When did you first get a 2600?

[Keatah]

I used to have a fetish for car washes and garbage trucks and conveyor belts!

 

Now, The only thing I have surviving from my *FIRST* 2600 is the grey-colored TIA 40-pin DIP IC package. This came out of a system with a serial number probably in the low 300's. I don't recall the exact reason how that came to be, but back in 1976-1979 I was pretty much into taking everything apart. I was also curious as to how to modify the games and make them go faster by hooking up batteries to different parts of the circuit. I figured that more power meant more speed! That was usually the case with motorized toy trucks and stuff.

 

Like playing with my electronic project kits from RadioShack, we'd connect more batteries and the lights would get brighter, the speaker louder, the motors faster. So why not the same with videogames?

Edited August 14, 2011 by Keatah

[Jr. Pac]

Same here!!! What a coincidence. I used to want to go to the car washes all the time... As long as ti has brushes.

[chupathingy]

I got my Atari 2600 Jr. a little bit more than a month ago, wish I would have had interest in retro gaming before. Also I'm amazed at how many people in this forum actually had an Atari back in the days and still have it as a hobby.

Ataris are a hail to many of our pasts, and something different from today's games.

 

In 30 years today's kids will think back to their PS3s, Xboxes and Wiis, but none will have one because they aren't designed to last like the systems from the past.

 

I have my Atari, and until I get my Harmony, I still have a way to play Atari games on a console. Right now my 2600 is sitting atop my modded Xbox, which has part of the halo special edition case on it. The rest was destroyed in a botched modding accident, which is why I no longer drink and mod at the same time.

 

But anyways, I've got Z26X on it which does a fine job of emulating games. It's no Stella but it does good for itself. I've been using it to find new games, too, by putting all the roms I could find on there, writing down the ones I like and transferring them to a folder for use on the Harmony. (Kinda like getting an interview with your own replacement.)

 

Now, The only thing I have surviving from my *FIRST* 2600 is the grey-colored TIA 40-pin DIP IC package. This came out of a system with a serial number probably in the low 300's

 

I have the same thing, but with the Commodore 64's SID chip.

 

I'm just surprised not only at how many people responded, but how many never had one growing up but got into it well after its demise. How long was it's commercial lifespan, 15 or so years? AND IT JUST WON'T F---ING DIE! The same can't be said about my Xbox, this is my eighth one and it's starting to show its age. It's a bad thing when you turn on a system and it coughs.

 

Thanks for posting, guys, many nifty stories here. Not like a new system where you say "I got it for christmas, I guess it's okay", but with all the motions, too, the gleam in the eye, warm smile, head tilted back, "I remember..."

 

Good stuff, keep em coming

Edited August 14, 2011 by chupathingy

[davyK]

August 1982 - as soon as I could afford one.

 

The best 2600 games sum up gameplay in its purist and the old graphics don't matter.

[+frankodragon]

It was in the 1980s I got an Atari 2600 from a department store for my birthday (I think). Pacman and Combat were the pack-in games. Little did I know Pacman was a terrible arcade conversion. Combat wasn't much fun without a second player either. I didn't have very many games for it. I remember going to a store in Milwaukee selling video games and seeing the prices on them gave me quite a shock-- $30,$40 $50 maybe more for an Atari game. The neighbors had more Atari games there I had so I go over to their house and play. When I got hit by the Nintendo bug, I kind of felt to give the Atari another chance. When everyone was into Nintendo and Sega in the 90s, I went to garage sales looking for Atari games. Another reason for keeping the Atari alive was subscribing and writing game reviews for a small fanzine named, Video Magic. Now with Ebay, it's rare to find games at garage sales and thrift stores anymore. Then one Christmas, I got a 7800.

[mtshark7]

I got my first Atari 2600 Light 6-switch by my very first Won eBay auction when I signed up for eBay back in December 2001?

 

That's when I decided to start my video game collecting and have something to do since I had my hernia operation around that time and was gonna be laid in bed for about a month so I had to have something to do. So I was soo excited when it arrived in the mail and I knew it was from a smokers home cos I could feel my lungs fill up with 3rd hand smoke? haha

 

Anywho throughout the years of play the picture has been acting up so that's when I decided to fix it up with my 3-mod (S-vid/AV, LED, Pause) idea. And now it works perfectly with s-video or AV! It's also my favorite console since not only is it my 1st 2600 but one I spent the most time working on to fix up to modern times.

