Ahhh.... the first console ever.. it was all magical for me. I would sit in front of the TV for hours, lost in the magic of Atari and my imagination. I remember a friend has the Atari 2600 and I always liked his over mine, cause mine was smaller and I remember the plastic felt cheap, so I thought it was just an unknown cheap knockoff. Two+ decades after, I finally see it again and learn about it. This review made me smile. Thank you Lord Karnage!
The junior was priced a lot lower when it was released in 1986. I believe it was £29.99 with one joystick and Centipede. Some retailers sold the junior with 5 games for £59.99. Some of these games bundled with the junior were Dodge 'em, Pele's Soccer, Yars' Revenge. I forget the other game they bundled in the 5 pack. I hated Centipede but it was the in pack game here in the UK in the late 80s.
I didn't know until recently either. I thought it was just the 2600 when my older brother (r.i.p. 🚗) bought it back in 86'. I still have it after 38 yrs. boxed up like new and recently took it out along with my 20 plus games I had and have recently bought some more off ebay and have been playing it. It sold in 86' when it came out for $49.99 for the console, 1 joystick and i don't think it incl. any games. I still remember the commercial. It went like this while they had the music going "for under 50 bucks, 50 bucks!? Now isn't that nice? It's the 2600 from Atari." If I can only go back to those days and re-live them.. even for only afew days.
Anders Simonsson lol, yeah, as in literally 2 or 3, its kinda crazy that i remember it tbh, but i'll never forget playing centipede on that silver striped beauty being my first experience with a video game.
+SidiousRed Yep, this was my first console too. I was probably about 5 years old when I got it. It came with Centipede, Desert Falcon and Pac-Man Jr. I think I still have it somewhere in the loft :)
I've heard the Jr. models are more prone to failure. I had a Tele-Games "Heavy Sixer", all that broke was the power supply cable. Got a Jr. for a replacement, it had a better picture, but the cartridges screwed up too easily when anything touched the console.
Yes! I had the o.g. wood-grained model, but for people collecting now, the Jr. model looks like the way to go. Pitfall 2 was a life changing experience for me. I think it influenced the future of gaming more than people know.
my 2600 looked like this but had a rainbow coloured band that ran the length of the silver label. It looked neat at the time but now, the all black one probably looks the best.
You really cant go wrong with any of the Atari 2600 models. The Jr. is a good one. I bought my Jr new from a Federated Stores close-out sale in 1988 to replace my light sixer that had died. I still have it and it still plays my old and new AtariAge carts great. PS: get one of your 2600's modded for composite video out and a Harmony Cartridge!
Back in the day CGR would FEED my love and desire to keep buying games at the local flea market, I would go most weekends and use up my allowance to buy games, consoles and accessories. Back when old stuff was AFFORDABLE! Breaks my heart that the world has changed for the worse in this regard.
I use my Atari 2600 Junior for playing most of my Atari 2600 games as well it has better video quality the color or chroma output is much higher and I think the signal from it's a little stronger than even the 7800 but yes the links of your cable doesn't matter Mark if your cable is too long it'll act like an antenna and it will pick up interference from nearby devices such as power tools and other appliances that have electronic motors
The first Atari i purchased is a Atari 2600 jr . later i got the original Atari 2600 then a Atari 7800 ( with out power cord ) then a Atari 2600 ( six switch ) .
In the 90s one of my friend had an atari console, the wood paneled one. We were usually outside playing soccer or basketball but on day it was starting to rain just the time I arrived at his place. He was like "you know what we'll do? We'll play my atari!" and I was like "FUCK NO!". He said wait I have a really cool game for it you need to see it. He turned it on and it booted batletoads XD It turned out, he had a nintendo clone that looked exactly like an atari console lmao. He had the original atari too but kept it hidden in times of trolling XD
As a nintendo fan, i am also now a big atari fan,all because of having discovered that nintendo games were also on atari back then,so i picked up a atari 2600 jr with all the nintendo games for it among otgers😁🙏👍
sadly thats not an rca cable that is an rf cable you need the coaxial splitter to split the sound and video. where as rca already is split. great video though. makes me what to break out the atari 2600 and the ti99 4/a
Technically the wood grain console isn't a 2600. It's a 'Video Computer System' as the nice close up at 1:38 will show. Therefore, there is no option for wood grain when asking "Which Atari 2600 should I own?" I don't own a 2600 at all. I DO have a VCS that my parent bought for my birthday in 1982. Noobs who never knew the glorious woodgrained 70s should buy either 2600. Aging gamers like myself have no choice but to own the obviously superior and incredibly handsome VCS console.
