Thoughts/feelings about the Atari 7800

[Alpha2099]

I've played games from the Atari 2600, and I've seen the AVGN video about the 5200, but I never knew much about the 7800 and recently tried it out. Overall I think it's a pretty underwhelming piece of machinery. While its lifespan (1986-1991) certainly did it no favors competing with the NES and SMS, even if it had come out a couple years earlier I think it would not have been well-received. The games themselves are too simplistic, and many just aren't fun to play.

Note that "many" is hard to quantify, because the 7800 library only has 59 games. Of those, I could probably only find a dozen worth playing, and most of them are remakes of arcade games that had been on the 2600. In those cases, I can at least applaud the graphical improvements (most notably Donkey Kong and Joust, which look way better on the 7800), but overall the whole thing left me unimpressed.

Anyone else experienced the last of the main Atari console trilogy? What are your thoughts?

[Neo Heathen]

I've played games from the Atari 2600, and I've seen the AVGN video about the 5200, but I never knew much about the 7800 and recently tried it out. Overall I think it's a pretty underwhelming piece of machinery. While its lifespan (1986-1991) certainly did it no favors competing with the NES and SMS, even if it had come out a couple years earlier I think it would not have been well-received. The games themselves are too simplistic, and many just aren't fun to play.

Note that "many" is hard to quantify, because the 7800 library only has 59 games. Of those, I could probably only find a dozen worth playing, and most of them are remakes of arcade games that had been on the 2600. In those cases, I can at least applaud the graphical improvements (most notably Donkey Kong and Joust, which look way better on the 7800), but overall the whole thing left me unimpressed.

Anyone else experienced the last of the main Atari console trilogy? What are your thoughts?
Having the exact same sound chip as a system made in the late 70s certainly did it no favors. Lack of third party plus antiquated hardware were the nail in the coffin. An unfortunate footnote of many in the Atari graveyard of gaming history.

[bigbacon]

i always like it even with the flaws. the backwards compatibility with the 2600 was a HUGE plus.

I think if they had used a better sound chip it could have helped it but it still would have been outshined by the NES and even the SMS (even though I swear in a lot of SMS games, they sound exactly like atari games). now that I've been playing a lot of SMS stuff the 7800 does sort of feel like like the SMS in a lot of way. you have to look at it against the early days of the NES and SMS. the early games (well almost all of the SMS games) were/played just like old school arcade games for the most part.

graphics wise I always sort of feel it was pretty good, it got close to the other 8 bit systems but just not quite.

Still mad my parents threw my mine out + all my games like 8 months ago...

[Atarileaf]

I love it. 7800 is one of my favorite consoles because even though it has its flaws it plays those updated arcade ports very well. Food fight, robotron, ms pac man, centipede, asteroids, dig dug, joust, dk, dk jr, mario bros, ballblazer, tower toppler and many other great but rarer titles make it a fun system to play and collect for. not to mention some fantastic homebrews (which i still need to pick up)

[Alpha2099]

I love it. 7800 is one of my favorite consoles because even though it has its flaws it plays those updated arcade ports very well. Food fight, robotron, ms pac man, centipede, asteroids, dig dug, joust, dk, dk jr, mario bros, ballblazer, tower toppler and many other great but rarer titles make it a fun system to play and collect for. not to mention some fantastic homebrews (which i still need to pick up)
Robotron is perhaps my favorite 7800 game, though I still prefer the arcade version because of those classic Williams sound effects.

[sloan]

To me, 7800 is the odd man out among the original Atari consoles. Released too late to make a difference, it is early 80' technology that came along at the wrong time. To me, the 5200 does all the arcade ports as well if not better than 7800, and 2600 has so many games that never made it to either. 7800 has made out better recently on the homebrew front, and I would recommend it for those games if for nothing else.

[homerhomer]

The thing I really like about the 7800 is that most of the games are arcade ports and pretty good too. While not perfect, there's just something cool about playing games like Centipede and Robotron 2084 on the 7800. I just wished they would have used a better sound chip.

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

It was better than the 5200 but lacks the library of the 2600, in the end I did enjoy and still enjoy my 7800 Pro System and play it an average of once or twice a year. I wouldn't rank it up with the NES or anything else that was out at the time, but it was a fun little system with a few gems within it's library and it's well worth it to own if you're an Atari fan or classic video game collector.

[fergojisan]

I had no idea the 7800 existed until the mid 90s, but I love it anyway. Yes, the sound sucks, but I do prefer some of the games on the 7800 to their NES counterparts. Plus, the 7800 has Food Fight, and Food Fight is awesome.

