Do you call it "Atari 2600" or "Atari VCS"

[Mulletino]

Atari VCS, that's what was on the box when we got it. Well, it said Video Computer System but that's too much of a mouthful.

[Osgeld]

Famicom games were known as cassettes. And they would fit perfectly inside of old tape racks.

 

yea but it was extra annoying when my cousin got a playstation and we played that when we went "home" for the holidays lol

 

"put your atari tape up and come eat dinner" like damn dude its a freaking CD at this point, and he had a monumental collection of music cd's

 

might have been just messing with us at that point, he always was a bit of a wiseass

Edited June 18, 2018 by Osgeld

[up2knowgood]

Ahh, the 7800 is a "video computer system" too!

Just to be absolutely confusing.

 

Also, mostly call it "The 2600" and rarely "The VCS" when talking about its history and comparing it to other systems of that era.

[Flojomojo]

Just to be absolutely confusing.

As opposed to an Audio Computer System, or an Olfactory Computer System, or a Touch Computer System, I guess. The Taste Computer System is likely many years away.

[Mr SQL]

As opposed to an Audio Computer System, or an Olfactory Computer System, or a Touch Computer System, I guess. The Taste Computer System is likely many years away.

 

Pretty innovative! A friend of mine wrote a ScratchN'Sniff adventure game for Falsoft in the 80's, came with ScratchN'Sniff cards.

[Atariboy2600]

From 1977 till 1981 I called The Atari VCS, but after 82 its the 2600, always.

[+RevEng]

As opposed to an Audio Computer System, or an Olfactory Computer System, or a Touch Computer System, I guess. The Taste Computer System is likely many years away.

In a computing era of Altair 8800s, Mainframes, and TTYs, the "Video Computer System" makes a fair bit of sense as a marketing term for the 2600. It definitely made little sense by the time the 7800 was a thing.

 

Back to the main question, I said "VCS" back in the day, and now say "2600" ever since I got back into the old gear.

[kennetzel]

I just refer to it as the 2600. It seems people know what I mean when I say it.

[MrMaddog]

Up until the Crash, I've always called it "The Atari" even after the 5200 came out.

 

I never liked calling it the 2600 because that means "That crappy ET game system that ruined the game industry, all praise the Almighty Nintendo for saving it!" to many post Crash gamers.

 

If "Atari VCS" now means the former Ataribox, that's fine since I consider it to be a Versatile Computer System anyway... (ie runs Ubuntu Linux)

[Osgeld]

As opposed to an Audio Computer System, or an Olfactory Computer System, or a Touch Computer System, I guess. The Taste Computer System is likely many years away.

 

in the age of digital downloads ... the most retarded phrase ever (cause one if you want to be nitpicky about it the signal interpreted by your computer is analog, and two how many analog files have you downloaded ... its right up there with the glee morons telling the world recycle alkaline batteries cause of the acid in them )

 

 

edit for the non nerds

 

A pH of 0 is totally acidic, while a pH of 14 is completely alkaline. A pH of 7 is neutral. Those levels vary throughout your body. Your blood is slightly alkaline, with a pH between 7.35 and 7.45.

 

Edited June 22, 2018 by Osgeld

[+Special Teams]

Out of curiosity I just did a quick eBay comparison of how sellers list their Atari items:

 

eBay search for "Atari VCS" gets you 345 results

eBay search for "Atari 2600" gets you 24,281 results

[fdr4prez]

I had Intellivision at home, and we didn't call it the "Master Component" even though it was on the box, and we didn't call it the 2609

 

My buddy across the street had Atari, and we didn't call it "Video Computer System" even though it was on the box, and I don't recall referring to as the Atari 2600

 

We played Atari and Intellivision.

 

Why call it Atari when that is the manufacturer? I dunno...it is catchy I guess. No one ever referred to the Intellivision as "Mattel Electronics"

[MrMaddog]

Why call it Atari when that is the manufacturer? I dunno...it is catchy I guess. No one ever referred to the Intellivision as "Mattel Electronics"

 

Probably cause it's shorter and easier to say "Atari" than "Atari Video Computer System". Much like people called the Nintendo Entertainment System the "Nintendo", no one called it the NES till after the Super NES came out.

[fdr4prez]

And for me, even today, when I see or hear "VCS" it mentally registers as VCR in my brain and I get a bit confused.

 

growing up I had much more exposure to VCR

[Video]

I think it has a lot to do with big words. Atari 2600 had Atari in big letters, video computer system and/or 2600 was smaller text. Most of us just called it atari.

[Andromeda Stardust]

As opposed to an Audio Computer System, or an Olfactory Computer System, or a Touch Computer System, I guess. The Taste Computer System is likely many years away.

 

Touch computers are nothing new, though the ipad was the first to get mainstream mass market acceptance.

 

 

If "Atari VCS" now means the former Ataribox, that's fine since I consider it to be a Versatile Computer System anyway... (ie runs Ubuntu Linux)

Virtual crap sandwich?

[Andromeda Stardust]

I think it has a lot to do with big words. Atari 2600 had Atari in big letters, video computer system and/or 2600 was smaller text. Most of us just called it atari.

Yeah, the first Atari was simply an Atari. The first Nintendo was simply a Nintendo. And I suppose the Genesis was a Sega (because nobody west of the Atlantic knew the Master System existed). But we didn't call the first Playstation a ps1 until after ps2 came out. And the first xbox was just xbox. Now that there's an Xbox One, what do we call the first one. A zero?

 

Same with Game Boy. We didn't call the original "brick" Gameboy a dgm until long after the pocket came out. We didn't call the original DS a "phat" until after the DS Lite. And after Super Nintendo, they got more inventive with console names. N64, Game Cube, Wii, Switch. Yeah, because the Wii-U simply didn't exist!

[Lord Thag]

Back in the day, it was just 'Atari'. And everyone called the games 'tapes'.

Nowadays I use either term interchangeably, but probably '2600' gets used the most, mainly because it fits with the 5200/7800 naming scheme.

[Rom Collector]

How do I change my vote?

I used to use the term VCS. But now it's being associated with that other thing.

[Jumpman1981]

In fact I have never seen a 5200 in person my entire life.

 

Neither have I