Atari VCS vs 2600

[XYXZYZ]

Okay, the way I understand it the Atari VCS was released in 1977, and it was later renamed the 2600? What year did that happen? I know they're the same thing but does anyone make a distiction? My 2600 doesn't have the woodgain panel on the front.

Remember those ads "The fun is back, oh yessiree, it's the 2600 from A-ta-ri!" about the 2600 being "under $50.00"... wasn't that around 1985, as a final attempt to compete with Nintendo? That wasn't the "2600"s release, as opposed to the VCS, was it?

And by the way, what do the numbers 2600, 5200 and 7800 represent? Aren't they just model numbers?

[ubersaurus]

I think they switched to 2600 when they went from the 4 switch woodgrain to the Vader model, since that's the first time the actual console has the 2600 name on it.

[tom]

since it is common knowledge that it was Wozniak and Capn Crunch and others doing these 'free phonecalls', shouldn't they be charged with fraud?

[Pantechnicon]

@Stonic: I'm pretty sure Atari was using the numerical designation for the 2600/VCS sometime before - albeit close to - 1982. Let me put it this way: I got my 1st Atari during Christmas of 1981. It came in the older style non-silver box which admittedly said "Atari Video Computer System" on it. The thing is that I can never recall a time when I ever personally referred to this console as the VCS. It has always been the 2600 to me. Obviously there are people who got them back in 1970's and used the VCS designation. But for me, neither in the approximately 12 to 18 months between when I first learned about and wanted it, up until the present, I've never thought of it as the VCS, only the 2600. It would be great if I could find some proof of this e.g - old ads, department store catalog listings etc. and I'll look around for some, but I'm pretty confident in my own recollections here that the 2600 name was introduced prior to calendar year 1982.

@Tom: Captain Crunch was in fact charged with fraud more than once and served both prison time and probation for it. As far as Wozniak is concerned, he was only making blue boxes, which isn't the same as actually using them to commit fraud. Obviously he must have been using the devices if he was building them, but that would be hard to prove in court. By now the statute of limitations has probably run out on Woz and he will never be charged.

[chrisbid]

i like to call it the VCS, but more people recognize the name 2600

[rolenta]

I'm pretty confident in my own recollections here that the 2600 name was introduced prior to calendar year 1982.

Stonic was absolutely correct when he said the name was officially changed in 1982. And the reason he cited was correct also.

From the 1982 chapter of Phoenix:
"To compete against Colecovision, Atari released a brand new console that was codenamed “Pam” and dubbed the 5200 after its model number. Actually the 5200 had originally been code-named “Sylvia” and had been set to go against the Intellivision. The original 5200 had been planned to be compatible with the VCS, which unfortunately limited its design. With the introduction of the Colecovision, Atari needed to get a new console onto the market quickly and they looked at their line of computers. Sylvia was quickly scrapped in favor of Pam, which was basically an Atari 400 computer without a keyboard. Although the 5200 wasn’t compatible with the Atari computers, graphically the games were virtually identical to their computer counterparts. It also offered most of the arcade hits that were available for the VCS. However that name was about to go the way of Sylvia. In order to keep its product lines uniform, Atari began calling the VCS the 2600 after its model number: CX2600."

[Pantechnicon]

Hmm...compelling proofs. I must have just latched onto the 2600 designation too quickly in 1982 to realize it had previously been anything else. I'm still certain I never personally talked about owning a "VCS" with my friends or family. Maybe I just called it an "Atari" prior to actually owning one. Damn Alzheimer's setting in...

[Gentlegamer]

Yeah, back in the day, it was just "Atari" kinda like how later playing the NES was playing "Nintendo" (both synonyms for playing video games in their respective eras).