New to the 2600...and what a console!

[pintopower]

Hi everyone, I am happy to join this group. Little background here, I am a Sr. Mechanical engineer for a product development firm in Palo Alto, CA. I have designed products for Dell, HP, Pebble, Fitbit, Apple, Google, Intel, Netgear, Microsoft, Alienware, Astro Gaming and on and on. The reason I bring it up is we have designed most gaming input devices like controllers for most of the US based video game console market…and I can’t stand playing them. Man, I just have no time to invest months into a game (don’t get me wrong, I love the GTA series but I would rather play with my daughter) so my vintage games are all I can really spend time on as I can play 10-15 min and then I’m all set. I’m also all about the consoles too. I have an NES, a SNES and a PS3. My wife also loves the NES but when I married her, she came with an Atari. All I knew is she was obsessed with getting the Atari attached to the flat screen so she could play Big Bird, whatever that was. Well, after installing the video upgrade kit, I was able to attach it to the display and it worked great! That is when it happened…I discovered the Atari. I never had one growing up (I’m the NES generation) and none of my friends did either thought one did have an intellivision. I went on an ebay spree, buying a bunch of games that seemed to be rated as the best games for the Atari. Weirdly, my 20 or so game spree cost me about $40. Seriously, how are these so cheap? Anyway, this thing is amazing. I love these games and now I find this site and discover that people are still making games for it (I am buying Scramble, I love the Gradius series) so I am stoked about this.

 

Wow that was a long intro, sorry. Anyway, I had some questions. The Atari my wife has was purchased from Atari at some outlet or sale that they had in Sunnyvale in the mid 1980’s or so. The unit is a 2600 4 SW and was factory reconditioned. The lid has spots for speakers (I know the 6 sw had those) so I think the lid was from a 6 SW but the bottom has these huge holes molded into the rear. There was a peeling piece of black vinyl back there covering the holes but I went ahead and 3D printed a little plate to hold my upgraded video/audio outs. Any idea what these are for or what case this is? I haven’t found any like it.

 

Anyway, love to get your input! I am currently working on the Cap upgrade from Mojoatomic so that will be great to see!

 

Thanks!

 

[+DamonicFury]

Wow, nice job adding that custom plate back there! Looks great!

 

 

Seriously, how are these so cheap?

 

Anyway, I had some questions. The Atari my wife has was purchased from Atari at some outlet or sale that they had in Sunnyvale in the mid 1980’s or so. The unit is a 2600 4 SW and was factory reconditioned. The lid has spots for speakers (I know the 6 sw had those) so I think the lid was from a 6 SW but the bottom has these huge holes molded into the rear. There was a peeling piece of black vinyl back there covering the holes but I went ahead and 3D printed a little plate to hold my upgraded video/audio outs. Any idea what these are for or what case this is? I haven’t found any like it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To answer your questions:

 

Why is Atari stuff so cheap? Part of it is that LOTS of it was manufactured back in the day... more than could even meet the demands of the time (thus the Great Videogame Crash of 1983) With plentiful supply, and demand limited to a fairly small handful of retro enthusiasts, it's not that surprising that prices are cheap. It makes Atari collecting a really fun and affordable hobby!

 

As for your case, yes, it sounds like your system had the case of a 6-switch Atari mixed with the 4-switch motherboard. That vinyl you mentioned was to cover the spots where the controller ports were located on the six switcher. The speaker grilles you mentioned generally weren't on the 4-switch cases. And, FYI, no 2600 was ever manufactured with those speakers included... yes, they were initially intended to be there, but they were cut out of the design before any made it to market.

 

Glad you've found so much enjoyment from this wonderful old console!

[zzip]

Wow, nice job adding that custom plate back there! Looks great!

 

 

 

 

To answer your questions:

 

Why is Atari stuff so cheap? Part of it is that LOTS of it was manufactured back in the day... more than could even meet the demands of the time (thus the Great Videogame Crash of 1983) With plentiful supply, and demand limited to a fairly small handful of retro enthusiasts, it's not that surprising that prices are cheap. It makes Atari collecting a really fun and affordable hobby!

 

As for your case, yes, it sounds like your system had the case of a 6-switch Atari mixed with the 4-switch motherboard. That vinyl you mentioned was to cover the spots where the controller ports were located on the six switcher. The speaker grilles you mentioned generally weren't on the 4-switch cases. And, FYI, no 2600 was ever manufactured with those speakers included... yes, they were initially intended to be there, but they were cut out of the design before any made it to market.

