How many still use your original

[Christophero Sly]

Actually, Grandma LOVED Atari.  But she also LOVED smoking.

Still waiting for a photo.

 

 

I still have my original VCS from Christmas '80. However, I've put it into retirement and currently use a 7800.

[Voch]

Actually, Grandma LOVED Atari.  But she also LOVED smoking.

Still waiting for a photo.

 

I just called my Mom to look for the photo we had of Grandma playing Atari while smoking. I'll scan it and post it if I can find it. She used to get so into Super Breakout that she'd let the cigarette burn all the way down to the filter. I learned my first real swear words from her that way. "S-O-A-B!" :D

 

The other thing I did was taunt my uncle when he'd play our Atari. He got first crack at the games since he usually bought them. He'd have his mouth wide open while concentrating, so my brother and I would try to shoot M&M's or popcorn into it from the stairs next to the TV. All he'd do is blink and mouth "quit it guys" while playing Video Pinball.

 

Yes...we were lucky that our first Atari survived as long as it did...

 

Voch

[Laner]

Unfortunately I disassembled my 2600 in the late 80s/early 90s... the pieces are scattered amongst landfills across Tennesee, I'm sure It was a Sunnyvale Heavy Sixer, too :/

[+Nathan Strum]

I still have and use my original Sears six-switch. It's been repaired more than once and now has a CyberTech S-video mod in it. It's a little flakey with Midnight Magic sometimes, but otherwise still works great.

 

I've gone through more than a few joystick repair kits, though.

[Lord Thag]

Still have my vader, but it needs a new power switch. Still have all my games too. They're hiding somewhere in my Wall Of Many Games, which I have leveled up until it gained a +5 bonus vs all forms of exercise

[MayDay]

Still have mine... just got it repaired a few weeks ago, now that i have some idea how to fix it. Since the button didn't work, I spent $5 to get a six switcher from a garage sale. That console, sadly ended up with all my games in the hands of one of my college roommates and was lost after we both moved a few times. I guess all things are meant to be... cause I'm back to the 4 switcher and life is good! (plus you can get tons of commons from ebay for dirt cheap!).

[Christophero Sly]

The other thing I did was taunt my uncle when he'd play our Atari.  He got first crack at the games since he usually bought them.  He'd have his mouth wide open while concentrating, so my brother and I would try to shoot M&M's or popcorn into it from the stairs next to the TV.  All he'd do is blink and mouth "quit it guys" while playing Video Pinball.

Classic!

[Voch]

Sorry...no Atari pics in the pictures we dug up. I did find my uncle Ted's high school graduation picture, but he's not playing Atari in it.

 

Voch

[Albert]

I wish I still had some of my original Atari consoles and games. I've owned every Atari console when it was released except for the 5200. I've also owned a fair number of Atari 8-bit and ST computers that were purchased when they were still available for sale. Sadly, those systems were all sold at various points, as well as the software, except for a few things like my Carina and Carina II BBS disks.

 

..Al

[lokidchser]

I'm still playing my original light sixer that we got for xmas in 81. Its a workhorse, though I'm in the process of putting it out to pasture for a 7800 just to keep it alive.

Edited September 27, 2007 by lokidchser

[Tempest]

Nope. My original 2600 (a 4 switch) had the left controller port go bad about 3 years after I got it (it was originally my Uncle's). Luckily that was about the time the 2600jr came out so I got one of those.

 

I still have my original Atari 400 and Apple IIe though. The 400 was retired in favor of an 800XL, but the Apple IIe is still in use.

 

Tempest

[PressureCooker2600]

I wish I still had mine, too.

 

Back in about '90 or '91.....my mom sold our Atari with all its games and my Commodore 64 with all its games. I was mad back then.....but not as mad as I get now. Especially about my C64. I had literally hundreds of games for it. It was my baby.

[+FujiSkunk]

My original 2600 kicked the bucket, sad to say. It was just a circuit board with a broken reset switch and a dying TIA when I finally threw it away. Of course, now I regret even doing that.

