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While it was n’t the very first of its variety , the Atari 2600 decriminalise the concept of the home consoleand avail to usher in a new geological era of gaming . It ’s undeniablyAtari ’s most iconic piece of computer hardware , and , from innovative arcade ports to endlessly think of original titles , it made an incredible and durable impact on the industriousness .
That said , it was far from Atari ’s final cabinet , having breed a lineage that continues to this day via the Atari VCS . Hosting a assortment of forgotten gem and coveted rareties , these are some of the most valuable Atari secret plan ever produced .
Meteorites ($174.65)
Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 is often commemorate as one of the most gross miscalculation in console gaming account . The system of rules was bulky , the controllers broke well , and it launch less than a yr before the notorious video game crash of 1983 .
Yet , there are more than a few worthwhile video games on the Atari 5200 , most of which are overlook due to the system for which they were develop . Meteorites , an obvious clon of the colonnade hitAsteroids , offers more gameplay astuteness and mixture when equate to the title that inspired it , and , in 1984 , it would have been an awing rendition of a 1979 favorite .
Tank Command ($208.26)
Atari 7800
Nintendo usurped Atari as the number - one name in home video secret plan comfort with therelease of the Nintendo Entertainment Systemin 1985 . Atari respond with the Atari 7800 in 1986 , but the system fail to topple the stiff competition .
There are n’t many ultra - rarified plot for the Atari 7800 , thoughTank Commandis a famous elision . Easily the most worthful officially - release biz for Atari ’s third - generation system , Tank Commandis a top - down shooter that resembles popular 8 - spot titles of the time likeAkari WarriorsandTwin Cobra . A pretty unforgiving claim that emphasizes accuracy and ammo preservation , it ’s for certain an interesting slice of Atari chronicle .
Atari Karts ($280.53)
Atari Jaguar
Marketed as a 64 - moment cabinet in an earned run average during which 16 - second consoles were the average , the Atari Jaguar call on heads initially , but it notoriously failed to live up to the ballyhoo and was shortly after steamrolled by systems like the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 .
Hidden stone are few and far between on the Atari Jaguar , though the mascot racerAtari Kartsseems to have pull in favorable reviews . AMario Kartclone that demands some somewhat crafty steering on harder difficulty , it was serviceable for the time , though the statute title could n’t outpace its primary influence , which ran on ironware that was purportedly significantly deficient .
Softp*** Adventures ($379.98)
Atari 8-Bit Computers
In 1979 , Atari introduced a personal credit line of 8 - flake home computers that were surprisingly open gaming systems , especially for the fourth dimension . Marketed as multifaceted machines perfect for both work and child’s play , the Atari 400 and Atari 800 made play on a home computer more widely accessible than it had ever been to that point .
While most of the title uncommitted for these machines were traditional sidescrollers or typical colonnade larboard , Softp * * * Adventuresis a famous oddity that sought to bridge the gap between adult and gamers . Today , it ’s a unwieldy and very out - of - date text edition - base adventure , but it still suffer as an important PC gaming keepsake that , agree toPCGamer , actually served as a starting point for theLeisure Suit Larryseries .
Bounty Bob Strikes Back ($610.00)
Released in 1982,Miner 2049erwas a modest achiever for Atari ’s 8 - bit line of figurer , and it finally received a continuation inBounty Bob Strike Back . An arcade platformer that plays like a cross betweenDonkey KongandQbert , the game tasks players with navigate a serial of platform and obviate enemies while filling in a series of dark-skinned tile .
There ’s not that much that stands out about the Atari 5200 port of the game relieve for the price . In 2022 , a loose written matter lead for around six hundred dollars , making it one of the priciest non - Atari 2600 games by quite a flake .
Ultima 1 ($810.00)
The godfather of fantasy RPGs , Ultimawas among the first games to accurately replicate the complex gameplay oftraditional tabletop role - playing titles . An epic tale of necromancy and meter travel , Ultimawas mode ahead of its time , and it help to get down a trend that would finally spawn New - day hits likeThe Elder Scrolls vanadium : SkyrimandCyberpunk 2077 .
While it ’s so clunky and hard to get running as to be nigh - on unplayable today , Ultima ’s groundbreaking open Earth and impressive first - soul keep crawling segments remain worthy of praise . It ’s a must - have for hardcore RPG fans , though some ports of the game come with a massive price tag .
Battlesphere ($850.01)
Battlesphereis a first - person aery combat title that was originally set to release in 1994 , but various issues and delays led to cancelation and subsequent revivification in the class 2000 , four years after the Atari Jaguar was formally discontinued . doubtlessly the prized compendium of a little number of Atari Jaguar collections , the title is fantastically pricey today , sometimes selling for in excess of $ 1,000 .
While it ’s a surprisingly rich title that far outstrips many of the ungainly , ill - optimized 3D games on the arrangement , Battlespherehas remain an unknown oddityrelegated mostly to circle of consecrate Atari fans .
Red Sea Crossing ($1,306.97)
Atari 2600
Red Sea Crossingis among the out-and-out rarest picture games ever to exist . Sold entirely through the magazineChristianity Todayin 1983 , only two copy are know to live , one of which , according toIGN , sell for over $ 10,000 at auction in 2012 .
presently , Pricecharting.com speculates the title to be deserving over $ 1,000 , though less late estimates value the game at well-nigh $ 14,000 . Regardless of an accurate figure , Red Sea Crossingis about as invaluable as a telecasting game cartridge can be .
Pepsi Invaders ($1,512.25)
Another Atari 2600 plot so rare as to be almost mythical , Pepsi Invadersis a uncomplicated clone of the beloved colonnade arrive at Space Invaders that just swaps out the enemy sprites for the letters P , E , S , and I. Though to have been deal out to Coca - Cola high - ups in the early 1980s , Pepsi Invadersis a relentlessly unearthly and unbelievably rarefied deed .
With that in brain , forcible copy of the game do indeed exist and are estimated to be worth around fifteen hundred bucks in 2022 . That ’s quite a sum for a slightly modified version of the otherwise very commonSpace Invadersgame .
River Raid ($8,143.50)
By far the rarest Atari 2600 plot ever released , Air Raidtasks players with defending Manhattan from alien invader . Something of a different take on the standardSpace Invadersformula , players must forestall enemy ship from destroying 12 skyscrapers as the screen constantly scrolls to the left field .
harmonise toPolygon , a Texas Goodwill store sell a at large written matter for $ 10,000 dollar as recently as 2021 , and , as perIGN , a complete - in - box seat interpretation of the game sell at vendue for $ 33,000 . This would definitely make for a great conversation piece among collector , to say the least .
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