Color Settings Available

The Atari 2600 featured a color switch which could be set to either color or black & white. As the name and console labels imply, the switch was intended to switch between showing the graphics in color or black & white in order to optimize the image for different types of t.v.'s. The actual use of the switch could vary depending on the game; many later Atari 2600 games dropped supported for showing black & white graphics so the switch had no function, and a few games repurposed the switch for game actions or settings due to the Atari 2600 having only one joystick button and limited setting switches. Games which didn't support black & white graphics via the color switch could still be played on a black & white t.v., although a handfull required a color t.v. due to reliance on colors or contrast that isn't visible in black & white.