The early rivalry between Atari‘s cartridge-pioneering 2600 system and Coleco‘s more powerful but shorter-lived ColecoVision console brought arcade-style interactivity to living rooms and kicked off decades of home entertainment evolution. Let‘s explore their histories, specs, games, controls, legacies and more!
Overview
As early home video game trailblazers of the late 70s and early 80s, the Atari 2600 and ColecoVision vied to best capture the coin-op excitement that had captivated a generation of gamers.
The 1977-debuting Atari 2600 relied on custom graphics and sound chips along with a hit-making game design team to turn a basic console into an iconic smash through the early 1980s.
The ColecoVision challenged Atari‘s dominance in 1982 by packing advanced processing power and near-perfect arcade conversions into its ambitious new platform.
While neither‘s graphics would seem anything but primitive by today‘s 4K standards, both systems kickstarted beloved franchises and influencial developers. Their games also reveal creativity flourishing under tight technical constraints – building immersive play experiences with just kilobytes of memory and code.
Below we‘ll explore both systems‘ histories, specifications, controllers, game libraries, legacies, collectible status and more – to illustrate how these pixelated pioneers transformed entertainment. Game on!
From Pong to Pac-Man: Atari 2600’s Home Gaming Revolution
When Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell saw Space Invaders devouring quarters in Japanese arcades, he knew the emergent gaming craze required a home platform. Atari had already reimagined the coin-op sensation of Pong as a 1975 home console. But Bushnell coveted cartridge-based systems‘ flexibility – allowing consumers to refresh their libraries without buying entire new consoles.
Atari’s new Video Computer System (VCS), later rebranded the 2600 after its part number, prioritized this cartridge-based flexibility. Slot-loading carts allowed games ported from arcades or purpose-built by leading designers like David Crane and Carol Shaw. While admittedly short on processing muscle or storage – with a mere 128 bytes of RAM and 4 kilobytes for program code – Atari offered to bankroll promising concepts from its developers, who treated programming limitations as inspiration rather than obstacles.
This drive to maximize meager resources yielded some of early gaming‘s most inventive concepts and iconic experiences. Pitfall showcased side-scrolling action adventure tropes later built upon by Mario and Sonic. Yars’ Revenge delivered a creative shooter wrapped in original sci-fi lore still referenced today. Even Raiders of the Lost Ark’s genre-defining 3D-perspective innovation hinted at one programmer’s future VR ambitions.
While the games powered early adoption, 2600 console prices – originally $199 but discounting rapidly against competing systems from Mattel, Magnavox and others – drove sales to 30 million units by 1982. Soon the Atari 2600 became shorthand for video games, with contemporary media applying the console name to everything from arcade mainstays to pinball machines and home computers.
For a generation of future programmers like John Carmack and Will Wright, the Atari 2600 represented their entry point into worlds of creative possibility through code…alongside the fun of discovering hidden tricks and workarounds invented by 2600 developers before them!
But by 1983, a saturated console market fueled by speculator-driven development led to an industry collapse claiming even Atari among its victims. Nearly buried in the video game crash, Atari’s beloved and vilified 2600 soldiered on at retail until 1992 – an unprecedented 15-year lifespan leaving an unparalleled library of games and an immense influence across the industry it birthed.
ColecoVision Challenges Atari with Powerful Ports
Sensing Atari had grown complacent amid runaway early 1980s console success, Coleco aimed to humble the 2600 with its new ColecoVision system in 1982.
Boasting graphics and sound approaching arcade-quality ports across popular titles like Donkey Kong and Zaxxon, the ColecoVision relied on the advanced Z80 CPU running alongside custom graphics and sound chips – outpacing Atari’s 1978-vintage 2600 architecture. Nearly doubling its competitor‘s resolution while displaying 50% more sprites and colors cemented ColecoVision‘s technical edge.
Coleco‘s console strategy also circled supply and demand – producing two million systems amid early 1982 industry shortages while prioritizing anticipated top-seller ports like Pac-Man into 1983. They also targeted Atari‘s dominance with their Expansion Module #1 – literally an Atari 2600 clone allowing ColecoVision owners to play the entire Atari catalog too!