 

Glad you've found so much enjoyment from this wonderful old console!

 

Also when looking at retro-game history articles, there is a tendency to gloss over anything that came before NES, unless it's to talk about how ET "destroyed" the videogame industry. So I don't think these older consoles get on younger collectors radar screens as much as they deserve to.

[pintopower]

Wow, nice job adding that custom plate back there! Looks great!

 

 

 

 

To answer your questions:

 

Why is Atari stuff so cheap? Part of it is that LOTS of it was manufactured back in the day... more than could even meet the demands of the time (thus the Great Videogame Crash of 1983) With plentiful supply, and demand limited to a fairly small handful of retro enthusiasts, it's not that surprising that prices are cheap. It makes Atari collecting a really fun and affordable hobby!

 

As for your case, yes, it sounds like your system had the case of a 6-switch Atari mixed with the 4-switch motherboard. That vinyl you mentioned was to cover the spots where the controller ports were located on the six switcher. The speaker grilles you mentioned generally weren't on the 4-switch cases. And, FYI, no 2600 was ever manufactured with those speakers included... yes, they were initially intended to be there, but they were cut out of the design before any made it to market.

 

Glad you've found so much enjoyment from this wonderful old console!

 

Yeah I beleive that. Usually people look at me odd when they are talking about a game called "Rust"? and I chime in with Smurfs. You don't need to be complex and new to be great. Oh and glad you like the panel, I made a bunch for my friends. You can see how I installed it on my buddies 2600 here:

 

https://youtu.be/T4RHp_cgzhk

 

 

Also when looking at retro-game history articles, there is a tendency to gloss over anything that came before NES, unless it's to talk about how ET "destroyed" the videogame industry. So I don't think these older consoles get on younger collectors radar screens as much as they deserve to.

 

I agree, it seems when you talk about old consoles, it stops at NES. Don't get me wrong, I love my NES but was amazed at how great the Atari is! Now if I can only figure out where those capacitors go that I bought all would be great.

[Aurakmerc]

Are those Transformers in the background? Iron hide and Trailbreaker?

 

Nice system btw.

[Stormbringer]

dont seem to be able to find the plates on www.shapeways.com

[hizzy]

Looks great! Love the plate!

[pintopower]

Are those Transformers in the background? Iron hide and Trailbreaker?

 

Nice system btw.

Yeah they are the new Masterpiece versions though trailbreaker was made by a 3rd party. I love the G1's! And thanks!

 

dont seem to be able to find the plates on www.shapeways.com

That is because I am a dummy and moved them to a new area and made that area closed to the public. I will fix that!

 

Looks great! Love the plate!

Thank you and thank you!

[pintopower]

@stormbringer

Here is the link working now. I had to fix the shop section. Both 3D printed versions are in there and I can make custom ones for the 6sw or any that have already drilled their cases.

 

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/ampro?section=Atari&s=0

[norm8332]

That console looks like a Sunnyvale 4-switch. It could be a reconditioned display model. It is somewhat rare because very few 4-switches were made there. They did have the speaker holes and the stick-on cover on the back. Most also had the "melted in" numbers on the bottom like yours.

[norm8332]

See the 4th console from the top, There isn't even a picture of it shown because of it's rarity. I have one too because my parent purchased it as a display model when the lower priced 4 switchers came out. You can tell by the yellow piping, speaker holes, sticker back cover and the Sunnyvale sticker on the bottom.

 

http://atariage.com/2600/archives/consoles.html

Edited September 23, 2017 by norm8332

[EvoMikeUK]

Hi everyone, I am happy to join this group. Little background here, I am a Sr. Mechanical engineer for a product development firm in Palo Alto, CA. I have designed products for Dell, HP, Pebble, Fitbit, Apple, Google, Intel, Netgear, Microsoft, Alienware, Astro Gaming and on and on. The reason I bring it up is we have designed most gaming input devices like controllers for most of the US based video game console market…and I can’t stand playing them. Man, I just have no time to invest months into a game (don’t get me wrong, I love the GTA series but I would rather play with my daughter) so my vintage games are all I can really spend time on as I can play 10-15 min and then I’m all set. I’m also all about the consoles too. I have an NES, a SNES and a PS3. My wife also loves the NES but when I married her, she came with an Atari. All I knew is she was obsessed with getting the Atari attached to the flat screen so she could play Big Bird, whatever that was. Well, after installing the video upgrade kit, I was able to attach it to the display and it worked great! That is when it happened…I discovered the Atari. I never had one growing up (I’m the NES generation) and none of my friends did either thought one did have an intellivision. I went on an ebay spree, buying a bunch of games that seemed to be rated as the best games for the Atari. Weirdly, my 20 or so game spree cost me about $40. Seriously, how are these so cheap? Anyway, this thing is amazing. I love these games and now I find this site and discover that people are still making games for it (I am buying Scramble, I love the Gradius series) so I am stoked about this.

