Although it wasn't the first programmable video game console (that honor belongs to the Fairchild Channel F), the Atari 2600 was easily the most popular system of the late '70s and early '80s, meaning it is now the most sought after system by those looking to revisit the Golden Age (pre-Nintendo era) of video games.
The 2600 (originally called the Atari VCS) was released in October of 1977 and wasn't officially declared dead by Atari until January of 1992, making it the longest lived video game system in the history of the industry.
When compared to today's offerings, Atari 2600 games have very primitive graphics. Some of the more enjoyable releases include: Space Invaders and Phoenix (shooters); Jr. Pac-Man and Jawbreaker (maze games); Kaboom! and Dig Dug (action games); and Super Breakout and Warlords (ball-and-paddle games).
In 1979, Mattel Electronics released the Intellivision, giving birth to the first true console war. Marketed as a more sophisticated, more powerful alternative to the aging Atari 2600, the Intellivision boasted games with superior visual detail and more realistic features.
The system's popular, groundbreaking sports titles (such as Major League Baseball and NFL Football) haven't aged as well as some of the 2600's more action-oriented efforts, but armchair athletes will definitely find the Intellivision to be the Golden Age system of choice when it comes to sports. Fun non-sports games for the system include Beauty & the Beast (a Donkey Kong-like game), BurgerTime (a great port of the arcade classic), Diner (the sequel to BurgerTime), Demon Attack (a game that Phoenix fans will love), and Thin Ice (a cute take on the Qix formula).
Nineteen-eighty-two saw the release of two next-gen systems, the ColecoVision and the Atari 5200, both of which blew away previous consoles in terms of sheer audio/visual power. Bolstered by marvelous ports of such coin-op classics as Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Mouse Trap, Lady Bug, and Zaxxon, the ColecoVision was the first system to give gamers the true sensation of playing their favorite arcade games in the comfort of their own homes. Unfortunately, both systems were victims of The Great Video Game Crash of 1984, which, for a variety of reasons, brought the industry to a virtual standstill (until 1985, when Nintendo released the NES to wide acclaim).
Top 3 video game:
Bet you could occupy some time with an ultimate video gaming experience. The top 3 video game consoles people use today are the Playstation 3, Xbox360, and the Nintendo Wii. I highly recommend the Playstation3 because of its cool graphics, its game selection, and its cool features. Playstation 3 has many cool features that make it a very popular video game console. The system has bluetooth 2.0, gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI 1.3a.
One of my favorite features is that the system can support up too 7 controllers at one time.
Xbox 360 comes with some cool features as well. This video game system comes with a DVD player, and a Compact disc player. In 2009, it was named the sixth greatest video game console of all time, out of a field of 25. Some other features include its "integrated Xbox Live service that allows players to compete online, downloadable arcade games, game demos, and Windows Media Center multimedia capabilities." Finally this system comes with some cool games like Metal Gear Solid, Grand Theft Auto, and Call Of Duty. Xbox 360 cost anywhere from 200-300 dollars.
Nintendo Wii is a family friendly video game console. This system actually allows you to play games as if you were physically playing them.