[CastlevaniaDude]

I like that I can play good (better) arcade ports on an Atari system and still play 2600 without having to hook up a different system. Also, the European controller is worth investing in. Much, much better.

[bigbacon]

I had no idea the 7800 existed until the mid 90s, but I love it anyway. Yes, the sound sucks, but I do prefer some of the games on the 7800 to their NES counterparts. Plus, the 7800 has Food Fight, and Food Fight is awesome.

the replay music alone was the reason to play food fight....I would always make the level before the replay last as long as possible just to hear it.

[7th lutz]

I've played games from the Atari 2600, and I've seen the AVGN video about the 5200, but I never knew much about the 7800 and recently tried it out. Overall I think it's a pretty underwhelming piece of machinery. While its lifespan (1986-1991) certainly did it no favors competing with the NES and SMS, even if it had come out a couple years earlier I think it would not have been well-received.
I think the 7800 was well-received in June of 1984 from a test market standpoint based on what I read and was ready for a National release later in 1984. The NES was already released in Japan as the Famicom back in 1983.

The Famicom in 1984 actually had similar games as the lineup Atari planned for the Atari 7800 in 1984. The fact is in 1983-1984, the Famicom had games like Mappy and Dig Dug as examples. 1985 is really when Atari's launch lineup for the 7800 became dated because the famicom/NES had nothing like Super Mario Bros. before than.

The Atari 7800 that came out in 1986 in a national release was different than what was planned for the 7800 in 1984. The fact is the Atari 7800 was supposed to get a keyboard, the ability to get a disk drive hooked up to the 7800, and a laser disc add-on. There also was plans of putting better sound chips in 7800 game cartridges also.

Remember Warner selling the computer/game console part of Atari to Jack Tramiel hurt the Atari 7800. The Atari 7800 was delayed thanks to GCC having the rights to the Atari 7800, not Atari Inc when Warner sold part of Atari. Atari Corp. didn't have a person in charge of the Video Division of Atari before late 1985. There was some games planned for the 7800 that didn't in the transition of Atari Inc under Warner to Atari Corp. under Tramiel such as Track and Field.

Tramiel also didn't give full focus to the 7800 either, but Atari Corp wasn't the shape to give full focus to the 7800. The fact is Tramiel used the 2600 and the 7800 for keeping Atari Corp not in the red and it worked at the time. Tramiel bought a part of Atari Inc. that had a bad debt and didn't the money to make cartridges have the size of the rom Cartridges as big as the later Nes rom Cartridges were. The problem with focusing on the 2600 was some of the games for the 2600 from 1986-1990 should have been for the 7800 because it was the younger system with more capabilities than the 2600.

What also hurt the Atari 7800 was Atari's Arcade division was not part of the sale Jack Tramiel had with Warner. Atari's arcade Division was called Atari Games Inc. and that meant the 7800 missed out on Paperboy, Marble Madness, Gauntlet, 720 degrees and Super Super Sprint as examples.

[7th lutz]

I became an Atari 7800 owner in 1989, a Nes owner in 1991 and a SMS owner in 2000. I was an adult when I bought myself a SMS in 2000.

My own take of the 7800 is it was hurt by not being released in 1984 because of Warner selling part off Atari Inc. off. The 7800 was supposed to have Rescue on Fractalus, and Track and Field as launch titles in 1984.

Atari Inc. had plans of having Millipede, Jr. Pac-Man, Crystal Castles, Moon Patrol, and Stargate as 7800 titles in late 1984/some point in 1985.

To me the Proline was a bad controller and the Euro pad is the better controller. The 7800 had some good games though before talking about the Homebrew games the 7800 got and the ability to play 2600 is a big plus. The 7800 had a good port of Commando, but I think the system missed its mark in sports games and not having a lot of genres. The 7800 growing up for me had good ports of classic arcade games like Centipede, Dug Dig, Food Fight as examples.

The Atari 7800's biggest strength is the amount of homebrew games the system. It is hard to find a bad Atari 7800 homebrew game. The 7800 homebrew scene has been programing games for a while and is more active than the Atari 5200 homebrew scene. The 7800 homebrew scene for the last few years has a combination of original games and ports of existing games.

While the sound of the 7800 is bad, I think rest of the hardware of the 7800 isn't that bad compare to the Nes. The fact is the Nes Hardware is the same as the famicom's with the difference being the NES was released in 1985 and the Famicom in 1983. The famicom in what it can do is close to the Atari 7800 without Mappers. The fact is Metroid couldn't be done without the Mega Memory chip Nintendo created for putting inside game cartridges. Atari 7800 and the famicom was being worked on at time when ram was more expansive compare to the Sega Master System.