For a brief, bright moment in 1983, ColecoVision seemed to have outpaced Atari with glowing reviews, ubiquitous marketing with spokesperson Donkey Kong himself, and advanced ports nearly indistinguishable from their arcade inspirations.
But the 1983 video game crash hit ColecoVision hard, choking new releases and hammering parent company Coleco’s bottom line. ColecoVision production ended abruptly in 1985 after just three years on the market. Despite being the fourth-best-selling console of the second generation and inspiring a loving collector’s community today, the platform never reached its full potential before Coleco retreated from hardware ambitions.
Technical Specifications – Simplicity vs Power
The Atari 2600 triumphed on simplicity and flexibility, while the ColecoVision wowed with comparative power:
| Atari 2600 | ColecoVision | |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Year | 1977 | 1982 |
| Resolution | 160×192 pixels | 256×192 pixels |
| Max Colors | 128 (2 per scanline) | 16 simultaneous |
| Max Sprites | 2 per scanline | 8 per scanline |
| Sound | 4-bit 2 channel mono | 8-bit 3 channel mono + noise |
| Media Format | ROM Cartridges | ROM Cartridges |
| CPU | Custom Atari 6507 @ 1.19Mhz | Custom Z80A @ 3.58Mhz |
| RAM | 128 bytes | 16KB |
The ColecoVision boasted nearly double the graphics resolution, memory and processing muscle of the aging Atari 2600 platform on paper. But Atari had proven adept at extracting incredible creativity from performance constraints throughout its hit-filled 2600 catalog. Now Coleco aimed to set a new high bar for home ports.
Game Libraries – Quantity vs Quality
With its 1977 launch and market-leading 1980s sales, the Atari 2600 built an unmatched library across hundreds of titles – from homegrown hits to arcade staple ports:
- Atari 2600 (1977-1992): Over 500 titles
- ColecoVision (1982-1985): 140 titles
But ColecoVision‘s shorter lifespan hid an intense focus on quality over quantity – especially smoother scrolling and tighter arcade ports unrivaled in their era.
While Atari 2600 Pac-Man was infamously disappointing compared to flicker-free arcade Pac-bliss, ColecoVision brought pixel-perfect ports of Donkey Kong, Q*Bert, Space Panic and more hits home. Later titles like Dam Busters even added advanced simulated 3D graphics.
Best recognized Atari 2600 original titles like Pitfall! and Yars‘ Revenge outclassed most ColecoVision-only releases. But for faithful ports, ColecoVision delivered – benefiting greatly from that Z80 horsepower.
Ease of Play – Joysticks vs Keypads
The Atari 2600’s iconic one-button joystick represents a high watermark for intuitive, comfortable control schemes adopted by nearly every major console since.
Its prominent red trigger invited quick reflexes while the base handle fit ergonomically in hands both large and small. Such smart industrial design drove easily pick-up-and-play adventures across hundreds of titles. Inside developers’ work adapting games to the elegant controller constraints further focused Atari‘s universally straightforward game mechanics.
By contrast, ColecoVision’s controller shouted excess with a number pad layout akin to a desk phone seemingly airlifted into the living room. Unwieldy even for adults and downright unusable for smaller kids, the keypad design often hampered arcade ports whose quarter-pressing origins translated poorly to couch play.
Choreographed finger acrobatics needed for ColecoVision titles like War Room tired hands quickly. And keeping track of the unlabelled buttons often added frustration atop the hand cramps.
Sure, Coleco’s driving controller add-on and roller-ball trackball worked well enough. But if first impressions matter most, nothing said pick-up-and-play quite like Atari’s iconic joystick.
Lasting Legacies
With 30 million units sold by the early 1980s, the Atari 2600 popularized the cartridge-based home console model that gamers still enjoy four decades later. By developer-friendly design, it also kicked off countless influential programming careers across the industry’s formative years.
Today‘s indie games scene borrows the Atari 2600’s creative maximization of minimal tech specs too – building immersive 2D, platformer and puzzle experiences rivaling modern AAA powerhouses on sheer fun factor alone.
The ColecoVision’s legacy echoes as well – in console expansion modules like Super Nintendo’s Super Game Boy adapter, and the enduring popularity of graphically-updated classic arcade ports it helped pioneer.
