Atari 2600
A home game console with swappable cartridges that launched in September 1977 and sold an estimated 30 million units by 1992.
Atari showed the console, first called the Video Computer System, at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show on June 4, 1977. It launched in September 1977 at $199 with two joysticks and a Combat cartridge. It used a MOS Technology 6507 processor and had only 128 bytes of memory.
Games came on swappable cartridges. Nolan Bushnell founded Atari and sold it to Warner Communications for $28 million in 1976. The home version of Space Invaders in 1980 became the console's first killer application.
Why it matters
The 2600 made the cartridge the standard way to sell games. Rushed releases, including Pac-Man and E.T., contributed to the North American video game crash of 1983. Production ended in 1992, with an estimated 30 million consoles sold.
Key facts
- Showed June 4, 1977, and launched in September 1977 at $199.
- Included two joysticks and a Combat cartridge.
- 128 bytes of memory.
- Games sold on swappable cartridges.
- About 30 million consoles sold by 1992.
Sources
- Wikipedia, "Atari 2600", en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_2600, accessed October 14, 2026.
- Mimms Museum of Technology and Art, "Exhibits", mimmsmuseum.org/exhibits/, accessed October 14, 2026.