Atari 2600

Rise and fall examined

Third-party rise via Activision challenged Atari's monopoly, innovating with Pitfall! and establishing licensing that shaped modern console ecosystems, though leading to quality issues.

The 1983 crash, exacerbated by E.T. and Pac-Man missteps, highlighted risks of rushed holiday releases and oversupply, reshaping industry toward stricter publisher control like Nintendo.

Strengths

Easter egg in Adventure
Post-crash persistence
Pioneered swappable cartridges
Sold 30 million units

Considerations

Lawsuit delays launch
Buried unsold stock
Only 128 bytes RAM
4 KB memory limit

"Pac-Man best-seller despite flaws."

Key Terms

Video game crash: 1983 North American market collapse from oversupply, poor quality, leading to Atari losses and industry recovery via NES.
Pack-in game: Bundled title at launch: Combat initially, Pac-Man later, included with joysticks and paddles to demonstrate console.
Bank switching: Technique to expand cartridge ROM beyond 4 KB by swapping memory banks, first used in Asteroids to enable larger games on Atari 2600.
Television Interface Adaptor: Custom TIA chip handling Atari 2600 graphics, audio, and RF TV output with sprites, background playfield, and scanline synchronization.