 

I believe I still have my original 7800, however (I'd have to double check some serial numbers to be sure), and it's going strong.

[RJ]

I *think* I still have my original, but had different ones in my time, IIRC at 1 point I had 3 VCS's. I've swapped systems w/ relatives (VCS for NES, SNES, etc). I do seem to recall one of my systems dismantled for some reason (not by relatives!) I got a Jr. for one of my teen birthdays.

 

A co-worker also gave me 2 VCS's (Woody & Vader) but I've since sold them.

[almightytodd]

I have an original Sunnyvale heavy sixer, two 7800's and a FB2. The VCS is missing a power supply right now and the power-on buttons on both 7800's are flakey, so I mostly emulate for games outside of the list in the FB2. But I love using the keyboard for games like Asteroids and Space Invaders where the arcade versions used buttons instead of the joystick. Plus, the new Tricade 30th Anniversary demo KICKS ASS!

[Christophero Sly]

The VCS I got for Christmas '80 is currently hooked up, so I can participate in the HSC this season.

[Asaki]

I guess I'm a young'n, I don't remember life before Atari (1984 is post-crash, right?). Dad had a light sixer, which I enjoyed through at least middle school or somewhere around there, and then it broke. Dad couldn't fix it, and mom said she threw it away. Later she said she didn't, but nobody can find it...shame, since I could probably fix it now. Oh well, last year my cousin gave me a heavy for free, and I've still got all our old games and stuff (though one of the SlikStiks vanished), so I don't miss the old one too often.

[toymailman]

I have my original light-sixer system (Christmas 1979), but don't use it. My system of choice is the s-video modded one from Atari2600.com. Picture and sound is unbeatable! I will still nver part with my original though.

[graywest]

I still have my original 2600 (4 switch woody, from Christmas '83) but it's for display only now. It still works fine, I just prefer to use my 7800 to cut down on the number of consoles I have hooked up.

 

I'm lucky that I still even HAVE my original 2600 - my mom tried to sell it in a yard sale when I was in college. It didn't sell, but some lucky collector picked out the rare games from my collection and bought them for $.25 apiece. Mom packed up the console and the rest of the commons and I found it several years later.

[KrazyKaiju]

I still have my original 4-switch woody hooked up, but these days I mainly use my cart-modded Flashback 2. The only time the woody really gets used is to play a game that won't load on the Flashback. In my living room I have a working heavy sixer on display inside a vintage Atari organizer, but it's mainly for conversation value.

 

I also have my original 600XL, but it's not hooked up. I wanted to start dabbling with programming, so I picked up a 800XL not long ago and successfully Rambofied it. Ironically, I mainly use it to play carts.

[Emehr]

Yep, still playin' on my 4-switch woody (see avatar). It's missing the chrome sleeves that go over a couple of the switches but is in otherwise great shape. My dad built an entertainment center back in 82-83 and he had sticky-taped the switchbox to the side of one of the compartments. To this day the back half of the switchbox still remains taped to that entertainment center, which my parents still use.

 

The only thing long-gone is the original A/C adapter, which stopped working some time in the late 80's. I now use a universal adapter, which has been working fine since.

[Video]

I don't have the original system from when...befor I can remember. But I do have my Vader that I bought back in the early 80's from yardsale money. And it's never left me from that point on. It's my first original system (though I did buy it used) and it's probably the only system that has never been boxed up (other than current gen consoles, there's nothing else i can say that about)

[rickinhammond]

I still have my original 2600, 4 switch fake wood model that we bought for like 200 bucks back in 1982 or something close to that. It has the original joysticks and paddles. Sadly, I remember setting the box out for trash as a kid. I hardly ever play it, instead I use the heavy 6 Sears machine daily. I also have another 4 switch 2600 and a 2600 Jr. Neither of those are in correct working order presently.

[BigO]

As I have about a dozen laying around, maybe I do have my original. That'd make this a mighty small world, though.

[sandmountainslim]

Nigh on to four years since I started this thread and my Vader is STILL going strong and hooked to my TV.

Wp