Atari VCS / 2600 | The Console that Launched an Industry

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● Credits
Pong Footage: • Original Atari PONG (1...
Pong Cabinet: • Testing PONG on its or...
Atari Staff Photo - ALLAN ALCORN / COMPUTER HISTORY MUSEUM
Computer Space footage: • Computer Space gameplay
Cyan Engineering: • Atari's Cyan Engineeri...
Adventure footage: • Adventure Complete Gam...
● Description
Few systems can say they changed or created an industry. The Atari VCS is one of them, and this is the story of how it came to be and what became of it following the North American Video Game Crash.
Thank you to Neil for loaning his 2600 collection to The Cave.
● Music
Aural Imprints 1 - Gunnar Johnsén
Crystalline Lens 1 - Gunnar Johnsén
Follow The Tracks - Mochas
Not Even In Dreams - Chaxti
Small Circuits 2 - Gunnar Johnsén
Subtractions 1 - Gunnar Johnsén
Vivid Space 1 - Daniel Gunnarsson

[@RMCRetro]

A special thank you to Neil who loaned his 2600 and games collection to The Cave to share with you. The 2600 was a generation before I got on board with computers and gaming, and it wasn't anywhere near as big in the UK as the US so I enjoyed learning more about it. What are your memories of Atari's line of consoles? Neil - RMC

[@herbiehusker1889]

RetroManCave Wait, aren't you Neil? Are there two Neils?

[@RMCRetro]

@@herbiehusker1889 there is another Neil yes he loaned me the VCS. I'm also Neil.

[@okami242]

I am Neil too, but not that Neil or the other Neil, although I do have an Atari VCS too. Great video by the way :)

[@adamthomas6559]

I've got an Atari VTS woody but it's not working currently, think I need to check out the board and give it a clean 😕

[@ShishakliAus]

@@adamthomas6559 ship it off to Neil for a trash to treasure special!

[@maxgusatz5644]

Just another example of how the very best You-tubers are hitting near BBC levels of production, editing, research and overall top notch quality. Truly spiffing stuff, well done.

[@maxgusatz5644]

@Joe Casson I won't argue with that - I was thinking of the old days not the BBC run by 17 year old Millennial Snowflakes now! ;)

[@SOGNAMETAL]

The sirness of this sir is so astonishing while talking about video games, I had to subscribe because it felt like watching a stunning documentary in the 80's when TV was still good.

[@Dorelaxen]

I got mine as a Christmas present in '79. I remember even correctly guessing what was in the box. I still have it, too, and still play it. There's something about those old, simple games that just can't be completely replaced by modern games.. There was this sense of excitement about the games. You'd see a new cartridge and it was this mysterious thing...you had no idea what the game was about, and you'd pop it in the console and have to learn about it by playing, because who read the instructions? Trading the games around with your friends was another part of gaming that's sadly mostly gone. Hours spent in front of my mom's old Curtis Mathis console tv playing Yar's Revenge until I got blisters on my thumbs. I'd have never thought games would look and sound like they do today, either.

[@thedungeondelver]

Curtis Mathis TV! Hell yeah :D

[@Huddison]

Trading Atari VCS games with my school mates, are some of my fondest childhood moments.

[@grasstails9737]

you are correct i love the classic mario games on the NES and SNES roms

[@paetonlaur3655]

I have a friend who got an Atari 2600 as a parting gift from one of their family members. Their name is DJ LaunchStar and I would highly recommend you check out their channel. Both me and him also miss the old video game consoles that came out 20 years ago and counting. We weren't alive to witness those old consoles from the 1970's and 1980's, but they are an important part of the gaming industry. Without the Atari 2600 and company, you wouldn't have the games that you see today.

[@hughdismuke4703]

Never let it go. I know guys who sold theirs and ended up kicking themselves. The old 2600 is like giving away your liver. You need that.

[@chrisridenhour]

Growing up in the 80s was awesome! So happy to have been a GenXer

[@shaungreer3350]

i love the 80s so much also, even if i wasn’t born then it spawned amazing music, cars, movies, and of course games.

[@hughdismuke4703]

Late baby boomer had a ton of fun to then.

[@Dr.D00p]

I remember buying a copy of Space Invaders with the money I got for my September birthday, many moons ago. Only problem being that I didn't get the actual 2600 itself until Christmas. For 3 long months that box and its contents tormented me, and you know how much slower time seems to go when you're a kid.

[@hughdismuke4703]

It was like getting four tires. All you needed was the car now.

