I don't always feel old, but when I do it's because of posts like this one. The Atari 2600 — that boxy little guy that changed the way an entire generation defined the word "play" — is 35 years old this week. There are no words.
For the under-25 set/Martian cave-dwellers, the Atari 2600 debuted in 1977 as the Atari VCS, for Video Computer System. It was the first wide-selling home gaming system and the one that popularized microchip processing (like the kind later used in pretty much anything more complicated than Hungry Hungry Hippos). The Atari 2600 was inducted to the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2007 and voted the second-most important gaming console of all time by IGN. (It was defeated by the relentless popularity of the original NES and those damned Mario Brothers.)
We had the wood-veneered model in our house in the 80s, and at least five of the top ten best-selling games. My favorite (Snoopy and the Red Baron) didn't make the cut, but Space Invaders, my next choice, clocked in at number five. Now let's play the "Can You Guess #1?" Game. Let us know how you did. Link