Quick questions on the early VCS games?

[Keatah]

Wasn't the VCS marketed with the intent of having only 8 or 12 carts to be available? And then shortly thereafter Atari discovered it could do more?

 

And how did those early carts with numbers in their names get those numbers?

[Video]

Think many of the numbers referenced the number of modes the cart supported. It was true the system was intended to only have a few initial titles, and a few releases a year, but yeah, people discovered tricks to let it do far more complex stuff and it ballooned from there.

[retroeight]

The cart with numbers in their names are the original launch titles I believe.

[toiletunes]

The games were going to be numbered by category iirc- 10-19 for racing, 20-29 for whatever, etc. That idea was quickly dropped.

[Flojomojo]

The numbers on the cartridge label went higher than just a few, and unlike the numbers on the other carton ("116 VIDEO GAMES") they weren't describing the number of variations.

 

https://atariage.com/cart_page.php?SystemID=2600&SoftwareLabelID=943&ItemTypeID=CART

 

I'm pretty sure it was originally intended to be a small library.

[+KaeruYojimbo]

The numbers on the end labels of the initial run of the launch titles (01 combat etc.) came from the games part number (CX2601). The initial games were grouped in categories like toiletunes said, but that was dumped and they started using the next available number.

 

The original plan was to have a replacement console on the market in three years. The replacement eventually became the Atari 400 and 800 computers and the 2600 stayed on the market for years.

[BassGuitari]

C'mon, Keatah, this isn't your first rodeo.

The games were going to be numbered by category iirc- 10-19 for racing, 20-29 for whatever, etc. That idea was quickly dropped.

This.

The Tens digit was to represent a category or series of game:
00s = Combat/war/shooting
10s = Racing/driving
20s = Sports/paddle
30s = ???
40s = Strategy
50s = Casino/gambling
60s = Educational

As noted, this system obviously did not last long, although the model numbers of several games released in '78-79 appear to conform with it, such as Space War, Outlaw, and Canyon Bomber (CX2604, CX2605, and CX2609 respectively; combat/shooting games), or Breakout, Home Run, and Basketball (CX2622, CX2623, and CX2624 respectively; sports/paddle games).

Also as noted, the numbers on the labels were simply the last two digits of the cartridge's model number.

[Keatah]

C'mon, Keatah, this isn't your first rodeo.

 

Surprisingly it's something I never knew. I kept meaning to look it up for many many years and see what the deal was but never got around to doing it. Proves I'm not collector or one that pays attention to label variations.

[Keatah]

I don't know what the 30's represent, but..

 

Golf

Othello

Superman

Dodge 'Em

Circus Atari

Maze Craze

Night Driver

Space Invaders

Video Checkers

Missile Command

[Flojomojo]

"Miscellaneous"

[BassGuitari]

 

[snip] Proves I'm not collector or one that pays attention to label variations.

Mm, no, not collecting or paying attention to label variants proves you don't collect or pay attention to label variants. (That, and, almost as if by reflex, throwing out "Emulation!" anytime somebody mentions carts or asks about hardware. )

 

No, all this proves--if anything--is that you're not quite as dorky as some of the rest of us.

 

To that end...

 

I don't know what the 30's represent...

...neither do I. Maybe there's still hope for me?

 

Although, it may be worth nothing that most of the games in the '30s range came out in 1980-81. IIRC Golf and Superman were still '79 releases, but after that, it seems like Atari abandoned the "Model Number Series" idea altogether. The CX263X range is a free-for-all of game types. I still don't know what the original intention for it was, though. Marty Goldberg or Curt Vendel or Bill Loguidice might know.

Edited October 28, 2017 by BassGuitari

[jhd]

I wonder if the 30s classification was originally meant for puzzle/board games -- Video Checkers, Othello, and (arguably) Superman and Maze Craze fit into that category.

 

I would have expected Video Chess and Backgammon to fall into this range of numbers, too.

[BassGuitari]

I wonder if the 30s classification was originally meant for puzzle/board games -- Video Checkers, Othello, and (arguably) Superman and Maze Craze fit into that category.

 

I would have expected Video Chess and Backgammon to fall into this range of numbers, too.

 

What I don't understand is that if Atari was going to use a placeholder--the CX263X range--why leave one in the middle of the series? Why not move CX2640+ titles back ten and expand into the '60s as need be (keeping in mind the original intent, as I understand it, was to only release something like a dozen or so games)?

 

I'm just curious as to what the thinking was. I'm sure there was a reason.