This legendary system will lives on forever with great games for it despite it could only generate square like graphics & sound in the first place but as soon game developers could get the hang of it, they could squeeze more out of the system then what was originally intended and let’s to be fair that atari 2600 jr just looks absolutely more sleecker then the original woodgrain version in my opinion.
found one of theses at a flea market with games and a controller for 20$ and the guy said it worked,but I couldn't get it to but eventually I found another for 40$ (a heavy sixer) and it worked then I retested the Jr with official adapter (I tried originally with a generic one) an it worked but for some reason the heavy one worked with the non official adapter.
The 2600 jr may be small and compact, but the 7800 is also a competent alternative because it is infact backwards compatible with 2600 games. If only it works with 5200... Somebody should make a 5200 controller redesign that doesn't try to dominate E.T. on the Atari 2600 in terms of suckage. Anyways, I don't really recommend the woody atari 2600, because the 2600 jr doesn't have any compromises, and it does everything the original does, but in a smaller package.
Although i did not grow up with the Atari 2600 (It was before i was born well at least the original) I love it i have the"Darth Vader" model. On a side note. Who else plays it with a sega controler because there original joy stick broke?
I had an original Atari VCS, Vectrex and Atari 2600 Jr., in that order. Games were really cheap after the crash, so I had lots of those, too. Enduro, Pitfall II, Robot Tank: how they hacked those games out of 70's hardware boggles my imagination.
Hey, could anyone help me out here? I got my Atari 2600 junior working almost perfectly on my old TV but that TV broke. I have tried to get my Atari to work on my Nana's old TVs but it didn't work, I also tried to get it to work on a modern TV (Panasonic) with all the cables that came with it originally but the TV couldn't pick the signal up. Does the cable need replacing?, is the Atari itself broken? or do I just need some kind of adapter?
Has anyone ever modded ATARI Flashback some of models have the 2600 slot you can mod them to be fully working 2600? CGR should review one i wanna see what they are like maybe someone can send him one.
"It's like the big Atari 2600, except it's smaller."
This is why I'm subscribed to you, Mark.
Marks videos are great. 🙂. He is very funny and entertaining
Watching these old reviews makes me nostalgic. For more old reviews
Just bought a Jr. on eBay for $60 complete in box !! Can't wait to start collecting for it. I grew up with NES. Im 34 now. Gamer for life!!
Amazing how these consoles continue to work after more than 30 years. I bought a new retron 77 and it lasted 3 years.
Ahhh.... the first console ever.. it was all magical for me. I would sit in front of the TV for hours, lost in the magic of Atari and my imagination. I remember a friend has the Atari 2600 and I always liked his over mine, cause mine was smaller and I remember the plastic felt cheap, so I thought it was just an unknown cheap knockoff. Two+ decades after, I finally see it again and learn about it.
This review made me smile. Thank you Lord Karnage!
I NEVER knew that it was the 2600 Jr. It's the one I had. I just thought it was the Atari 2600, period. You learn something new
The junior was priced a lot lower when it was released in 1986. I believe it was £29.99 with one joystick and Centipede. Some retailers sold the junior with 5 games for £59.99. Some of these games bundled with the junior were Dodge 'em, Pele's Soccer, Yars' Revenge. I forget the other game they bundled in the 5 pack. I hated Centipede but it was the in pack game here in the UK in the late 80s.
I didn't know until recently either. I thought it was just the 2600 when my older brother (r.i.p. 🚗) bought it back in 86'. I still have it after 38 yrs. boxed up like new and recently took it out along with my 20 plus games I had and have recently bought some more off ebay and have been playing it.
