Editing Atari 2600 (section)

===Building the system===
[[File:Atari 2600 Prototype at CHM.jpg|thumb|right|The first Stella prototype on display at the [[Computer History Museum]]]]

By December 1975, Atari hired [[Joseph C. Decuir|Joe Decuir]], a recent graduate from [[University of California, Berkeley]] who had been doing his own testing on the 6502. Decuir began debugging the first prototype designed by Mayer and Milner, which gained the [[codename]] "Stella" after the brand of Decuir's bicycle. This prototype included a [[breadboard]]-level design of the graphics interface to build upon.<ref name="gamasutra history atari"/><ref name="atari fun chp5"/> A second prototype was completed by March 1976 with the help of [[Jay Miner]], who created a chip called the [[Television Interface Adaptor]] (TIA) to send graphics and audio to a television.<ref name="proto">{{cite web|author=Curt Vendel |url=http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/2600/proto2600.html |title=The Atari VCS Prototype |publisher=Atarimuseum.com |access-date=March 30, 2014 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130117094934/http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/2600/proto2600.html |archive-date = January 17, 2013}}</ref> The second prototype included a TIA, a 6507, and a [[ROM cartridge]] slot and adapter.<ref name="gamasutra history atari"/>

As the TIA's design was refined, [[Al Alcorn]] brought in Atari's game developers to provide input on features.<ref name="atari fun chp5"/> There are significant limitations in the 6507, the TIA, and other components, so the programmers creatively optimized their games to maximize the console.<ref name="ieee decuir"/> The console lacks a [[framebuffer]] and requires games to instruct the system to generate graphics in synchronization with the [[electron gun]] in the [[cathode-ray tube]] (CRT) as it scans across rows on the screen. The programmers found ways to "[[#Racing the beam|race the beam]]" to perform other functions while the electron gun scans outside of the visible screen.<ref name="Wired racing">{{cite magazine | url = https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/03/racing-the-beam/ | title = Racing the Beam: How Atari 2600's Crazy Hardware Changed Game Design | first = Chris | last = Kohler | magazine = Wired | date = 2009-03-19 | access-date = 2010-08-09 | archive-date = July 27, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100727184654/http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/03/racing-the-beam/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

Alongside the electronics development, Bushnell brought in Gene Landrum, a consultant who had just prior consulted for [[Fairchild Camera and Instrument]] for its upcoming [[Fairchild Channel F|Channel F]], to determine the consumer requirements for the console. In his final report, Landrum suggested a living room aesthetic, with a [[wood grain]] finish, and the cartridges must be "idiot proof, child proof and effective in resisting potential static [electricity] problems in a living room environment". Landrum recommended it include four to five dedicated games in addition to the cartridges, but this was dropped in the final designs.<ref name="atari fun chp5"/> The cartridge design was done by James Asher and Douglas Hardy. Hardy had been an engineer for Fairchild and helped in the initial design of the Channel F cartridges, but he quit to join Atari in 1976. The interior of the cartridge that Asher and Hardy designed was sufficiently different to avoid patent conflicts, but the exterior components were directly influenced by the Channel F to help work around the static electricity concerns.<ref name="atari fun chp5"/><ref name="fc fairchild carts"/>

Atari was still recovering from its 1974 financial woes and needed additional capital to fully enter the home console market, though Bushnell was wary of being beholden to outside financial sources.> Atari obtained smaller investments through 1975, but not at the scale it needed, and began considering a sale to a larger firm by early 1976. Atari was introduced to [[Warner Communications]], which saw the potential for the growing video game industry to help offset declining profits from its film and music divisions. Negotiations took place during 1976, during which Atari cleared itself of liabilities, including settling a patent infringement lawsuit with [[Magnavox]] over [[Ralph H. Baer]]'s patents that were the basis for the [[Magnavox Odyssey]].<ref name="atari fun chp5"/> In mid-1976, Fairchild announced the Channel F, planned for release later that year, beating Atari to the market.<ref name="fc fairchild carts">{{cite web | url = https://www.fastcompany.com/3040889/the-untold-story-of-the-invention-of-the-game-cartridge | title = The Untold Story Of The Invention Of The Game Cartridge | first = Benj | last = Edwards | date = January 22, 2015 | access-date = April 9, 2021 | work = [[Fast Company]] | archive-date = April 13, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190413014941/https://www.fastcompany.com/3040889/the-untold-story-of-the-invention-of-the-game-cartridge | url-status = live }}</ref>

By October 1976, Warner and Atari agreed to the purchase of Atari for {{US$|28 million|long=no}}.<ref name="atari fun chp5"/> Warner provided an estimated {{US$|120 million|long=no}} which was enough to fast-track Stella.<ref name="gamasutra history atari"/><ref name="inc bushnell 1984">{{cite magazine | url = https://www.inc.com/magazine/19841001/136.html | title = When The Magic Goes | first = Steve | last = Goll | date = October 1, 1984 | access-date = April 2, 2021 | magazine = Inc. | archive-date = March 10, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210310075000/http://www.inc.com/magazine/19841001/136.html | url-status = live }}</ref> By 1977, development had advanced enough to brand it the "Atari Video Computer System" (VCS) and start developing games.<ref name="gamasutra history atari"/>