Results 1 to 19 of 19

Thread: Atari XEGS or 7800?

  1. #1
    Pear (Level 6) OldSchoolGamer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Kelowna B.C. Canada
    Posts
    1,313
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    126
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    12
    Thanked in
    9 Posts

    Default Atari XEGS or 7800?

    One will eventually be my next goal, the 7800 has 2600 compatibiliy and I could use that as I've no other means to play those, but the XEGS console seems to have interesting titles too............
    What are your suggestions/opinions?
    My DP Refs MaximumRD Classic Gaming and Computing Me in a Nutshell (NOT LITERALLY!) http://about.me/maximumrd
    WHERE DID THEIR HAIR GO?

  2. #2
    Apple (Level 5)
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Posts
    1,110
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    2
    Thanked in
    2 Posts

    Default

    If you're just getting into Atari and don't currently have means to play 2600 titles, then I suggest you grab the 7800. You'll find an abundance of great 2600 and 7800 titles at very cheap prices.

    You really should pick up the XEGS at some point though...the Atari 8-bit computers were some of the finest gaming machines ever produced.

  3. #3
    Pretzel (Level 4) ssjlance's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Posts
    835
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    I got my Atari 7800 with 42 games for $10. One of my favorite finds. Definitely a great system, but I've heard the games on the XEGS are superior to either 2600/7800. Don't know for sure, as it's only what I've heard.

  4. #4
    Crono (Level 14) Pantechnicon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    Alburquerque
    Posts
    6,711
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    Zeno2112

    Default

    I've got both, and I say go after the 7800 for the cross-compatibility with the 2600 as well as the unique 7800 titles you can get. XEGS offers little in the way of unique titles that aren't/weren't available on the 800 series computers or even the 5200. Put another way: the 7800 is a unique library whereas the XEGS was yet another way Atari opted to skin the 8-bit cat.

  5. #5
    Alex (Level 15) boatofcar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    Hurricane, WV
    Posts
    7,749
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post
    Xbox LIVE
    boatofcar

    Default

    I'd say get the 7800 first. It's a lot easier to find 2600/7800 carts than XEGS carts, although the blue box XE games are pretty freakin awesome.

  6. #6
    Insert Coin (Level 0)
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    NSW, Australia
    Posts
    8
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    XE's never had the range to compete against the other 8 bit computers of the day.
    I remember going to the australian launch, atari had invited me, good excuse for a drink, but they never really made it to the stores in australia...

  7. #7
    ServBot (Level 11) tom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    USA & RUSSIA
    Posts
    3,681
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    2
    Thanked in
    2 Posts

    Default

    7800 for 2600 compatibility, but XEGS also has a cartridge catalogue of almost 500 titles, get both. Or get an XE/fdd and you can add the disk software base to the list (~5000 titles)
    Last edited by tom; 05-17-2008 at 08:18 AM.

  8. #8
    ServBot (Level 11) swlovinist's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Gamers Paradise
    Posts
    3,607
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    swlovinist

    Default

    go with the 7800. Easier on the budget, and you can also get the system modded for S-video out.
    Would you like to know more about collecting video games? Check out my extensive Youtube channel! https://www.youtube.com/user/swlovinist

  9. #9
    Peach (Level 3)
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    Orlando, FL
    Posts
    663
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    I bought my 7800 around '87, and didn't get an XEGS until about a year or two ago. Of the two, I've enjoy the XE more. There's just so much great software - Star Raiders, Necromancer, Load Runner, Blue Max, etc. The games are a little harder to find, but they're still pretty cheap. The 7800 definitely has some solid games (on top of 2600 compatibility), but I think the XEGS offers more. I would get the XEGS and then get a 7800 or 2600 later, but you can't go wrong with either.
    Last edited by BydoEmpire; 05-17-2008 at 12:33 PM.
    If you can't do it with 8 bits, you don't need to do it!

  10. #10
    Pac-Man (Level 10) treismac's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Savannah, GA
    Posts
    2,026
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default



    Well... what do the resident Atariphiles of Digital Press think four years later?

    I just grabbed another 7800 PLUS a power connector (my other 7800 had no power), controllers, and Ms. Pac-Man for $35, and I plan on nabbing some arcade ports and probably Karateka and Ninja Golf plus the European controller in the near future. Predictably, this recent purchase has reawakened my old itch for owning an Atari 800 computer with its old arcade ports, which lead me to this old thread. So, port vs. port (Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, etc.) how do the two systems stack up?
    Last edited by treismac; 12-09-2012 at 10:07 PM.

  11. #11
    Ghostbuster
    Greg2600's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Soprano Land, NJ
    Posts
    3,967
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    9
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    62
    Thanked in
    57 Posts
    Xbox LIVE
    Greg2600

    Default

    7800 for sure. XEGS and its games are too expensive in comparison.
    The Paunch Stevenson Show free Internet podcast - www.paunchstevenson.com - DP FEEDBACK

  12. #12
    Pac-Man (Level 10) Custom rank graphic
    MachineGex's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Posts
    2,600
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post

    Default

    I have extra systems for both if you are interested. The 7800 has about 10 games as well.

