Reverted edits by Bluedude3011 to last revision by Aruton (HG)
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| The Atari 2600 was wildly successful. During the 1980s, "Atari" was a synonym for this model in mainstream media and, [[metonymy|by extension]], for video games in general, similar to "Nintendo" and "PlayStation" in the later 1980s and 1990s respectively.<ref name=globe>{{cite web | last = Edgers | first = Geoff | title =Atari and the deep history of video games| date= 2009-03-08 | work= [[Boston Globe]] |url =http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/03/08/a_talk_with_nick_montfort | accessdate = 2009-04-13 }}</ref> | The Atari 2600 was wildly successful. During the 1980s, "Atari" was a synonym for this model in mainstream media and, [[metonymy|by extension]], for video games in general, similar to "Nintendo" and "PlayStation" in the later 1980s and 1990s respectively.<ref name=globe>{{cite web | last = Edgers | first = Geoff | title =Atari and the deep history of video games| date= 2009-03-08 | work= [[Boston Globe]] |url =http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/03/08/a_talk_with_nick_montfort | accessdate = 2009-04-13 }}</ref> | ||
| - | bluedude3011's youtube is awsome | + | == History == |
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| + | Atari Inc. had purchased an engineering think tank in 1973 called [[Cyan Engineering]] to research next-generation video game systems, and had been working on a prototype known as "Stella" (named after one of the engineers' bicycles) for some time. Unlike prior generations of machines that used custom [[Logic programming|logic]] to play a small number of games, Stella's core was a complete [[Central processing unit|CPU]], the famous [[MOS Technology]] [[MOS Technology 6502|6502]] in a cost-reduced version, known as the [[MOS Technology 6507|6507]]. It was combined with a [[Random Access Memory|RAM]]-and-[[I/O]] chip, the [[MOS Technology 6532]], and a display and sound chip of their own design known as the '''[[Television Interface Adapter|TIA]]''', for '''''T'''elevision '''I'''nterface '''A'''daptor''. Beyond those three, the first two versions of the machine contain just one more chip, a standard CMOS logic buffer [[Integrated circuit|IC]], bringing the total chip count to the very low and cost-effective number of four. Some later versions of the console eliminated the buffer chip. {{Citation needed|date=November 2007}} | ||
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| + | Programs for small computers were generally stored on cassette tape, disk or paper tape. By the early 1970s, [[Hewlett Packard]] manufactured desktop computers costing thousands of dollars such as the [[HP 9830]], which packaged Read Only Memory (ROM) into removable cartridges to add special programming features, and these were being considered for use in games. At first, the design was not going to be cartridge-based, but after seeing a "fake" cartridge system on another machine, they realized they could place the games on cartridges essentially for the price of the connector and packaging. | ||
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| + | In August 1976, [[Fairchild Semiconductor]] released their own [[CPU]]-based system, the [[Channel F|Video Entertainment System]]. Stella was still not ready for production, but it was clear that it needed to be before there were a number of "me too" products filling up the market – which had happened after they released [[Pong]]. Atari Inc. simply didn't have the cash flow to complete the system quickly, given that sales of their own Pong systems were cooling. [[Nolan Bushnell]] eventually turned to [[Time Warner|Warner Communications]], and sold the company to them in 1976 for [[US$]]28 million on the promise that Stella would be produced as soon as possible. | ||
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| + | Key to the eventual success of the machine was the hiring of [[Jay Miner]], a chip designer who managed to squeeze an entire [[breadboard]] of equipment making up the TIA into a single chip. Once that was completed and debugged, the system was ready for shipping. By the time it was released in 1977, the development had cost about US$100 million. | ||
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| + | === Launch and success === | ||
| + | {{Refimprove|section|date=December 2006}} | ||
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| + | The unit was originally priced at US$199, and shipped with two joysticks and a ''[[Combat (video game)|Combat]]'' cartridge.<ref>{{cite book |last=Forster |first=Winnie |authorlink=Winnie Forster |title=The encyclopedia of consoles, handhelds & home computers 1972 - 2005 |year=2005 |publisher=GAMEPLAN |isbn=3-00-015359-4|pages=27}}</ref> In a move to compete directly with the [[Fairchild Channel F|Channel F]], Atari Inc. named the machine the Video Computer System (or VCS for short), as the Channel F was at that point known as the '''VES''', for ''Video Entertainment System''. The VCS was also rebadged as the '''Sears Video Arcade''' and sold through [[Sears, Roebuck and Company]] stores. This model was manufactured by Dimerco Electronics.{{Citation needed|date=February 2010}} | ||
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| + | When Fairchild learned of Atari Inc.'s naming, they quickly changed the name of their system to become the Channel F. However, both systems were now in the midst of a vicious round of price-cutting: ''Pong'' clones that had been made obsolete by these newer and more powerful machines were sold off to discounters for ever-lower prices. Soon many of the clone companies were out of business, and both Fairchild and Atari Inc. were selling to a public that was completely burnt out on Pong. In 1977, Atari Inc. sold only 250,000 VCSs. | ||