[@AJ-qv1rs]

I done the same ... lol .. not with the atari, but with the Commodore 64 .... bought the games, and never got the console .... lesson learned ... lol

[@sjarken3979]

I was born the same year as Atari 2600 was launched. And i wanted it, but my parents couldnt afford it. Then i did see my friends C64, and it was awesome. But couldnt afford it. But then i tried NES, only one of my friends could afford it, and it was the most awesome thing ive ever seen, and i told my parents i would get a NES no matter what. I didnt have enough money for it yet, and then suddenly and surprisingly my father came home with an Amiga500. Man was i happy, it was better then anything, and my friends would come visit often to try it. I miss those days..

[@thingsiplay]

I love stories like this. It makes me sad and happy together and remembers my old days. I was born 82, but my story is a little bit similar, especially with the part that I coulnd't afford and the Amiga500 from my dad (late after snes on the market, when the Amiga was dead anyway).

[@slowuroll2000]

Boy, you were up and down like a rollercoaster! I had a 500 as well and that thing was great !

[@Kerveros1904]

Same story as always: parents always tell to the kids "i cannot afford this" even if they can, cause they find no interest in spending money in..a game console. But in your case, The beautiful Amiga 500, with the awesome graphics and scrolling, hit a nerve in you Dad, and fell in love with it. So he just throw the cash and bought it. Because HE was interested as well. Also you became "from trash to treasure" in your friends eyes after acquiring the A500 ;-). It happens all the time. Same experience here. All of ofa sudden, you become important to them and stick with you.

[@aimwell8813]

Imagine wanting something, and then somebody coming home with something equivalent to the next generation of said thing. That is the story OP is telling and it actually happened.

[@NeilCooper72]

What a great video and history lesson. As a youngster in the 1970's and 80's, even though to today's standards the video game systems look really basic, it was a really exciting time. There were several different systems on the market but I always considered the Atari 2600 as the 'holy grail' of the console world.

[@hughdismuke4703]

Atari started it all as advertised. They are the one's who took all of what was at the time and took it to another level. Everyone else jumped on the bandwagon.

[@r.m.renfield4541]

The first game I ever played or even saw was Combat on the Atari 2600. I can still remember my amazement that you could interact with things on the TV. Flying those planes and making the other guy (my friend, Daniel, who owned it) spin when you hit them... That was it - it was the best thing I'd ever seen and I was into games forever more. Great video as always, mate, high quality stuff.

[@80s_Gamr]

I have a good sized collection of VCS's. The memories are found because although they weren't as good looking as the arcade it was still mesmerizing to have anything that could play games in a similar fashion at home. Words can't describe how I felt as I looked at what was on the screen and thought about how the machine was making them work! LOL... I guess that's what makes me the dork I am. Anyways, a few friends had one, I did not. When I asked my grandma for a video game system she actually came home from Montgomery Ward with a Bally Astrocade. At first I was like "this isn't Atari!"... but then I played it and saw how much better it was. Eventually Atari lost it's luster as I played games on a C64 and then the NES came out and just plain put it to shame, but all these years later I absolutely love it not only for how it first made me feel as a kid but also for what it represents in the history of it all - a turning point in video gaming.

[@QunMang]

I never heard of the Bally Astrocade until long after its heyday, but my family did upgrade our Atari VCS to a Colecovision around 1981 or 1982 and I really enjoyed it (also enjoyed the Atari previously). Besides Atari, friends of mine had Intellivision and Odyssey^2, but I don't remember anyone else with Colecovision.

[@stockicide]

I've seen much of this information elsewhere before, but never presented so thoroughly and succinctly. I was also pleasantly surprised by the first-gen coverage, which is usually skipped by youtubers. This might be the definitive video on the system, in my opinion.

[@411pete]

Neil, what a fantastic retrospective, good memories. I did play my very first home video games (apart from pong of course) on the 2600 and Pitfall was my favourite one. Short after that I was given a Colecovision at the age of nine, it still sits in the basement and is in pretty good shape.

[@PJBonoVox]

To me, the Atari 2600 is a bit like a Beatles album. I've never owned one, have no fondness for it, but recognise the impact it had on everything that came after. Great video, as usual. My first computer was a C64 which my dad brought home in 1986 (I was 6). It's amazing how much fondness you have for your first machine.

[@PJBonoVox]

@Podkova Where are you from? I'm guessing location plays into it. None of my friends had an Atari that I recall, and I still don't think I've ever seen one 'in the flesh'. It was C64 and Spectrum on the computer side, and Master System on the console side. Occasionally saw a NES but not at all common. Really interesting that you saw the Atari as 'old hat' even at that age. Just goes to show that some things never change I guess :)

[@rayfenwick8761]

This VCS/2600 was my first console/computer of any kind, and I will always have very fond memories of it. Thanks for the walk down memory lane, and for filling in the many blanks I had about its history. Also the Argos catalogues - they're fantastic! :)

[@andymanaus1077]

THANK YOU for using a 6-switcher Atari as the example of the "original" Atari VCS. It's a pity it's not the rare heavy-sixer but at least it's not a four-switcher.

