Your 1983 Holiday Video Game System Buyers Guide for 2026
You see me now a victim, of a thousand console wars...
During this time of year, I find the gift giving holidays creep up unexpectedly. A recent visit to Walgreens found myself knee deep in Christmas nick-knacks and speakers blaring Christmas music only a few short days post-Halloween. This whiplash like seasonal switch over tends to leaves me scrambling for gift ideas for those I care about and makes the holiday much more stressful than it should be. For the fan of “ye old videoed gaming”, there are often multitudes of options for fans of new and retro games.
Our gaming marketplace in 2026 finds a questionable future for the Xbox system, no known release date of a newer Playstation, and Switch 2 system sales seem to have leveled off. Despite advances in technology, the past actually offered gaming consumers with so many choices they could often be overwhelmed.
So let’s jump into our handy time machines (Whichever you have handy: DeLorean, Tardis, or even a Bill and Ted style phone booth) and check out which 1983 video game system would best help us spread holiday cheer to our fellow gamers under the tree, bush, or office party Yankee Swap.
Atari VCS/2600
Cost: $54.99 after $30 rebate from Atari (Sears ad December 11, 1983)
Good gift for: The few people who didn’t already have a 2600 in 1983
By 1983 the iconic Atari VCS/2600 was six years old but was arguably at its peak influence. Programmers had been able to squeeze every bit of trickery out of the system to maximize the 2600s graphic and playability potential. Games like Pitfall, Crystal Castles, and River Raid would keep the system competitive in the marketplace despite the large amount of “shovelware” from some 3rd party software companies (and disappointing titles from Atari itself).
Once the holiday season rolled around in ‘83 you could get a brand new 2600 for under 100 dollars, by early ’84 you could get one for under 50 if you included the rebate from Atari. This extreme low price was likely a combination of the video game crash of 1983 and Atari’s planned replacement the 7800 arriving soon (it wouldn’t actually arrive until 1986). Despite not being as sophisticated as some of the other gaming systems on the market during this era the 2600 was still a solid choice due to its wide variety of games.
By the end of 1983 there was also a pretty large clearance dump of Atari software already taking place. Stores routinely advertised older software from Atari for see than 10 dollars a game. I found ads from this time period offering newer decent 3rd party titles such as Adventures of Tron (M-Network) for 4.99 and Demon Attack for 5.99. This could allow someone to build a decent software library on the cheap. Despite it’s aging hardware the 2600 was the golden standard for casual gaming in your living room of this era and the safest choice. It would shockingly stay on the market for another 9 years.
Atari 5200 Super System
Cost: $119.99 after $30 rebate from Atari (Sears ad December 11, 1983)
Good gift for: People who wanted joysticks that broke on December 26th
The poor Atari 5200, forever associated by its overly large console size and crummy non-centering joysticks. The 5200 was controversial with consumers from it’s debut in 1982 due to its lack of backward compatibility with the 2600. The lack of exclusive game titles also didn’t do it any favors, and some titles were barely more sophisticated then the 2600 versions.
The system is however capable of decent audio and visual presentations thanks to sharing most of its hardware with Atari’s excellent 8-bit computers. It’s a shame Atari didn’t just make the 5200 an Atari 800 computer without a keyboard with an option to expand with one, this this would have sold like hotcakes then. Atari wouldn’t pull of that feat until late 1987 with the Atari XEGS and by then the 8-bit technology was woefully out of date and had no chance of making a dent in the market leading Nintendo NES’ dominance. The 5200 was humanly put down by late 1984 with savvy 5200 hanger ons buying up the later more interesting exclusive titles as it hit the clearance bins.
