RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES 1977
Atari VCS
Words Craig Grannell
So you’ve gone full retro this time, to the point that this console has actual woodgrain.
It does scream 1970s – but that was the point. This was home gaming, so it was decided the VCS (renamed the Atari 2600 in 1982) should work with your home decor. It was pioneering in other ways too, with external cartridges killing off the standalone TV games that had until then been popular. And, despite a lacklustre start, Atari stuck with its console – unlike rival Fairchild, which quickly dumped its Channel F system thinking gaming would be a fad. Whoops.