal. It provides a single-color, 20-bit background register that covers the left half of the screen (each bit represents 4 adjacent pixels) and is either repeated or reflected on the right side. There are 5 single-color <a href="/facts/Sprite_(computer_graphics)/qLHf8V8e">sprites</a>: two 8-pixel wide players; two 1 bit missiles, which share the same colors as the players; and a 1-pixel ball, which shares the background color. The 1-bit sprites all can be controlled to stretch to 1, 2, 4, or 8 pixels.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:94" href="#fn:94">94</a>
The system was designed without a <a href="/facts/Frame_buffer/kr8I4mm3">frame buffer</a> to avoid the cost of the associated <a href="/facts/Random-access_memory/DuD4bxh6">RAM</a>. The background and <a href="/facts/Sprite_(computer_graphics)/qLHf8V8e">sprites</a> apply to a single <a href="/facts/Scan_line/3JEKoDRr">scan line</a>, and as the display is output to the television, the program can change colors, sprite positions, and background settings. The careful timing required to sync the code to the screen on the part of the programmer was labeled "<a href="/facts/Racing_the_beam/6plqadL2">racing the beam</a>"; the actual game logic runs when the television beam is outside of the visible area of the screen.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:95" href="#fn:95">95</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:96" href="#fn:96">96</a> Early games for the system use the same visuals for pairs of scan lines, giving a lower vertical resolution, to allow more time for the next row of graphics to be prepared. Later games, such as Pitfall!, change the visuals for each scan line or extend the black areas around the screen to extend the game code's processing time.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:97" href="#fn:97">97</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:98" href="#fn:98">98</a>
Regional releases of the Atari 2600 use modified <a href="/facts/Television_Interface_Adaptor/q9r5G6Qb">TIA</a> chips for each region's television formats, which require games to be developed and published separately for each region. All modes are 160 pixels wide. <a href="/facts/NTSC/HYWIvxCR">NTSC</a> mode provides 192 visible lines per screen, drawn at 60 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">Hz</a>, with 16 colors, each at 8 levels of brightness. <a href="/facts/PAL/mRJsqVPG">PAL</a> mode provides more vertical scanlines, with 228 visible lines per screen, but drawn at 50 Hz and only 13 colors. <a href="/facts/SECAM/vexpud7W">SECAM</a> mode, also a 50 <a href="/facts/Hertz/6Wshj5qm">Hz</a> format, is limited to 8 colors, each with only a single brightness level.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:99" href="#fn:99">99</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:100" href="#fn:100">100</a>

<h3>Controllers</h3>

The first VCS bundle has two types of controllers: a joystick (part number CX10) and pair of rotary <a href="/facts/Paddle_(game_controller)/dLUxdY1C">paddle controllers</a> (CX30). Driving controllers, which are similar to paddle controllers but can be continuously rotated, shipped with the <a href="/facts/Indy_500_(1977_video_game)/QGE9wLpo">Indy 500</a> launch game. After less than a year, the CX10 joystick was replaced with the CX40 model<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:101" href="#fn:101">101</a> designed by James C. Asher.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:102" href="#fn:102">102</a> Because the <a href="/facts/Atari_joystick_port/4gy5XT3h">Atari joystick port</a> and <a href="/facts/Atari_CX40_joystick/U7wsRCRh">CX40 joystick</a> became industry standards, 2600 joysticks and some other peripherals work with later systems, including the <a href="/facts/MSX/mthwra8a">MSX</a>, <a href="/facts/Commodore_64/3TPcKDbb">Commodore 64</a>, <a href="/facts/Amiga/60B3A9of">Amiga</a>, <a href="/facts/Atari_8-bit_computers/aT04N5zR">Atari 8-bit computers</a>, and <a href="/facts/Atari_ST/9GsYSlaM">Atari ST</a>. The CX40 joystick can be used with the <a href="/facts/Master_System/7zW0dMIG">Master System</a> and <a href="/facts/Sega_Genesis/7GuPYDhM">Sega Genesis</a>, but does not provide all the buttons of a native controller. Third-party controllers include Wico's Command Control joystick.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:103" href="#fn:103">103</a> Later, the CX42 Remote Control Joysticks, similar in appearance but using wireless technology, were released, together with a receiver whose wires could be inserted in the controller jacks.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:104" href="#fn:104">104</a>
Atari introduced the CX50 Keyboard Controller in June 1978 along with two games that require it: Codebreaker and Hunt & Score.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:105" href="#fn:105">105</a> The similar, but simpler, CX23 Kid's Controller was released later for a series of games aimed at a younger audience.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:106" href="#fn:106">106</a> The CX22 Trak-Ball controller was announced in January 1983 and is compatible with the Atari 8-bit computers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:107" href="#fn:107">107</a>
There were two attempts to turn the Atari 2600 into a keyboard-equipped <a href="/facts/Home_computer/CDEPVd1T">home computer</a>: Atari's never-released CX3000 "Graduate" keyboard,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:108" href="#fn:108">108</a> and the <a href="/facts/CompuMate/2LFJjVt7">CompuMate</a> keyboard by <a href="/facts/Spectravideo/xoUYuR84">Spectravideo</a> which was released in 1983.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:109" href="#fn:109">109</a>

