When I think of Atari, my mind goes to the Atari 2600 model. It made its debut in October of 1977. Astonishingly, it sold for $199- $229 which adjusts to $797- $917 in today’s market. Originally, the system’s name was the Atari VCS (Video Computer System). The name remained the same until November of 1982, when a newer version called the Atari 5200 was released. That’s when the most popular model’s name was changed to the 2600 because of its part number. There are different varieties of it as well. The history of the company, games, and developers is very interesting and well worth a read.

My history with the console began when I was around four years old. I had no previous gaming experience. My dad let me try his old 2600 model with some classic games such as Space Invaders and Pac-Man. I loved every second of it! The controllers were easy for me to use, and the graphics were so cool. Strangely, I never had any Nintendo console growing up, so Atari was my childhood. Adventure was my favorite game from the small pile my dad brought me. The dragons scared me every time. Hearing the noise they made as they caught and ate the little box sent chills down my spine. It still gets me today sometimes. I haven’t tried all the games yet, so I am not sure what my all-time favorite is.

For a few years, I didn’t have access to the 2600 because of storage. When I finally got it, I couldn’t hook it up to my T.V. My husband did some research and found that all we needed to play was a coaxial adapter. It doesn’t cost very much and works perfectly. Unfortunately, the original joysticks that came with the system were broken. So, we had to get new ones from our local video game store. Retro-bit is just as good as the original if not better. I am now able to enjoy Atari again! My collection of games was very small in the beginning. My husband suggested we build it up since he enjoys them, too. He had to have E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Atari Video Games

As bulky and clunky as they are, these games are awesome and durable. If they don’t work right away, all it takes is a Q-Tip and some rubbing alcohol to clean them. One of the neatest things about the cartridges besides game play is the art on them. Some of the art is misleading for certain games, but it is still nice to view. I’m very happy to have the 2600 again and hope to  use it for many more years.