Earlist memory of Atari

[starmaster]

I was just remembering my earliest memory of Atari, and it was when I was about 7 years old and it was the arcade machine lunar lander in B&W. I was at diving school in Irlam Manchester UK and after we had finished we hung out in the lobby at the pool. I didn't have any coins to play but I watched this guy. And loved it.

[dwh]

The first Atari home product for me was in 1976, playing the first Pong system at my aunt and uncles house.Played Space Invaders(and heard AC/DC's Back In Black, all on the same day!) at a friends house in 1980.We got a VCS/2600 on christmass day 1980.Been hooked since....

[prOk]

The first Atari home product for me was in 1976, playing the first Pong system at my aunt and uncles house.Played Space Invaders(and heard AC/DC's Back In Black, all on the same day!) at a friends house in 1980.We got a VCS/2600 on christmass day 1980.Been hooked since....

 

 

Here's one of my earliest, probably around xmas 77.

[Retro Rogue]

Mid 70's, at Petroff's Bowling Lanes in Milwaukee, playing games like Tank, Sprint 2, and Quiz Show.

[Pontiac]

My first memory of any console was with the PONG machine. Twas a light brown box, two long rectangular paddles with an ultra thin wire, red momentary button on one of the controllers to `reset`. Looks pretty close to the attachment, however, the difference between when I had and this image is that instead of the sticks to go up and down, I had round controllers. From what I remember, the rest of the body is the same. (I'm 36 now, so you can do the math to how long ago this was. )

 

Then we got the heavy six 2600. Lasted a few years before something went in it. I think it was just the wall wart that went. By then we had like 30 carts, and since it was probably cheaper to get a new unit than getting another wall wart, and instead of mothballing all of that, dad bought another 2600. It looked the same, but was a lot lighter. Eventually we got the slim 2600. My favorite game for the 2600 (And still is) is Asteroids. I played that for HOURS, and I can't tell ya how many times I've wrapped that score without losing a life.

 

After the 2600, we started getting into the C64, then into PCs.

 

A couple of nights ago I was at my parents place and I noticed the light weight old model of the 2600 and got to thinking about Asteroids. I happened to also have found the old Asteroids cart in my old bedroom. I am oh-so-thinking about doing a drive to pick it up, but, I don't have joysticks for it, and really don't have the time to make 'em. Wonder what EBay may bring up? heh

[starmaster]

The first Atari home product for me was in 1976, playing the first Pong system at my aunt and uncles house.Played Space Invaders(and heard AC/DC's Back In Black, all on the same day!) at a friends house in 1980.We got a VCS/2600 on christmass day 1980.Been hooked since....

 

 

Here's one of my earliest, probably around xmas 77.

 

 

Man that T shirt takes me back.. I had a few just like it..

 

You got chess???? I guess that's your parents wanted you to have some educational stuff rather than just blasting all day huh?

[Lonely Mountain Hermit]

My first memory is of seeing 'Combat' on the 2600 and being completely amazed at the idea of being able to control something on a television screen. I thought I had entered another dimension!

[maibock]

We had a department store called "Two Guys" that had a cafeteria area, with vending machines and nice collection of pinball machines down the side wall. They had an electro-mechanical bowling alley with about 5 lanes or so, along the back. The machines were set for a dime.

 

Around '76, whilst shopping with mom, I walked in to see there next to the faux plastic plants, a stand up machine, with older kids all huddled around. Stunt Cycle it was! For a whole quarter! Man what a great game that was to play..

[eegad]

Hmmmm....

 

Earliest memory of Atari in arcade? Probably around 11 years old, 1978-ish. My dad and I used to like to play pinball at the arcades when we were on the boardwalk at the jersey shore in summer. When the first few video games came out (Pong, Seawolf, Breakout) I pretty much ignored them. But then one time there was Lunar Lander and Starship, and those just looked so cool that I had to play them.

 

Earliest memory at home? I don't remember Atari Pong units. I and my friends all got Coleco's in '77/'78. But my friend Dave got a 2600 for christmas in '78 and it was SO COOL because it was in COLOR!

 

Edited February 15, 2010 by eegad

[Vic George 2K3]

Probably the earliest memory of Atari that I can remember is seeing a commercial for its Touch Me handheld game, which someone in my family eventually got.

[+Random Terrain]

My first memory of Atari was Pong at a bar. My step-father would take me to bars sometimes. I thought I saw pong at a bar in the Binghamton, New York area in late 1972, but when you look at the history, that doesn't seem possible. It had to be a bar in Illinois, but I could have sworn I saw pong in that bar in New York.

[Herbarius]

Man that T shirt takes me back.. I had a few just like it..

oh, I first thought it's a pyjama shirt

[Rik]

The 2600 came out in 77 IIRC,,but I didn't know about it till 80-81,I just don't know why that late .Anyway I remember buying my 1st 2600,a factory reconditioned one for like $120.That was cheap compared to a new one which cost anywhere from $250-300 new.I still have it and it still works great.The very next day I went out and bought Space Invaders.I remember playing S.I. with KISS playing on my turntable.

