The actor is James Widdoes, a very successful television director in Hollywood. He is best known for his portrayal of Hoover, president of the Delta house in Animal House (both the movie and tv show), and the patriarch of the Pembroke family during the original network run of Charles in Charge. Other credits include Night Court, Dave’s World, and The Goldbergs.
I still get an incredibly strong, childlike desire whenever I see the big box of the Atari 2600. It immediately brings back the feelings I had as a child when I saw it in department stores or electronics shops in the 70s. Back then, I couldn’t afford it and only had an Interton VC 4000, which obviously didn't have the blockbuster games of the VCS 2600. I'm actually surprised at how intense this feeling still is. I guess I'm really damaged by consumerism.
@@LUCKO2022The 2600 has 500+ games, and you decide to only mention ET and JUST ET? There are tons of great games on the 2600 that outweigh the bad ones and anything on the C64.
True. I read they got the manufacturing price down to $40 for 1982 release in time for Pac-Man, with a MSRP of $120. They then sold 2-5 million in the next year or so. I don't think this commercial was 1984 though.
Atari hit gold once with the vcs and unfortunately could never really create a better console, but it's 8 bit and St range were sadly undervalued by the company
ATARI was the most popular system for a while. It fought off INTELLIVISION and COLECOVISION. It also fought off the short lived VETREX and ASTROCADE. And we all know how the ODYSSEY 2 went. But there was no stopping NINTENDO. SEGA looked like it might knock out NINTENDO. And, well, we all know what happened with the surprise release of the SATURN! A# A
This ad was shown during the "Video Game Crash of 1983", and Atari has done well with the original VCS/2600 console, but this one was a re-release with a black base design and gone was the woodgrain side and the name that says "Atari 2600". This was after Warner Communications bought out Atari after the "ET" disappointment. And as for the "Pac-Man" that it was installed in the 2600 at the end, no thanks! "Pac-Man" sucks!
Actually,Atari was sold to Warner Communications by Bushnell in 1976 to raise money to release the Atari 2600. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari,_Inc. According to Wikipedia Pac-man on the 2600 almost sold 8 million copies and is the top selling 2600 game of all time. It would make sense for Atari to bundle their best seller as a pack in game. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_Atari_2600_video_games
@@AandNvg Bundling makes sense especially if they had a million carts they manufactured but hadn't sold. I'm guessing that's the case because I didn't get a newer catalog after Pac-Man, and I think they just transferred them to other boxes. You'd think they'd want a little more cheap advertising (besides Atari Age club magazines) to help sell their latest games at full price instead of cost-cutting? Phoenix and Moon Patrol were good 1983 games, but I think only Ms. Pac-Man sold 2 million.
I learned Intellivision finally made BurgerTime their bundled game with Intellivision II in mid-1983, but that wasn't a new system, just modified, and it was too little, too late.
You seem to be under the illusion that it was possible. Nope. The system only has 256 bytes of RAM remember, all the ROM came from carts and Atari specifically limited early carts to 4k. Don't blame Fry for the game's failings, it was bound to happen eventually. If the 7800 had come out sooner, then maybe it would've reversed their fortunes.
Maybe you should check out Pac-Man 4K (the same 4K of ROM the original used) or Pac-Man Arcade (8K) on AtariAge in the 2600 forums much better than the one we grew up playing
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The actor is James Widdoes, a very successful television director in Hollywood. He is best known for his portrayal of Hoover, president of the Delta house in Animal House (both the movie and tv show), and the patriarch of the Pembroke family during the original network run of Charles in Charge. Other credits include Night Court, Dave’s World, and The Goldbergs.
Very nice comment!
I still get an incredibly strong, childlike desire whenever I see the big box of the Atari 2600. It immediately brings back the feelings I had as a child when I saw it in department stores or electronics shops in the 70s. Back then, I couldn’t afford it and only had an Interton VC 4000, which obviously didn't have the blockbuster games of the VCS 2600.
I'm actually surprised at how intense this feeling still is. I guess I'm really damaged by consumerism.
What he really wanted was an Atari 8 bit.
What he wanted was a Commodore 64.
