Where Did You Get Your First Atari 2600 and What Type Was it?

[maskdesmith87]

I actually started with a Flashback 2 and later got a four switcher with the wood paneling (wood paneling was a must). Its worked well for me

[stlpaul]

Had one as a kid -- don't remember specifics, but it had the wood grain finish at least I'm sure of. At some point it got replaced with a Colecovision with the adapter to play 2600 games on it.

 

At some point moved on to NES and no idea what happened to the ColecoVision. My mom probably sold it at a garage sale for 15 cents.

 

Fast forward 30 years and I now have a Sears Tele-Games 6-switch (made in Taiwan) that I got via eBay.

[Jinks]

Got a jr. in the little box for 49.99 when I was 11 or something like that. was in 88 or 89 I dunno..

Had about 30 some games. Dig dug moon patrol etc. I played it to remember the arcade at a hotel when we went on holidays(3 days every year to a fair Dad worked every day still does at age 70)..To this day playing dig dug I remember the old arcades..

[billysastard]

which: cherry leisure pal heavy sixer

where: local video rental store (only place that had them)

why: upgrade to my channel f

when: 1977

price: £229.99 (with combat cart, 2x cx-10 sticks and paddles)

 

still got it, still works flawlessly

 

[ZippyRedPlumber]

My real first Atari is an Atari 2600 Jr. (NTSC, Short Rainbow, Made in Taiwan.) I recently bought it at my local flea market.

 

Before, I was given my Dad's Sixer.

[cimerians]

Sears Video Arcade circa 1980 or 81' came with Target Fun (Air Sea Battle) about a month later I got Combat.

[+darryl1970]

Parents got ours at O'Neil's Department Store. It was a "Heavy Sixer", because it was still new.

They got a bundle, which included a cart holder, Air Sea Battle, and Canyon Bomber, in addition to Combat.

 

I sold it shortly after the 5200 came out> Even though I liked my Ms Pac-Man for the 2600, I wanted the sirens and whacka sounds at home!

[fsuinnc]

The first Christmas that sears had them (1978 I think). so sears heavy sixer I would guess. Decided I wanted Sears instead of Atari based solely on the pack-in. Preferred Target fun over Tank since Target fun had single player versions. Later sold it and all my games for cash to buy an intellivision.

 

I regret nothing! (but I am glad I now have several models of bath).

[hizzy]

Got my first Atari in Montreal QC. It was at a now defunct store called Miracle Mart in the Plaza Cote Des Neige. It was a light sixer, I think. I got it with Solar Storm.

[ubersaurus]

Grew up with a four-switcher that my parents bought when I was a baby... probably around 1984, on clearance? Eventually I broke the controller port on it, my aunt gave us her system (which broke somehow as well) and we moved on to a 7800 in 1988. Probably around 2002 or so, my grandmother gave me her 2600 Jr. that I used to play all the time whenever I visited, and that - along with my original four-switch, now repaired - are my main 2600 consoles. That said, I do still use the 7800 more.

[IsARealBoy88]

My first one wasn't that long ago, Buti was helping a friend move and his wife told me to take his box with his smaller rerelease of the 2600 and like 30 games because they didn't play it anymore. Beat payment I've ever received!

[danny_galaga]

Got mine maybe two years ago. It was the one console I always wanted as a kid, yet is the second last one I have bought. So i put the word out on Aussie Arcade and someone who has a 'man' at his local tip sold me one for 25 bucks (",). RF was stuffed but finally a few weeks ago I did an S-video mod….

[helmsm]

My first 2600 was a light sixer in the late 70s

[Theunknown]

Bought mine recently at a retro video game store near me. I was a little to young for the 2600 when it came out. But I wish I got one sooner, love playing it now.

[+sramirez2008]

Bought mine recently at a retro video game store near me. I was a little to young for the 2600 when it came out. But I wish I got one sooner, love playing it now.

Never too late to get an Atari. Congrats!

[syn]

1978 from Highland Appliance, a heavy sixer iirc. My birthday is in September so I conned my father into doing a b day/Christmas gift. I ended up playing more at a friend's house since I hardly had any games. His dad liked playing so they always seemed to have new games.

[0078265317]

My first taste of 2600 was at a friends house in the 80s I think. Never had one untill ebay many years ago. I got a 5200 in 80 something I remember. I forget when. 82-87 sometime.

[SSG]

2008 or 2009, I don't remember which at a Flea Market. $35 with 9 games and manuals.

