Atari VCS / 2600

A longer life than one game

Atari launched the Video Computer System in the United States in 1977. The later 2600 name belongs to the same family. Its value depended on the cartridges a household could add, so the machine’s story extends beyond the games available at introduction. The Strong’s collection record follows its continuing sales into the early 1990s.

Controllers are part of the edition

Atari’s service manual describes distinct joystick, paddle, driving and keyboard controllers. A one-button joystick does not describe every game’s demands. A paddle measures rotation differently from a directional stick; preserving that input can matter as much as preserving the picture.

Inside the console, the 6507 works with a RAM-I/O chip and Atari’s Television Interface Adaptor. The service documentation assigns picture and sound generation to the TIA. These components explain the architecture without turning processor speed into a score for the games.

Publishing beyond Atari

Activision’s formation in 1979 created a business producing games for hardware it did not manufacture. The Computer History Museum’s collection guide records the company’s founders and their move from Atari. A console library could now develop through decisions made by more than the console maker.

The selections below keep publisher and platform separate. They also identify the original control requirements, so a current compilation or new controller is not silently treated as the same arrangement as a cartridge and its original inputs.