<h2 id="console-models">Console models</h2>

<h3>Minor revisions</h3>
The initial production of the VCS was made in Sunnyvale during 1977, using thick <a href="/facts/Polystyrene/dfIVntty">polystyrene</a> plastic for the casing as to give the impression of weight from what was mostly an empty shell inside.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:110" href="#fn:110">110</a> The initial Sunnyvale batch had also included potential mounts for an internal speaker system on the casing, though the speakers were found to be too expensive to include; instead sound was routed through the TIA to the connected television.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:111" href="#fn:111">111</a> All six console switches were mounted on the front panel. Production of the unit was moved to Taiwan in 1978, where a less thick internal metal shielding was used and thinner plastic was used for the casing, reducing the system's weight. These two versions are commonly referred to as "Heavy Sixers" and "Light Sixers" respectively, referencing the six front switches.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:112" href="#fn:112">112</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:113" href="#fn:113">113</a>
In 1980, the difficulty switches were moved to the back of the console, leaving four switches on the front and replacing the previous all lowercase font for the switch labels to fully capitalized wording. Otherwise, these four-switch consoles look nearly identical to the earlier six-switch models. In 1982, to coincide with the release of the Atari 5200, Atari rebranded the console as the "Atari 2600", a name first used on a version of the four-switch model without woodgrain, giving it an all-black appearance. This all-black model is commonly referred to by fans as the "Vader" model, due to its resemblance to <a href="/facts/Darth_Vader/gy1XBNa9">the Star Wars character</a> of the same name.

<h3>Sears Video Arcade </h3>
Atari continued its <a href="/facts/Original_equipment_manufacturer/hmUhIWaS">OEM</a> relationship with <a href="/facts/Sears/cFEFwARE">Sears</a> under the latter's Tele-Games brand, which started in 1975 with the original <a href="/facts/Pong/r2IxJtsq">Pong</a>. This is unrelated to the company <a href="/facts/Telegames/KmSJbNy1">Telegames</a>, which later produced 2600 cartridges.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:114" href="#fn:114">114</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:115" href="#fn:115">115</a> Sears released several models of the VCS as the Sears Video Arcade series starting in 1977. The final Sears-specific model was the Video Arcade II, released during the fall of 1982.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:116" href="#fn:116">116</a>
Sears released versions of Atari's games with Tele-Games branding, usually with different titles.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:117" href="#fn:117">117</a> Three games were produced by Atari for Sears as exclusive releases: <a href="/facts/Steeplechase_(video_game)/rWCI2kj4">Steeplechase</a>, <a href="/facts/Stellar_Track/pnQTW71J">Stellar Track</a>, and <a href="/facts/Submarine_Commander_(Atari_2600)/pN1FXYIB">Submarine Commander</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:118" href="#fn:118">118</a>