Archivist groups like the Video Game History Foundation preserve its small but compelling game catalog alongside other influential early platforms – ensuring medium-defining classics stay accessible for old and new fans alike.
Still Compelling After 40+ Years
While neither system’s 2-bit color, mono audio graphics would pass muster on a 2002-era Nokia candybar phone screen, let alone compete visually with today‘s 4K HDR-ready consoles, the Atari 2600 and ColecoVision deliver surprisingly compelling game experiences four decades later. That‘s thanks to tight design crafting maximum engagement around comparatively primitive components.
Today‘s retro enthusiasts often fall into one of two camps – those wowed anew by the Atari 2600’s minimalist alchemy, especially the creativity bursting from artistically-confined code…or those drawn to ColecoVision’s advanced-for-its-time audiovisual experiences relative to earlier consoles.
Personally, revisiting childhood favorites like River Raid and Hero on my original Atari 2600, while comparing them against smooth-scrolling newcomers on a borrowed ColecoVision, illustrates how either system showcases innovative game design breaking perceived limitations. It‘s a reminder of the creative ferment borne of crunching complex big-screen ideas onto seriously underpowered living room hardware. Where early 3D graphics computational limits required choosing an action-driving perspective rather than attempting a fully-rendered first-person. When memory constraints meant mastering implication over exposition in service of immersive story settings.
In an era defined by photorealism, immersive engines and online connectivity, the focused experiences crafted around these ‘70s-limitations seem positively artisanal by comparison. And therein lies their current appeal 40+ years later!
Hot Collectibles Still in Demand
Thanks to nostalgia retaining their iconic status for multiple generations since, vintage Atari 2600 and ColecoVision consoles remain prized collector‘s items.
Working Atari 2600 systems fetch between $50 to $250 on eBay depending largely on console variations, bundled games/accessories and overall condition. Highlights like the woodgrain Heavy Sixer or later redesigns bundled with Pac-Man or other hit cartridges naturally drive higher sale prices.
Complete game collections also command premium pricing on the secondary market, with uncommon titles sealed in their original shrinkwrap selling for thousands in some cases to serious Atari collectors. Of course condition matters greatly, with the most coveted game listings noting pristine box condition along with fully-functional cartridges.
Rarer but still in-demand among retro enthusiasts, working ColecoVision consoles sell for $100 to $400 online depending largely on model, included components like accurate controllers, any bundled games, manuals and overall playability and finish condition.
Individual Coleco cartridges typically sell between $10 to $60 each for common loose game cartridges, extending upwards of $300 for high-demand titles like Donkey Kong featuring nice labels and in tested working condition.
With retro consoles, accessories, marketing materials and games all commanding premium pricing across the thriving collector scene, Atari 2600s and ColecoVisions should retain their resale value and enthusiasm for years – especially as new generations discover their enduring retro appeal!
The Last Word on Two All-Time Greats
While arguments could rage like console fanboy flame wars over respective feature advantages, game libraries or controller merits, both the pioneering Atari 2600 and ambitious challenger ColecoVision earn recognition for advancing the then-nascent video game console industry by creative leaps and graphical bounds.
If the Atari 2600’s elegant single-button joystick didn’t set the gold standard for intuitive control schemes, today’s gamepads may look entirely foreign rather than clearly descended from that iconic design.
Likewise if ColecoVision hadn’t pushed portable processing and graphics to near-arcade parity in 1982, the subsequent console arms race improving port performance practically annually since may have stalled at merely “okay” arcade conversions on early ‘80s tech. Imagine only ever achieving the infamous Atari Pac-Man-level quality for the Super NES‘ Street Fighter ports!
Thankfully both brands pushed technological limits in their own ways while fostering all-time great game development talent that still guides the industry today. For that, nostalgic gamers everywhere owe them our spare quarters – even if we‘re no longer stuffing arcade cabinets with them to fuel the next round of home console inspiration!
Whether you cherish one platform over the other or collect every cartridge ever pressed for both libraries, their incredible influence cannot be overstated even 40 years later. Just don‘t blow in their cartridge connectors to clean them…despite what you remember ‘working‘ as a kid back in the 1980s! Some myths simply refuse to die!