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| + | For the first year of production, the VCS was manufactured in [[Sunnyvale, California]]. The consoles manufactured there had thick internal [[RF shielding]], and thick plastic molding around the sides and bottom. These added weight to the console, and because all six switches were on the front, these consoles were nicknamed "Heavy Sixers". After this first year, production moved to [[Hong Kong]], and the consoles manufactured there had thinner plastic molding. In 1978, only 550,000 units from a production run of 800,000 were sold, requiring further financial support from Warner to cover losses. This led directly to the disagreements that caused Atari Inc. founder [[Nolan Bushnell]] to leave the company in 1978.<ref>Steve Fulton, [www.gamasutra.com] "Atari: The Golden Years -- A History, 1978-1981"], ''Gamasutra'', 21 August 2008, pg. 6</ref> | ||
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| + | Once the public realized it was possible to play video games other than ''Pong'', and programmers learned how to push its hardware's capabilities, the VCS gained popularity. By this point, Fairchild had given up, thinking video games were a passing fad, thereby handing the entire quickly growing market to Atari Inc. By 1979, the VCS was the best-selling [[Christmas]] gift (and console), mainly because of its exclusive content, and 1 million units were sold that year.{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}} | ||
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| + | Atari Inc. then licensed the smash [[video arcade|arcade]] hit ''[[Space Invaders]]'' by [[Taito Corporation|Taito]], which greatly increased the unit's popularity when it was released in January 1980, doubling sales again to over 2 million units. The VCS and its cartridges were the main factor behind Atari Inc. grossing more than $2 billion in 1980. Sales then doubled again for the next two years, with almost 8 million units selling in 1982. | ||
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| + | In 1980, the VCS was given a minor revision in which the left and right difficulty switches were moved to the back of the console, leaving four switches on the front. Other than this, these four-switch consoles looked nearly identical to the earlier six-switch models. In 1982, another version of the four-switch console was released without woodgrain. They were nicknamed "[[Darth Vader]]" consoles due to their all-black appearance. These were also the first consoles to be officially called "Atari 2600", as the [[Atari 5200]] was released the same year. | ||
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| + | During this period, Atari Inc. expanded the 2600 family with two other compatible consoles. They designed the [[Atari 2700]], a wireless version of the console that was never released because of a design flaw.<ref>{{cite web|first=Curt |last=Vendel |url=http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/2700/a2700.html |title=Atari 2700 Wireless VCS |publisher=Atari Museum |accessdate=2009-07-06}}</ref> The company also built a sleeker version of the machine dubbed the [[Atari 2800]] to sell directly to the [[Japan]]ese market in early 1983, but it suffered from competition with the newly released [[Nintendo]] [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]]. | ||
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| + | In a survey mentioned by [[Jeff Rovin]] it is reported that more stores reported breakdowns of the Atari 2600 system than any other, and that Atari repair centers seemed to have the most trouble with consoles manufactured in 1980. In one case it is stated that a system was repaired five times before static electricity from a carpet was discovered as having caused the problem. The controllers were also a source of breakage because of the way they could be gripped by a player holding it with their fist, allowing players to get carried away and over control, which was less likely with other systems released at the time, such as the [[Odyssey 2]], which had controllers that were nearly half its size.<ref>"The Complete Guide to Conquering Video Games" by Jeff Rovin, [[Collier Books]], 1982 pages 7, 9, 11</ref> | ||
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| + | === Sears Tele-Games 2600s === | ||
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| + | [[Image:Sears tele games video arcade.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Early Atari 2600 that was branded "Tele-Games" and sold by Sears]] | ||
| + | Atari Inc. also continued their [[Original equipment manufacturer|OEM]] relationship with Sears under the latter's Tele-Games brand label, which started in 1975 with the original [[Pong]]. Sears released several versions of the 2600 as the Sears Video Arcade series from 1977 to 1983. These include the Rev. A "Heavy Sixer" model in 1977, the Rev. B "4 switch" model in 1980, and the US version of the Atari 2800 branded as the Sears Video Arcade II in 1983.<ref name="atariage">{{cite web | url = [www.atariage.com] | title = AtariAge - 2600 Consoles and Clones | last = Yarusso | first = Albert | work=atariage.com | accessdate = 2007-10-07}}</ref> Sears also released their own versions of Atari Inc.'s games under the Tele-Games brand, which included the Tele-Games branded variations of text and picture labels. Three games were also produced by Atari Inc. for Sears as exclusive releases under the Tele-Games brand: Steeplechase, Stellar Track, Submarine Commander.<ref name="searscartridge">{{cite web | url = [www.atariage.com] | title = Atari 2600 - Sears — Picture Label Variation | last = Yarusso | first = Albert | work=atariage.com | accessdate = 2007-10-07}}</ref> | ||