[@WiggysanWiggysan]

*MY* *Early* *Childhood* *In* *One* *Video* Thank you _RMC_ you Legend.

[@RMCRetro]

Haha you're welcome

[@rahilkiani]

I'm indebted to the guy who worked in my video game shop. I nearly bought Pac-Man when I was 7 with my birthday money but the guy said get Pac-Man Jr instead. I was slightly worried when I first saw the box but in time I realised he saved my life. What a legend.

[@billschlafly4107]

Pac Man was the biggest disappointment I've ever had in getting or buying a game. Donkey Kong was a close second.

[@stevethepocket]

It's funny how _Pac-Man_ wasn't even just a bad port, it was an _avoidably_ bad port, as proven when both _Pac-Man Jr._ and _Ms. Pac-Man_ managed to be perfectly serviceable.

[@jcchaconjr]

Very nice retrospective... The Atari VCS was the very first console that I purchased, at the age of 11. I spent the Spring and early Summer of 1978 mowing lawns, combined with my allowance, to get the money to buy it. My library would grow only modestly, of course. In the end, it grew to a humble 15 titles, and was my mainstay until my attention turned to Atari computers in 1980... Anyway, My little collection was comprised mostly of the arcade favorites that I had played in the arcades. Games like Breakout, which honestly was an upgrade on the VCS, given that the arcade original was just black and white with colored overlays on the screen. I still remember that vivid color palette of bricks on the screen like it was yesterday... :) Call it midlife, or whatever - a few years ago, I managed to pick one up just like the one I had - older really, as it's not only a heavy sixer, but it also came with the original design Joysticks that used spring loaded contacts, paddles with the Atari logo instead of the later revised "Paddle" notation, and 8 of the launch releases, complete in their gatefold boxes. Anyway, over time, I've been able to curate and recover the games originally in my collection and add about 40 more games that I believe to be ones that "defined" what it was like to own an Atari back then. Although I don't actively collect for it now, there are probably 8-10 more games I'd like to add to my collection. Believe it or not, it's the one console of several generations worth that I own, that gets the most commentary by guests. "You still have one of those?!" is the usual response I get, haha.

[@ciadella1971]

I still have the mazes memorized from Adventure. It's weird how I still remember those mazes after 40 years.

[@ZanderLexx]

Thanks for the lovely story. I'm from Romania and I was born in 1979. Here at that time we were restricted by communism so this kind of technology, PC or consoles, was rare among people's homes. Only after the 89 revolution we were able to catch up with other countries. But by that time PC's were also in vouge , so we kinda got all of them in almost one shot. In 1993 one year before high school, we got our first IT classroom and I saw for the first time a PC. Actually there were 2 types HC-90 and CIP-03. In that year I also played for the first time on an Atari 2600. It was the first generation. For me it was already an old console but I still liked it, it was a pice of history and gaming legacy.

[@rjonzun5828]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing that.

[@Deerock_FL]

Ahhh communism. People earned money but they had nothing to buy with it

[@TheRetroShed]

I love the 2600. It’s iconic, it looks and sounds take me right back to the dawn of video gaming. It’s a very special machine! Great video.

[@BryonLape]

When one looks at the specification of the 2600, one really has to wonder what black magic the programmers at Activision were doing.

[@matwtf]

It's a good thing they chose the 6502 as getting instructions executed in time was critical.

[@RideToHellRetribution]

Activision was technically formed by ex atari employees so it's obvs they knew the console inside and out so knew how to reach its max potential

[@mspeter97]

There's this book called Racing the Beam that basically explains a few of the tricks they had to use back in the day

[@slowuroll2000]

Oh! Does one?

[@rbrtck]

@@matwtf Well, there wasn't much of a choice for them, since CPUs typically went for over $100 each, unless you owned your own chip fab and made them yourself. You could say thank goodness for MOS (and also Zilog) deciding to make and sell affordable CPUs. And yes, the 6502 series in particular sure got things done in a timely manner.