It sold in 86' when it came out for $49.99 for the console, 1 joystick and i don't think it incl. any games. I still remember the commercial. It went like this while they had the music going "for under 50 bucks, 50 bucks!? Now isn't that nice? It's the 2600 from Atari."
If I can only go back to those days and re-live them.. even for only afew days.
@@meep2059 oh, to relive our childhood. (Sorry for your loss by the way)
Yeah I had this one to. I didn't know about the other one that looks like a woody grill until a few years ago.
the first console i ever played on was an Atari 2600 Jr as a small child in the 80s
+SidiousRed Same!
+SidiousRed Not just a child, but a small child.
Anders Simonsson lol, yeah, as in literally 2 or 3, its kinda crazy that i remember it tbh, but i'll never forget playing centipede on that silver striped beauty being my first experience with a video game.
+SidiousRed Yep, this was my first console too. I was probably about 5 years old when I got it. It came with Centipede, Desert Falcon and Pac-Man Jr. I think I still have it somewhere in the loft :)
My first console wasn't a console. It was a PC.
I've heard the Jr. models are more prone to failure. I had a Tele-Games "Heavy Sixer", all that broke was the power supply cable. Got a Jr. for a replacement, it had a better picture, but the cartridges screwed up too easily when anything touched the console.
I saw bezerk in your GIANT game collection!
Yes! I had the o.g. wood-grained model, but for people collecting now, the Jr. model looks like the way to go. Pitfall 2 was a life changing experience for me. I think it influenced the future of gaming more than people know.
my 2600 looked like this but had a rainbow coloured band that ran the length of the silver label. It looked neat at the time but now, the all black one probably looks the best.
Tough to find the all black model. They were originally issued only in Ireland.
You really cant go wrong with any of the Atari 2600 models. The Jr. is a good one. I bought my Jr new from a Federated Stores close-out sale in 1988 to replace my light sixer that had died. I still have it and it still plays my old and new AtariAge carts great. PS: get one of your 2600's modded for composite video out and a Harmony Cartridge!
The Atari 2600 Jr was the first video game system I had. I think my parents got it in 84 and saved it for me lol
+Lord Karnage
Which 2600 you should own ? Stupid Question.
Of course all of them.
The ON/OFF sliding switch went out on mine 25 years ago.. The original 2600 switches seem much more durable.
Where can one purchase a CGR branded VCR? Also is there a CGR brand Beta-Max too?
+ゴゴゴゴmelón ゴゴゴゴ What I really want is a CGR brand Laserdisc player ;)
ゴゴAged Pasta ゴゴ At the CGR Store on 669 Ethel Avenue
0:32 Well, the Earth may not be able to handle that much Atari, but my mom could
Oh my god. the plot twist at the end.
I love your videos Mark, you changed my love of Sega master system to a love of the Atari 2600!!
1:43 Nice switcheroo
The long rainbow model looks better in my opinion.
I got the 4 switch model from a local retro game shop. It works perfectly, especially on my crt tv.
This was my first console at some point during the 80s. Battlezone was my favourite game.
I still have my Atari 2600 Junior. What a machine.
this was my first console! I still got it but don’t know if it still works because I lost the cables and joysticks over the years
Back in the day CGR would FEED my love and desire to keep buying games at the local flea market, I would go most weekends and use up my allowance to buy games, consoles and accessories. Back when old stuff was AFFORDABLE! Breaks my heart that the world has changed for the worse in this regard.
Yeah I’m looking at getting a Junior but they’re expensive as all hell nowadays
I would spend all my days cleaning those carts i get a lot of joy from it.
I remember my 2600 jr. had built in games ,like 64 games or something and it had a yellow button on the back to change the games
I use my Atari 2600 Junior for playing most of my Atari 2600 games as well it has better video quality the color or chroma output is much higher and I think the signal from it's a little stronger than even the 7800 but yes the links of your cable doesn't matter Mark if your cable is too long it'll act like an antenna and it will pick up interference from nearby devices such as power tools and other appliances that have electronic motors
I have never seen that Atari control pad before! WANT!!