  13. #13
    Great Puma (Level 12) Steve W's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    DFW Metroplex, Texas
    Posts
    4,636
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    66
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    43
    Thanked in
    39 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by treismac View Post
    I plan on nabbing some arcade ports and probably Karateka
    Errrr... I'd reconsider that if I were you. Just poke around for some reviews and you'll see why.

    I personally loved the 7800 and had an Atari 130XE to play XEGS games on, and the 7800 has a far more accessible library. Atari 8-bit computer games, at least in my particular area, are insanely difficult to come across in the wild, whereas I know stores spread across the Dallas/Fort Worth area where I can pick up 7800 carts. On the incredibly rare occasion that I find Atari 8-bit carts, they're usually early common titles and hardly ever third-party or XEGS era releases. It's such a shame since I've always wanted to develop my XEGS collection since it has some interesting titles in the lineup.

  14. #14
    Banana (Level 7) Atarileaf's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Posts
    1,483
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post

    Default

    The XEGS isn't as well built as an 800XL for example. I understand why people prefer it - composite out built in and it does look like a console (If Easter made a game system, this is what it would look like) but the 800XL is a solid system that plays almost all 8-bit carts and I think is a better choice and may be cheaper and easier to find than an XEGS. As to the games being superior, many do have greater depth outside of the arcade ports, but remember, technically its an Atari 5200 internally so there's really no leap in technology between the XEGS or 7800.

    Both are great systems and I own and love them both. If you're just starting, yes go with the 7800 first. Most games are dirt common and cheap and the library is small and easy to collect for. Common 8-bit carts are easy to come by too and it has a very solid library as well.

  15. #15
    Pear (Level 6) OldSchoolGamer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Kelowna B.C. Canada
    Posts
    1,313
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    126
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    12
    Thanked in
    9 Posts

    Default Thanks anyway...

    Quote Originally Posted by MachineGex View Post
    I have extra systems for both if you are interested. The 7800 has about 10 games as well.

    I have since obtained a 7800 thanks. Between upcoming Christmas, the fact that I am in debt and have been unemployed for too long even though I would still love an XE system I must resist your offer at this time. Thanks anyway.
    My DP Refs MaximumRD Classic Gaming and Computing Me in a Nutshell (NOT LITERALLY!) http://about.me/maximumrd
    WHERE DID THEIR HAIR GO?

  16. #16
    Bell (Level 8)
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Winooski, VT
    Posts
    1,770
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post
    Xbox LIVE
    captaindoom666
    Steam
    captaindoom666

    Default

    I still need to get myself a 8 bit computer. I have a cart i scored awhile back at a goodwill with no way to test it (along with the 5200 which I have a good number of carts for from a bundle deal i made awhile back.. and the dream cast which i now have a game for... and the colecovision *DAMNIT! NEED MOAR CONSOLES!*)

  17. #17
    Pac-Man (Level 10) treismac's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Savannah, GA
    Posts
    2,026
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    0
    Thanked in
    0 Posts

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve W View Post
    Errrr... I'd reconsider that [purchasing Karateka] if I were you. Just poke around for some reviews and you'll see why.
    Wow. I picked up the game in a lot and, uhhhm, yeah. Unless there is a trick to playing the game, Karateka is very, very broken. With that said, its color label is one of the most stunning in my burgeoning black and white labeled lineup of 7800 games. Thanks for the warning, though.

    I need to grab the Famicom version of Karateka, which actually is playable from what I've experienced via emulator.

  18. #18
    Great Puma (Level 12) Steve W's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    DFW Metroplex, Texas
    Posts
    4,636
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    66
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    43
    Thanked in
    39 Posts

    Default

    Also avoid Impossible Mission. It's actually a good game, but they screwed up the programming, so some of the items you have to search for are unreachable behind items that can't be searched. It's un-winnable. Allegedly, once they discovered their error, there was supposedly a late production run with fixed code, although nobody seems to have a copy. The European version is supposed to be the corrected one.

    The late releases are the most interesting for the 7800. My favorite is Midnight Mutants, which is like an isometric version of the game Adventure with some lightweight RPG elements thrown in. Ninja Golf is a side scroller set on a golf course (watch out for the sharks in the water traps), and Alien Brigade is an Operation Wolf-type game. Basketbrawl is (at least from my point of view) is pretty fun.

  19. #19
    Banana (Level 7) Atarileaf's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2004
    Posts
    1,483
    Thanks Thanks Given 
    0
    Thanks Thanks Received 
    1
    Thanked in
    1 Post

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve W View Post
    Also avoid Impossible Mission. It's actually a good game, but they screwed up the programming, so some of the items you have to search for are unreachable behind items that can't be searched. It's un-winnable.
    So the games name is strangely appropriate

Similar Threads

  1. FS: Atari XEGS and games
    By zektor in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 02-24-2009, 12:30 AM
  2. Atari 7800, XEGS, and ST questions
    By Rob2600 in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 49
    Last Post: 04-24-2008, 03:12 AM
  3. Atari XEGS
    By Slate in forum Buying and Selling
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 03-08-2008, 08:41 PM
  4. atari XEGS, Neo Geo in need of repair....
    By Kamino in forum Technical and Restoration Society
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 08-07-2007, 01:44 PM
  5. Info on Atari XEGS
    By Bayou Billy in forum Classic Gaming
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 11-01-2002, 03:44 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •