Atari 2600 VCS "woody" 6 keys
Photo 1: Evan-Amos, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Atari-2600-Light-Sixer-FL.jpg) Photo 2: Evan-Amos, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Atari-2600-Joystick.jpg) Photo 3: Evan-Amos, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (Atari-2600-Paddle-Controller-FR.jpg)
Video game console, 1977, Atari. This is the original "heavy sixer" version of the Video Computer System, later renamed Atari 2600, with the woodgrain front panel and six metal switches on the top: power, TV type, left and right difficulty, game select and reset. The VCS was the machine that made cartridge-based console gaming a mass market: it had only 128 bytes of RAM and drew the picture one scanline at a time through the TIA chip, but its programmers learned to squeeze out games like Space Invaders, Adventure and Pitfall!, and about 30 million units were sold over 15 years.
| Years | 6-switch version 1977 to 1980 |
|---|---|
| Processor | MOS 6507 at 1.19 MHz |
| RAM | 128 bytes |
| Graphics | TIA (Television Interface Adaptor), 160 pixels per line, 128-colour palette |
| Sound | TIA, 2 channels |
| Media | ROM cartridges of 2 to 4 KB, larger with bank switching |
| Controllers | 2 joystick ports, joysticks, paddles, driving controllers, keypads |
| Price (1977) | US$199 with Combat |