[@osgrov]

Ahh, this is what started it all for me. My dad brought this home to me for christmas 1980, and my world changed. It kept me interested for a long time, with all the great early games like Asteroids, Space Invaders, Combat and Galaxians. Loved them all. Then, that magical day in the summer of 1983, we discovered the Commodore 64, my dad and I.. And the rest is history. Superb video as usual, thanks for your continued efforts. :)

[@RandyDarkshade2]

I currently own one. I bought my "woody" earlier this year at a yard sale for just £10 as a project. Getting it working was really easy because the RF cable had come disconnected from the board inside, so after plugging it back in and connecting to a TV, it worked.

[@namakudamono]

Absolutely terrific video, Neil - I didn’t want it to end. Informative content and beautifully put together. Superb work! I love that you powered on through the lengthy, single-take closing summary despite knocking the cartridge, too. I’m a little too young to remember the VCS, however prior to my family purchasing the Amiga A500 in the Christmas of 1988, I recall buying a simple sports-oriented Pong TV game from a jumble sale for a fiver. It was a simple grey box with 10 or so red buttons to select games, and two analogue sticks attached. Very basic, but it kept me, my sister and my Dad entertained for months. Keep up the excellent work!

[@RMCRetro]

*donk* no cartridges were harmed due to my clumsiness :) thanks for watching I'm glad you enjoyed it

[@JamesMossR33]

Gazes up affectionately at the Light Sixer on the shelf behind me that I spent hundreds of hours playing on as a kid, including a few on Pac Man. Great video, thanks Neil!

[@RMCRetro]

Thanks Mr Chops

[@brentboswell1294]

I remember my 2 year older cousin having a Sears Tele-games console at his house (a rebranded Atari 2600). My sister and I asked for an Atari 2600 for Christmas 1980. We were immersed into a world of video games! We'd share game cartridges with friends, etc. I got a few T-shirts from Activision by taking Polaroid pictures of the screen with certain game scores, and mailing the picture to Activision, which also netted a subscription to this magazine. This was the first computing device in our home. We later purchased a TRS-80 Color Computer (the first proper computer in the house), which I learned to program by hitting the manuals. When my mother decided to pursue a Master's degree, she bought an Apple //e. I built my first electronics for this computer, and, surprise of all surprises, when I entered college in the fall of 1990, I pursued studies in Electrical and Computer engineering. I changed my major to computer science, and graduated with that degree (Bachelor's). I've been working professionally with computers and information technology since 1996!

[@WorksOnMyComputer]

The Atari VCS wasn't my first tv game. I had the pong clones and also a multi cart system from Sheen that played Pong, Breakout, Tank, Submarine and Stunt Cycle. It was actually very good for its time and sold under a variety of names and different cases and controllers around the world. It introduced me to the fun of having multiple cartridges so I could play more games, but the games library never grew. I played it to death, but was ready when the Atari VCS made it to Australia and started being heavily promoted in the late 70's early 80's. The Atari VCS gave me a library MUCH bigger even in the early days, but I recall even back then, some early titles were quite lacklustre. That started to change quickly though and companies like Imagic, Parker and Activision really pushed the hardware hard to create an awesome collection of games and forced Atari to catch up in the process. Having a game system with arcade titles was a genuine novelty as was the concept that the library of games grew each month. Then there was the stack of games magazines that came with it, hinting at new releases and game systems that were either not yet in Australia or never likely to (Atari 5200). I played that system for thousands of hours and will always have a soft spot for the Atari, but really my heart is with the Colecovision. It combined better graphics (still passable today) and some great arcade ports. Still the Atari VCS really kicked them all along and I have nothing but fond memories of that system. Like any system Jay Miner touched, it was pretty special for its time.

[@morph-x7153]

Stunning work as usual Neil, thank you! A great and complete insight into its history. In my early days we owned a 2600 Jr. alongside a Super Nintendo. One would think the 2600 Jr. would get his fair share of neglect with the Super Nintendo as its direct competitor, but me and my brother played it quite a bit. The simple gameplay of many titles (boxing and basketball for instance) made for some good times. Unfortunately our 2600 Jr. was asigned to his new home at the local garbage disposal at some point...

[@GuybrushThriftweed]

I see Atari 2600 and press like without hesitation. My first console ever when I was a kid. A 2600Jr. So much memories!!!!! Now i have 3 :p Recently I did a video mod and bought a SD cart for all my retro fun.

[@matthewsmith4574]

Great stuff Neil! The first techology that my brother and I played so much as kids. Recently got back into it buying a Vadar for me and a few Jrs which I've cleaned up for resale. A active market at AtariAge has some wonderful new titles such as Scramble and Mappy for those still playing 👍

[@ralffischer3465]

This system was the first step into my videogame-addiction. The best Christmas-gift ever. My parents can't afford a new one, they got a used from a friend. The woody deluxe version, with a few cartridges (Asteroids, Jungle Hunt, Star Wars - Empire strikes back). Amazing graphics, so realistic (hey, was in the 80's, lol) Since then, always had a console or computer.