 

I should email that seller with pics of it now

 

Now I just pray that the voltage regulator doesn't go on this one! I already fixed 2 so far.

[Animan]

Oh, I should have mentioned I got my Atari 2600 autographed by Mr. Bushnell himself at SGC 2009. The thread where I showed it off is buried somewhere. Strangely, it's something I hardly think about when I'm using my system, since the autograph is on the underside of the it. I keep thinking I have an ordinary 2600 .

 

EDIT: Original topic: http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/147286-atari-signed-by-nolan-bushnell/

Edited August 15, 2011 by Animan

[opeygon]

My first was Christmas 1980. Got rid of that one in like '92 or '93. Got my current Sears four switch in 2007.

[DemonoidTentacle]

I just bought my first today of some old bloke. Hasn't been played in 20 years.

[player 0ne]

trashpicked a broken one when i was 7. took me a long time to figure out how to fix it, just a broken power cord, but i was only 7! cut me a break! loved defender. traded it for outdated nintendo with more games.

 

20 years later i got a 2600a and FB2 to mod out. the harmony cart will save me from trying to collect carts (unless stupid cheap) and the crazy aftermarket stuff and homebrews and new hardware should keep me entertained. plus, if i can learn any programming that would be cool

[pixelated]

I envy all the other people here who grew up playing the 2600 in the '70s and '80s. Me, I didn't play it until I think 1991, and that was brief. I first got my 2600 back in 2008, off eBay with some games, been loving it ever since. I have, since getting it on eBay, found stores around the Denver metro area that sells games and have expanded my library from something like 10 games when I purchased the system to my current count of 54 games! It's been great, I try to play everyday and i try to take care of it by cleaning the outside and keeping it unplugged when I'm not playing. Before the Atari 2600, I felt that classic gaming really began for me with the NES, my first system. I think I was a little to young to experience the 2600 in the early '80s. But now, I love playing these games so much, I seem to play Atari MORE than my NES, which is kinda shocking for a Nintendo fanboy like me.

[disjaukifa]

I got my first Atari 2600 back around 2001 ~ 2002, got it from the local game store/thrift shop, the owner said he was going to trash it, he was a nintendo/sony fan, hated the Atari stuff, so I asked if I could have it if he was just going to junk, ened up having to pay for it, only paid 5 bucks, but it was worth it. However I didn't really get into playing Atari 2600 till 2009, I guess I got to the point where the current generation games just weren't exciting to me so I looked for something else. Been loving it ever since.

 

-Disjaukifa

[20ohm20]

Christmas 1979 - a Sears heavy sixer, which I still have (although the box for it is 2900 miles away). When people couldn't give away Atari 2600's and were literally throwing them away in the early-to-mid 1990's, I amassed almost 40 of them at one point. I only have a few of them now (and a good amount of spare parts). I still buy 2600's once in a while if they come in lots with a good amount of cartridges and they're really cheap. I then clean them up, A/V mod them and give them to friends/family.

 

Edit: I need to start looking at the original thread posting dates...

Edited August 29, 2011 by 20ohm20

[vanderveen88]

I found my first Atari at a garage sale close to 10 years ago. I was 12 or 13 at the time. It was a 4-switch woodgrain model and came with about 20 games in a small wooden case: mostly commons like Pac-Man, Space Invaders and Combat, as well as a couple more obscure titles (Squeeze Box was there, as well as a cart marked "Goliath Video System" that I later sold to someone on RGVC).

 

It also came with a set of paddles, although the knobs on each were missing, requiring us to use the metal stubs underneath. There were no joysticks included, but by some coincidence I'd found a couple of 9-pin joysticks at another garage sale earlier that day. The whole set cost me $7.

 

As to why I've kept it... by this point, I guess I do attach some nostalgia to the Atari, even though it was already a relic by the time I came across it. Its appeal comes in many forms. To some people it's an amusing oddity. But there are lots of games I enjoy and look forward to playing when I bring it out of the closet. By now I can't imagine discarding it. It's a piece of history, for most people the oldest system they're likely to get their hands on*, and something I always enjoy sharing with friends.

 

*At one point in time I did have a Coleco Telstar Combat, which, like the VCS, dates back to 1977. Now THAT'S an amusing oddity.

