Retro|Spective 218: Hardware

[wakka]

I would definitely say the 2600 is a classic design. It still looks great today. A really excellent bit of industrial design.

[Nu-Eclipse]

I would definitely say the 2600 is a classic design. It still looks great today. A really excellent bit of industrial design.

I would agree with this.

That said, whenever I hear about the 2600/VCS, I always think of Atari's disastrous attempt to relaunch it in the second-half of the 1980s (post-North American videogames crash) when it was already looking badly outdated because of the 8-bit consoles/home computers and the 16-bit hardware like the Genesis/MD and SNES soon to be on that particular horizon.

[CMcK]

I do like the like the original VCS but the later 2600 version is an all time classic. Great design which I think has influences of contemporary B&O kit.

[QualityChimp]

So far behind but PC Engine - I love the OG white unit and the suitcase with the CD-ROM add-on was like a science fiction movie prop.

Loved the GT, but the battery life was poor.
I think sometimes the games designed with a TV in mind didn't translate and you couldn't see bullets in shmups, for example.
You can't deny it was an amazing tech achievement, though.

Atari, you gotta love a woody...

I gave my 2600 to someone on here a while back, but it's definitely got the chonky aesthetic style that nobody else could carry off.

[wakka]

I do like the like the original VCS but the later 2600 version is an all time classic. Great design which I think has influences of contemporary B&O kit.

Yes, that is such a good point! I'd say it's definitely B&O inspired.

It's an interesting design. Futuristic and technical, with the ribbed plastic and switches, yet kind of organic with the curved lines, wood effect and sans serif font. Feels like it's designed to fit into a living room, yet stand out. That's a balance that console designers have struggled to get right in decades since (for example, I think the Wii without its stand and particularly the WiiU lean too far into 'fitting in' blandly, and the PS5 - especially its oversized launch incarnation - is more extra than it needs to be).

To be honest I'd actually be tempted to say the 2600 is probably one of the best overall console designs.

[CMcK]

To be honest I'd actually be tempted to say the 2600 is probably one of the best overall console designs.

I think maybe only the OG MegaDrive and Spectrum 48k+ have stood the test of time so well.

[wheelaa]

Hardware 20 - Fujitsu FM Towns Marty TC
This console was a more console designed iteration of the Towns Marty I & II which resembled PC towers. It retained some of the PC orientated elements such as a port to connect a printer and software support to connect additional hardware.

That's a regular Marty console you have pictured lol.

(The TC Marty has a TC Marty logo on but is otherwise pretty much the same.)

[Asura]

and the PS5 - especially its oversized launch incarnation - is more extra than it needs to be).

If we ever get that far in this thread, the PS5 is my most disliked console on an aesthetic level. Also still miffed that I waited around ages for the slim model, as I was only about to buy the machine once the rumours got serious... And honestly you'd struggle to tell them apart if not side-by-side.

[wakka]

They are quite a bit smaller I think. I was at a mate's recently and he's got a Pro - which I believe is between the size of a launch unit and a slim - and I was surprised how much smaller it was.

[Neon Ignition]

Hardware 25 - Atari 2600 Dactar II
Jumping over the heavy and light sixers due to how heavily similar the designs are, we reach this model which is a Brazilian clone



Did It Ruin the Visual of the Machine?

[Neon Ignition]

Hardware 26 - Atari Sears Video Arcade II
This US model was the only version to feature four controller ports and a year after making its debut it was introduced to Japan as the Atari 2800.



An improvement on the official design of Sears your eyes?

[Mayhem]

Wasn't sure if the 5200 tooks the Sears look or the other way around.

Still have a six switch PAL woody 2600, a classic woodgrain look! And some decent games once you push aside the trash. Activision barely went wrong for starters.

[Neon Ignition]

Hardware 27 - Atari 2600 Jr
Atari and others spat out iterations of the 2600 left right and centre with the vast majority having barely any real notable difference. Of the few notable design shifts, the Jr stands out with the wooden aesthetic abandoned for a metal strip across the face of the machine.




Was this the definitive design of the console?

[Neon Ignition]

Hardware 28 - Atari 2600 Super Pong
Going back to the earliest days, this two dial system brought the popular arcade game into peoples homes




Is this design dialled in to somehting great?

[charlesr]

Hardware 05 - Goldstar/LG 3DO
The next of the 3DO line that we will be taking a look at, it's probably the next most recognised incarnation of the console though the less widespread at the time. The Goldstar was a notable release becaus it highlighted one of the competitive issues for the system, launching a full $300 lower in price than Panasonic's model.



What are/were your thoughts on Goldstar's 3DO model?

This is absolutely gross.