[@little_fluffy_clouds]

My first console was one of those Pong clones, but then my parents bought me a "Woody" 2600 when I was 6 or 7. I loved that thing and played Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Demons to Diamonds, Megamania, Air-Sea Battle, Frogger, Spider-Man and Superman for hours. Happy memories. Megamania is still one of my favourite shmups to this day, and I can still lose hours playing it on my MiSTer FPGA unit. It's incredible to think how such a compelling, addictive, slick game was created within the constraints of such primitive hardware. Those programmers were true geniuses, in every sense of that word.

[@ThomasAbts]

I was 10 and for over one year I begged my parents for an 2600. When I finally got it on Christmas '83 with Pacman, Adventure and Berzerk, I sold it only six(!) weeks after that, because I had literally seen the "game changer" through a store window: A Commodore 64 running "International Soccer"! Compare Atari's "Real Sports Soccer" to that and you know why... :D I took the money and bought a Quickshot 2 and some floppy disks, and for one year lived in different stores every afternoon, playing on their computers, until I finally got my own at Christmas '84. But the 2600 was were everything started for me: Videogaming, which I still do 35 years later and my career as a computer scientist during the last 25 years.

[@CastleKnight7]

I’ll never forget the day my Father brought home an Atari VCS along with Space Invaders and Pac-Man in 1982. It blew my mind that I could take control of the action on the TV screen. I’d had a few handheld electronic games before that, but the Atari cemented my love of computer games.

[@markanne54]

Had one when they first came out. Made me an Atari fan for life. Moved onto a Atari 800, and Atari 800XL, an Atari 130XE, an Atari ST520, an Atari Mega4 and Atari Laser before finally throwing in with PCs and Nintendo SNES, Nintendo 64, Playstation, PS2, PS3 and now PS4. Will no doubt get a PS5 whenever they make it out the door. I still look back on my Atari days as the best.

[@akaimizu1]

Finally discovering this channel and looking at these great documentaries. I had to laugh at how many times "Star Raiders" is filmed, front and center, while hearing all about some of the moves in the industry. I think the editor was trying to tell us something, there.

[@Dr.Dawson]

what a great morning. coffee and a puff with RMC. great video and a great perspective on things from as you say someone who wasnt knee deep in the atari at the time of its release.

[@AerinRavage]

Thankies for the wonderful memories! I had a VCS sometime in the early 80s and Defender and Swordquest really lit up my imagination and enthusiasm for gaming! Activision, IMagic and the others were awesome developers, and looking back after 30 years and some education about programming, it's great watching the evolution of the craft! Also, I *KNOW* I'm not the only one who gave themselves "forehead hickeys" with the joystick covers!

[@philrod1]

Nice video, Neil, as usual. I especially liked the dissolve at 6:46. Bravo! This was an odd video for me to watch. I'm sat here at 'work' watching an RMC retrospective on the VCS, and I keep glancing over at my own VCS next to me (that I now know to be a Hong-Kong 'lighter-6'). It's a hard life but mustn't grumble.

[@RMCRetro]

That was my favourite transition too I was pleased with that little bit

[@eggaweb]

Your production quality is worthy of being shown on TV.

[@RMCRetro]

That's very kind thank you

[@mrlurchAU]

Mmmm... woodgrain :)

[@ukmk3supra]

You've outdone yourself yet again - riveting to watch, excellent production values - i especially liked the silhouette effect in the photos. I love the longer documentary / mini documentary style videos you do, even though I've read up on these systems, their history etc, there's always loads of information that I didn't know in these videos, which keeps me coming back time and again for more content. Well done indeed!

[@Monkey_SK]

Wonderful video, really gives a true picture of the life time of the 2600 and it's impact in the marketplace. Bizarre management decisions, why make 12 million copies like that, was there a discount the bigger the order and then to follow that mistake with the same thinking on ET. I wonder if this is why Nintendo stock always seemed to be low when consoles launched, to be safe if a failure but also drive demand if a success by being the elusive must have item?

[@RichardTroupe]

An excellent video and overall retrospective. Well done Neil!

[@TheDanno210]

Although I’m slightly north of 50 years of age, I fondly remember getting my Atari 2600 for Christmas. I was initially a bit dismayed as I was hopeful for the Magnavox Odyssey II since it more resembled a computer which to me was especially fascinating since i was madly in love with the show Space : 1999. Nonetheless the 2600 would give me countless hours across many years of wonderful playtime with my cousins, neighbors, and friends. I did manage to get my Odyssey II...in 1995 when I was about 30 years old. It was certainly worth the wait. I especially enjoyed the early console retrospective you gave here instead of merely diving head-first into the 2600. Wonderfully done - thank you for your efforts.

