History Platform / Atari2600

[[http://www.atariage.com/ AtariAge]] is the biggest Atari fan website online and features an almost complete archive of legally downloadable 2600 [[UsefulNotes/ReadOnlyMemory ROM]]s (as well as ones for Atari's other systems). Only a few games are unavailable, such as Activision's 2600 library (for legal reasons, but they're available elsewhere online) and a handful of woefully obscure titles.

* [[UsefulNotes/GraphicsProcessingUnit GPU]]: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_Interface_Adaptor Atari TIA]] (also used for sound)

* ''VideoGame/{{Commando}}''

The '''Creator/{{Atari}} Video Computer System''', later known as the '''Atari 2600''', but best known as just the "Atari" during its heyday, was the first really successful home video game console system, and only the second to feature interchangeable ROM cartridges that allowed new games to be published and installed without modifying the basic system itself. It also featured plug-in controllers that could be swapped out, allowing new kinds of controllers to be later introduced. Originally, just ten games were planned for it. The idea was to make a better system down the line to replace it eventually, but the success of the system changed everything. It was originally launched in September of 1977 in North America for US$199.

* UsefulNotes/StarpathSupercharger

* ''VideoGame/SpyHunter''

While Atari lost its leader position as a result of the North American Crash and never truly recovered, they were able to somewhat ride the coattails of Nintendo after the launch of the Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem in 1986. Seeing the market revived, Atari Corporation would redesign and relaunch the 2600 as the Atari 2600 Jr., selling it for US$49.99 as a budget alternative to the NES and Platform/SegaMasterSystem as well as the Platform/Atari7800 (released around the same time), and its redone form factor even heavily resembled its little brother. Atari would also reissue older 2600 ports of some of Nintendo's own games, as they had retained licensing rights from the fallout of a failed deal between the two companies. These ports sold moderately well, likely thanks to abusing Nintendo's brand recognition. The 2600 would end up being [[VideoGameLongRunners actively supported for 14 years]], from October 14, 1977, to January 1, 1992. Atari Corporation would also continue publishing new games for the console until 1990, as the library still held some value thanks to the 7800's backwards compatibility.

While Atari lost its leader position as a result of the North American Crash and never truly recovered, they were able to somewhat ride the coattails of Nintendo after the launch of the Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem in 1986. Seeing the market revived, Atari Corporation would redesign and relaunch the 2600 as the Atari 2600 Jr., selling it for US$49.99 as a budget alternative to the newer Platform/Atari7800 (released around the same time), and its redone form factor even heavily resembled its little brother. Atari would also reissue older 2600 ports of some of Nintendo's own games, as they had retained licensing rights from the fallout of a failed deal between the two companies. These ports sold moderately well, likely thanks to abusing Nintendo's brand recognition. The 2600 would end up being [[VideoGameLongRunners actively supported for 14 years]], from October 14, 1977, to January 1, 1992. Atari Corporation would also continue publishing new games for the console until 1990, as the library still held some value thanks to the 7800's backwards compatibility.

The Atari was wildly successful, and was one of the forces that drove UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Inversely, the sudden failure of the market for Atari cartridges in the wake of a speculator bubble and the disastrous ''VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' and ''VideoGame/PacMan'' games for the system was the trigger for UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983. With only a few exceptions, most of the classic games of the era had home versions available for the Atari, some (''VideoGame/SpaceInvaders'', and Atari's own ''VideoGame/MissileCommand'' and ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}'') more successful than others (''Pac-Man'', whose [[PortingDisaster failure to match the immensely popular arcade version]] disappointed many consumers). It also began [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames the dubious tradition of licensed games]], with titles such as ''VideoGame/{{Superman|Atari2600}}'', ''VideoGame/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', and (worst of all) ''VideoGame/ETTheExtraTerrestrial''.

