The Atari 2600 was not without software. The first mainstream videogame console sold over 30 million units on the strength of both its newness and the breadth of its game library, which numbered in the hundreds... as in, several hundreds. But the rush to publish games for the Atari 2600 was also the system's greatest weakness, as consumer confidence in the Atari 2600 -- and the entire industry -- was severely damaged by scores of high-profile bad games.

Full story: retro.ign.com