When Video Game Consoles Wanted (and Failed) to Be Computers

[TrekMD]

This is an interesting read.  Check it out here:  When Video Game Consoles Wanted (and Failed) to Be Computers.

A lot of early video game consoles secretly wanted to be home computers, too. Their makers either sold keyboard add-ons or failed miserably in the process.

[onthinice]

While an interesting read it I did not see Atari mentioned. Atari used the keypad adaptors  and the Atari was called the Atari Video Computer System or VCS for short. 

[TrekMD]

This particular article focused on the Intellivision but there were indeed attampts made for the VCS as well.  I only know of one keyboard attachment that was released and it was not made by Atari. 

[onthinice]

It was an interesting article. Agree. The failure was slanted away from Atari products. Did not know about the keyboard. I was thinking of the keypad that came with Star Raiders and the Sesame Street kids games.

[TrekMD]

Oh yes, there was a keyboard prototype that Atari had developed which enhanced the 2600 and that was supposed to have exclusive games.  Unfortunately, that never happened.  I know there was one from Spectravideo that was released.