[Philflound]

This may be one of my only Atari pictures, unless my parents have more. It is probably 1982, my guess the fall. Making me 12 years old. I believe this is the year because I got glasses during 1982. I'm the one in the gold sweatshirt, my brother has the horrible striped shirt, and that is one of my cousins laying on the bed watching. I have no recollection playing Slot Racers at my aunt's house here.

 

Phil

[tetrode kink]

This may be one of my only Atari pictures, unless my parents have more. It is probably 1982, my guess the fall. Making me 12 years old. I believe this is the year because I got glasses during 1982. I'm the one in the gold sweatshirt, my brother has the horrible striped shirt, and that is one of my cousins laying on the bed watching. I have no recollection playing Slot Racers at my aunt's house here.

 

Phil

Wow, that is just a terrific picture. Real kids having fun with the real game on a real TV of the era, black & white, no less. It's like a moment out of time brought to the present (which, of course is what the best photographs do). That pic really takes me back, it might as well be me and my friends having a game.

 

Of course, everyone knows (or can easily find out) that the VCS came out in 1977, but that is just a cold fact. That picture solidifies it deeper in your brain (well, my brain anyway) and lends some kind of real-world credibility to the facts (can't quite come up with the right phrase there).

 

It also shows the whipper-snappers what us OGs (Original Gamers) played BITD.

 

Whipper-snappers. Man, I am officially old.

 

Thanks for the ride on the Way-Back machine, Phil. That was sweet.

 

-tet

[accousticguitar]

I used to wear striped shirts similar to that growing up.

[Tr3vor]

bout 2 years ago when i picked up the light sixer out of the box and was bamboozeled by the cartrige pin covers?. lol. and i was confused for a while with the messed up switchbox. im used to the automatic ones with the snes and nes. it got fuzzy though so i got one of those small connector things.of course, i popped in combat first... but it was a 2player game, so i played a game by myself...

[Philflound]

Just because it's from 1982, doesn't mean that's when I started playing. I don't remember if I got one in 1977, but definitely had one by 1978. Goes to show that we still played a few years later. I hated the fashion back then. My wife laughs at some of the old pictures of me in striped or checkered shirts and pants.

 

Phil

[Pioneer4x4]

Just because it's from 1982, doesn't mean that's when I started playing. I don't remember if I got one in 1977, but definitely had one by 1978. Goes to show that we still played a few years later. I hated the fashion back then. My wife laughs at some of the old pictures of me in striped or checkered shirts and pants.

 

Phil

Any plaid shirts with gold thread woven in them? I thought I was SO COOL, gradient tinted glasses and everything!

 

Anyway, I remember playing the game where you had to make the space ship go up through the asteroids frogger like in the old Pittsburgh airport, maybe real early 1970s. The first 2600 experience was I went to my friends uncle's house late one night, it had to be 1977, and was AMAZED at how many he had. I remember playing combat and canyon bomber distinctly.

[Longhorn Engineer]

Well being a new comer to Atari (compared to yall) I actually know Atari first as a publisher of games and the maker of the "crap" plug in TV stuff. Before I discovered the 2600 I pretty much had an extreme dislike for the company of Atari as they made bad games. I guess the "bug" really took hold when I started my EE degree and dabbled with more electronics. Still trying to find time to learn the 6502 processor (ASM). I know how to program ASM languages (if you can call it that) and count the cycles for MCs but the Atari is a completely different beast.

Edited February 16, 2010 by Longhorn Engineer

[mimo]

Probably xmas 1980, a friend got a 2600 and we played Commando, missile command and space invaders for hours. Preferable to playing the crappy games on our Sinclair ZX81. Luckily we got an Atari 400 the next xmas.

Never owned my own 2600 until 4 years ago, now I have Sears Heavy,Sears VAII,PAL Heavy sixer, PAL light sixer,FB2, a weird 128 in-1 clone and an FB2+ on order (as well as NTSC 7800, 2 PAL 7800's and 2 French RGB 7800's)

 

Addictive this:lust:

[zylon]

First Atari memory was playing Berzerk on 2600 in 82 or 83. We got our own system 3 years later. Now I've got around 30 working systems, I think they're multiplyin'

[Rik]

I used to wear striped shirts similar to that growing up.

Same here!Funny how fashion changes.A kid wearing that to school today would get laughed it silly probably.In my school pics,i'm wearing a striped shirt with multi colored square patterns all over,even in my year book photos!!

[Philflound]

I used to wear striped shirts similar to that growing up.

Same here!Funny how fashion changes.A kid wearing that to school today would get laughed it silly probably.In my school pics,i'm wearing a striped shirt with multi colored square patterns all over,even in my year book photos!!

 

Actually a kid wearing stuff like that would probably get his butt kicked.

 

Phil

[RIVER]

This is as close as i have found to me playing Atari, its around 1978, you cant see the Atari but i can make out a few games in a storage case (pitfall, kaboom, yars revenge, asteroids, donkey kong, combat, et) i think, and it looks like maybe pointmaster joysticks with the red fire button on top.