The Atari 2600 Video Computer System
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2017
- 40 years ago today, Atari released its Video Computer System (aka VCS), and went on to define the second generation of video gaming. Ultimately, it would also unwittingly help to bring that era crashing down, but before that fateful day it would spawn a love for gaming that would survive market downturns.
Sean and Vinnk review the Atari VCS, how and why it became the Atari 2600, how this second-generation console influenced its peers, and paved the way for what would come in the third generation.
Happy 40th Anniversary, Atari!
Featured 2600 Games:
• Adventure
• Breakout
• Combat
• Defender
• Donkey Kong
• ET
• Pac-man
• Smurf: Escape From Garagamel’s Castle
• Space Invaders
• Super Breakout
• Warlord
• Wizard of Wor
• Yars’ Revenge
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SeanOrange is a retro game fan from the US. Vinnk is a retro import fan who took things one step further and moved to Japan. Together they make Famicom Dojo: a web series dedicated exploring the Japanese history of video games and consoles from the other side of the Pacific.
#Atari #RetroGaming #FamicomDojo - Hry
It was called the VCS pretty much its entire life in Europe, mainly due to the 5200 never being released here and the 7800 coming out in late 1987, and it wasn't even renamed then until the release of the 2600 Jr.
Neat.
Wasnt it renamed to sound less like VCR? seem to have read that somewhere.
I remember seeing a 2600jr next to a master system and an amiga in Dixons hooked up so you could play em, how on earth did they think a primitive thing like the 2600 would sell in 1987?
Sales were quite good because it was positioned as a budget console.
Interesting. From what I've read, Atari 2600 didn't come to Poland until 1990 and even then, those were just Atari clones (with lots of built-in games, there were no cartridges) sold at flea markets under such names as Rambo, Terminator or Video Computer Console. It was basically a cheaper alternative for those that couldn't afford any Atari 8-bit home computers or Commodores.
That's not entirely true because the Vader, the all black model that had 2600 printed on it apparently was released in Ireland because people in Europe have found ones with made in Ireland stickers on the bottom. I'm sure that this information wasn't known 6 years ago. Probably because they are very rare.
Holy shit. Famicom Dojo is 10 years old!
so good to see a new video from famicom dojo :)
6:33 I appreciated the Strong Bad reference. :)
I remember that deadly fence on Smurf 😂
I'm sure the RF wasn't hardwired into the UK 2600. Mine certainly wasn't. But it did come with Pac Man.
Great video gents.
More videos! I love you guys!
Your wish is our command!
Actually, Donkey Kong on the Atari VCS was nerfed on purpose by Coleco in an attempt to boost sales for the Colecovision by making it seem like the Colecovision was superior
They're working on a video that literally is all about that (Sean previewed parts of it at Geek.kon a few weeks ago)
+Nerd & Tie / Trae Dorn What he said!
Just took the plastic off this system. Its been in the attic with the 2600 and 7800 with controllers and games. Almost every game that came out my friends bought for my son. He got 2 sega games plus an Nintendo game. Glad he put things back in the box. So many games he had gotten. I just found 40 in a box.
That’s one lucky kid!
FINALLY! AN ATARI ONE!
CZcams didn't see enough love for the 40 year milestone. Bravo!
It only just occurred to us to put a tag in for the 40th Anniversary. For some reason that spiked way back in 2012...?
Love the info you guys put in your videos! I didnt even know that retro bit controller was that much better then the original
You should look up the micro switch mod. I'd actually use the joystick controller if I had one with that.
I actually got it accidentally with my 2600, because it was the only one in stock at the retro store. I later picked up a legit original at another store, but I was surprised at how much better of an experience the Retrobit controller was.
And the 7800 controlers are EVEN WORSE, let me tell you...
Great video! There isn't one like this explaining the 2600 on this much detail!
+FailureGaming In that case, make sure to share it far and wide!
Famicom Dojo Will do!
