Atari 2600 Enters Hall of Fame

One of Gen X's most notable toys received 21st-century kudos on Thursday, when the Atari 2600 was inducted into the National Toy Hall of fame. The Atari console's initial library of 9 titles changed the face of video games, says Salon's Machinist columnist Farhad Manjoo. "There'd be no 'Halo 3' for XBox 360 if there weren't 'Space Invaders' for Atari."

The museum's curator for electronic games praised the 2600's graphics and sound—and games. "'Combat,' 'Space Invaders,' 'Pac Man,' 'Frogger,' and countless others mesmerized an entire generation and made video games a part of everyday play in the home." Introduced in 1977, it's the youngest toy to be welcomed into the Rochester museum. Raggedy Andy and the kite are this year's other inductees. (More Atari stories.)