[matthew954]

I remember playing a 2600 back in the 80's when I was a kid. I only vaguely remember the system. But fast forward to 2016, and I lucked into a 2600Jr auction from ShopGoodwill.com. It came with just the console, and was in fairly rough shape. But she worked great after buying a 3rd party power cord from Amazon. On top of that me and a buddy of mine upgraded the little Jr to composite RCA from Retrofixes. Up to now I've been pretty much an NES collector, but Atari has already won me over at this point.

 

Two weeks ago I scored another ShopGoodwill auction for a 7800Pro, 4 2600 joysticks, 4 2600 paddles, power cord, as well as Video Checkers, and Xonox Artillery Duel/Chuck Norris Super Kicks dual cart.

 

I only spent $20 shipped for the Jr, and $38 shipped for the 7800. And currently have 28 carts for the 2600 (including Juno First for homebrew), and only 3 for the 7800.

[Crimson Tibiasm]

I bought my Sears Video Arcade system at a flea market for only $10 while visiting my relatives in a small town in Michigan. It was the only console I ever saw at the market for the time. At first sight I wanted to buy the console until my little sister told me “there's a chance I'll never find games for it.” which I started to think for a little while. I started to walk around every lane and looked at every small stand. Feeling a little bit hopeless on the next 14 lanes and 5 small stands later. I found a small box or small bulk filled with some Atari 2600 games with some Sega Master games, 3 Atari 7800 games and only 2 Intellivision games. The dealer wanted to get rid of everything in that box so he sold it to me for only a total of 5 dollars including the worst 3rd party controller I ever used and owned.

 

After purchasing the entire box of games I walked back to the dealer who was trying to get rid of the Sears Video Arcade. I told the lady I wanted to buy the console and told her I found some games for it. They seemed very pleased. The owner told me they spent several years trying to sell the thing and kept lowering the price. It turns out I was probably the only person in that town who knew what it was. Not only did I manage to get the games and the console but also the original joystick, the original switch box, the original power adapter, the original paddle controllers and the small crate that was in it. When I arrived back to Texas. I plugged the console into my 9 year old 24 inch CRT television. The first game I ever manage to play on that console was Defender and as I tested every game from the box to see if they were all working. The last game I tested was E.T.; even thought I knew how bad this game was, when I played it I noticed something was wrong. The colors were off and later I started to have issues with the switch box and well the rest is history. I never thought I've spent more time working, disassembling and researching online.

 

Today I'm still buying games and controllers for that console. I hope in the years to come I'll enjoy everything that console has to offer. To the point I started to make videos of it. You probably have seen my video on the RF Shielding and Switch Box Replacement. But there's another video which I'll only share this to you guys.

 

It's not the best video I ever made but an abandoned project.

Edited October 5, 2016 by Crimson Tibiasm

[azrael_vat]

Christmas of '88. I really wanted an NES, my dad got me a 2600 Junior, and a ColecoVision. I was eight, and ended up playing the hell out of two 2600 jr's until my teens. On a side note, as I'm new to Atari collecting, I have an opportunity to get a CIB heavy 6. What's a reasonable price?

[Zonie]

Christmas 1978. Heavy Sixer and Superman. Folks bought it at Longs Drug Store. That store is a petsmart now. about 2 miles from my house.

They got Superman because I wanted Target Fun. I didn't know it was a Sears version of Air Sea Battle...

 

My Combat and my Outer Space boxes are gatefolds...

[davyK]

Got a 2600 in '82 with Combat and there was a deal in the national newspaper at the time - if you sent your proof of purchase for your 2600 away you got a free asteroids. (!)

 

So first game I paid for after that was either Fishing Derby or Atlantis - just can't remember!

[Rob Mitchell]

Sears Video Arcade late September 1977 .. Came with Target Fun and only one other cart available, Tank Plus, which we bought that same evening.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Rob Mitchell

[spacecadet]

First one I played was a light sixer at my cousins' house in probably 1978 or so.

 

First one I owned was my Sears heavy sixer that I bought in about 1998 or so on Ebay, at the point I developed a sense of nostalgia.

 

I actually thought I still had that machine, but realized only a few days ago that I sold it about 4 years ago

 

I do remember thinking I need to get my collection down to at most two 2600's... I guess I kept my Atari four switch system because it's 100% complete and in great shape (and an Atari), with all box inserts and everything. And I have a similarly complete 7800.

 

But no more original Sears heavy