1977 – 1992retired
Atari 2600
“Fifteen years, one joystick, and a cartridge slot that never said die.”
“It dialed up the future through a Famicom, then hung up politely when the call was done.”
Before most people had heard of the internet, Nintendo's Family Computer Network System plugged a Famicom into the phone line and let players in Japan check stock trades, weather forecasts, horse racing bets, jokes, game cheats, and even a bit of downloadable content over a proprietary dial-up service. Released in September 1988, it stored its smarts on ROM cards, cousins of the HuCard and Sega Card.
The service retired in 1991, staying Japan-only for its whole life. But nothing was wasted: the experience Nintendo gained here led directly to the satellite-based Satellaview for the Super Famicom in the early 1990s. A modest modem, quietly laying the first cable.
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“Fifteen years, one joystick, and a cartridge slot that never said die.”
“A computer in console clothes, it never quite decided what to be and we loved it anyway.”
“Britain's first homegrown console: sleek, RGB-ready, and gone before the kettle boiled.”