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The CNET Networks site TechRepublic runs a regular series called "Cracking Open" in which it takes a look inside a variety of gadgets. CNET News.com is publishing this excerpt.

Introduced all the way back in October 1977, the Atari 2600 Video Computer System is one of the more fondly remembered video game consoles. For its time, the Atari 2600 was a breakthrough in entertainment technology and foreshadowed what would eventually become a multibillion dollar industry. In this TechRepublic Cracking Open, we take a look at what made the Atari 2600 tick.

Caption text by Mark Kaelin.

Credit: Mark Kaelin/CNET Networks

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