Yay! The kind of content that got me to subscribe in the first place. I mean I have no problem with the other stuff that gets posted. But this style and topic is my kind of jam. it just feels like it's been a long time since we've had an episode like this. So, can you make more episodes like this?
We have another one on the way. They take a lot longer to make, but we love them too.
Two, officially. But, as you can see, they kind of fell by the wayside, but we’re going to try to come back to at least one of them.
Ha, "Griswalds"... good work Vinkk!
love it!
I've disassembled my uncle's old four switcher (it powers on but it doesn't work beyond giving a grey signal for some reason). The RF cable isn't actually hardwired into the Atari, it can be easily slid out from a socket inside and replaced as needed!
Wow, that’s a wild thing to learn all this time later. Thank you!
@@FamicomDojo Quick update: I've been informed that in regards to the original "Six Switcher" Atari, the RF cable is in fact hardwired into it.
If you are looking for a joystick, some versions of Atari Flashback came with joysticks that are pretty much identical with the original ones. And they are even labelled as Atari.
the 6 switch unit had a channel 2 or three switch it was located on the lower left side of the unit recessed in you often needed a pencil or screw driver to put in the hole to move the switch
Last time I was this early, the Famicom was white instead of yellow.
+Jomaster The Second It's a skin condition!
Actually, if memory serves me correct, in one of the commercials to the 5200, there was (or at least what would have been) an adapter to play 2600 games on the console.
Unusually Unearthed Productions Yes there was but I think it only worked on the later model which only had two joystick ports compared to the original's four.
+Unusually Unearthed Productions Coleco does what Atari Don't!
Hmm, doesn't have the same ring to it...
Famicom Dojo No but it's still accurate. Not to mention Atari released four games for CV under the AtariSoft label: Centipede, Galaxian, Jungle Hunt, and Defender. Prototypes of Pac-Man and Dig Dug, however, also exist.
The Atari 5200 adapters to play Atari 2600 games were released, but they are pretty rare.
The atari 5200 adapter also didn't have 100% backward compatibility with the 2600 library. So there were games that didn't work with it from what I understand.
ALRIGHT!!!! Finally we'll be having a season 2 dvd?
Don’t like making promises, but this summer is looking very 16-bit... ;)
Wow atari 2600 lt marked a lot in my childhood that of atari 7800
The automatic type rf switchbox like those that came with the NES are NOT recommended, unlike the NES the older 2600 / Colecovision / Intellivision etc do not output enough current to properly switch the signal over. Often when people complain of heavy static or snow or interference it is because they are attempting to use an NES RF switchbox. Only a manual RF switchbox (where you slide switch to select console / TV ) work properly. So either use an original manual switchbox OR as suggested use one of those RF to Coaxial adapters to connect directly to the TV.
+MaximumRD We definitely never used it when capturing video. This little gold adapter worked MUCH better.
The World 9 Gaming guys similarly bypass the RF Adapter entirely for their NES consoles when they go to a convention.
Oh yeah clearly, you literally would not have been able to capture anything acceptable if you had. I just wanted to mention this because you did show the NES RF switch for those who may not be paying close attention. Over the years on forums I have encountered people complaining they cannot get a clear image no matter what they try and it usually turns out because they picked up a loose 2600 console without the proper manual switchbox and they just assumed their old NES one would suffice and they cannot seem to understand why it does not so I just thought I would clarify that, hell even I tried it back when I started collecting. Needless to say I have several of those tiny RF to coaxial adaptors on hand now for all my Pre-NES consoles.
Famicom Dojo Lucky you actually FINDING those gold adapters. In my case I'm lucky my male-to-male BRIDGE was gold-plated! :p
It actually wasn't too bad at Radio Shack... when they still existed.
How do u plug into it in?
Wizard of Work used to be my jam!
1:45 no no no no!
If you get a vcr with coaxial and A.V. input you can get the rca to coaxial adapter, plug that in to coaxial port plug in the A.V. cables then you can get A.V. out of your Atari
That is exactly how we captured the gameplay footage for this video.
