ATARI 2600

The 2600 launched in 1977 as the "Atari Video Computer System" — the 2600 name only arrived in 1982 when the 5200 launched. The heavy sixer (six front-panel switches, heavier chassis) is the first revision and among the most sought. The light sixer followed, then the four-switch (with the difficulty and TV type switches moved to the bottom), then the black Vader model. Picture-label games are generally later production than text-label ones — but for some titles it's the only variant available. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), commissioned in just five weeks from Howard Scott Warshaw, became the symbol of the 1983 crash: the estimated 700,000 unsold cartridges actually buried in New Mexico were excavated and documented in 2014. Label variants, prototypes and Sears Telegames editions form a collecting universe of their own.