The legendary Atari landfill is set to be excavated at some point within the next six months.
It’s believed that around 3.5 million unsold copies of the infamous E.T. video game were dumped into the New Mexico desert back in 1983. Although some folks at Atari have denied these rumors, the company hired to dispose of the unwanted products confirmed the job with The New York Times .
In addition to millions of copies of what many consider to be the worst video game of all time, reports suggest the Atari landfill contains an assortment of software and hardware.
Many believe that the company dumped quite a bit of unwanted items into the desert during the height of the video game industry crash in the 80s. Rumored to be buried with the cartridges are PCs, unsold consoles, and prototypes of the Atari Mindlink.
According to legend, the company dumped all of this stuff in a Alamogordo landfill before covering it with concrete. Video game enthusiasts have wondered for decades what Atari buried in the desert all those years ago.
The Alamogordo town council gave permission to multimedia and marketing firm Fuel Industries to excavate the site for a documentary the company is putting together. The film will follow the unearthing of all that unwanted Atari stuff nearly 30 year after it was covered with dirt.
The disastrous E.T. video game is considered to be the reason why Atari experienced some financial hardships between 1983 and 1984. The adaptation is so terrible that it has actually developed a cult following over the years. As someone who played the game as a kid, this writer doesn’t have very many fond memories of the title.
The Atari Mindlink system was essentially a precursor to the Nintendo Wii and other motion-controlled device. A headband worn by the user would allow for hands-free gaming. According to the Atari Musuem , the device would “detect the myoneural signal voltage to muscles in the users forehead (or elsewhere) and interpret them into commands on the screen.”
Engineer Bill Lapham said the Mindlink system never went to test at Atari. Only around six devices were created, and none of them were handed out for official use or testing.
What do you think about the legendary Atari landfill? Are you excited to see what the documentary filmmakers unearth at the site in New Mexico?