Racing the Beam: Atari 2600 Hardware
March 18, 2009 - 7:43 am - Posted by Sean
The Atari 2600 Video Computer System was, in fascinating ways, unlike any other videogame console.
As the first wildly successful home gaming console, the Atari 2600 was in millions of homes for well over a decade after its 1977 release.
Even after Atari fell out of favor and Nintendo took over the 8-bit game business, Atari continued to produce Atari games and hardware until 1992.
Do you think Nintendo will still be manufacturing Wii consoles in 2021?
As most of my friends know, I’m a huge Nintendo fan and still own all my classic consoles, but I’m going to say probably not. Sorry Nintendo. I still love you.
The VCS’ unrivaled longevity is all the more astounding when one considers that the hardware itself was nearly obsolete even when it was first released.
The VCS’ unique hardware limitations forced game designers to jump through all sorts of hoops to squeeze more complex game designs out of the VCS.
In a new book from MIT Press titled Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System, media studies professors Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost present an engaging, fascinating look at the VCS platform and how it changed the nature of game design.
The Atari 2600′s crazy hardware changed game design forever. If you’re into classic gaming consoles or just old hardware and technology in general, check out this book. It’s worth the $22.95 USD.
This sounds like a great book. The details of what they had to do to get around the limitations of the early hardware are fascinating.
Indeed, a 15-year lifespan for a single product is remarkable.