The real difference between the NES and the Atari 7800 comes in how much each company spent on putting stuff in game cartridges. The Atari 7800 was supposed to have ram and sound chips in game cartridges. I also mentioned the hardware not being bad compare to the Nes due to the fact the Atari 7800 can do 512 bankswitched games and I saw homebrew games for the 7800 taking more of an advantage of what the 7800 can do.

[Greg2600]

The graphics are okay, not as good as the NES or SMS. The sound is absolutely terrible, frankly even the special Pokey chipped games aren't that great. The library is decidedly out of date for the period. The standard joystick controllers are awkward and stiff. Can't even get anything better than RF without internal modification. Did I mention the hideously cheap labels on many of the early games, where Atari wouldn't relabel them in color?

Sure it had many arcade favorites that were close to the arcade, but that's about it really. It was a lightly souped up 2600. Nowadays, you can get the D-pad controllers, composite video mod I mentioned, and when available the 7800 XM homebrewed expansion module (link below). That would finally bring the hardware up to NES/SMS standards, but you still wouldn't have the library those systems had.

http://www.syzygycompany.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=51

Out of the box tough, the controllers, RF signal, and sound are all big minuses. I argue with people all the time about the software. Sure it didn't get the prime games from the late 80's, but it didn't. It got Scrapyard Dog, Night night, Cracked, other XE releases, and some lousy looking Activision games. When I was little, we laughed at any kid with the misfortune to have that and not the NES or even the SMS.

There is good homebrew for the 7800 now, no question, but there's STILL not a new flash cart, leaving you to hunt down a $400 Cuttle Cart II. While I love the homebrew, it's still early 80's arcade ports, nothing from the late 80's or early 90's like the NES/SMS. Frankly, if it had been the Coleco 7800 or Mattel 7800 or Tonka 7800 it wouldn't be as well "collected" as it is. Simply due to being an Atari system.

I think it's great for the old arcade classics but these days one can probably do a MAME setup on a variety of systems to play the originals and have a better time.

[treismac]

I really like my 7800 on account of it being a 2600 +. My biggest and most cliched complaint is the underwhelming sound chip, but, after a while, you kind of look (listen?) past it. As a lover of the Golden Age of Arcades, I love the arcade ports dearly. The 7800 Ms. Pac-Man and Donkey Kong are my favorite ports of those two classics. One day I wanna grab the Pokey Chip homebrew version of DK with the smoother sound and pie factory level restored.


I think it's great for the old arcade classics but these days one can probably do a MAME setup on a variety of systems to play the originals and have a better time.

MAME is great, but I love playing the different variations of arcade ports. Even if I had a cocktail Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga, I'd still love playing those games on my 7800.

[o.pwuaioc]

I do prefer some of the games on the 7800 to their NES counterparts.

Which?

[blue lander]

Love the system, hate the joystick. I especially like the more ambitious games like Scrapyard Dog and Midnight Mutants.

[Neb6]

Having been there and experienced the whole console phenomenon of the 70s and 80s, I'd say the 7800 would have done well had it been released when it was supposed to have been.

In hind-sight, a better sound chip would have been great. Putting things in context though, people didn't really appreciate what could be done sonically with consoles at the time.

The 7800 would have provided the high-quality arcade ports that people had been asking for (Asteroids, Pac-Man, Robotron, etc...) on a machine that was backwards compatible with the 2600.

Even now, Asteroids, Pole Position, and Robotron play brilliantly on the 7800. Then you have killer games like Ballblazer. At the time, that would have been considered to be next-gen gaming.

It was the right console for 1984 and the wrong one for 1986.

Keep in mind that even a year in this business can mean the difference between success and failure. And if you think sound is important to a console's success, just look at the Genesis. Its sound capabilities are primitive compared to competing consoles of the time. The Yamaha FM synths are pretty much the most basic of the audio chips on the market. If you like FM synth sounds and the limitations that go with them, then great. If not, then digital sampling and subtractive synthesis are the way to go.

[Neb6]

To me, 7800 is the odd man out among the original Atari consoles. Released too late to make a difference, it is early 80' technology that came along at the wrong time. To me, the 5200 does all the arcade ports as well if not better than 7800, and 2600 has so many games that never made it to either. 7800 has made out better recently on the homebrew front, and I would recommend it for those games if for nothing else.