[@kathrynradonich3982]

Grew up playing the 2600 at my grandmas house when visiting in the summer. Spent many hours playing moon patrol, dig dug, adventure and more. Was completely blown away when I was able to play the Genesis. Keep a 7800 just to play Atari games when the urge strikes

[@ManosS40]

I still have mine from '84. My father bought it as a present when we were in Italy. It is the Darth Vader edition of course with Defender. I sometimes take it of the drawer and play with it for a while just for the old days sake. 😎👍

[@patsfan4life]

Many of the 2600’s games didn’t hold up very well over the years, but there are some fun competitive head-to-head games like Activision’s Tennis, Freeway, Ice Hockey, M Network’s Frogs and Flies, and Atari’s Super Football, Outlaw & Warlords. For 1 player there’s Activision’s HERO, River Raid, Keystone Kapers, Pitfall II & Seaquest and Atari’s Phoenix, Berserk, Ms Pac Man

[@Asobitech]

As the Atari 2600 was the first console I use to play and that we had in the family, there's so much nostalgia wrapped in the wood veneered box. Great coverage on it's history and importance to gaming.

[@Charlie-Cat.]

Hahaha. Such a timeless classic this unit is Neil. I do have to say, that we didn't grow up with the 2600. We started off with the Colecovision. But we have to admit that this unit help make mainstream video games what it is for sure bro. Nice work as always Neil. Keep it up. 8^) Anthony..

[@chrisainsley3533]

Subscribed to this channel last week. It was a good move.

[@RMCRetro]

Oh hey Chris great to have met you in Blackpool

[@chrisainsley3533]

That's right. Enjoyed the video. I've seen a few retrospectives of the atari 2600 but enjoyed this one the most. Other than the pacman bashing. It's not arcade perfecr, or technically as impressive as the ms pacman port, but it's a fine playable game, and was my grandmother's joint favourite game, along with the exceptional circus Atari.

[@AJ-qv1rs]

Awesome, really well produced .... // remember playing on an old Atari at a Cub Scout fundraiser in the late 70s ... we were charged 10 pence per game ... first time I played outside of an arcade ... amazing ... great memories ....

[@xxnoxx-xp5bl]

The first console I owned was a gand-me-down Atari 2600 and a box of games. Loved it and still play to this day!

[@robtaylor2045]

Great vid as ever Neil. Thanks!

[@ian_b]

I remember for a while Woolworths had a display of Pongs, constantly surrounded by kids playing them including me. It seemed amazingly advanced at the time. Even then it was however apparent that all the different models were exactly the same thing in different boxes.

[@robertbaker5445]

I really enjoy all the videos you do on restoring old systems. After years of begging, my parents finally dug my Atari 2600 out of their basement and sent it to me. The majority of the parts and cartridges are extremely dirty and only partially functional. It would be great if you could get your hands on an old 2600 and restore it and its joystick!

[@gamedoutgamer]

Excellent video! I enjoyed it much and learned quite a lot thanks to you. They do still make the 2600's to this day as the Atari Flashback. I think the FB8 got good reviews, too. At this point it looks like the 2600 will outlive all of us.

[@HappyCodingZX]

Nice work as always. A couple of things of interest that might be worth adding - Firstly, Grandstand obtained a license from Fairchild to produce the console in the UK under their name. The 'Grandstand Video Entertainment Computer' competed with the 2600 there and it did enjoy some popularity. Secondly, in the early 80s, Coleco were a major competitor and made an addon for their console which allowed all 2600 games to be played on their Colecovision machine - Atari sued, and it was settled out of court.

[@Marc_Araujo]

I was born in '85 and received my first game console (an NES Power Set) for Christmas '89. I got an Atari VCS (a Woody Four Switch) CiB with 2 joysticks, 2 paddle controllers, and a shit-ton of games, and I mean a "shit-ton" (with all their respective manuals), from my much older cousins when they moved to Spain a few years later. It could only hold my attention for about an hour or so whenever I turned it on. NES games were ages ahead in terms of planning, design, and overall quality. It was nice having it though, as it made me appreciate my NES a lot more. P.S. Hockey was actually really fun for how simplistic it was and E.T. is nowhere near as bad as everyone online makes it out to be (good thing I had the manual to read before playing).