[Vaughan]

The day - back in "the day", how appropriate. I don't recall the precise date, but back in the day I bought an Atari VCS from Selfridges in Office Street, London. This was before most of the good games had come out, the choices on offer were Air/Sea Battle, Outlaw, Space War, and the ubiquitous Combat among others. It didn’t matter, because the Atari VCS was miles ahead of what we had experienced before - Pong.

 

You have to appreciate the times. Pong was an extraordinary advance, and countless consoles were released for hooking up to your home TV (usually a black and white set). We weren't used to interacting with a TV's - that big box in the corner was for staring at, and nothing else. But then Pong came along (and its variants) and suddenly we could take control of the picture, guide little paddles up and down, listen to the beep "beep bonk beep" that was Pong as its most height. Wow!

 

But news was out that Atari was coming out with a console that would replace our Pong machines. It was hard to believe, but this computer thing was programmable (whatever that was) and you could buy different games for it. Things were never the same after that.

 

I saved up and then hit London - no-one locally was selling it. I bought my console and head home. I played Surround, Breakout, Street Racer - and none of them were crap. Just to be able to race cars, knock out colored bricks, and shoot around a cactus, was the very height of excitement.

 

Soon after, there was a game changer. Pubs, cafes, arcades and just about anywhere you could fit one in, came a king to conquer the land - Space Invaders. Space Invaders was a revelation, from its pounding soundtrack to the rows of alien creatures that exploded when you shot them. Lines formed to play. You'd go get some change and await your turn, when it was your turn you'd put all your coins on the control panel of the machine, that way everyone knew you’d be a while. Not that you were. Space Invaders was HARD.

 

When Space Invaders arrived on the VCS it was tantamount to Atari kidnapping anyone who owned it. School? Yeah, right! To own this game made you the talk of the town, suddenly you had friends cropping up everywhere. And so on.

 

Back in the fabled day, we viewed arcade conversion differently. These days we talk about how faithfully the games reproduce the "real thing". But my recollection of those earlier days were different. We knew our little consoles weren't arcade machines, and a close approximation was close enough – and by close I mean the difference between the arcade Space invaders and the VCS.

 

By the time Missile Command was released, well, things were just ridiculous. Sure you didn't get alien ships going horizontally across the screen, but who cares? It was the same game! Wow! Asteroids was out too, and that - unlike the arcade machine - was in color!

 

Other games came and we obsessed over, a couple of my favorites being Dodge Em, Circus Atari, and Video Pinball. Basically I couldn’t get enough. The distributor was Ingersoll in the UK. I recall going to their offices in Sidcup, Kent to buy Warlords on its release date.

 

Questions of heavy sixer, light sixer, four switch etc. weren’t even a consideration – they were ALL heavy Sixers. I recall joysticks breaking, paddles getting the jitters, and the text around the switches fade away through constant use. But never once did the thing let me down. Those systems are still going today – who’d have thought it?

 

I wish the tale had a happy ending, but to be honest I don’t remember what happened to my first VCS. I think I sold it when I decided to take the plunge into the world of Atari 400 (and then 800). One thing that never went anywhere, the memories.

 

I still love the VCS, but for somewhat different reasons. The console may screen 70's design, and the joysticks – once the epitome of great design - actually feel a little clunky now. But then again, this was about the games , and for me they still hold their charm. The minimalistic designs, albeit forced on developers due to very little resources, are a thing of beauty. The sounds, the subtle variations, the annoying theme tunes going on and on, all have charm.

 

I’ve only just recently got back into Atari – I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long. But it feels good to see that thing under the TV when I get home.

Edited September 6, 2011 by Vaughan

[RobotOnLine]

The magic year for me was 1979, Christmas time to be exact.

I pretty much wore out the original unit so I picked up a mint 2600 off ebay about 6 years ago.

Here, it's probably easier if I just show you my video.

 

Oh I'm new by the way, HI

 

Edited September 8, 2011 by RobotOnLine

[BigErn]

The magic year for me was 1979, Christmas time to be exact.

I pretty much wore out the original unit so I picked up a mint 2600 off ebay about 6 years ago.

Here, it's probably easier if I just show you my video.

 

Oh I'm new by the way, HI

 

 

 

That collection is amazing. Everything is so new and shiny!!