<h3>Atari 2800 </h3>
The Atari 2800 is the Japanese version of the 2600 released in October 1983. It is the first Japan-specific release of a 2600, though companies like <a href="/facts/Epoch_Co./1D6zhVjx">Epoch</a> had distributed the 2600 in Japan previously. The 2800 was released a short time after <a href="/facts/Nintendo/dMrLpaHu">Nintendo</a>'s <a href="/facts/Nintendo_Entertainment_System/YD59GCQQ">Family Computer</a> (which became the dominant console in Japan), and it did not gain a significant share of the market. Sears previously released the 2800 in the US during late 1982 as the Sears Video Arcade II, which came packaged with two controllers and Space Invaders.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:119" href="#fn:119">119</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:120" href="#fn:120">120</a> Around 30 specially branded games were released for the 2800.
Designed by engineer Joe Tilly, the 2800 has four controller ports instead of the two of the 2600. The controllers are an all-in one design using a combination of an 8-direction digital <a href="/facts/Joystick/cY64dGpb">joystick</a> and a 270-degree <a href="/facts/Paddle_(game_controller)/dLUxdY1C">paddle</a>, designed by John Amber.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:121" href="#fn:121">121</a> The 2800's case design departed from the 2600, using a wedge shape with non-protruding switches. The case style is the basis for the <a href="/facts/Atari_7800/3ePkUWxo">Atari 7800</a>, which was redesigned for the 7800 by Barney Huang.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:122" href="#fn:122">122</a>

<h3>1986 model</h3>
The cost-reduced 1986 model, sometimes referred to as the "2600 Jr.", has a smaller form factor with an <a href="/facts/Atari_7800/3ePkUWxo">Atari 7800</a>-like appearance. It was advertised as a budget gaming system (under $50) with the ability to run a large collection of games.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:123" href="#fn:123">123</a> Released after the video game crash of 1983, and after the <a href="/facts/History_of_the_Nintendo_Entertainment_System/qz9casg7">North American launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System</a>, the 2600 was supported with new games and television commercials promoting "The fun is back!". Atari released several minor stylistic variations: the "large rainbow" (shown), "short rainbow", and an all-black version sold only in Ireland.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:124" href="#fn:124">124</a> Later European versions include a joypad.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:125" href="#fn:125">125</a>

<h3>Unreleased prototypes</h3>
The <a href="/facts/Atari_2700/Ts2kT4P4">Atari 2700</a> was a version of the 2600 with wireless controllers.
The CX2000, with integrated joystick controllers, was a redesign based on human factor analysis by <a href="/facts/Henry_Dreyfuss_Associates/C8vaFulP">Henry Dreyfuss Associates</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:126" href="#fn:126">126</a>
The circa-1982 Atari 3200 was a backwards compatible 2600 successor with "more memory, higher resolution graphics and improved sound".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:127" href="#fn:127">127</a>

<h3>Related hardware and recreations</h3>
The <a href="/facts/Atari_7800/3ePkUWxo">Atari 7800</a>, announced in 1984 and released in 1986, is the official successor to the Atari 2600 and is backward compatible with 2600 cartridges.
Multiple <a href="/facts/List_of_retro_style_video_game_consoles/EhjcY9Bx">retro-style consoles</a> and <a href="/facts/Microconsoles/X3v1NJt8">microconsoles</a> have been released since the lifespan of the original Atari 2600:

