The Atari Age of Home Consoles

This chapter reviews the Golden Age of the video arcade, including the top arcade games from the Golden Age by year such as Space Invaders (1978), Galaxian (1979), Pac-Man (1980), and Donkey Kong (1981). Console coverage includes the Fairchild Channel F and Jerry Lawson, Atari VCS (2600), with discussion of Ray Kassar and Atari business practices, Activision, and a Pro File section on Nolan Bushnell. Other consoles discussed in depth include the Magnavox Odyssey 2 , Mattel Intellivision, ColecoVision, and Atari 5200. Less popular systems are also mentioned, as well as the Video Game Crash of 1983 in North America. Key game titles for all main consoles (such as Adventure , Space Invaders , River Raid , Yars’ Revenge , and Pitfall II: Lost Caverns ) are highlighted, as well as console tech specs, launch titles, key people, marketing, advertisement, and accessories, console comparisons, and head-to-head game recommendations for comparing video game systems. It fits in chronologically with the rest of the text, encapsulating the rich history, technology, and business-related events of this generation. This chapter concludes with a second-generation market summary, activity on failed consoles, second-generation breakthroughs, trends, and a quiz.