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.
Technical specifications
CPU: MOS Technology 6507 @ 1.19 MHz
Audio + Video processor: TIA. 160 x ~192 pixel, 128 colors (16 on screen), 2 channel mono sound.
RAM (within a MOS Technology RIOT chip): 128 bytes (plus up to 256 bytes built into the game cartridges)
ROM (game cartridges): 4 KB maximum capacity (32 KB+ with paging)
Input (controlled by MOS RIOT):
Two screwless DB9[2] controller ports, for single-button joysticks, paddles, "trakballs", "driving controllers", 12-key "keyboard controllers" (0–9, #, and *) and third party controllers with additional functions
Six switches (original version): Power on/off, TV signal (B/W or Color), Difficulty for each player (called A and B), Select, and Reset. Except for the power switch, games could (and did) assign other meanings to the switches. On later models the difficulty switches were miniaturized and moved to the back of the unit.
Output: B/W or Color TV picture and sound signal (NTSC, PAL or SECAM, depending on region; game cartridges are exchangeable between NTSC and PAL/SECAM machines, but this will result to wrong or missing colors and often a rolling picture.)
Third-party peripherals:
Starpath Supercharger, a cartridge with a cassette player connector, giving 6 1/8 K storage capacity
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