The first Atari i purchased is a Atari 2600 jr . later i got the original Atari 2600 then a Atari 7800 ( with out power cord ) then a Atari 2600 ( six switch ) .
I had one of these and the 5200. They looked so similar when I got the Atari Jr, I got an Atari 5200 six months later!!
Yes, but unlike the 2600, if you drop the 5200 off a shelf, someone might die.
Today is 40 years since the legendary famous Atari vcs 2600 cameout September 11.1977 today September 11.2017.
The 2600 Jr in the video is not the USA one. The 2600 Jr in America had a rainbow stripe on the center of the system.
In the 90s one of my friend had an atari console, the wood paneled one. We were usually outside playing soccer or basketball but on day it was starting to rain just the time I arrived at his place. He was like "you know what we'll do? We'll play my atari!" and I was like "FUCK NO!". He said wait I have a really cool game for it you need to see it. He turned it on and it booted batletoads XD It turned out, he had a nintendo clone that looked exactly like an atari console lmao. He had the original atari too but kept it hidden in times of trolling XD
This was my first console.
I miss CGR wish there was a revamp or something coming. All the best Mark
Done and done! Saturday I scored an atari 2600, 2 sets of paddle controllers, and 12 games for 30$ ;D
As a nintendo fan, i am also now a big atari fan,all because of having discovered that nintendo games were also on atari back then,so i picked up a atari 2600 jr with all the nintendo games for it among otgers😁🙏👍
I love these! Such a sharp little design. I think when I get another 2600 it will be this model at first.
What is the song at 0:40 been driving me crazy lol
I think it's "Living with a Hernia" by Weird Al, or the James Brown song Al used to parody it with
I can not wait for the PAC KONG review.
+CarozQH ugh, Pac Kong is such a bad game.
Avgn should review it.
+CarozQH ugh, Pac Kong is such a bad game.
Avgn should review it.
I find the 2600jr to be very stylish yet more fragile than the older versions. The first time I took mine apart, pieces of the case broke off inside.
I have two Jr's. One I got after the post office dropped my package on the first one. Thanks.
Lots of great 2600 games! Ms. Pac-Man, Centipede, Congo Bongo, Fantastic Voyage, and many more!
Had Atari released the 2600 Jr. in 1983, alongside the 5200, who knows how better it would have been?
Please consider a right angle adapter to have less strength in your cables
That's the one i had. The controller was ok but i broke quite a few of them. The stick just broke and then it was all loose and non responsive.
I'm happy with my RGB-modded Darth Vader VCS. Love the system so much!
I live for atari 2600 reviews on this channel.
Damn mark knows how to get down and funky, I love it.
I had the orig. 2600, and I remember playing KRULL on it, good times.
And there I was playing a Sears Tele-Games Home Video Arcade like a chump!
I need to get a atari 2600 soon the oldest console I got is a sega genesis that I kept since I was a kid.
Hey! Anybody noticed that Lord Karnage didn't tried to insert a Cd into his Atari 2600?
When are you making CGR-Brand after market controllers, cords, CRTs and VCRs for the pampered collector?
why do i imagine astronauts from the iss going to chill with mark at the isa at the end of the day
My favorite was always "Haunted House." Fortunately, it comes in the Atari 2600 Flashback! That alone was enough to make me buy it! :)
sadly thats not an rca cable that is an rf cable you need the coaxial splitter to split the sound and video. where as rca already is split. great video though. makes me what to break out the atari 2600 and the ti99 4/a
what was the song at 2:51?
look at graphics now compared to then when your parents thought graphics were badass when they were younger
So where the hell is the Krull footage?
Technically the wood grain console isn't a 2600. It's a 'Video Computer System' as the nice close up at 1:38 will show.
Therefore, there is no option for wood grain when asking "Which Atari 2600 should I own?"
I don't own a 2600 at all. I DO have a VCS that my parent bought for my birthday in 1982. Noobs who never knew the glorious woodgrained 70s should buy either 2600. Aging gamers like myself have no choice but to own the obviously superior and incredibly handsome VCS console.