Better machine, better games, NO ET game.
@@LUCKO2022Atari 800 > C64 for sure
@@jrherita the fact that he mentions ET shows he has no clue what he's even talking about. Literally trolling about 40 year old systems. lol.
@@jrheritathe sid chip alone solos the 800.
@@LUCKO2022The 2600 has 500+ games, and you decide to only mention ET and JUST ET? There are tons of great games on the 2600 that outweigh the bad ones and anything on the C64.
Ahhhh, the early/mid-'80s...the era of the vaunted "hair-helmet" look.
yep...but then again it beats blue hair, muslim beards, and the greasy hair right now!
It'll be back. 😈
I think Atari were pushing the 2600 because that is still what made their money.
Yep
Not only that, but the 2600 being Atari's cash cow is the reason why the Cosmos was never released.
True. I read they got the manufacturing price down to $40 for 1982 release in time for Pac-Man, with a MSRP of $120. They then sold 2-5 million in the next year or so. I don't think this commercial was 1984 though.
Atari hit gold once with the vcs and unfortunately could never really create a better console, but it's 8 bit and St range were sadly undervalued by the company
I'm pretty sure this is the same set as the "Everything that goes with it" commercial.
Famicom was released in 1983 and they still pushing the "2 missile and one ball" machine. Americans just don't have it with video games.
And a year later, the NES appeared 😅
That's the third Atari commercial filmed at the same store... or set... whatever.
He was rocking the Donald Trump hairpiece.
I played their pac man, it's not very good
Then i played Donkey kong Jr
I'll take pac man
I'd take both of those over Burger Time on the Atari 2600.
@@bubbythebear6891 that bad huh?
@@AllGamingStarred yes.
Who's that? He looks like James Widdoes (Charles in Charge actor).
Agreed.
Hoover from animal House.
ATARI was the most popular system for a while. It fought off INTELLIVISION and COLECOVISION. It also fought off the short lived VETREX and ASTROCADE. And we all know how the ODYSSEY 2 went. But there was no stopping NINTENDO. SEGA looked like it might knock out NINTENDO. And, well, we all know what happened with the surprise release of the SATURN! A# A
5200 is a piece of crap and Atari knew it, that's why they were still pushing the 2600.
This ad was shown during the "Video Game Crash of 1983", and Atari has done well with the original VCS/2600 console, but this one was a re-release with a black base design and gone was the woodgrain side and the name that says "Atari 2600".
This was after Warner Communications bought out Atari after the "ET" disappointment.
And as for the "Pac-Man" that it was installed in the 2600 at the end, no thanks! "Pac-Man" sucks!
Actually,Atari was sold to Warner Communications by Bushnell in 1976 to raise money to release the Atari 2600. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari,_Inc.
According to Wikipedia Pac-man on the 2600 almost sold 8 million copies and is the top selling 2600 game of all time. It would make sense for Atari to bundle their best seller as a pack in game. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_Atari_2600_video_games
@@AandNvg Bundling makes sense especially if they had a million carts they manufactured but hadn't sold. I'm guessing that's the case because I didn't get a newer catalog after Pac-Man, and I think they just transferred them to other boxes. You'd think they'd want a little more cheap advertising (besides Atari Age club magazines) to help sell their latest games at full price instead of cost-cutting? Phoenix and Moon Patrol were good 1983 games, but I think only Ms. Pac-Man sold 2 million.
I learned Intellivision finally made BurgerTime their bundled game with Intellivision II in mid-1983, but that wasn't a new system, just modified, and it was too little, too late.
You seem to be under the illusion that it was possible. Nope. The system only has 256 bytes of RAM remember, all the ROM came from carts and Atari specifically limited early carts to 4k. Don't blame Fry for the game's failings, it was bound to happen eventually. If the 7800 had come out sooner, then maybe it would've reversed their fortunes.
Maybe you should check out Pac-Man 4K (the same 4K of ROM the original used) or Pac-Man Arcade (8K) on AtariAge in the 2600 forums much better than the one we grew up playing
The Atari 2600 Jr I owned looks way better than the bigger Atari