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| + | === Decline === | ||
| + | During this period, Atari Inc. continued to grow until it had one of the largest [[research and development|R&D]] divisions in [[Silicon Valley]]. However, it spent much of its R&D budget on projects that seemed rather out of place at a video game (or even home computer) company; many of these projects never saw the light of day. Meanwhile, several attempts to bring out newer consoles failed for one reason or another, although Atari Inc.'s [[home computer]] systems, the [[Atari 8-bit family]], sold reasonably, if not spectacularly. Warner was more than happy anyway, as it seemed to have no end to the sales of the 2600, and Atari Inc. was responsible for over half of the company's income. | ||
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| + | The programmers of many of Atari Inc.'s biggest hits grew disgruntled with the company for not crediting game developers and many left the company and formed their own independent software companies. The most prominent and longest-lasting of these third-party developers was [[Activision]], founded in 1980, whose titles quickly became more popular than those of Atari Inc. itself. Atari Inc. attempted to block third-party development for the 2600 in court but failed,{{Citation needed|date=December 2007}} and soon other publishers, such as [[Imagic]] and [[Coleco]], entered the market. Atari Inc. suffered from an image problem when a company named [[Mystique (company)|Mystique]] produced a number of [[Pornography|pornographic]] games for the 2600. The most notorious of these, ''[[Custer's Revenge]]'', caused a large number of protests from women's and [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] groups<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.atarihq.com/2678/3party/mystique.html |title=AGH - Third Party Profile: Mystique |publisher=AtariHQ.com |date= |accessdate=2009-07-06}}</ref> because it depicts [[George Armstrong Custer|General George Armstrong Custer]] raping a bound Native American woman.<ref>{{cite web|author=Fragmaster |url=http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=GameMuseum.Detail&id=282 |title=Custer's Revenge |publisher=Classic Gaming |accessdate=2009-07-06}}</ref> Atari Inc. sued Mystique in court over the release of the game.<ref>{{cite web|first=Lauren |last=Gonzalez |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6090892/p-3.html |title=When Two Tribes Go to War: A History of Video Game Controversy |pages=3 |publisher=GameSpot |accessdate=2009-07-06}}</ref> | ||
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| + | Atari Inc. continued to scoop up licenses during the shelf life of the 2600, the most prominent of which included ''[[Pac-Man (Atari 2600)|Pac-Man]]'' and ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Atari 2600)|E.T.]]'' Public disappointment with these two titles and the market saturation of poor third-party titles are cited as big reasons for the [[video game crash of 1983]]. Suddenly, Atari Inc.'s growth meant it was losing massive amounts of money during the crash, at one point about $10,000 a day. Warner quickly grew tired of supporting Atari Inc., and started looking for buyers in 1984. Although not formally discontinued, the 2600 was de-emphasized for two years after Warner's 1984 sale of Atari Inc.'s Consumer Division to [[Commodore Business Machines]] founder [[Jack Tramiel]], who wanted to concentrate on [[home computer]]s. He froze all development of console games, including a [[Garfield (Atari 2600)|2600 ''Garfield'' game]] and an Atari 5200 port of ''[[Super Pac-Man]]''. | ||
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| + | ====Atari 2600 Jr.==== | ||
| + | [[Image:Atari2600jr.jpg|thumb|225px|right|The Atari 2600 in its 1984 cost-reduced version, also known as the "2600 Jr."]] | ||
| + | In 1984, a new version of the 2600 was released (although it was planned for release two years earlier). The new redesigned version of the 2600, unofficially referred to as the 2600 Jr., featured a smaller cost-reduced form factor with a modernized [[Atari 7800]]-like appearance. The redesigned 2600 was advertised as a budget gaming system (under $50) that had the ability to run a large collection of classic games. With its introduction came a resurgence in software development both from Atari Corp. and from a few third parties (notably, [[Activision]], [[Absolute Entertainment]], [[Froggo]], [[Epyx]], and Exus). The Atari 2600 continued to sell in the USA and Europe until 1990, and in Asia until the early 1990s. Its final Atari-licensed release was [[klax (computer game)|KLAX]] in 1990. Over its lifetime, an estimated 40 million units were shipped, and its [[List of Atari 2600 games|video game library]] reportedly numbers more than 900 titles with commercial games released for this system all the way until 1991. In [[Brazil]], the console became extremely popular in the mid-1980s. The Atari 2600 was officially retired by Atari Corp. on January 1, 1992,{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}} making it the longest-lived home video game console (14 years, 2 months) in US game history. | ||
| == Design == | == Design == |