You make a really good point, and it raises the question of what would have happened if Atari had released an Atari 2600-compatible 5200 in 1979 or 1980 (with good controllers). After all, the 5200 is a re-packaged Atari 8-bit. The Atari 800 was released in 1979. The only question for a console with that kind of power that early is price. Regardless, it shows just how much of a technology lead Atari had.

[rmaerz]

Note that "many" is hard to quantify, because the 7800 library only has 59 games.

But that library is growing thanks to homebrews. I've purchased a number of the PacManPlus games like Pac-Man Collection, Super Pac-Man, Jr. Pac-Man, Moon Cresta, Super Circus AtariAge, Crazy Brix, Scramble and Rip Off.

[sloan]

One day I wanna grab the Pokey Chip homebrew version of DK with the smoother sound and pie factory level restored.


Just go to retrozone and order DK Pie Factory for NES. Problem solved.

[A Black Falcon]

A lot of these criticisms of the 7800 are accurate, but the system WAS profitable for Atari. It actually finished in second in the US, easily outselling the Sega Master System (and by a good margin too, I think), and if European sales were similar to the US sales (just under 4 million), it may have sold as much as almost 8 million systems worldwide. Not bad. Its ports of dated arcade games are also, audio aside, pretty good.

Of course, on the other hand, it's got a badly dated MANUAL RF switch (idiots! Seriously, a manual RF switch on a console releasing in 1986?), a mediocre controller which backslides in comparison to the Atari 5200 since its pause button is on the system instead of on the controller like it is with the 5200, a very small library (about the same number of releases as the 5200, despite being on the market for longer), and more. The effects of Jack Tramiel's cost-cutting in the name of getting out of Atari's mountain of debt he'd inherited were serious, and caused the miniscule library, the extremely low-budget games, the serious lack of games with the good sound chip in them (only two), the small cart rom sizes, and more; the system seems to have been just considered a budget console for people who wanted a cheap system with a (once-)popular name on it, nothing more.

It could have been more, had the original plan been followed, of course. It could have had larger games (the only reason it doesn't is that that would cost more), many more games with the sound chip, the high score backup cartridge, a larger library, more games that actually fit the times, etc... but it didn't. Now, that it sold millions of systems despite Tramiel's cheapness and the small and mostly dated library (the later, more "modern" games are much rarer than the early arcade ports, they clearly didn't sell nearly as well...), shows that there was a market for a cheap system full of enhanced ports of old games. It's pretty sad that that kind of library easily outsold the Sega Master System's larger (at least twice as many US releases), much more varied library, but it did. It shows that the Atari name still had some pull.

Oh, and Atari competing against itself by releasing the Atari XEGS couldn't have helped matters either. One console at a time! Or one TV console and one handheld console. Not two consoles of the same type.

[AbnormalMapping]

If you can deal with a main graphics mode that's 20,000 pixels or so smaller than the standard NES resolution, and the TIA chip hitting notes that sound exactly like a drunk Atari 2600 providing sarcastic color commentary, the 7800 system isn't bad at all.

The amount of sprites Robotron 2084 threw onscreen without any flicker is insane for the time, and it still features the best 8-bit port of Ballblazer. Centipede improves dramatically with a 2 player co-op mode. Ninja Golf is at least a conversation piece. And then there are the homebrews...

Sure, it's overall library is still shamed by even the 3DO, 32x, and Jaguar (It at least defeats the original Odyessy and the Hyperscan), but that's more because of company politics. Nintendo was running an illegal monopoly and Jack Tramiel's Atari only considered the re-emerging console market useful to clear out inventory or to occasionally make a quick buck. The 7800 had to compete with the 2600 for games...plus the Atari 8bit line of computers and XE system, and the 16 bit Atari ST.

It didn't stand a chance in Hell.

[Greg2600]

Yes guys I agree the 7800 had some great arcade ports, as well as new homebrew arcade ports, and did outsell the Master System, which nobody really ever heard of until it was too late (Genesis already on the scene). I love playing the arcade ports. But whether it was released in 1984 or 1986, really wouldn't have mattered. Arcade ports of old games were yesterday's news. Sure it's port of say Ms. Pac-Man (how could they never release Pac-Man???) is terrific, but so what? It was available on the 2600 and was still very good there. They didn't have the Japanese developers that Nintendo did, including Nintendo itself. The NES would still have blown it to bits. The resolution on the 7800 doesn't help, resulting in bloated and stretch sprites. Can't really blame Tramiel for the 7800 since it was developed under the previous regime, and in reality would never have seen the light of day if not for Jack. He also had no choice but to port overmatched computer games to the 7800, that looked terrible, because he had no money for software development. No, the mistake was Warners Atari not agreeing to license and sell the NES in North America.

