When Did Your Family First Get a Video Game System?

[Longgrain]

Mine was 1983, the classic Atari 2600, along with about six games...

I also remember an even earlier Pong knock off from the seventies that had only four built-in games (Tennis, hand ball etc.)

So what was your first system...

Here's a link for those of you who might not remember the early days...

http://www.emuunlim.com/doteaters/

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

1. Intellivision checking in - BUT we used to write games in BASIC on Vic 20

Good times...





Oh, here's the cassette drive we had with it:

[MessiahRp]

2. Yep, Atari 2600

I live for Retro gaming now. Either I own the following or play them frequently via emulator on my PC...

Atari 2600
Sega Master System
NES
TurboGrafx 16
Sega Genesis
Super NES
Neo Geo

For some reason I just don't dig the newer systems. Emphasis on graphics overtook emphasis on gameplay.

Rp

[Reverend_Smitty]

3. Well my first video game system was a Nintendo...

I got it back in 1989...but I'm pretty sure I remember an old Atari 2600 collecting dust at my dad's house

[newscott]

4. I had a friend who got Pong in the 70s.

We got our first gaming system pre-1980, I think.

[KittyWampus]

5. Never, Unless You Count The Solitare That Comes On The Computer

[kedrys]

6. 'member Pong?

Yeah, that was our first one. Prolly how I developed a precursor to QuakeAche(TM).

[Lauri16]

7. I was just gonna ask

if Pong counted! That was our first one. Mom used to freak thinking it would mess up the tv......it did. oops

[DS1]

8. Odyssey, then Atari 2600, then Apple 2, then Apple 2 GS, switchover

to IBM 486/88 w 8 MB Ram, 300 meg HD

[solinvictus]

9. Pong, 1979...

It had Pong, Tennis, and Handball, which were all Pong.

[Maestro]

10. The first system

was the Atari 2600. Missile Command was my favorite. We got it in 80 or 81. In the 70's though I remember playing Pong on our TV in the living if I am not mistaken.

[ScreamingMeemie]

11. 1982 Atari. Pong, Tank, PacMan. Baseball

We later bought Pitfall and were amazed at the "excellent" graphics. ;)

[Longgrain]

12. Pitfall was the best, I used to spend hours playing that one...

Except i always hated it when you got to the alligator pit with no swinging vine and you had to jump on their heads...never could do it...:scared:

[CanuckAmok]

13. Anyone here have a Bally Astrocade/Astrovision?

Check this out:

1977: Bally (the pinball giant) introduces the Astrocade, to compete with the Arari 2600.

Resolution: True 160x102** / Basic 160x88
Colours: True 8* / Basic 2
Graphic type: Bitmap, 2 plane bitpacked
CPU: Z80
Speed: 3.579 MHz
ROM: 8K
Ram: 4K
Cart ROM: 8K
Expansion: 64K total
Sound: 3 Voice + Noise & Vibrato
Ports: 4 Controller, 1 Expansion, 1 Light pen

It was YEARS ahead of the technology offered by Atari, Mattel, or Coleco, but was a victim of poor marketing and nearly nonexistent product support (we had one, and the only dealer who sold cartidges was a two hour drive away).

One of the best features was the "Basic" cartridge, which was the same size as a game cartridge, but enabled the user to write programs (on the admittedly clumsy keypad which was standard on the Bally) in Basic and save them to cassette via a cable.

[Maestro]

15. OMG

Talk about efficient coding. No much room for error!

[CanuckAmok]

16. LOL! It took me probably 10 hours to write...

... a simple, black on white (supplied in the manual) version of that "artillery" program, in which your position is randomly generated on a random hillside, and you have to shell the enemy's random position before they shell you. I bet that program was something like 30Kb, if that.

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

19. Snake... that was my proudest accomplishment in BASIC on my Vic 20

[Maestro]

14. Here is my current gaming system.

Tech prOn:



It glows too. ;)

[ChoralScholar]

17. Atari 2600-

Purchased from Fred's in 1983 for $299 (or maybe $199, i don't remember)

THe game that came with it was Combat - a silly little tank game. It was 2-player only - sometimes I'd play by myself and just shoot up the other tank. My mother was convinced that would 'tear up the game'

[CanuckAmok]

20. I noticed the other day:

There's a store her in Victoria selling a used but VG+ condition Atari 2600 with a few games for $299 Canadian. That's nearly twice what they were new!

[Beware the Beast Man]

18. Not until 1992. My mom got me a Super Nintendo System.

Mortal Kombat II contributed to my academic suspension in the Fall semester 1994. The problem with Super NES is that the game cartridges were way too expensive- they cost even more than PS2 and X-Box games do now.

[Hatalles]

21. 1990. The 8-Bit Nintendo Enterainment System.

The particular package my parents bought me included the Zapper (gun) and the Power Pad (it was used for games where you used your feet). It came with a 3-in-1 game cartridge that included Super Mario Brothers, Duck Hunt, and some Track game.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

22. The year was 1980, the Atari 2600 and it came with Space Invaders!

:)

[yvr girl]

23. It hasn't happened yet

[Hatalles]

24. Oh, yes it has.

Everyone knows the PC is the greatest and most powerful video gaming machine of all time. ;)

[salin]

25. None.

First "games" were on computers in the late 80s.

Did play a friends "pong" game back in the eighties (two person tenis and handball... woohooo)... and then there was the hand held football game in the seventies that we played (but I never bough) in summer camp.

[AlFrankenFan]

26. 1997 - N64 n/t

[Huckebein the Raven]

27. Around '82 or '83. It was a 2600

I believe I had one of the multi-game cartridges, space invaders, and pole position, and few other games I can't remember

[Wapsie B]

28. Never had one.

Two TV's but not even a Pong game.

[tibbir]

29. 1989 - Nintendo for my then 5 year-old

The start of his life-long video game/ computer addiction.

[derby378]

30. Started with a Pong clone in the late 70s

Then Atari 2600, then Colecovision, then NES, then Super NES, then Nintendo 64, and now - PS2. Hey, go figure.