The Kentia Hall at E3 is almost a cult classic now. With no natural light, and lacking the glamour of the two main show halls, Kentia isn't so much the place where gaming goes to die – although it can feel like that - but a bizarre collection of stands that sees the German Games Developer Association sharing floor space with a train sim peripheral maker.
But, in amongst the back-end security software and the Polish and South Korean PC games, with artwork seemingly designed in the mid-80s, was a hidden gem – the history of video games display, which I missed last year. Displaying consoles and games from 1972's Odyssey onwards, the crowded area was a treat for those who can remember when the Atari 2600 was the playground must-have.
One of the most bizarre exhibits though, was non-gaming - the 1976 Atari Video Music Device. About the size of a brick, budding Disco Stu's could plug this stereo into their TV's and let it produce a series of trippy animations (pictured above: think those stripy lines you got when ZX Spectrum games loaded, but worse) that would "enhance" your listening pleasure.
Let's be thankful Atari decided that games, and not music, was the way forward.