This legendary system will lives on forever with great games for it despite it could only generate square like graphics & sound in the first place but as soon game developers could get the hang of it, they could squeeze more out of the system then what was originally intended and let’s to be fair that atari 2600 jr just looks absolutely more sleecker then the original woodgrain version in my opinion.
found one of theses at a flea market with games and a controller for 20$ and the guy said it worked,but I couldn't get it to but eventually I found another for 40$ (a heavy sixer) and it worked then I retested the Jr with official adapter (I tried originally with a generic one) an it worked but for some reason the heavy one worked with the non official adapter.
The8-BitNerd You can make an awesome RF adapter I'm actually gonna make a video on making 1 I've made a few.
I saw this video and now i have to buy a Atari 2600. I want to play with it so badly now. ^^
Nice work LordKarnage, you caught me.
Atari 2600 is glorious in all of it's many forms.
Pitfall 2 is the only atari 2600 game (i know) with background music. I wonder how much CPU time that took up.
Popeye
I had one of the jr's,it still looks better than modern consoles,i think i'll buy another.
Controller ports on the back. Only Atari really caters for my desire to sit between the console and the TV.
I WISH I STILL HAD MY 2600JR GREAT VIDEO
Whooooaaaaaaa........... There is a Krull game! Never played an Atari 2600 though now that I have discovered a game based of Krull I got too.
Is Mark in hiatus? Seems, lately, the CGR videos have all been reposts...
The 2600 jr may be small and compact, but the 7800 is also a competent alternative because it is infact backwards compatible with 2600 games. If only it works with 5200... Somebody should make a 5200 controller redesign that doesn't try to dominate E.T. on the Atari 2600 in terms of suckage. Anyways, I don't really recommend the woody atari 2600, because the 2600 jr doesn't have any compromises, and it does everything the original does, but in a smaller package.
My first console.
I got Atari 2600 jr an 13 games for 200$
The every first console I EVER played on!
Although i did not grow up with the Atari 2600 (It was before i was born well at least the original) I love it i have the"Darth Vader" model. On a side note. Who else plays it with a sega controler because there original joy stick broke?
I played Pitfall II on my C64 for days and days
will you review the new ataris (plural)?
My first console
Somebody needs to make a Retro AVS for the 2600
Any good for a cracking game of space invaders??
Woody Vader and JR owner here, Maybe one day I will pony up for a 7800, nah I like the 2600 games the way they are.
They made it look like a 7800 and sold it for $50. There was a GREAT commercial on it. "Only 50 bucks? Isn't that nice!"
Pac...Kong? And why the heck is Ideon of all things on the cartridge?
but i already own a 2600, a junior and a 7800 what do i do now?
Buy a 5200.
which Atari 2600 should I own?
All of them. And a Jaguar.
What was the Ideon on a atari kart?
Song of 0:40?
Hey how many 2600 games do you guys have in space?
First system. Got it for Christmas when I Lived in Cambridge MA. GI Joe was my first game :( Krull Rules!!!!!!!
Hey Mark! Star Wars is finally coming!! What about a Star Wars week?!
I had an original Atari VCS, Vectrex and Atari 2600 Jr., in that order. Games were really cheap after the crash, so I had lots of those, too. Enduro, Pitfall II, Robot Tank: how they hacked those games out of 70's hardware boggles my imagination.
Hey, could anyone help me out here? I got my Atari 2600 junior working almost perfectly on my old TV but that TV broke. I have tried to get my Atari to work on my Nana's old TVs but it didn't work, I also tried to get it to work on a modern TV (Panasonic) with all the cables that came with it originally but the TV couldn't pick the signal up. Does the cable need replacing?, is the Atari itself broken? or do I just need some kind of adapter?
Oh and also my little brother dropped of at one point. The case is fine so if of was broken it would be the insides of it.
WTF is Space Runaway Ideon doing on the cover of PAC-KONG ?
I never knew there was a atari 2600 jr.
i have one of these i just need the cables to use it.
Now if only someone could release an unofficial Dreamcast V2 to play those new homebrew DC games on (oh, plus the original games).
Has anyone ever modded ATARI Flashback some of models have the 2600 slot you can mod them to be fully working 2600?
CGR should review one i wanna see what they are like maybe someone can send him one.