[theredlineboss]

I like the 7800, but mostly for the level of attention it has gotten the last few years from the homebrew community. PacManPlus on AtariAge has pumped out a lot of great arcade ports for the system; certainly makes it worthwhile in my book. I'm particularly looking forward to the platformer he's been working on:
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/199637-work-in-progress-bentley-bear-crystal-quest/

Oh, and the US controller is simply terrible, IMHO. I now have a euro 7800 controller, which is better.

-Rob

[PizzaKat]

Would anyone know a good price for the console? I don't have flea markets around me and retro stores are few and expensive.

[treismac]

Oh, and the US controller is simply terrible, IMHO. I now have a euro 7800 controller, which is better.

To be honest, I don't think I'd be singing any sort of praises towards the 7800 if I didn't have the European control pad. A crap controller can wreck the whole gaming experience, and the stock North American 7800 controllers leave much to be desired.

[treismac]

Would anyone know a good price for the console? I don't have flea markets around me and retro stores are few and expensive.

I bought mine at a local retro video game store for probably less than half of what the owner's price tag wanted- in part because we both know that the kids these days are hardly dying to get their hands on the 7800. I have a good rapport with him, which definitely helps, and I was already buying a bunch of games and toys (it was Christmas), so I offered him like $35 for the 7800 with the rest of the stuff. I say pay no more than $45 for one. If he wants more, get some game thrown in. Barter, man. The 7800 is hardly a hot commodity.

You could also try out the controllers in the shop, which will, more than likely, be gimped, and then use that as leverage to get some of the price knocked off. You'll need to order a European controlpad, anyway, providing you wanna have a serviceable gaming experience on the system.

[Gentlegamer]

To be honest, I don't think I'd be singing any sort of praises towards the 7800 if I didn't have the European control pad. A crap controller can wreck the whole gaming experience, and the stock North American 7800 controllers leave much to be desired.

Can't you use any controller with the same connector, such as a Genesis controller?

[treismac]

Can't you use any controller with the same connector, such as a Genesis controller?

Not 100% sure, but I know that Genesis controllers work fine (hell, GREAT) for some games on the 7800, but I don't think they work for all of them...

Yeah, I thought I remembered trouble with some games. I can confirm after testing a minute ago that Double Dragon (a two button game) doesn't work with either 3 or 6 button Genesis controllers. Perhaps different revisions of the 7800 do not experience this incompatibility issue, but mine will not play Double Dragon without using a 7800 controller. There might well be other games that don't work as well, but, honestly, the majority of the 7800 games I enjoy (arcade ports) work perfectly with my 6 button Genesis Arcade Stick, so I seldom use my actual 7800 or 2600 controllers.

[Mayhem]

You can use other 9 pin controllers on the 7800, but afaik, only the official stick/pad will support the second button.

[Atarileaf]

I use a standard Atari joystick for any one button games, two joysticks, of course, for a great robotron experience.

[M.Buster2184]

Damn, I didn't realize there was such a difference in opinions regarding the 7800. I love the 7800 and think it's Atari's best console. It has better graphics than the 2600 and 5200 and I don't think the sound is all that bad. It doesn't have a huge library but there are some solid arcade ports and some fun interesting original games. Ninja Golf anyone? Plus to add to the matter, it's all backwards compatible with the the 2600. Sounds good to me.

[treismac]

[The 7800] doesn't have a huge library but there are some solid arcade ports and some fun interesting original games. Ninja Golf anyone?

Besides the infamous Ninja Golf, what original 7800 games do you recommend?

[7th lutz]

I do recommend Midnight Mutants as an original game for the Atari 7800.

[blue lander]

Food Fight, Midnight Mutants, Ninja Golf, and Scrapyard Dog are all good. I usually hate sports games, but the Football game is pretty good too.

[Atarileaf]

I would almost consider food fight a killer app for the 7800 - its really not on any other system than Atari 8-bits (and I guess the arcade version Is on the 360)

It plays and controls fantastic, it gets quite fast and challenging, and is a helluva lot of fun. Definitely my favorite game on the system.

[o.pwuaioc]

I would almost consider food fight a killer app for the 7800 - its really not on any other system than Atari 8-bits (and I guess the arcade version Is on the 360)

It plays and controls fantastic, it gets quite fast and challenging, and is a helluva lot of fun. Definitely my favorite game on the system.

