RevRico
RevRico MegaDork
5/24/24 1:51 p.m.

Atari has bought Intellivision, ending one of the longest console wars in history. 

This purchase will lead to Atari licensing Intellivision games for re release, and claims of new games coming on the horizon. 

They will also still allow sales of the Amico console. 

Atari press release

 

It's time to go home soldiers, one of the last, longest running console wars has come to a close. I'm excited for the future, but it still feels odd losing that bit of history from long before a hedgehog and a plumber squared off for home entertainment. 

 

Can someone edit the title of the thread? Was is supposed to be War. Thank you!!

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
5/24/24 1:55 p.m.

And a long ordeal it has been, and we should pause to remember the fallen.

My dad worked for a company that owned toy stores, so we got our 2600 way early. I still remember trying to explain it to my classmates: You can plug in different cartridges to change games

Also, best 2600 game ever? Pitfall. And I’ll die on that hill. 

bobzilla
bobzilla MegaDork
5/24/24 2:02 p.m.

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Wife agrees with you. I do not. I was a centipede and asteroids fan. 

RevRico
RevRico MegaDork
5/24/24 2:03 p.m.

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I never had Pitfall for mine. Having played the original on emulators, I won't disagree, it was spectacular. 

Kaboom, night Rider, pinball, and KO boxing were my main games, although I had a big stack of them at one point. Missile command tought me that controllers are fragile and shouldn't be thrown. At least the TVs could take a hit back then. 

Still regret trading my 2600 and everything for a Sega CD setup, especially when I see current prices on Atari stuff. 

Toyman!
Toyman! MegaDork
5/24/24 2:03 p.m.

We had pong. 

Never did get an Atari or anything like that.

I did have a Tandy 1000 though. 

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
5/24/24 2:07 p.m.

In reply to Toyman! :

Also had a Tandy 1000. Didn't have a dedicated game console until I bought a PlayStation 1 so I could play Gran Turismo. Followed that up with a PS2 (for GT4) and then realized I'm just not a gamer at heart.

I will admit to buying the 2600 reussue last year and collecting a bunch of 2600 carts on eBay so I can play Asteroids, Frogger and Battlezone like I wanted to as a kid. Fast simple games without a bunch of overhead.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
5/24/24 2:14 p.m.

In reply to RevRico :

Pinball was also in heavy rotation at our house. You could put some English on the machine but not too much. 

Also, Olympics was a joystick killer on our block–the game where you had to wiggle the joystick back and forth to run. Many a joystick died in the pursuit of gold. 

03Panther
03Panther PowerDork
5/24/24 2:20 p.m.

In reply to Toyman! :

Only played pong on the display console at Sears, while Dad was shopping. Way to poor to afford indulgences like that in the '70s.  So I miss most gaming references. 
 

RichardNZ
RichardNZ HalfDork
5/24/24 2:22 p.m.

Didn't really get into console games that much but I did make a box to play a poor man's version of Pong - used a fairly large number of centipedes and I recall hand winding the inductor for the oscillator that created the RF signal for the (monochrome) TV.

R

03Panther
03Panther PowerDork
5/24/24 2:24 p.m.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

In the summer of 81, before starting work in Industry, the local 7-11 had a Frogger machine. It did eat a few of my quarters. 
Asteroids and centipede machines got a few quarters along the way, but anyone I knew that was good got that way by spending more (of their parents money) than my income

Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter)
Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) UltimaDork
5/24/24 2:44 p.m.

I remember buying 2600 games for a buck each at garage sales in the late 80s. Casino taught me to play Black Jack.

ShawnG
ShawnG MegaDork
5/24/24 2:53 p.m.

Centipede and Moon Patrol FTW.

Maybe the old owners will move on and open another children's casino.

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter)
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) UltimaDork
5/24/24 4:25 p.m.

I was a 2600 kid who was secretly jealous of the Intellivision. I remember standing in the aisle at Meijer playing B-17 Bomber and wondering at the fact that the game could TALK.

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
5/24/24 6:24 p.m.

In reply to Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) :

Beeee Seventeen Bawlmer!

 

TIL Intelevision was still alive.

TIL Atari was still alive.

Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter)
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) UltraDork
5/24/24 6:29 p.m.

You can still buy all the old Atari stuff?

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter)
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
5/24/24 7:42 p.m.
David S. Wallens said:

Also, best 2600 game ever? Pitfall. And I’ll die on that hill. 

You're allowed to be wrong.

Keith Tanner
Keith Tanner MegaDork
5/24/24 7:56 p.m.
Snowdoggie (Forum Supporter) said:

You can still buy all the old Atari stuff?

Atari recently released a 2600 emulator that can take the original carts (2600 and 7800) and joysticks. It also has HDMI out so it works with modern TVs. Used carts are available all over the place. Heck, my copy of Battlezone was NIB.

https://atari.com/products/atari-2600-plus

Mndsm
Mndsm MegaDork
5/24/24 8:39 p.m.
David S. Wallens said:

And a long ordeal it has been, and we should pause to remember the fallen.

My dad worked for a company that owned toy stores, so we got our 2600 way early. I still remember trying to explain it to my classmates: You can plug in different cartridges to change games

Also, best 2600 game ever? Pitfall. And I’ll die on that hill. 

That music tho.

codrus (Forum Supporter)
codrus (Forum Supporter) UltimaDork
5/25/24 1:34 a.m.
David S. Wallens said:

Also, best 2600 game ever? Pitfall. And I’ll die on that hill. 

I dunno, I think I liked River Raid better.

Also Pitfall 2, but that one had extra display hardware in the catridge so it's debatable if it's really a "2600" game.

 

codrus (Forum Supporter)
codrus (Forum Supporter) UltimaDork
5/25/24 1:36 a.m.
Appleseed said:

TIL Intelevision was still alive.

TIL Atari was still alive.

IIRC the company called Atari today has essentially no relation to the old one, just a brand name that got sold a zillion times.

 

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
5/25/24 9:26 a.m.
Mndsm said:
David S. Wallens said:

And a long ordeal it has been, and we should pause to remember the fallen.

My dad worked for a company that owned toy stores, so we got our 2600 way early. I still remember trying to explain it to my classmates: You can plug in different cartridges to change games

Also, best 2600 game ever? Pitfall. And I’ll die on that hill. 

That music tho.

Can totally hear it, right?

Da na na na!

Mndsm
Mndsm MegaDork
5/25/24 9:59 a.m.

I am also glad I purchased, not one, not two but THREE 2600's on eBay a number of years ago before the market for those exploded. I am not the #1 collector of vintage on here, not by a long shot. Mr. Sesito takes that honor. BUT- I have them. 

 

And I definitely have Pitfall. 

Appleseed
Appleseed MegaDork
5/25/24 10:44 a.m.

In reply to Mndsm :

I did the same thing, right before vintage NES went berserk. I cringe to think what my holy grail, Tengen Tetris,  goes for right now.

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