Something I just noticed on Breakout cartridge

[Atarian7]

I have the 1986 version with the yellow/orange label and large lettering on the end label. On the face label right underneath "Breakout" it says "Use with joystick controllers".

Is this an error that is common?

 

 

[EdwardK]

Not sure what year mine is, or if it's the color you're referencing due to being colorblind. (for all i know, this could be orange, but the red washes out for me) But mine definitely says paddles.

 

Sorry about the photo quality. Only camera I have is a flipphone from 2006.

[asis217]

Many of the Atari Corp release have incorrect controller info, and some have black tape covering controller info.

[atariactionman]

Like this one. I think it was just a printing error.

[The Mr. Video]

The strange thing is, my printing error breakout cartridge doesn't say what controller to use.

[EdwardK]

Kinda makes me wonder of all the release variations, how many have errors

[chas10e]

member Philflound has been archiving these for awhile

 

http://www.videogamevariations.com/AtariCompanies/AtariGames/Breakout/breakoutcartridges.htm

 

pretty neat all the variants

[atariactionman]

Yeah this one looks like they found the mistake and omitted the controller info completely.

[BassGuitari]

When you're looking at label variations, it's important to note the distinction between Atari Inc. carts and Atari Corp. carts. Although they both have "Atari" in their names, they were totally different companies. Atari Corp. re-issued most of the old 2600 back catalog starting in 1986--usually in the older Atari Inc. picture label style, or some mutation thereof--and they tended to do things on the cheap. Atari Corp. labels with errors are as common as those without, and "error" carts often went through a couple of different "versions" - A) incorrect controller info, B) incorrect controller info masked with a thin strip of black tape, C) correct controller info, D) no controller info (they must have finally said "to hell with it" at this point).

Misprints and typos in the copyright print aren't uncommon, either. Oddly, though, Atari Corp.'s red label games tended to be error-free. Must have been different people in charge of re-issue labels and red labels?

Atari Corp., error-riddled as their labels tended to be, were responsible for some really funky stuff like the above-posted Yellow Breakout and the "Raiders Lost Ark" and "Pole Positn" label variants. The 1986 version of Hangman is so weird it looks like a pirate cart.

Edited May 30, 2016 by BassGuitari

[Atarian7]

Thanks for the info everyone especially BassGuitari.

[Jason_Atari]

The most common one i keep finding is dodge 'em saying it's for paddles like this one.

[Skylark68]

I have that yellow Breakout with the joystick controller information. Pretty funny stuff.

 

It came with the multi-language instructions in black and white. I remember asking the French teacher in school what the directions said in French and she said "the same thing that it says in English" right here. She wasn't the nicest teacher...

Edited June 1, 2016 by Skylark68

[BassGuitari]

It seems like most of the error labels, for some reason, are joystick or keyboard games that say "use with paddle controllers." The only opposite case (paddle game, "use with joystick") I can think of is the Yellow Breakout, but I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting.

Errors weren't limited to the picture-label reissues, either. For instance, I've got an '85 Joust that says "© ATAR CORP."