The Atari 2600 is a home video game console developed and produced by Atari, Inc. Released in September 1977 as the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS), it popularized microprocessor-based hardware and games stored on swappable ROM cartridges, a format first used with the Fairchild Channel F in 1976. The VCS was bundled with two joystick controllers, a conjoined pair of paddle controllers, and a game cartridge—initially Combat and later Pac-Man. For years, the included joysticks, model CX-40, were universally known and it one out of every five households. However, prior to the CX-40 was an earlier stick known as the CX-10. What are the differences and why was Atari’s default joystick re-engineered just one year after launch? Let’s find out.
