Atari consoles Atari consoles The Atari 2000 was a prototype version of the Atari 2600 intended to be released as a cheaper alternative for kids in 1982. The internal specifications of the 2000 are no different from the original 2600. The main differences from the regular 2600 was that the controllers were built into the system and cartridges are inserted in the back. The Atari 2000 was test marketed in some areas, but it's unclear what happened to most of those units. Originally intended to be black, the 2000 was later re-colored blue to make the system more appealing to kids. People who have tried the 2000 have noted that its controllers are poor, and that may be the reason why it was never released. Only two 2000 units are believed to exist today. Atari 2000 consoles can go for hundreds of dollars on eBay, when and if they show up. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari 2000"
The Atari 2600, released in 1977, is the first successful video game console to use plug-in cartridges instead of having one or more games built in. It was originally known as the Atari VCS, for Video Computer System, and the name "Atari 2600" (taken from the unit's Atari part number, CX2600) was first used in 1982, after the release of the more advanced Atari 5200. It was wildly successful, and during the 1980s, "Atari" was a synonym for this model in mainstream media. The 2600 was typically bundled with two joystick controllers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a cartridge game. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari 2600"
The Atari 2700 (also referred to as the Atari Remote Contol VCS) was an unreleased console by Atari. Intended for release in 1981, its main standout features were wireless controllers that played both paddle and joystick games. The fire button was touch-sensitive, as were the buttons on the console. The Reset and Select buttons were relocated to the controllers themselves. The 2700 also featured a storage bin at the top of the console to store the controllers. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari 2700"
The Atari 2800 was Atari's attempt to dominate the Japanese home video game console market in the early 1980s. Although various companies like Epoch had imported and distributed the Atari 2600 in Japan, it was never officially supported nor was it heavily promoted. Essentially a re-styled 2600, the 2800 made its debut in the spring of 1983. Although it's not known why Atari decided to alter the design for Japan, apparently Sears thought enough of the system to rename it the Sears Video Arcade II and sell it in the United States as such. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari 2800"
The Atari 5200 is a video game console introduced in 1982 by Atari. It was created to compete with the Mattel Intellivision, but it also competed with the Colecovision shortly after the 5200's release. In some ways, it was both technologically superior and more cost efficient than any console available at that time. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari 5200"
The Atari 7800 is a video game console released by Atari in 1986 (a test market occured in June 1984). The 7800 was designed to replace the unsuccessful Atari 5200, and re-establish Atari's market supremacy against Intellivision and Colecovision. With this system, Atari addressed all the shortcomings of the Atari 5200: it had simple digital joysticks; it was almost fully backwards compatible with the Atari 2600; and it was affordable (it was originally priced at $140 USD). ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari 7800"
The Atari Cosmos was a failed attempt by Atari to release a tabletop video game system that would utilize holography and LEDs to create a unique gaming experience. The Cosmos was created by Atari engineers Allan Alcorn, Harry Jenkins and Roger Hector. Work on the Cosmos began in 1978. Atari purchased most of the rights to holographic items so that they could make this system. The Cosmos was to have 9 released games, but all of the actual games were in the Cosmos itself (the cartridges only contained the holographic images and a notch to identify what game it was). This technically made the Cosmos a dedicated console, but Atari didn't publicize this fact. In ads made for the system before the Cosmos' cancellation, Atari claimed that the holographic images were life like and 3D. While this may have been true, the images didn't influence the actual gameplay at all. There were only 2 images to a game, though they did enhance each game's appearance. The system was intended to run off of an AC adaptor, not batteries. The Cosmos would have supported up to 2 players. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari Cosmos"
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The Atari Flashback and Atari Flashback 2 are dedicated video game consoles marketed by Atari in the mid- 2000s. They are preprogrammed with classic Atari console games from the 1970s and 1980s built in without the need for cartridges. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari Flashback"
The Atari Game Brain was an unreleased dedicated video game console by Atari. Intended to be released in 1977, it would only have played 10 different games. All of the planned games would have been ports of games from previously released dedicated consoles, such as Pong, Stunt Cycle, & Video Pinball. Its controllers were built onto the system, and included 4 directional buttons, a paddle, and a fire button. Games would be inserted in the top of the system by opening a door, and the door had a small instructions booklet on top of it. The system was never supposed to be a huge seller for Atari, it was just their way of clearing out their CPUs from their unsold dedicated consoles. Unfortunately, by the time the Game Brain was finished, dedicated consoles were becoming obsolete against consoles with programmable ROMs, such as the Fairchild Channel F, the RCA Studio 2, the Magnavox Odyssey², and Atari's own 2600. Noting this, Atari cancelled the Game Brain. Today, only 3 Game Brain consoles are known to exist, as well as 5 prototype cartridges. Despite the system's cancellation, some Game Brain titles were eventually ported onto the Atari 2600. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari Game Brain"
The Atari Jaguar is a video game console introduced in November 1993 as a powerful next generation platform. It was infamously touted as the "first 64-bit system". The system eventually wound up as a commercial failure and prompted Atari to leave the hardware business. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari Jaguar"
The Atari Jaguar CD or Jag CD was a CD-ROM peripheral for the Atari Jaguar game console. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari Jaguar CD"
The Atari Jaguar II was to be the successor to the Atari Jaguar. Unfortunately, before a final design could even be completed, Atari merged with hard drive manufacturer JTS Corporation. Rumored specifications included a Motorola chipset, backwards compatibility with the original Jaguar and a full C/ C++ development environment. Barely any information has ever been made public about the machine. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari Jaguar II"
The Atari Lynx is Atari's only handheld game console, and the first such machine with a color display. The system is notable for its forward-looking features, advanced graphics, and ambidextrous format. The Lynx was released in 1989, the same year as Nintendo's (monochromatic) Game Boy. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari Lynx"
The Atari Panther was the 32-bit predecessor to the Atari Jaguar, developed by the same ex-Sinclair team Flare Technology responsible for the Flare One and Konix Multisystem. It was scheduled to be released in 1991, but Atari decided to abandon the project in favor of the Atari Jaguar. ...more on Wikipedia about "Atari Panther" Simply www.shortopedia.com!
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