Atari paved the way for the gaming industry with the first gaming console made with longevity and versatility in mind. “Atari included every conceivable form of flexibility into the console. There were separate difficult switches for both the left and right player, the console had a selection for both Black & White and Color televisions. The game console also came packaged with not only a set of joystick controllers, but also a set of paddle controllers giving the customer the ability to purchase nearly any game they wanted and not have to worry about whether it would work with the console or not” (Video Computer System).

Atari also released every type of rudimentary controller with the 2600 VCV. This would give consoles of the future something to build upon. “Joysticks, paddles, driving controllers, keypads, video touch pads, kids controller, Pro-Line controller, Space Age Controller. Other unreleased items were The Graduate computer add-on, the Voice Commander, The Mindlink and several others which didn't make it past the drawing boards” (Video Computer System). Atari wanted longevity and player interaction is the key to longevity.

The Atari joystick offered 8-directions of play and a single button for shooting, etc.

Select, start, and pause buttons for easier game play.

Although you have to use different controllers, Atari was one of the first consoles to offer a variety of games.