500°

The Best-Selling Atari 2600 Games of All-Time

Welcome to a new feature series on VGChartz where we aim to explore major video game platforms, past and present, and bring you the most successful games on each. Without further ado, we present the godfather of modern video game consoles and the driving force in the first video game boom (and crash) - the Atari 2600.

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vgchartz.com
JarqueMcLark4040d ago

1. Pac-Man
2. Pitfall
3. Asteroids
4. Missile Command
5. Space Invaders

guitarded774040d ago

DAMN SON... 7.81 million for Pac-Man.

Tultras4040d ago

that's it??
But it always seemed to me that everyone and their grandmas played that game.

guitarded774040d ago

@ Tultras

Yeah, in arcades and on other platforms, but that's a huge number for just the 2600. That's probably a huge portion of the install base of the system itself.

darthv724040d ago

i had a shipment of about 30 2600 games sent to me from a guy on ebay. All in good shape and played perfectly.

I liked pitfall and pacman and empire strikes back but there were so many obscure ones that just didnt get the respect they deserved. And others that were plain rubbish.

2600...the legend will never die.

Robotronfiend4040d ago

Yeah and Atari Pac-Man was a terrible port too. It barely looked like the arcade, the ratios were off and color was well... weird.

4040d ago
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Philoctetes4040d ago

I owned both Pac-Man and ET. I think that's why I'm so jaded and cynical as an adult.

Horny4040d ago

This system nearly killed home consoles and video gaming in general. I don't care how many fond nostalgic memories someone has the system had few good games with most being completely trash.

Psn8004040d ago (Edited 4040d ago )

Combat , Quebert , Space Invaders .

finbars754040d ago (Edited 4040d ago )

1.Defender
2.Q-Bert
3.Crystal Castles
4.Pitfall
5.frogger
6.Galaga

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4040d ago
Gamer-404040d ago

My favorite games on Atari 2600 Jr.

1.,Centipede
2.,Cosmic Ark
3.,Pitfall
4.,Donkey Kong
5.,Battlezone

Fishermenofwar4040d ago

Cosmic Ark was epic...With that silver cartridge....LOL

Gamer-404040d ago

Black plastic with that silver vignette.
Old days..

Cam9774040d ago

E.T.
Hahaha... You'll only truly get that joke if you know the story behind it.

allegretto25004040d ago

I know the e.t. story. at the time the average price for a new Atari game was $25. e.t. was priced at a minimum of $40. in 1980's dollars that was like charging $70-$80. the game was BAD. I swear, 6 months later I saw it in the bargain bin at my local department store for 99 cents!!!
afterwards it was one of the games buried in a cement covered landfill.

allegretto25004040d ago

it only sold that many because people bought it on the name alone. at the time there was no internet (at least none that the general public could use) to read game reviews and player opinions. once word did get around in gaming magazines sales dropped like a stone. they had made a ton more cartridges than usual for e.t. expected huge sales which didn't happen. for various reasons it was one of the first home entertainment products of the era to be buried in an unmarked cement covered pit.

Robotronfiend4040d ago

But you could totally get that flower and then crane your neck and float into the air... Oh so bad. So, so bad.

I loved:
Laser Blast
Pitfall
Defender
H.E.R.O.
Plaque Attack
Megamania

lex-10204040d ago

What's really interesting when reading this story is that despite the negative reviews of the game, negative tones, and negative reception, some of these "professionals" still tried to defend it even after everyone said it was terrible.

Fishermenofwar4040d ago

You mean the system seller??

LMAO

greenmeanie4040d ago

I can't believe E.T. was the 8th best selling game! It is pretty much considered by the gaming community to be the worst game ever made! Haha!

By the way, I am learning more and more that some people on this site are just pricks, how do you get a disagree for stating a factual statement? It is true afterall, the word "E.T." is a joke in the gaming community.

greenmeanie4039d ago

How do people disagree with this?! If you look up E.T. the game on wikipedia it literally says that it is considered to be one of the worst games ever made! People on this site are so annoying and immature and need to grow up! Seriously. There is like people who troll through this site disagreeing on everything that everyone says. I know it!

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Perjoss4040d ago

The 2600 was my first console, can't believe its been 35 years since I started gaming...