 

Wow that was a long intro, sorry. Anyway, I had some questions. The Atari my wife has was purchased from Atari at some outlet or sale that they had in Sunnyvale in the mid 1980’s or so. The unit is a 2600 4 SW and was factory reconditioned. The lid has spots for speakers (I know the 6 sw had those) so I think the lid was from a 6 SW but the bottom has these huge holes molded into the rear. There was a peeling piece of black vinyl back there covering the holes but I went ahead and 3D printed a little plate to hold my upgraded video/audio outs. Any idea what these are for or what case this is? I haven’t found any like it.

 

Anyway, love to get your input! I am currently working on the Cap upgrade from Mojoatomic so that will be great to see!

 

Thanks!

 

Hi, will you be selling these plates? Kind thanks, Mike

[+TwentySixHundred]

Lol bet you weren't expecting to find out your VCS is actually fairly rare

[glazball]

Welcome to the fold pintopower! Hey, better 40 years late discovering the Atari than never, right? I can't add much to what others have already said, but all you really need to know is the Atari 2600 is one of the best game consoles ever made. Sure, the graphics aren't typically breathtaking and the joystick will cramp your hand after a long time (protip: use a Sega Genesis controller), but it's hard not to love it, warts and all. Some games are timeless classics that aged well, some not so much, and some were horrible to begin with. Enjoy!!

[+save2600]

If the Atari CX40 joystick ever cramps your hands, you're playing too damn long!

[pintopower]

That console looks like a Sunnyvale 4-switch. It could be a reconditioned display model. It is somewhat rare because very few 4-switches were made there. They did have the speaker holes and the stick-on cover on the back. Most also had the "melted in" numbers on the bottom like yours.

How interesting. That makes sense considering our proximity to the old HQ. Thank you for the info!

 

See the 4th console from the top, There isn't even a picture of it shown because of it's rarity. I have one too because my parent purchased it as a display model when the lower priced 4 switchers came out. You can tell by the yellow piping, speaker holes, sticker back cover and the Sunnyvale sticker on the bottom.

 

http://atariage.com/2600/archives/consoles.html

Holy cow! That is crazy! Thank you for that.

 

Hi, will you be selling these plates? Kind thanks, Mike

Hey Mike, yup. Here you go: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/ampro?section=Atari&s=0

Please watch the install before you get one so you know what all is involved.

 

 

Lol bet you weren't expecting to find out your VCS is actually fairly rare

Heck no I wasn't!

 

Welcome to the fold pintopower! Hey, better 40 years late discovering the Atari than never, right? I can't add much to what others have already said, but all you really need to know is the Atari 2600 is one of the best game consoles ever made. Sure, the graphics aren't typically breathtaking and the joystick will cramp your hand after a long time (protip: use a Sega Genesis controller), but it's hard not to love it, warts and all. Some games are timeless classics that aged well, some not so much, and some were horrible to begin with. Enjoy!!

Man I am seriously loving this thing. I am really into NES and SNES so this thing is right in there. I just love how you can still get new games for them. I bought Scramble and Zippy the Porcupine. Right now my daughter and I are a little but obsessed with The Smurfs and my wife is a master at Big Birds Egg Catch. LOL!

 

If the Atari CX40 joystick ever cramps your hands, you're playing too damn long!

Haha!

[pacman000]

"

Also when looking at retro-game history articles, there is a tendency to gloss over anything that came before NES, unless it's to talk about how ET "destroyed" the videogame industry. So I don't think these older consoles get on younger collectors radar screens as much as they deserve to. "

 

True. Funny, older articles blame the rise of home computers for the crash instead of bad games.

 

A lot of the articles you see on major game sites aren't really history articles; they're nostalgia articles. I'd love to see what Google would've brought up for the keywords "classic games" in 2001, but I don't have a time machine handy, and Google blocked Archive.org from crawling their search results. Maybe I should try Altavista.,,