Any of them are a good buy except for the Magnavox Odyssey. The graphics for that system make the Atari's look like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

While normally I would agree with you, SO MANY of the NES/SNES/Genesis games are available on the Wii/DS that it makes a purchase of either a little redundant. If the OP doesn't have either a DS or Wii, I'd go for it, though.

If he does, I'd buy a Dreamcast. Several great games that aren't available anywhere else. If he wants to go really obscure, maybe a Saturn with Panzer Dragoon.

This is, of course, assuming that he wouldn't just get an emulator (the smartest thing to do).

Heh, yes. I see he does have a PSP...

Considering the odyssey 1 is a half decade older than the 2600 is that really unexpected.

Though it is worth mentioning of the console mentioned the odyssey is worth by far the most money, with the complete console alone being impossible to touch for under 100 USD, and some of the better "games" easily costing the same amount(The Odyssey rifle is easily in the 100+ USD range)

anyway if you go for an atari 2600 do not leave the console at Pacman, it is a poor port, Ms. Pacman and Jr. Pacman are both vastly superior ports

one thing to note about the 2600, the different models vary greatly in value with the "heavy sixer" being the most valuable (the console alone is in the 50 USD range, complete with heavy sixer sticks (which are identifiable by hexagon stickers on the top) and the grey power supply runs about 100, and complete in box can be in the hundreds)

if you decide on the 2600 look for the following games which are high quality and cheap, (can be had for pennies each)

Asteroids, Solaris (the visual high point of the 2600, Space invaders (co-op!), Pitfall!, Pressure Cooker, Moon Patrol, Pheonix, Combat, Frogger, Popeye, River Raid (sure would be awesome if activision revived this series, but Carol Shaw would have to be at the helm),  Q bert, Spider fighter, Warlords (4 player vs!), Mario Bros, Demon Attack, Atlantis, Super Cobra, Vanguard, Robot Tank, Battlezone, Chopper COmmand, Millipede, and Star gate/Defener II

The following are a little pricey (5-20 dollar range) but the quality makes up for it

Track & Field, Radar Lock (after burner port), Pitfall 2, Secret Quest (zelda like game), Star Wars Arcade, H.E.R.O., Private Eye, Mr.Do!, Montezuma's Revenge, Off the wall, Pete Rose Baseball,  Laser Gates, Subterreanea, Frankenstein's Monster, Spy Hunter, Tapper, Commando,* Ikari Warriors and Moterodeo* (both used to be games that ran in the hundred of dollars, but after hundreds of sealed US copies were found in Venezuela for some reason it dropped massively in value, now about 20 dollars for sealed)

Expensive games of high quality

River Raid 2, that is all

The following are interesting oddities for the 2600 that are interesting

Double Dragon, Rampage, Kung Fu master, Space Shuttle (the game is unplayable without the manual and overlays),

If your interested in Rare and valuable atari games, a rule of thumb is the more bizarre the cartridge shape the greater the value,

wrong thread

Number 3

it'd be better to buy current gen games you think will be rare in the future, and hold on to them for a decade or two.