While Atari first burst onto the video game scene in 1972 with Pong, for many gamers, the company's lasting legacy will always be the Atari 2600.

October 14 marks the 35th birthday of the legendary game console, which landed with a bang in 1977. It wasn't the first home video game system -- that honor belongs to the Magnavox Odyssey -- but it quickly became the most widely adopted and set the standard for many, many years.

To celebrate the console that revolutionized home entertainment, we dug up 35 factoids you might not have heard about while you were busy playing Asteroids and Pitfall.

1. It almost belonged to Magnavox.

Had things worked out a bit differently, we'd be talking about the 36th birthday of the Magnavox 2600. An earlier settlement between Atari and Magnavox over Pong gave Magnavox the rights to anything Atari produced for one year, so Atari held the system back from 1976 to 1977 to keep it their own. Good idea.

2. It was first the VCS.

The Atari 2600 wasn't the system's original name. When it hit shelves, it was called the Atari VCS (short for Video Computer System). It wasn't until 1982 that it was given its now famous moniker.

3. Stellaaaaa!

Actually, before it hit shelves, the Atari 2600 had another name: "Stella." The project's codename was named after one of the engineers' bicycles, and is currently the name of a widely downloaded Atari 2600 emulator.

4. It was kind of expensive.

The initial price for the system was $200. That might seem like a pittance, but in 1977 that was the equivalent of $775 today. And you thought Sony's initial PlayStation 3 pricing was insane.

5. It owes its success to Space Invaders.

While porting arcade games to home consoles would eventually become everyday business, it was unheard of in 1979. A year later, the Atari 2600 featured a port of Space Invaders, considered the first home console 'killer app,' turning the system into a must-have and ultimately grossing over $100 million.

6. But it owes even more to Rick Mauer.

Who? The guy who programmed Space Invaders for the Atari 2600, that's who. Despite how big of a hit the game turned out to be, Mauer is rumored to have received just $11,000 for his work. He never programmed another game for Atari.

7. It's a Hall of Famer.

In 2007, the Atari 2600 was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. It's one of just 46 toys to hold that honor. Nintendo's Game Boy is the only other video game system there.

8. Its famous creator didn't actually create it.

Most gamers associate Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell with everything Atari, but it turns out he wasn't responsible for the 2600's development. Engineers Steve Mayer and Larry Emmons, who ran a think tank called Cyan Engineering, came up with the idea.

9. It led to Bushnell's departure.

Atari's sale to Warner Communications in 1976 was done expressly to raise the capital to finish production on the 2600. A year after the system's release, culture clashes between Bushnell and Warner execs reached a point where Bushnell opted to leave the company.

10. It was almost a Disney product.

Warner wasn't Atari's first choice for an investor, though. Both MCA and Disney were approached first, but declined.

11. Now in stereo!

The sound itself might have only been a bunch of bleeps and bloops, but in its original design, the 2600 had two speakers in the top deck to offer stereo sound to players.

12. Heavy Sixers.

The first versions of the 2600 to ship were called "Heavy Sixers," so named because of a thicker plastic case and the six switches on the front. Geeky band name, anyone?

13. It wasn't an immediate hit.

The first truly popular home console wasn't all that popular when it first came out. In fact, it only sold 250,000 units during its first year.

14. It was a label snob.

As was the case with many 2600 games, Space Invaders 2600 was released with four different labels: Red, Silver, Picture, and Text. Today, the picture version is the most desired by collectors.

15. Sears sold their own version.

Couldn't get your hands on an Atari 2600 in 1978? Sears had you covered with the Sears Video Arcade System, a white-label version of Atari's console. It wasn't a shameless rip-off, however -- a full partnership with Atari gave Sears the right to sell the newly branded machine in order to increase exposure.

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