<ul><li>The <a href="/facts/TV_Boy/haJ9uYuy">TV Boy</a> includes 127 games in an enlarged joypad.</li>
<li>The <a href="/facts/Atari_Joystick_Controller_TV_Video_Game_System/8s5duftF">Atari Classics 10-in-1 TV Game</a>, manufactured by <a href="/facts/Jakks_Pacific/qxoKsmAI">Jakks Pacific</a>, <a href="/facts/Video_game_console_emulator/lps69Dn3">emulates</a> the 2600 with ten games inside an Atari-style joystick with <a href="/facts/Composite_video/FIsE6mBz">composite-video</a> output.</li>
<li>The <a href="/facts/Atari_Flashback_2/BHMkSoEg">Atari Flashback 2</a> (2005) contains 40 games, with four additional programs unlocked by a <a href="/facts/Cheat_code/McF24v1F">cheat code</a>. It uses a recreated chip based on original 2600 hardware, and is compatible with original 2600 controllers. It can be modified to play original 2600 cartridges.</li>
<li>In 2017, <a href="/facts/Hyperkin/5F5HCoS2">Hyperkin</a> announced the <a href="/facts/RetroN/kBGCQjjU">RetroN</a> 77, a clone of the Atari 2600 that plays original cartridges instead of preinstalled games.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:128" href="#fn:128">128</a></li>
<li>The <a href="/facts/Atari_VCS_(2021_console)/sl9ySzod">Atari VCS (2021 console)</a> can download and emulate 2600 games via an online store.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:129" href="#fn:129">129</a></li>
<li>The <a href="/facts/Atari_Flashback_series/BHMkSoEg">Atari Flashback 12 Gold</a> (2023) contains 130 games built-in.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:130" href="#fn:130">130</a></li>
<li>The <a href="/facts/Atari_2600%252B/IsCsg2m8">Atari 2600+</a> (2023) is a replica of the 2600 and is 20% smaller. The 2600+ includes support for original Atari 2600 and 7800 cartridges.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:131" href="#fn:131">131</a></li>
<li>The Atari 7800+ (2024) is a smaller replica of the <a href="/facts/Atari_7800/3ePkUWxo">Atari 7800</a>. It has similar features to the Atari 2600+, but its exterior encasing design pays homage to the Atari 7800.</li></ul>
<h2 id="games">Games</h2>
Main article: <a href="/facts/List_of_Atari_2600_games/YTqsWJBJ">List of Atari 2600 games</a>
See also: <a href="/facts/List_of_best-selling_Atari_2600_video_games/2NF2quVr">List of best-selling Atari 2600 video games</a>
In 1977, nine games were released on cartridge to accompany the launch of the console: <a href="/facts/Air-Sea_Battle/vpupXKwU">Air-Sea Battle</a>, <a href="/facts/Basic_Math_(video_game)/Xp9le1d8">Basic Math</a>, <a href="/facts/Blackjack_(Atari_2600)/14uT5cBw">Blackjack</a>, <a href="/facts/Combat_(video_game)/MVKjpVvd">Combat</a>, <a href="/facts/Indy_500_(1977_video_game)/QGE9wLpo">Indy 500</a>, <a href="/facts/Star_Ship/6Velgn6g">Star Ship</a>, <a href="/facts/Street_Racer_(1977_video_game)/BoB6xbv3">Street Racer</a>, <a href="/facts/Surround_(video_game)/V8lL9f0M">Surround</a>, and <a href="/facts/Video_Olympics/n52kPhds">Video Olympics</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:132" href="#fn:132">132</a> Indy 500 shipped with special "driving controllers", which are like paddles but rotate freely. Street Racer and Video Olympics use the standard paddle controllers. Atari, Inc. was the only developer for the first few years, releasing dozens of games.

Atari determined that box art featuring only descriptions of the game and screenshots would not be sufficient to sell games in retail stores, since most games were based on abstract principles and screenshots give little information. Atari outsourced box art to Cliff Spohn, who created visually interesting artwork with implications of dynamic movement intended to engage the player's imagination while staying true to the gameplay. Spohn's style became a standard for Atari when bringing in assistant artists, including Susan Jaekel, Rick Guidice, John Enright, and Steve Hendricks.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:133" href="#fn:133">133</a> Spohn and Hendricks were the largest contributors to the covers in the Atari 2600 library. <a href="/facts/Ralph_McQuarrie/6Eg2BtNl">Ralph McQuarrie</a>, a concept artist on the <a href="/facts/Star_Wars/9Y5j3IPP">Star Wars</a> series, was commissioned for one cover, the arcade conversion of <a href="/facts/Vanguard_(video_game)/F34SrtCT">Vanguard</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:134" href="#fn:134">134</a> These artists generally conferred with the programmer to learn about the game before drawing the art.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:135" href="#fn:135">135</a>
An Atari VCS port of the <a href="/facts/Breakout_(video_game)/4G7LJqCF">Breakout</a> arcade game appeared in 1978. The original is in black and white with a colored overlay, and the home version is in color. In 1980, Atari released <a href="/facts/Adventure_(1980_video_game)/I87mwx04">Adventure</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:136" href="#fn:136">136</a> the first <a href="/facts/Action-adventure_game/djec9lIK">action-adventure game</a>, and the first home game with a hidden <a href="/facts/Easter_egg_(media)/PCgPa56G">Easter egg</a>.
Rick Maurer's port of Taito's Space Invaders, released in 1980, was the first VCS game to sell a million copies—eventually doubling that<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:137" href="#fn:137">137</a> within a year<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:138" href="#fn:138">138</a> and totaling more than 6 million cartridges by 1983.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:139" href="#fn:139">139</a> It became the <a href="/facts/Killer_application/fq6sMeHI">killer app</a> to drive console sales. Versions of Atari's own <a href="/facts/Asteroids_(video_game)/KVS49vQg">Asteroids</a> and <a href="/facts/Missile_Command/gJHp202n">Missile Command</a> arcade games, released in 1981, were also major hits.
Launch games use 2K ROMs. 4K eventually became standard with games such as Space Invaders.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:140" href="#fn:140">140</a> The VCS port of Asteroids (1981) was the first game for the system to use 8K via a <a href="/facts/Bank_switching/9y09qE2k">bank switching</a> technique between two 4K segments.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:141" href="#fn:141">141</a> Some games including Atari's ports of <a href="/facts/Dig_Dug/19jo0w1V">Dig Dug</a> and <a href="/facts/Crystal_Castles_(video_game)/5rv8BFkq">Crystal Castles</a>, are 16K cartridges.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:142" href="#fn:142">142</a> One of the final games, <a href="/facts/Fatal_Run/JDJjxEqH">Fatal Run</a> (1990), doubled this to 32K.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:143" href="#fn:143">143</a>
Many early VCS titles were able to display in both monochrome (black and white) and full color through the use of the "TV type" switch on the console. This allowed the VCS games to function on both monochrome and color televisions. However, beginning around the rebranding from "VCS" to "2600", support for black and white display modes diminished greatly, with most releases during this period only displaying in color and the TV type switch serving no function. Late releases such as <a href="/facts/Secret_Quest/1hFxj2RY">Secret Quest</a>, began using the TV type switch for gameplay functions, such as pausing.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:144" href="#fn:144">144</a>
Two Atari-published games, both from the system's peak in 1982, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:145" href="#fn:145">145</a> and Pac-Man,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:146" href="#fn:146">146</a> were rushed to market and are cited as factors in the video game crash of 1983.
A company named <a href="/facts/American_Multiple_Industries/j5AYGtY1">American Multiple Industries</a> produced a number of <a href="/facts/Pornography/1chvn1Xt">pornographic</a> games for the 2600 under the Mystique Presents Swedish Erotica label. The most notorious, <a href="/facts/Custer%2527s_Revenge/91xgoodg">Custer's Revenge</a>, was protested by women's and <a href="/facts/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States/lr8Qmd6N">Native American</a> groups<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:147" href="#fn:147">147</a> because it depicted <a href="/facts/George_Armstrong_Custer/IR5GS3Qz">General George Armstrong Custer</a> raping a bound Native American woman.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:148" href="#fn:148">148</a> Atari sued American Multiple Industries in court over the release of the game.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:149" href="#fn:149">149</a>

<h2 id="legacy">Legacy</h2>

The 2600 was so successful in the late 1970s and early 1980s that "Atari" was a synonym for the console in mainstream media and for video games in general.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:150" href="#fn:150">150</a> Jay Miner directed the creation of the successors to the 2600's TIA chip—<a href="/facts/CTIA_and_GTIA/jAR5L146">CTIA</a> and <a href="/facts/ANTIC/eL8gQp0H">ANTIC</a>—which are central to the <a href="/facts/Atari_8-bit_computers/aT04N5zR">Atari 8-bit computers</a> released in 1979 and later the <a href="/facts/Atari_5200/QlQbxMEx">Atari 5200</a> console.
The Atari 2600 was inducted into the <a href="/facts/National_Toy_Hall_of_Fame/hEQRDRbF">National Toy Hall of Fame</a> at <a href="/facts/The_Strong/tng8juHz">The Strong</a> in <a href="/facts/Rochester%2c_New_York/dfEIYtDu">Rochester, New York</a>, in 2007.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:151" href="#fn:151">151</a> In 2009, the Atari 2600 was named the number two console of all time by <a href="/facts/IGN/kNcWSmFY">IGN</a>, which cited its remarkable role behind both the first video game boom and the video game crash of 1983, and called it "the console that our entire industry is built upon".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:152" href="#fn:152">152</a>
In November 2021, the current incarnation of Atari announced three 2600 games to be published under "Atari XP" label: Yars' Return, Aquaventure, and Saboteur.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:153" href="#fn:153">153</a> These were previously included in Atari Flashback consoles.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:154" href="#fn:154">154</a>
A model of the Atari 2600 was released by <a href="/facts/Lego/NW95SLjY">Lego</a> in 2022.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:155" href="#fn:155">155</a> Included are the three games Asteroid, Centipede, and Adventure. Included is a minifigure with a bedroom designed from the 1980s.

<h2 id="notes">Notes</h2>

<h3>Citations</h3>

<h3>General bibliography</h3>
<ul><li>Tim Lapetino (2016). "Industrial Design". <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170912071135/http://artofatari.com/">Art of Atari</a>. Dynamite. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-1-5241-0103-9. Archived from <a href="http://www.artofatari.com/">the original</a> on September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.</li>
<li>Montfort, Nick & Bogost, Ian (2009). <a href="https://archive.org/details/racingbeamatariv00mont_656">Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System</a>. <a href="/facts/MIT_Press/eTerUM3c">MIT Press</a>. <a href="/facts/ISBN_(identifier)/15AdSPa9">ISBN</a> 978-0-262-01257-7.</li>
<li>Perry, Tekla; Wallich, Paul (March 1983). "Design case history: The Atari Video Computer System". <a href="/facts/IEEE_Spectrum/tmbdcCq5">IEEE Spectrum</a>.</li></ul>
<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Atari 2600.