** UsefulNotes/Atari8BitComputers

** UsefulNotes/{{MSX}}
** UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem

While Atari lost its leader position as a result of the North American Crash and never truly recovered, they were able to somewhat ride the coattails of Nintendo after the launch of the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem in 1986. Seeing the market revived, Atari Corporation would redesign and relaunch the 2600 as the Atari 2600 Jr., selling it for US$49.99 as a budget alternative to the newer Platform/Atari7800 (released around the same time), and its redone form factor even heavily resembled its little brother. Atari would also reissue older 2600 ports of some of Nintendo's own games, as they had retained licensing rights from the fallout of a failed deal between the two companies. These ports sold moderately well, likely thanks to abusing Nintendo's brand recognition. The 2600 would end up being [[VideoGameLongRunners actively supported for 14 years]], from October 14, 1977, to January 1, 1992. Atari Corporation would also continue publishing new games for the console until 1990, as the library still held some value thanks to the 7800's backwards compatibility.

While Atari lost its leader position as a result of the North American Crash and never truly recovered, they were able to somewhat ride the coattails of Nintendo after the launch of the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem in 1986. Seeing the market revived, Atari Corporation would redesign and relaunch the 2600 as the Atari 2600 Jr., selling it for US$49.99 as a budget alternative to the newer UsefulNotes/Atari7800 (released around the same time), and its redone form factor even heavily resembled its little brother. Atari would also reissue older 2600 ports of some of Nintendo's own games, as they had retained licensing rights from the fallout of a failed deal between the two companies. These ports sold moderately well, likely thanks to abusing Nintendo's brand recognition. The 2600 would end up being [[VideoGameLongRunners actively supported for 14 years]], from October 14, 1977, to January 1, 1992. Atari Corporation would also continue publishing new games for the console until 1990, as the library still held some value thanks to the 7800's backwards compatibility.

In August 2023, Atari announced the release the Atari 2600+, a recreation of the original system that will launch worldwide on November 17th. The console will be compatible with all existing 2600 and 7800 cartridges, and will also come with a new cartridge containing ten classic games, including ''VideoGame/{{Adventure}}'' and ''VideoGame/MissileCommand'', in addition to HD output.

* ''VideoGame/{{Combat}}''

** ROM sizes ranged from 2KB (early games such as ''{{VideoGame/Combat}}'' and ''{{VideoGame/Surround}}'') to 32KB (''VideoGame/FatalRun'').

** UsefulNotes/{{Amiga}}
** UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC
** UsefulNotes/Atari7800

** UsefulNotes/AtariST
** UsefulNotes/ColecoVision
** UsefulNotes/{{Commodore 64}}

** UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis
** UsefulNotes/VIC20

* ''VideoGame/{{Phoenix}}''

* ''VideoGame/CrystalCastles''

* ''Zippy the Porcupine'' (a homebrew "port" of the original VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 for the console)

* ''VideoGame/Halloween2600''

** ''Donkey Kong Junior''

This flood of bad games was perhaps unavoidable as the Atari 2600 did not have any control mechanism in place to prevent unauthorized games from being produced. The most infamous such title is ''Custer's Revenge'' due to the highly publicized legal battle between its publisher Swedish Erotica and Atari. The system was also trivial to clone thanks to being built from off the shelf components, the most famous of which is the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleco_Gemini Coleco Gemini]]. As a result of these problems all subsequent consoles have had lockout mechanisms in place to prevent unauthorized software releases and complicate or prevent cloning.

This flood of bad games was perhaps unavoidable as the Atari 2600 did not have any control mechanism in place to prevent unauthorized games from being produced. %% MOD REVIEW REQUESTED: The most infamous such title is ''Custer's Revenge'' due to the highly publicized legal battle between its publisher Swedish Erotica and Atari. For obvious reasons, a detailed description of this game will not be included - "beyond poor taste" will need to suffice.

The system was also trivial to clone thanks to being built from off the shelf components, the most famous of which is the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coleco_Gemini Coleco Gemini]]. As a result of these problems all subsequent consoles have had lockout mechanisms in place to prevent unauthorized software releases.