[@Exposingscammers]

I remember the Atari 2600. It was my first games machine / console. I purchased it with my pocket money and it came with space invaders. I got so good at it and could clock it(i.e. get past 10,000 points where it would reset to 0 again) Next in line was the commodore 16,vic20, an intelivision, numerous commodore 64's, commodore 128, about 10 Amiga 500's, Amiga 600 x 2 , Amiga 1200 x 2, a few pc's, a few playstation 2's

[@colmiga]

Great video, as always. Not only do we have Jay Miner to thank for chips like the TIA in the 2600 but also Joe Decuir, another Amiga designer, for the 2600 9 pin joystick port. This port became a de facto standard for a number of other computers, including the Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC and Sega consoles.

[@Doobie3010]

Got one of those early,Wooden veneer ones from an uncle who was in the RN,his ship stopped at a USA base for a break.Truly a revolution in home entertainment to this one little kid,back then.only ever seen another veneer one on youtube.

[@edcampion3998]

My first console 1982 a huge deal to me as an 11 year old.Amazing to me at the time.Great memories.

[@tuffteddy1446]

At the time, no one I knew was even aware of the crash in 1983. Everyone had an Atari, everyone kept buying games and playing them right up to the release of the NES and even after.

[@brianh2771]

I play my Vader 2600 with S-video mod on a modern LCD using an upscaler. I think the popular games for it have held up pretty well.

[@nicholas_scott]

Great video. I Fondly remember the VCS we had back in 1980. I didn't realize the variety of 1st gen systems that existed.

[@Horzuhammer]

Great retrospective, haven't seen such a deep look into those old machines.. Leave it to RMC, hehe. Enjoyed especially learning about the technical stuff. Oh man that Videopac brings back (bad) memories. My uncle would've gave me a Videopac with a good bunch of games for free, but my dad somehow couldn't get it to show image on our tv, so my uncle took it back and gave it to someone else. You can probably guess I that wasn't the happiest day of my life. Man would that thing been cool to have as a kid.

[@Citadel_Of_My_Thoughts]

I've gotten rid of a lot of my video game collection over the years but the 2600 is one console that I will always hold on to. I've got several variants (and a couple of 7800s and two Coleco Geminis) along with over 250 carts. So much crap was released on the system but there are still so, so many influential games that still hold up over the decades. I also finally caved (no pun intended) and bought a Harmony cartridge so I can just play games off a SD card.

[@PaulKostrzewa]

I got my Atari VCS back in 1980, it was the greatest thing ever! I still own my VCS and all of its games today and they still stand up pretty well.

[@waverly2468]

I remember playing Pong in a bar at Aspen, Colo. in 1973. We were all amazed. (this was the era of pinball) However I never got interested in home video games, preferring coin-operated arcade games. But recently I sat in on a class on the Tiva Launchpad controller board (similar to the Raspberry Pi) which got me interested in chip architecture which has gotten me further interested in the early (and groundbreaking) 8088 and 6502 chips that started the home computing revolution.

[@stufaman]

Atari - Fun in local multiplayer. PS4 - Banned local multiplayer.

[@danielberrett2179]

I was born in 84 and remember as a young kid My dad bringing home the 4 switch woody model for my family/older sister. Only games I remember are Pitfall and Qbert. Ah nostalgia

[@carlosfandango2419]

I think people who entered this field at the start probably had one of these. I had played in the arcade, followed by a home pong machine. I can't quite remember but got a VCS in 80/81. Next was Spectrum, C64, Amiga, PS1, PS2, Win XP PC along with PS3 up to current date.

[@Hologhoul]

Excellent film, clearly a lot of work went into that, which the VCS deserves! Not sure if perceptions were different across markets, but I never saw this much discussed negativity towards the likes of Pac-Man and Defender. Even as kids, we knew this was a VCS, not the arcade. We thought both games were fun, and played well. We didn't ever really question them, or critique them against the arcade versions.

[@CimandeTube]

Although this story is elsewhere on KZbin it was nice to hear it from Neil. Beginning of a series perhaps? Also PacMan was re-written for the VCS later on and it was amazing..

[@RMCRetro]

I enjoyed this format... I mean I guess we could move on through the Atari consoles and see where it takes us... hmmmm nice idea

[@chriswareham]

I can't believe you dissed Burt Reynold's 'tache. Ron Milner's facial hair is terrifying though.

[@curiousottman]

Always great content on this channel. Lots of great stuff I didn’t know about Atari! Mercifully no keyboards were retrobrighted like most retro channels!

