The Atari Cosmos was an unreleased product by Atari, Inc. for the handheld/tabletop

electronic game An electronic game is a game that uses electronics to create an interactive system with which a player can play. Video games are the most common form today, and for this reason the two terms are often used interchangeably. There are other commo ...

system market that uses

holography Holography is a technique that allows a wavefront to be recorded and later reconstructed. It is best known as a method of generating three-dimensional images, and has a wide range of other uses, including data storage, microscopy, and interfe ...

to improve the display. It is similar to other small electronic games of the era that used a simple

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (corresp ...

-based display, but superimposes a two-layer holographic image over the LEDs for effect. Two small lights illuminate one or both of the holographic images depending on the game state. The system was never released, and is now a coveted collector's item. The console is referenced in the 2025 film '' A Minecraft Movie''.

History

The Cosmos was created by Atari, Inc. engineers

Allan Alcorn Allan Alcorn (born January 1, 1948) is an American pioneering engineer and computer scientist best known for creating '' Pong'', one of the first video games. In 2009, he was chosen by IGN as one of the top 100 game creators of all time. Atari ...

, Harry Jenkins and Roger Hector. Work on the Cosmos began in 1978. Atari, Inc. purchased most of the rights to holographic items so that they could make this system. The Cosmos was to have nine released games, but all of the game logic for those games was included in the Cosmos itself – the cartridges only contained the holographic images and a notch to identify which game was included. This technically made the Cosmos a

dedicated console A dedicated console is a video game console that is limited to one or more built-in video game or games, and is not equipped for additional games that are Digital distribution in video games, distributed via ROM cartridges, Compact disc, discs, d ...

, but Atari, Inc. did not publicize this fact. In advertisements made for the system before its cancellation, Atari Inc. claimed that the holographic images were life-like and 3D. While this may have been true, the images did not influence the actual gameplay at all. There were only two images to a game, though they did enhance each game's appearance. The system was intended to be powered by an

AC adapter An AC adapter or AC/DC adapter (also called a wall charger, power adapter, power brick, or wall wart) is a type of external power supply, often enclosed in a case similar to an AC plug. AC adapters deliver electric power to devices that la ...

rather than batteries. The Cosmos would have supported up to two players. In 1981, the Cosmos was exhibited at the 1981 New York Toy Fair. Reviewers were extremely critical of the system, but Atari, Inc. stood by it and managed to obtain 8,000 pre-orders at the show alone.Page 180
By Sean F. Johnston, Holograms: A Cultural History, ''Atari, the electronic game manufacturer, trialled a hand-held electronic toy in 1981'' Engineering logs indicate that a 250-unit run was to be made, but it is unclear if they were all produced. In interviews by Curt Vendel with Al Alcorn and Steve Providence, management removed all of the parts and components from the "Holoptics Lab"; they are speculated to have been destroyed. Shortly thereafter, Ray Kassar directed Al Alcorn to close down the Holoptics labs and remove all of the holographic photography equipment and associated machinery.

Games

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Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

'' *'' Dodge 'Em'' *''Football'' *''

Outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

'' *'' Road Runner'' *'' Sea Battle'' *''

Space Invaders is a 1978 shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Taito for Arcade video game, arcades. It was released in Japan in April 1978, with the game being released by Midway Manufacturing overseas. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed s ...

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Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

Specifications

*CPU: National Semiconductor COPS444L *Graphic modes: Holographic backgrounds and programmable LEDs *Lighting: 2 dual non-reflective incandescent lights for "A" and "B" Holoptic scenes *Power supply: 10.5 V AC, 750 mA

References

External links

Atari Cosmos Podcast at the Retroist
{{Atari hardware

Cosmos The cosmos (, ; ) is an alternative name for the universe or its nature or order. Usage of the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos is studied in cosmologya broad discipline covering ...

Dedicated consoles Cancelled projects Holography Vaporware game consoles