Vinnk -sama when will we get the arcade port story :D great video but teaser makes me sad... You did Genesis video... Neo Geo... But no super famicom!
+Peter Borrell That's been bugging us too. Stay tuned.
Watching another one today
Damn, video quality is from 2004. How so?
Technically, you can play Sonic the Hedgehog on a Genesis / mega drive with an atari 2600 controller. You have to start with the Genesis controller to press start and then switch to the atari controller. It's kinda dumb but fun to play around with.
Gonna have to try this…
I think the 2600 only got released in Japan a couple months before the Famicom and SG-1000 (as the 2800) by a Japanese company (was it Bandai? Though I'm sure they also made a Japanese Intellivision as I just watched someone restore one of those rare consoles) so needless to saw it did poorly and went almost unknown over there, I hear.
Atari joysticks are not serial, they just use the standard DB-9 connector.
Ooooope
Hahah oh vinnk!
The 2600 was before my time, but it's still worth owning because of it's many excellent games that hold up as simple fun today. I have AV modded 'Vader' model, which oddly isn't compatible with Yar's Revenge due to the way that game uses interfience as a graphical feature.
You guys should end all of your videos from this point on with the Famicom screaming "owari!" each time in a different way.
Satoshi Matrix what does yars revenge look like when you try to play it?
static.
Breakout came out before Super Breakout. You have the orange label 1986 re-release which is probably where you got the release year.
That makes a lot of sense. I will pass that on to Sean. Thank you. :)
Really? Rassum frassum..
This IS confusing.
The Atari 2600 cart of Super Breakout says CX2608, and has a 1978 release date on it. Breakout's number is CX2622, but also has a 1978 release date on it. I was mostly going off of the model numbers.
That's Orange I'm sure Super Breakout was just using the original 1978 copyright for Breakout which did come out that year. Super Breakout came out in 1982.
+Jeremiah Thomas I had that thought as well, but that doesn't explain why Super Breakout's model number is so much lower than Breakout's.
0:29 I had to check again, it looks like the 2600 but they also had an Apple II computer that was used in that scene! I guess they had to share the TV with both systems.
czcams.com/video/C3mvQ8V6evY/video.html
...I tried the male-to-male-to-otheradapter method.
Nope; didn't work, signal was too weak.
HOWEVER... I swear by the male-to-male-to-coax adapter!
Sure, your method uses less parts, but in both cases, the results didn't lie.
You read right; didn't. My current set has no tuner. (It's a PlayStation 3D Display.)
There was a line in the script about how the quality of male-to-male solution is much worse, but it didn't make the cut as we didn't have enough time to figure out if it was a problem with the specific adapters we were using.
Eu tenho só n sei mais monta kkk
Funny enough, Donkey Kong for the Atari was made bad intentionally.
+Atsuko Kagari Indeed! The next Atari-related video will dive into just that subject.
That"s really just a rumor. Coleco did make good ports of other arcade games for the 26oo and other systems.
+AandNvg True, but given how Coleco came to have the Donkey Kong license, and subsequent behaviors of other companies releasing their own games multiplatform, I find the theory to be compelling.
I see. So it takes a few months or less to make a video on the Atari, but for when you make a video on the SNES, it takes the same amount of time as Nintendo localizing Mother 3...
We just gotta do it right! No pressure...
Gamer#1 We are already 40 years late with this one.
The Japanese Atari 2600 it's called "Atari 2800"
Sakamoto196 And it was released AFTER the Famicom and SG-1000 consoles hit the market.
It also was one of the worst selling consoles over there, if I recall much less than a hundred units were sold (around 15-30). Then again, that sounds like the number of prototypes produced for a given item, so I'm probably way off.
www.usgamer.net/articles/why-did-atari-fail-in-japan
Checkout my computer system i made
Retrobit sucks. It falls apart and breaks easily.