big find with small problems

[jellytoast]

Garage sales are great, aren't they? well, i'm at this garage sale when i spot an atari ON THE GROUND! i pick it up (it was under some stuff too) and the lady immediately comes over and asks me if i'm interested. She shoves two paddles, all the cables and a box of twelve games in my hand as well. she said, "it's yours for two dollars" Two dollars!! Well, needless to say, i took it, working or not. It's my third system and it's different. I can't find a picture or discription of one like it on this site. It's an atari licenced by sears and it has 6 switches instead of four. it's called a "video arcade" and has "tele-games" written on it too. The system works and so do the games, but they need cleaning BAD! it looks most like a 2600. any suggestions? if anyone can give me additional info on the system or the cleaning, i'd most appreciate it, seeing as how i want to melt my mind with the sweet nectar of gaming at it's best and i can't because of hindering circumstances. anyway. sorry for the book and thanks for help!!!

[kyle]

It's a 2600 sears had there own version of the atari 2600 for whatever reason? I dont think they are that rare maybe more so than most other 2600s? As far as cleaning the games rubbing alcohole works good.

[deadtech]

Does it look like one of these?

 

http://www.atariage.com/2600/systems/sys_S...ideoArcadeB.jpg

 

http://www.atariage.com/2600/systems/sys_S...ideoArcadeC.jpg

 

If so, that is the Sears licensensed version of the VCS.

 

-deadtech

[badbrad]

up until a certain point, everything at Sears had to have their name on it, otherwise they wouldn't sell it.

[jellytoast]

yeah, the first one, that's it. Thanks a bunch!

[jellytoast]

i heard that at first, atari wanted to release a system to see how it would sell. They got sears to buy in to sort of act like a safety in case it flopped. atari still kept all rights but sears sold the system. Then, when it proved worthy, atari went solo. I dunno if this is true, i just heard it through the grape vine.

[jellytoast]

can i even use alcohol on the system contacts themselves or will it damage the system? lemme put it this way, what should i AVOID in cleaning? it has thick dust on everything.

[moycon]

The most agressive cleaning I ever gave a 2600, I took the whole thing apart, filled the tub with warm soapy water, washed the case with a soft bath brush, dried it all out spayed the whole thing down with a coat of Armor All and buffed it up, then put it all back together. looked brand new.

[Nukey Shay]

i heard that at first, atari wanted to release a system to see how it would sell. They got sears to buy in to sort of act like a safety in case it flopped. atari still kept all rights but sears sold the system. Then, when it proved worthy, atari went solo. I dunno if this is true, i just heard it through the grape vine.

 

Not exactly. Sears was just a huge account. But in order for Atari to land the account, the contract was that the Sears name would go on the line. Some companies still follow this method (When I was working for Precision Fitting...we had to change EVERYTHING to sell to NAPA and FleetFarm.)

 

Atari would have survived regardless IMO...once Space Invaders was released, Sears would have picked up the line anyway (since the system practically sold itself). Chalk that one up under "bad planning". Hmm...now where have I heard that before?

 

AAAANYWAY...

This is from The History Of VideoGames:

The key occurrence leading to the establishment of a video game specific infrastructure was the deal between Sears and Atari. In 1975, Nolan Bushnell first introduced Atari's Home Pong at a toy industry show. At this show, Tom Quinn, the sporting goods buyer for Sears- not the toy buyer- approached Bushnell and offered to buy every Home Pong game Atari could produce. Bushnell told him that they could produce only 75,000 units. Quinn told Bushnell to double production and he would arrange financing. In exchange, Sears wanted exclusive rights to sell Home Pong through its 900 outlets. Sears would even pay for the advertising and distribution of the units. Had Quinn given the same deal to Magnavox, Atari would have probably gone out of business. Instead, Atari's sales in 1975 were nearly $40 million.

 

So that is in regards to the home Pong game units (pre-VCS). The contract drawn up was carried over to the VCS line later on. One can only wonder if Atari would have indeed went belly-up if Sears hadn't picked up the Pong units...but given on how fast games were catching on, I have to disagree.

[Rob Mitchell]

The Atari 2600 VCS and the Sears Telegames Video Arcade were released concurrently in early fall 1977 for the Christmas season.

 

So.. which sold better in 1977?

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[King Atari]

Great find there. I'd like to get a Sears system just as a 'play' system, keep all my real Atari systems nice.