<ul><li><a href="https://thedoteaters.com/?bitstory=console/vcs2600">A history of the Atari VCS/2600</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Inside-the-Atari-2600/">Inside the Atari 2600</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/2600menu/2600menu.htm">Hardware and prototypes</a> at the Atari Museum</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
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<li id="fn:2">"Image of box with Pac-Man sticker". Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2008. <a href="http://www.mr-atari.com/afbeeldingen/systems/2600pacmanblue.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.mr-atari.com/afbeeldingen/systems/2600pacmanblue.jpg</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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<li id="fn:12">Bagnall, Brian (2011). Commodore: A company on the edge. Variant Press. ISBN 978-0973864960. <a href="978-0973864960" target="_blank">978-0973864960</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:13">Decuir, Joe (July 2015). "Atari Video Computer System: Bring Entertainment Stories Home". IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine: 59–66. doi:10.1109/MCE.2015.2421572. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109%2FMCE.2015.2421572" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.1109%2FMCE.2015.2421572</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:14">Bagnall, Brian (2011). Commodore: A company on the edge. Variant Press. ISBN 978-0973864960. <a href="978-0973864960" target="_blank">978-0973864960</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:15">Oral History of Chuck Peddle. Computer History Museum X7180.2014 https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102739938 Archived June 11, 2021, at the Wayback Machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enHF9lMseP8 Archived June 11, 2021, at the Wayback Machine time index: 0:59:10 and 1:19:24 <a href="https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102739938" target="_blank">https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102739938</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:16">Goldberg, Marty; Vendel, Curt (2012). "Chapter 5". Atari Inc: Business is Fun. Sygyzy Press. ISBN 978-0985597405. <a href="978-0985597405" target="_blank">978-0985597405</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:17">Goldberg, Marty; Vendel, Curt (2012). "Chapter 5". Atari Inc: Business is Fun. Sygyzy Press. ISBN 978-0985597405. <a href="978-0985597405" target="_blank">978-0985597405</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:18">Goldberg, Marty (January 4, 2008). "The 2600 Story – Part I". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2018. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20131013220343/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=401" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20131013220343/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Detail&id=401</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:19">Bagnall, Brian (2011). Commodore: A company on the edge. Variant Press. ISBN 978-0973864960. <a href="978-0973864960" target="_blank">978-0973864960</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:20">Fulton, Steve (November 6, 2007). "The History of Atari: 1971–1977". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018. <a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130414/the_history_of_atari_19711977.php?print=1" target="_blank">https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130414/the_history_of_atari_19711977.php?print=1</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:21">Goldberg, Marty; Vendel, Curt (2012). "Chapter 5". Atari Inc: Business is Fun. Sygyzy Press. ISBN 978-0985597405. <a href="978-0985597405" target="_blank">978-0985597405</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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<li id="fn:23">Fulton, Steve (November 6, 2007). "The History of Atari: 1971–1977". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018. <a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130414/the_history_of_atari_19711977.php?print=1" target="_blank">https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130414/the_history_of_atari_19711977.php?print=1</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:24">Goldberg, Marty; Vendel, Curt (2012). "Chapter 5". Atari Inc: Business is Fun. Sygyzy Press. ISBN 978-0985597405. <a href="978-0985597405" target="_blank">978-0985597405</a> <a href="#fnref:24" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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<li id="fn:28">Goldberg, Marty; Vendel, Curt (2012). "Chapter 5". Atari Inc: Business is Fun. Sygyzy Press. ISBN 978-0985597405. <a href="978-0985597405" target="_blank">978-0985597405</a> <a href="#fnref:28" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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<li id="fn:30">Goldberg, Marty; Vendel, Curt (2012). "Chapter 5". Atari Inc: Business is Fun. Sygyzy Press. ISBN 978-0985597405. <a href="978-0985597405" target="_blank">978-0985597405</a> <a href="#fnref:30" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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<li id="fn:36">Goldberg, Marty; Vendel, Curt (2012). "Chapter 5". Atari Inc: Business is Fun. Sygyzy Press. ISBN 978-0985597405. <a href="978-0985597405" target="_blank">978-0985597405</a> <a href="#fnref:36" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:37">Forster, Winnie (2005). The encyclopedia of consoles, handhelds & home computers 1972–2005. GAMEPLAN. p. 27. ISBN 3-00-015359-4. <a href="3-00-015359-4" target="_blank">3-00-015359-4</a> <a href="#fnref:37" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:38">Fulton, Steve (November 6, 2007). "The History of Atari: 1971–1977". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018. <a href="https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130414/the_history_of_atari_19711977.php?print=1" target="_blank">https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130414/the_history_of_atari_19711977.php?print=1</a> <a href="#fnref:38" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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<li id="fn:40">Fulton, Steve (August 21, 2008). "Atari: The Golden Years – A History, 1978–1981". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20181010011309/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3766/atari_the_golden_years__a_.php?print=1" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20181010011309/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3766/atari_the_golden_years__a_.php?print=1</a> <a href="#fnref:40" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:41">Smith, Alexander (2019). They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol I (1 ed.). CRC Press. pp. 458, 466, 518. ISBN 9781138389908. <a href="9781138389908" target="_blank">9781138389908</a> <a href="#fnref:41" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:42">"The Definitive Space Invaders". Retro Gamer. No. 41. Imagine Publishing. September 2007. pp. 24–33. <a href="https://archive.org/stream/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_041#page/24/mode/2up" target="_blank">https://archive.org/stream/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_041#page/24/mode/2up</a> <a href="#fnref:42" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:43">Smith, Alexander (2019). They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol I (1 ed.). CRC Press. pp. 458, 466, 518. ISBN 9781138389908. <a href="9781138389908" target="_blank">9781138389908</a> <a href="#fnref:43" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:44">Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition. Guinness World Records. 2008. p. 24. ISBN 1-904994-21-0. 10 million – number of Atari 2600 consoles sold by 1982. <a href="1-904994-21-0" target="_blank">1-904994-21-0</a> <a href="#fnref:44" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
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</ol>

Atari 2600 open-in-new

Atari 2600