Undeniably the world's most popular video game during the 1908's. The Atari 2600 Video Computer System has in one way or another been in just about everyone's life.  From original owners back in the late 70's and 80's, to new owners just discovering their simple yet extremely addictive game play. The Atari 2600 was technically superior to most of the other game systems when it was released in 1977 such as the Bally Astrocade and Fairchild Channel F as well as the later released Magnavox Odyssey 2 and took a far lead in first place.   Systems such as the Intellivision and Colecovision were graphically better systems, however the Atari 2600 won the hearts and minds of most video gamers and climbed to the top and stayed there for most of its existence.   In fact it was the Atari 2600's huge popularity that became its downfall with too many cartridges being produced and too many of them were lacking in game play and in graphics.   This huge flood of  games caused a cartridge "glut" and added to huge fallout in the industry which saw almost all small start ups disappear and brought company's like Mattel's Intellivision division, Coleco and any others to their knees and into dusty memories. Atari managed to remain but with a weak heart beat.   

    In late spring and early summer of 1983 Atari and Nintendo began a flurry of talks about having Atari license and package the Nintendo prototype "FCS" (Family Computer System) as an Atari video game product.    This deal was nearly completed when Atari's CEO Ray Kassar stepped down due to questionable Stock sale activity in December of 1982 and Atari's top management was in disarray for several months.   Nintendo, lost its patience and walked away, allowing the future NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) to become a Nintendo released product in early 1985.

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On July 2, 1984 the Atari Consumer & Home Computer divisions were now in the possession of new owners previously with Commodore who began restructuring the company. Plans were immediately made to bring out a low cost 2600 (dubbed the 2600jr) which was based around the Spring 1984 Wedge shaped 2600 VCS model that Atari Inc developed going back to 1983.  Also once the legal issues between GCC, Atari and Warner were straightened out, the Atari 7800 console would be re-released as well.  The company's primary focus was the development of its "RBP" computer design and the redesign of the XL computers but videogames and Atari presence in the field never stopped at Atari under the Tramiels, finally after a 2 year absence from making video game consoles, the Atari 2600jr and the Atari 7800 were re-introduced in Januard 1986 as part of Atari's "Where the Action is" campaign.  In 1993 Atari once again tried its hand at the home video game market with its Atari Jaguar 64 console, but quickly dropped the product in 1996 and the company ceased to exist as Atari then fell into the hands of small hard disk company called JTS who wanted nothing but the money from the reverse merger, the Atari home console presence was dying a painful death.   In March of 1998 the rights, licenses and technology of Atari's video game and computer divisions were bought by Hasbro Interactive. Infogrames then became the owner of the Atari rights and licenses.   Infogrames then officially changed their company name to Atari, Inc.  So Atari's name lives on once again even though it is no longer the real Atari and is just a renamed French video games company.