Atari

Where the home medium began — 1977 to 1996.

Sunnyvale. Founded 1972. The home video game industry began here: Magnavox first, Atari at scale. The 2600 defined the medium's mass-market identity through the late 70s and early 80s. The Jaguar ended Atari as a hardware-maker in 1996. The four 2600 hardware revisions — Heavy Sixer, Light Sixer, Four-Switch, Junior — are the single most consequential printing-variance pattern in vintage console collecting.