[@duouk2000]

The 2600 Jr was my first game system, bought for me by my parents from Argos for £20 in 1990/1

[@mark-andrews]

GameBoy, original version, is a few pixels, in screen resolution, h & v,, just over the 2nd gen definition. Great, well researched video, thank-you.

[@PaulinhoThompson]

I really enjoyed this episode, thanks for making it.

[@RMCRetro]

You're welcome Paul, thanks for watching

[@DenisGomesFranco]

14:06 Hey! That's a Input magazine collection right there in the background! I used to love reading these as a child!

[@atarileaf]

Very well done video. Very professional and knowledgeable. You have a new subscriber.

[@edcampion3998]

I enjoyed that my first console was pong then atari 2600 with the wood grain.Classic.Great memories

[@ianhughes5090]

What a fab history lesson thank you Neil brilliant

[@arkdov]

While most people are talking about the Xbox, Playstation and Nintendo Switch, I still play Atari. E.T. and Adventure are my two best games on the Atari 2600.

[@chrfit1]

Appreciate the effort you went through in making this, thank you for yet another great video :)

[@MAGAIVER]

The 2600 is still getting new games to this, Champ Games has been releasing some trully impressive games for that system lately. The Atari Age store is full of awesome new Atari games.

[@custardo]

It is also a system that keeps surprising in the amount its boundaries can be pushed. Judging by its meagre specs, you'd never guess the breadth of its library.

[@juststatedtheobvious9633]

The secret was the lack of a frame buffer. If you were a crazy person, you could race the CRT's electron beam at over 14,000mph , and count on the RAM forgetting that it had already used up all its sprites in the previous scan line. If Atari hadn't been so cheap, it wouldn't have even been able to handle Space Invaders.

[@peteclln5175]

Great review of a legendary gem, and a gem of a review video. Thanks for making these

[@RMCRetro]

You're welcome and thanks for watching

[@boulderdashc6425]

Excellent video thanks for your hard work.

[@shiroshine7227]

I love collecting 2600 games. Everytime I go to a flea market I look for ones I don't have. They range from $1 to like $10 for something rarer. There are some Holy Grails as well like I think its called Atlantis 2.

[@B3tanTyronne]

I was fortunate that my Grandfather got me into gaming with his purchase of the Tandy TV scoreboard way back in 1978 when I was 5 (makes me a gamer of 40 yrs) but it cannot be understated the shift from that to the VCS. Gone were the black and white shapes, now there was colour! oh so many games and the tv adverts with Morecombe and Wise...finally space invaders at home! I also then had a further bit of luck as in 1983 in Cheshunt in Hertfordshire there was either a packing plant or distributor of the Atari games (not 100% sure) that was just down the road from me that word soon got round that damaged or unpackaged Atari games were being thrown into their huge refuse bin.....this was raided practically nightly by game hungry kids getting their hands on various titles and it always a battle to see who got the newest games :) but then it was also a case of free beats the 30-40 quid prices these games cost at the time. Funny thing is I never actually owned a VCS until I picked one up at a car boot sale many, many years later, most of my friends did at the time but come Christmas 1983 my gaming took the route it has followed ever since with my first ever home computer...the zx81! quickly followed by the Spectrum 48k in 1984 and then it was home computers from there on in.

[@tpbarlow5858]

Thank you for a great informative video, great history. Keep up the good work. God bless.🙏

[@gower1973]

We had a 2600 junior and then somehow acquired a Little Sixer, and then a Sega Master System, we used to swap consoles for a while with friends back in the day so you would get to play everything that was available at the time, don’t think kids would do that these days

[@KarlAdamsAudio]

The sudden glut of virtually identical home Pong clones that appeared in 1976-77 came about because of the General Instrument AY-3-8500 chip, which reduced the R&D and production costs, but also ensured that the machines were basically commodity items, as there was no scope for differentiating the gameplay.

[@speedbird737]

Great tip/ hack for Space Invaders cartridge that I always performed when playing it on the VCS - I forget the combination now - perhaps a search on youtube will confirm - but put in the cart and jiggle the power on/off switch in quick succession and you could then play invaders with double firing turned on!

[@dad7275]

Quite enjoyable and entertaining video. Thanks.

[@brucetungsten5714]

Informative & well made - THX!

[@mikethemechanic7395]

Got one in 1980 when I was 5. I played it before school and after school. I had my own room and Tv with my Atari 2600. I miss trading Atari games in school. I purchased the slimmer 2600 model in 1984. In 1985 I purchased a SEGA master system. I had Rambo 2 for it. To bad everyone else had the NES.

[@geotechmore8855]

I owned an Odyssey 2 :) My first computer :) I LOVED Pick Axe Pete :) The voice add on was REALLY cool :)