The Atari is and was the holy grail of gaming. While other systems were ushering in new steps in video game playing, the Atari 2600 changed the whole game forever. How many games can the other systems claim are staples? Mario, Sonic, NHL93, Metal Gear Solid? The Atari had a list that went on for days: Asteroids, Pac-Man, Centipede, Pitfall...

The controllers would put blisters on your hands after several hours, but they were still very functional; they were real joysticks, which was how the arcade games were meant to be played. Getting the gang together and sitting in front of the 13" color tv after school was the only game in town, and according to most of you, the Atari will always reign as the king of gaming platforms.