If they were shown a picture of it, almost everyone would be able to recognise the Atari 2600’s iconic one-button joystick, even if they weren’t a particular fan of videogames. The fact that it’s not a particularly good controller, with its stiff joystick and sweaty-palm-inducing rubber, is by the by. Its image has almost become a shorthand for the concept of retro gaming itself; in fact, it graces the spine of this very magazine.
By contrast, relatively few people are aware of the various other controllers and unusual accessories released over the Atari 2600’s lifetime. “I have found that generally, they go under the radar a bit,” says Rees Stephenson, presenter of the Ctrl-Alt-Rees YouTube channel and avid Atari collector (indeed, you can see his impressive Atari assemblage in issue 236’s Collector’s Corner). Rees notes that original Atari accessories can generally be picked up for a pittance.
Of course, it isn’t just joysticks we’re talking about. Back when it was launched in 1977, the 2600 (or the VCS as it was known then) came with a pair of paddle controllers in addition to the iconic CX10 joystick, harking back to Atari’s history as a purveyor of Pong machines. Four of the VCS’ nine launch games were played with paddles, although paddle controllers quickly fell out of fashion, and the vast majority of games in the VCS library can only be played with a joystick.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 245 من Retro Gamer.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة Issue 245 من Retro Gamer.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
EVERCADE EXPANDS
We go hands-on with Blaze’s upcoming releases
Rock Band Unplugged
WHO NEEDS PLASTIC PERIPHERALS?
Super Woden GP II
In a world where additional extras are often hidden behind microtransactions and downloadable content it’s rather refreshing to find a game that comes loaded with an obscene amount of extras.
THE MAKING OF MICKEY MANIA
THERE WERE SEVERAL GAMES ON THE MEGA DRIVE FEATURING THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS MOUSE, SOME VERY GOOD (CASTLE OF ILLUSION), SOME VERY BAD (FANTASIA). AND THEN THERE WAS MICKEY MANIA, AN IMPRESSIVE TECHNICAL SHOWCASE FROM TRAVELLER'S TALES
PARKER BROS
BY USING ITS CONTACTS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR AND FORMIDABLE MARKETING CLOUT, PARKER BROTHERS BROUGHT TITLES LIKE STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, SPIDER-MAN AND FROGGER TO THE ATARI 2600 AND ITS RIVALS. RETRO GAMER HIGHLIGHTS THE FIRM’S BEST RELEASES
SNATCHER
AS HIDEO KOJIMA HAS BECOME A RARE CELEBRITY IN THE GAMING WORLD, SO HIS OLDER WORKS ARE INCREASINGLY REVISITED. BUT HIS 1988 CYBERPUNK ADVENTURE SNATCHER IS ALMOST UNPLAYABLE TODAY, LEGALLY, AND ONLY RECEIVED ONE ENGLISH PORT – WHICH HAS ONLY INCREASED ITS CULT APPEAL, AND COST
ULTIMATE GUIDE TARGET:RENEGADE
THE CITY STREETS ARE NEVER SAFE FOR LONG, ESPECIALLY IN THE DELIGHTFUL-SOUNDING SCUMVILLE, WHERE IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED. JOIN US AS WE REVEAL HOW WITH TARGET: RENEGADE, OCEAN SOFTWARE RETOLD THE STORY OF A VENGEFUL VIGILANTE AND CREATED ONE OF THE BEST EVER 8-BIT BRAWLERS
THE MAKING OF Trivial Pursuit
IN 1986, A SMALL SOFTWARE HOUSE ON THE VERGE OF BANKRUPTCY LICENSED THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BOARD GAME FOR HOME COMPUTERS. IT CHANGED DOMARK – AND THE UK GAMES INDUSTRY – FOREVER
Donkey Kong
ABRIDGED TOO FAR?
THE SPECTRUM
IT’S ONE OF THE MOST ICONIC HOME COMPUTERS EVER MADE, AND IT’S BACK IN PLUG-AND-PLAY FORM. WE SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE BEHIND IT TO FIND OUT WHY IT’S TAKEN SO LONG, AND GET A CHANCE TO GIVE OUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS AHEAD OF LAUNCH