Bally Astrocade/Bally Professional Arcade
Cost: $29.99 (Montgomery Ward ad dated December 4, 1983)
Good gift for: Return counter clerks
By the holidays of 1983 Astrocade didn’t just have one foot in the grave, they were lowering the coffin into the hole. Those few stores who carried the system at this point did so only as a clearance or door buster item. Likely many of those sold were returned by disappointed kids hoping for an Atari or Colecovision instead. Distribution was always pretty limited for the system, often sold at off brand retailers or deep discount stores. Although it was capable during its initial release, a lack of any name brand competing software titles and strange joysticks doomed it as a gaming footnote rather than a true competitor.
Colecovision
Cost: As little as $99.99 with various rebate offers
Good gift for: Kids who couldn't wait for the NES to come out in the US
Coleco threw the gaming market in the USA for a loop in 1982. They not only introduced a system capable of near arcade quality graphics but packaged it with the killer app Nintendo’s smash hit Donkey Kong. Coleco then would release an expansion module allowing for the system to play Atari 2600 games. Another part of Coleco’s brilliant strategy was to license arcade titles overlooked or ignored by Atari for the machine. This allowed a strong library of arcade titles to quickly solidify its place in the market as a premium system.
Colecovision wasn’t free of faults however, it too had fairly lousy joysticks and a fair share of less than quality software. Despite early success, Coleco became perhaps too distracted by focusing on the Coleco Adam computer and should have continued to blast forward with just the gaming side of things. The Coleco is fairly capable even compared to the Nintendo NES and could have survived (in my opinion) past the 1983 video game crash. Unfortunately by late 1985 Coleco pulled the plug after selling 2 million consoles, mostly due to the losses of the Adam computer system. If you wanted the high-end of gaming tech in 1983 however, this was it.
Emerson Arcada 2001
Cost: As low at $49 including 10 game cartridges, as low as $39 for the system only
Good gift for: Game players who crave immediate obsolescence
Talk about obscure systems that went right to the discount bin! Emerson’s Arcadia 2001 was slightly more powerful than the Atari 2600 but lacked any decent software. The majority of the titles produced are poorly programed clones of well known titles of the day. Here we have the typical Space Invaders knock off, a Missile Command knock-off, and of course several Pac-Man knock-offs. The system was sold worldwide under various names with limited success no matter the global address or name on the console case.
By Christmas time of 1983 the system was all but canceled. I found an advertisement for the little Arcadia for a measly 49 bucks including 10 game cartridges! I also found an ad offering the system for free when someone buys a washer or dryer. Those who bought one during its short 18 months on store shelves were likely duped by its low price. I bet many grandparents who didn’t understand the difference from one console or the other but wanted something for the kids to play on Christmas Day ended up with these under the tree. Still if you had gotten one free with your dryer or new fridge it was probably worth a go.
Entex Adventure Vision
Cost: As low as $59.99 (in ad from March 1983)
Good gift for: Forward thinking collectors of rare gaming items
Entex’s Adventure Vision was an oddity for sure. Although it was a tabletop system it did have exchangeable cartridges so I am including it here. Using a fast spinning mirror to project 40 LED onto a plastic screen (there is no LCD or CRT monitor in the device) it is able to create the illusion of 150x40 resolution image to the player. The image does have a good bit of flicker but it is a innovative work around for an era that didn’t have decent LCD screens at the time. This system is very similar to what Nintendo would use for it’s failed Virtual Boy in 1995.
Only four games were released for the system including the pack-in version of William’s Defender arcade game. The system could be powered by batteries or an AC adapter, reportedly the batteries can get eaten up rather quickly due to the consumption of the mirror device. Released in 1982 I remember seeing these at Kay Bee Toys for several years on the discount rack, so you could likely pick one up in 1983 for under 50 dollars. Entex would manufacture 10,000 units and very few of them seem to exist today in any kind of condition. Functional units today command insane prices with collectors.