:O

guitarded774040d ago

Yeah, I still got mine stored away in the shed. Remember having to take a screwdriver to the TV because the clamps slipped out? Good times. I learned everything I need to know about wiring an entertainment center from hooking up consoles.

finbars754040d ago (Edited 4040d ago )

Lol those cheap dam clips that bent and broke with ease if not done careful enough.Silly t.vs back then with those dam screws.Got to love the joystick with that nice cheap plastic pole covered in rubber that broke so easily.What about the old vic20.Typing in what direction you wanted to go in and typing sword to draw it out.lol. or even the pong that plugged into your tv before the atari and the start of the vic20 era with the floppy discs.Man I feel old and but still young at heart.Im glad I got to experience every generation to date.

thebudgetgamer4040d ago (Edited 4040d ago )

Mines too. It was 1987, I love finding others as old as me. Back in the day when you needed a butterknife in order to connect you console to your television.

WUTCHUGUNNADO4040d ago

Tell me more of this butter knife tactic...

thebudgetgamer4040d ago

This is a version of a 2600 television adapter. Note the forks.
http://www.best-electronics...

I can't find a picture but on the back of oldy time television there were screws in the back of it and you stick the forks under them and screwed them into place.

ZBlacktt4040d ago

I still own it and the Intellivision when it first came out as well. Still have my NES from back then too. Along with many others that came afterwards.

Tultras4040d ago

Damn, I'm Half your age. O.o

I started with the First mainstream sega console, but I believe I have played The Atari 2600

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4040d ago
fracturedrich4040d ago

my top 5 1 pitfall 2.keystone cops 3.space invaders 4.pac man 5.krull

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280°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
darthv721d 7h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle18h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic188116h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio15h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Lightning7711h ago

What he said was facts. How he plays games is no concern of you. Don't get too mad about it.

Cacabunga18h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

darthv724h ago

to you it may seem like the minority... but your bubble is shrinking because more and more are following suit. convenience is a hell of a drug and its also why physical sales only amount to 30% of overall game sales. times are changing, you either get with them or you get left behind.

shinoff218317h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga16h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan12h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

S2Killinit5h ago

MS is after diminishing consoles as a medium. They want to destroy this market because they couldnt win. MS’s vision is to dissolve console gaming.

romulus2311h ago

Odd that a company that touts you dont need the hardware to play is already touting another console in the works.

darthv7210h ago

They are not reliant on the HW but still want to maintain a presence (no matter how small) is a good thing. It shows commitment to the craft. It reminds me of SNK and how they made games for their own hardware (Neo Geo) while also making them for others because they knew there was a market to do so. They knew they would sell more to others but also sell to their own niche fan base.

TheEroica4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

Perfectly reasonable post down voted by insecure corporation friendly folk.... But not gamers. Real gamer want accessibility and ease of acquisition for all.... Company shills are the only ones still telling us that hardware locking people from games is good for us.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4h ago
purple10121h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos20h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

DOMination-10h ago

In the last two years they've started exiting the consumer market altogether. All of the newest Surface products are business models only. They can't seem to work out what they want to do with it.

XBManiac19h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad19h ago(Edited 19h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple10119h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos18h ago(Edited 18h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic17h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

MrDead10h ago

The only growth MS will get out of the console industry is if it supports it's rivals platforms. Xbox is a pointless machine now. I can see them on a big push for live next, and they won't give up on trying to buy Steam.

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140°

Why Monopolies In Gaming Must Not Be Allowed

As of right now, there are no monopolies in the games industry, and for the sake of the medium as a whole, they never should either.

thorstein1d 6h ago

Shouldn't be allowed in any field.

Inverno1d 2h ago

And yet the biggest tech companies in America are essentially that. They buy up all the small comps only to kill them off and steal what they have, and if they can't buy em they bleed them to death.

jwillj2k41d 1h ago

Eventually they’ll realize the value is with the employee not the company. Buying an IP means nothing if the people who contributed are let go. They’ll get it one day.

MrCrimson1d ago

tech is different because they buy threats and then kill them. Twitter bought Vine and did nothing with it. Despite people seemingly liking it. Could've had tiktok a decade before bytedance. go figure.

Zenzuu1d 1h ago

Monopolies shouldn't be allowed regardless. Not just for gaming.

MrCrimson1d ago

They buy IPs not talent. That's why these buyouts never work and the IPs die. Right now it's too expensive to develop games - but I expect that to shift maybe as AI tools can make it easier. The best games have been indie games for awhile as big developers fuck their ips to death with "games as a service" -

70°

The INDIE Live Expo 2024 event is to feature over 100 game titles

INDIE Live Expo, Japan’s premiere online digital showcase series , will debut never-before-seen games & content updates across more than 100 titles on May 25th.