Released on September 11th 1977. The Atari 2600 was originally called the Video Computer System, and did not receive its 2600 nickname until the released of its successor, the Atari 5200 in 1982. Using the 2600, Atari popularized home video game consoles. To increase their popularity, Atari also ported many popular arcade games to their console.
Interesting facts about the Atari 2600
-The unit originally cost $199, with today’s inflation that would equate to $825.51.
-Games were originally $18.95, which would be $78.61 today
-The console became massively popular in Brazil during the mid-1980’s, resulting it not being officially discontinued until January 1st, 1992.
-Before the release of the 2600, Atari was sold to Warner Communications
-The 2600’s success accounted for over half of Warner’s income during the 1970’s
-There were several games released for the console that would create massive video game controversies, one of the most popular controversies involved Ronnie Lamm shaming Death Race as a game where it looked like you drove over people (hopefully she never sees Grand Theft Auto)
-In July 2010, Ed Fries former VP from Microsoft’s game development division was inspired to create a Halo themed game for the Atari 2600. It taught him a lot on game development under such constraints as the limited memory and processing power of the Atari 2600
Atari 2600 on Wikipedia
Top 10 “Atari 2600” Commercials by Desthetic