Intellivision and Intellivision II
Cost: $69.99 (via Toys R US ad for Christmas of 1983 w/BurgerTime game), some stores selling the system only at low as $49.99
Good gift for: Game players who love playing sports games with a disk
The Intellivision by Mattel for a time held the bragging rights for the best graphical/audio capabilities in the marketplace. Despite the system accumulating decent sales there were a number of downsides. First, Mattel didn’t have the deep catalog of arcade title ports that Atari or Coleco had. Second, Mattel took a bit of a beating in the media over its failed attempts to release a promised keyboard/computer expansion. And finally there are those god-forsaken controllers with a disc for d-pad which in my opinion are the worst controllers of the era.
It was far from all bad however for the world’s first 16-bit console. There were some very good software titles including great sports games, a very cool Dungeon’s and Dragon’s title, and some nice original games such as Utopia. The system seemed to be well liked by the public and Mattel was planning on producing an upgraded version until the market started getting rocky.
In order to try to stay competitive by 1983 Mattel placed the Intellivision in a smaller white case to reduce cost and offer an add-on for Atari 2600 game compatibility. Mattel also started offering more arcade style titles including nice versions of Burgertime, Bump and Jump, and Mission X.
Intellivision II’s were selling cheap by the end of 1983 but became a victim of the crowded marketplace along with Mattel’s failed attempt (again) to enter the computer market with both the new keyboard add-on the “ECS” (Entertainment Computer System) and a separate non-compatible computer system known as the Aquarius. Intellivision would survive post-83; a former Mattel VP would buy the rights to the system and sell it as “INTV” through 1990 occasionally releasing new titles (which often were unreleased or retooled games).
Odyssey 2 by Magnavox
Cost: $49.99 (per the 1983 Sears Christmas Wishbook Catalog)
Good gift for: People who thought Atari 2600 graphics were too flashy
Alas, the poor Odyssey 2. Forever destined to be the lesser system in the first major console war. It sold well initially upon its arrival in 1978, but Magnavox couldn’t compete with the onslaught of Atari’s software library or Intellivision’s superior graphics and sales soon tanked. The system did somewhat better in Europe but by 1983 it was non-competitive in the marketplace.
Odyssey 2 did have a nice built in keyboard and voice expansion module allowing for expanded gameplay, unfortunately the system just didn’t have the horsepower to take advantage of it in any reasonable fashion. The system has its fans like any retro system, but the software library in my opinion is mostly subpar with little 3rd party support and few name brand games.
Vectrex
Cost: $99.99 per the 1983 Sears Christmas Wishbook Catalog
Good gift for: Cool kids destined to become hipster adults
The Vectrex was a snazzy all-in-one arcade gaming system complete with its own monitor. Ah but this wasn’t any old monitor, it was a vector monitor allowing for sharp well animated wire-frame graphics. Color overlays were used to simulate color, but weren’t necessary to play the games. One of the big selling points of the system was since it had it’s own monitor the player didn’t have to tie up the family tv to blast aliens or whatnot.
Vectrex was well made, well designed, came with a nice joystick controller and had some forward thinking add-ons like a light pen and 3-D viewer. The unit even would allow the joystick to fold into the unit flush making it easy to grab and take to your buddy’s house or to a sleep over.
By late 1983 Vertex was in trouble like many video game systems and home computers after the market was crashing down. Despite its innovative nature it was never a strong seller in the market leading to a post Christmas trip directly to the clearance bin. A prototype color monitor version would never come to market. Out of all the gaming products listed here Vectrex has the biggest modern cult following and rightfully so. It was an forward thinking product attempting to create a new home gaming market. The game library was decent but lacked a lot of “name brand” cache. By late 83-early 84 you could build a nice library of games thanks to deep discounts. By 1985 Vectrex was gone from store shelves living forever in the hearts of retro gaming collectors.
Have yourself a merry 8-bit discount Christmas...
So which system are you hoping to find under the tree or bush, or what-have-you? Luckily if you missed these systems back in 1983 due to Santa's management mistakes (or maybe you weren't say, alive in 1983) you are only one eBay transaction away from vintage gaming bliss.
