Atari 2800 | |
Manufacturer | Atari |
Type | Console |
Release Date | October 1983 (JP) |
Discontinued | |
Media | Cartridge |
Save Format | None |
Input Options | 2 Atari 2600 Joysticks |
Special Features | Cartridge Input Power Switch Black/White Switch Left Difficulty Switch Right Difficulty Switch Game Select Switch Reset Switch RF Output Power Output |
Units Sold | 30 million |
Top Selling Game | Pac-Man (7 million) |
Variants | Atari 2600 Atari 2600 4 Switch Atari 2600 Darth Vader Model Coleco Gemini Atari 2600 Junior |
Competitor(s) | Magnavox Odyssey 2 Intellivision Emerson Arcadia 2001 ColecoVision Vectrex |
Predecessor | None |
Successor | Atari 5200 |
The Atari 2800 is the Japanese version of the Atari 2600, released in October 1983. It was the first release of a 2600 designed specifically for the Japanese market, though companies like Epoch distributing the 2600 in Japan previously. The 2800 was released a short time after Nintendo's Famicom (which became the dominant console in Japan), and it did not gain a significant share of the market.
Design[ | ]
Designed by Atari engineer Joe Tilly, the Atari 2800 had four controller ports instead of the standard two on the Atari 2600. The controllers are an all-in one design using a combination of an 8-direction digital joystick and a 270-degree, designed by John Amber.
The 2800's case design departed from the standard 2600 format, using a wedge shape with non-protruding switches.
Around 30 specially branded games were released for the 2800. Their boxes are in Japanese and have a silver/red color scheme similar to the packaging of Atari's 2600 branded games of the time. The cartridges themselves had identical labels as their 2600 branded counterparts.
Legacy[ | ]
- Sears liked the design of the Atari 2800 so much, they opted to sell a version under their Tele-Games label. It was released in the US in 1983 as the Sears Video Arcade II, and was packaged with 2 controllers and Space Invaders.
- The Atari 2800's case style was used as the basis for the Atari 7800's case style by Barney Huang.
Gallery[ | ]
See also[ | ]
- List of Atari 2600 games
- List of Atari 2600 peripherals
This article is a stub. You can help Codex Gamicus by expanding it. |