4 Switch question.

[ChrisMach152]

I got a 4 switch Atari with no vent/speaker holes and a light sixer bottom with the sticker covering the unused holes. Does anyone know anything about my Atari?

[dommie]

Sounds like they were using up the last of the plastics of the 6 switch at the beginning of the run of the 4 switch. Which makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint.

 

So my guess is it's just a really early 4 switch.

[ChrisMach152]

Sounds like they were using up the last of the plastics of the 6 switch at the beginning of the run of the 4 switch. Which makes sense from a manufacturing standpoint.

 

So my guess is it's just a really early 4 switch.

Do you know anything about the rarity or value?

[Prodos8]

I have one like that. I'd venture to say they're common enough to not command a premium value wise over the other 4-switch units.

[dommie]

I can't see why it would command any more money than your average 4 switcher. It's not like this variant does anything special - it's just the bottom plastic shell, most likely left overs from the end of the 6 switch production run.

 

Even if they were super rare - like say maybe 5 exist like that. Nobody would pay more anyway for them because there's nothing cool or sexy about the bottom plastic shell. And if it could command more money, people would just start switching shells from their 6 switchers.

[SlowCoder]

Maybe not more valuable, but perhaps could be considered another variant? Sure, people could swap from other consoles, but they wouldn't have the cover sticker.

 

I think this is about the 3rd thread on this subject in the last week. First time I ever heard about them, and now they're coming out of the woodwork.

[dommie]

Another possibility is that they were serviced at an Atari service center, and for one reason or another they also swapped the bottom shells and slapped the sticker on them.

[Schizophretard]

It could probably be determined by serial numbers.

[dommie]

It probably could. Unless the bottom shells were used haphazardly by 1 assembly team or another. Either way, in my opinion, while this is an interesting side note it doesn't mean it's any more desirable to a collector or retains any intrinsic value over a standard 4 switcher. This is just my opinion, feel free to differ.

[Schizophretard]

I would find every variation collectible and desirable. It is all the variations of the system, clones, variations of controllers, label variations.... that makes the VCS so collectible. As a gamer I might consider all four switchers as equal but as a collector I consider even small differences something else to collect.

[dommie]

I guess that's where we differ then. Where do you draw the line? If for a 2 month window they used screws with a purple tinge to them, would you seek those models out too? I'm not knocking it by asking this, I'm just curious.

 

I mean, I get it on the large scale of model variants - light 6 switch, heavy 6 switch, 4 switch, vader, jr., etc. I just don't really see this as a variant though I guess is what I'm saying. It was just the factory in Hong Kong or Taiwan or wherever probably being cheap about the tail end of the 6 switch plastics. It's not like it was designed that way or whatever to be an actual variant.

[Schizophretard]

If there was a 2 month window that they used screws with a purple tinge to them then the line between that variation and the variations it is in between would be it's first serial number and it's last serial number. All the VCS within those serial numbers would be one variation unless there is another difference. For an example, If two factories produced the purple tinge variation then it would be two variations.

 

Think of it like how paleontologists study fossils to understand how evolution happened. Every fossil that brings new information counts. Every variation of VCS that helps us understand their evolution counts. If I had an Atari history museum I would want one of each variation. I think of my collection as a miniature Atari museum, other people's collections their miniature museums, and the information we share as being one big Atari museum.