We’ve all see our share of competitor marketing wars like Verizon vs ATT&T and Microsoft vs. Apple, to name a few modern ones. When you think console wars you might think Sega Genesis vs. Super Nintendo or Playstation vs. Nintendo 64 but the 80s had it’s share of wars as well.

Below are two commercials; one by Colecovision bashing Atari and another by Atari bashing Colecovision. Since I was barely breathing at the time this took place I can’t say who blew the first blow but based on these commercials it sounds like it was Colecovision.

Colecovision TV ad:

Atari 5200 TV ad:

I find the Atari commercial to be funny yet sad at the same time… “Not pole position? NOT THIS POLE POSITION!”

Frogger for Atari 5200 (left) and Colecovision (right)

If you’d like to learn more about this feud I found this post referencing a magazine article about it.