[Tickled_Pink]

*Wistful Sigh* Christmas 1982. I was 13. Me, my mum and my gran went to Woolworths in Holyhead to pick up a copy of Berzerk to go with it - by that age I knew Santa had died in an avalanche and his corpse eaten by his starving reindeer . I remember opening it on the way home. It was either 23rd or 24th December 1982.

 

It's amazing how you remember what should be mundane things. I also remember my mum bringing home a new 800XL, 1050 and 1010 when I was 16 ready for Christmas. She still doesn't know that I snuck a quick go on it one day while she was out.

 

Robot's video brought back memories. I still have my original Combat box, in pretty good condition. Did have the instructions but I noticed the other day that they've disappeared . Did have the VCS box until about 10 - 12 years ago. I still have my original console.

Edited September 8, 2011 by Tickled_Pink

[Rick Weis]

got my first Atari 2600 Christmas 1977, I don't keep it a live, it keeps me a live.

 

Rick

[AlvinKarpis]

2600 was X-mas 1984

 

7800 was X-mas 1986

 

 

Im the older kid in the blue, my younger bro is in white, my cousin is on the ground

 

NES was January 1987

 

My brother and I wanted an NES so bad for X-mas in 1986 and the Toys R Us in Redding had been sold out. So my mom left her phone number with a manager to call her when they got more in (believe it or not back in 1986 customer service meant something and the guy called my mom around the end of January)

 

So my mom not wanting us to be completly bumed out bought us a 7800 (it was a good price and we could play all the 2600 gameswe had)

 

After we had hooked it up and started playing Pole Position 2 she pointed to an envelope on the X-mas tree that had a note in it that said "Good for one Nintendo"

 

I have to admit looking back how cool my mom was to do that

 

So we had the 7800 hooked up for like 20 days! No joke

 

My mom got the call, went down and picked up the NES and the 2600 and 7800 got boxed up and put in the attic as my brother and I went from Atari players to Nintendo addicts

 

My mom gave away the 7800 and most all of the 2600 games

 

But I still have the 2600 Vader with some games, im looking to change from some games to most games now

 

Its very easy because I love the 2600 games, in fact I only play 80s/90s games and watch 80s/90s movies and listen to 80s/90s music

 

Growing up in the 80s was perfect, I loved it, wouldnt want to choose a differnt decade

[SpaceDice2010]

April 11, 1981. I know that for a fact as it was the day before the first Space Shuttle took off. We drove two hours to do some shopping. I had a friend stay over that night. I also remember that the first few stores were sold out.

[Uzumaki]

I remember quite well that Christmas day when I got the Sears console plus Circus. I was only 6 years old so it's a pretty old memory. I also remember a few months later getting some games for Easter including Space Invaders.

[Keatah]

One of my very first exposures to videogames was in around 1974-1975 - with a huge sized mechanical pong game, huge as in the size of a 21+ inch tv.

 

Otherwise the years between 1977 through 1982 was whirlwind of discovery into electronics. Ti-59, TRS-80 Pocket Computer, Apple II+, and of course *all* the first generation cartridge systems. I consider SMS and nes to be 2nd generation, and I kinda stopped there.

[Dr Manhattan]

1981. With Combat, Adventure, and Asteroids.

 

Time of your life man. Time of your life.

[boxpressed]

I don't remember the exact year, but I'm guessing that it was 1980. The only games I can remember playing right away were Combat and Circus Atari. It wasn't long before we got Space Invaders, and that experience was as good as everyone says it is. However, I remember going crazy waiting for Asteroids to be released. I must have called this local electronics shop every day to ask if it had come in yet. When I finally saw the box in the store, I almost couldn't believe it -- it was as if I were dreaming. What a good memory.

 

We sold the 2600 because I wanted an Intellivision. Then I got a Colecovision. It wasn't long before I wanted the 2600 expansion unit for it. My parents thought I was crazy because we had sold the 2600 not long ago. A lot of cool games had come out between '81 and '83. Loved Raiders and Riddle of the Sphinx. Yar's Revenge. Fast Food. Even ET was okay.

 

So, 28 years later, I pick up a H6 off eBay, and I'm playing Atari again. I'm going to visit my folks in a week, and all of my videogames are still in their house. I'm looking forward to taking some of the carts back with me to play on the "new" old Atari.