Atari 2600 in Japan?

[evildead2099]

I've never seen, heard, or played a Japanese Atari 2600 game (or if I have, I didn't know it was Japanese).

Was the 2600 popular in Japan? Or were the Japanese too busy with personal computers (not PCs, though) to bother with 2600s?

[Neonite]

I've never seen, heard, or played a Japanese Atari 2600 game (or if I have, I didn't know it was Japanese).

Was the 2600 popular in Japan? Or were the Japanese too busy with personal computers (not PCs, though) to bother with 2600s?

I didnt even know It was released in japan =)

[slownerveaction]

It was released as the Atari 2800. I believe there were quite a few games released. I'm pretty sure they were all ones released in America, probably with little to no differences.

It didn't do very well for a good reason: It wasn't released until 1983, the same year the Famicom came out.

Here's are a couple pages with some pics:

http://aizuma.hp.infoseek.co.jp/atar...ATARI2800.html
http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogame...800/A2800.html
http://www.freelancer-games.com/MP/A2800.htm

I find it kinda funny that they released ET over there!

In case you're wondering... before the Famicom was out, the Epoch Cassettevision was probably the biggest system in Japan. (But before the Famicom home gaming wasn't nearly as popular in Japan as it would later be.)

[Gamereviewgod]

Always wondered this myself. Thanks for the info.

I'm surprised there's no Japanese gaming history book out there. I know about Power-up and Game Over, but I'd LOVE to read a full history of the industry over there.

[y-bot]

I think there are some Japanese video game history books but they are all in Japanese. I have Sega arcade history and Sega consumer history books. I don't think the Atari 2800 was popular at all. Bandai released Intellivision, Vectrex, and Arcadia 2001. These consoles may have been imported: Odyssey, Odyssey 2, Colecovision, Channel F but I think they were American versions with maybe a sticker on the box. None of them did well and if you check the prices on Atari 2800, Bandai Intellivision & Bandai Vectrex stuff on eBay you'll see they are quite valuable and come up for sale very infrequently.
y-bot

[slapdash]

I think there are some Japanese video game history books but they are all in Japanese.

There sure are, though many focus on one system. I can only think of one book that deals with pre-Fami stuff much, but I can't recall how much -- it might deal with handhelds/electronic games a lot/primarily.

Bandai released Intellivision, Vectrex, and Arcadia 2001. These consoles may have been imported: Odyssey, Odyssey 2, Colecovision, Channel F but I think they were American versions with maybe a sticker on the box.

The Odyssey2 definitely was, by a company called "Kouton". I have no idea what else that company did though. Maybe it was only an importer, not a manufacturer too like Bandai...

[y-bot]

I think there are some Japanese video game history books but they are all in Japanese.

There sure are, though many focus on one system. I can only think of one book that deals with pre-Fami stuff much, but I can't recall how much -- it might deal with handhelds/electronic games a lot/primarily.

Bandai released Intellivision, Vectrex, and Arcadia 2001. These consoles may have been imported: Odyssey, Odyssey 2, Colecovision, Channel F but I think they were American versions with maybe a sticker on the box.

The Odyssey2 definitely was, by a company called "Kouton". I have no idea what else that company did though. Maybe it was only an importer, not a manufacturer too like Bandai...

Are you talking about the book that's titled 70's/80's Electronic Games or something like that and there are little rarity meters for each system? It has old systems in the front, Famicom in the middles and handhelds/game & watch in the back. If so I have that book too. I saw it several times at shops when I was in Japan. I think it is the most popular price guide there.
y-bot

[slapdash]

I think there are some Japanese video game history books but they are all in Japanese.

There sure are, though many focus on one system. I can only think of one book that deals with pre-Fami stuff much, but I can't recall how much -- it might deal with handhelds/electronic games a lot/primarily.

Are you talking about the book that's titled 70's/80's Electronic Games or something like that and there are little rarity meters for each system?

Yeah, that sounds right -- the spine is green?

It has old systems in the front, Famicom in the middles and handhelds/game & watch in the back. If so I have that book too. I saw it several times at shops when I was in Japan. I think it is the most popular price guide there.

Were there many others? I haven't seen any others that cover a variety of older systems, but then again, I haven't seen that many Japanese videogame books of that nature period...

[Yamazaki]

Surely japanese game stores don't use that price guide if you check the stupid prices they have.

[y-bot]

The book I'm talking about is titled "Electronic Game Collectors: 1970-80's Choice". I was just saying it was the video game book I saw most frequently in Tokyo not that anyone used it as a price guide or that it was at all accurate. Just like in the US the prices are all over the place. I bought a boxed Bandai Intellivision for $30 in a shop that was selling used Duo A/V cables for $20. The thing I didn't see was much pre-Famicom stuff at any price. I expected to see all the rare systems that I've only seen in the above mentioned book for hundreds of dollars but I saw nothing besides a few Cassette Vision systems.
y-bot