Just got my copy in the mail today. I dunno, it's fun, but it's no Centipede. To me, Centipede on the 7800 is the best reason to get one.

[Serious]

I like the 7800, but mostly for the level of attention it has gotten the last few years from the homebrew community. PacManPlus on AtariAge has pumped out a lot of great arcade ports for the system; certainly makes it worthwhile in my book. I'm particularly looking forward to the platformer he's been working on:
http://atariage.com/forums/topic/199637-work-in-progress-bentley-bear-crystal-quest/

Oh, and the US controller is simply terrible, IMHO. I now have a euro 7800 controller, which is better.

-Rob

The arcade conversions by PanManPlus are the reason I own a 7800. Moon Cresta and Scramble are beautifully done.

Anyone who hasn't seen his work owes it to themselves to check it out.

[ApolloBoy]

I usually hate sports games, but the Football game is pretty good too.
Touchdown Football? That one was godawful on pretty much every system it appeared on.

[Alpha2099]

Touchdown Football? That one was godawful on pretty much every system it appeared on.
Yeah, I've tried that one. It's pretty bad. I mean, I knew it wouldn't be Madden quality, or even Tecmo Super Bowl quality, but it wasn't even passable in my eyes.

[treismac]

Question:

If the 7800 wasn't backwards compatible with the 2600 and if there were NO arcade ports, would the system be worth owning? Rephrased, are there enough quality original games on the 7800 to justify its existence?

Personally, I never owned the system until last December, so the only (second-hand) nostalgia I have towards its games are its arcade ports. With this being the case, I'd have to say that there isn't anything exclusive to the system that I enjoy enough to make the 7800 stand on its own in my eyes. To be fair, apart from Activision's iconic contributions, the same could also be said for the 2600, as there aren't that many [far more than the 7800, mind you] original 2600 games that still shine today.

This said, I love my 7800 and its wonderful arcade ports and backwards compatibility with the 2600. Had a few more Golden Age classics made their way to the system (i.e. Jungle Hunt, Moon Patrol, Frogger, etc.), I'd be kicking myself for not owning it sooner.

[CRTGAMER]

I bought both the 5200 and 7800 brand new and still own them. The 5200 definitely has a better sound chip, matched to the Arcade boards. A set of Wico sticks takes care of the 5200's main weakness. Even though the 7800 was delayed by Tramiel, the sound chip downgrade is abysmal. Not sure why the cost cut, maybe to make it full 2600 compatible? I do like the 2600 stick compatibility for many of the 7800 games, there are tons of decent 2600 controllers from Wico, EPYX, Amiga (really) and Genesis.

As far as games the 7800 really shines in some of the Arcade conversions; EXCLUSIVE TWO PLAYER SIMULTANEOUS GAMEPLAY!

[7th lutz]

Question:

If the 7800 wasn't backwards compatible with the 2600 and if there were NO arcade ports, would the system be worth owning? Rephrased, are there enough quality original games on the 7800 to justify its existence?


I don't think the Atari 7800 is worth owning without arcade or computer ports.

The problem with the Atari 7800 back in its day that lot of its games are either arcade or computer ports and means not a lot of original games. A Majority of the best Atari 7800 games released back in the day were either computer or arcade ports. There is really 1 hand of original Atari 7800 games that aren't computer/arcade ports, or homebrew worth getting. I am saying that as a Atari 7800 owner since 1989.

Atari 7800 has 3 good original homebrew games available at Atariage store right now that aren't arcade ports in Crazy Brix, Armor Atack 2, and Failsafe. Failsafe is an unofficial sequel of the 5200 game countermeasure.

[Atarileaf]

I'd have to agree the 7800 might not be worth owning without arcade ports. Of course, I'm primarily a collector or arcade ports from the late 70's to mid 80's so without arcade ports, I probably wouldn't be interested. Same reason I never really bothered with a jag. Other than tempest, I don't see many arcade ports worth owning and the missile command, defender, and other ports just seem "off" for me

[7th lutz]

Even though the 7800 was delayed by Tramiel, the sound chip downgrade is abysmal. Not sure why the cost cut, maybe to make it full 2600 compatible?.


It is not all true that was delayed by Tramiel. While the 7800 was test marketed before Tramiel, Atari inc. under Warner didn't own the 7800. When Warner sold the game console and the computer divisions to Tramiel, the Atari 7800 wasn't included. General Computer Corporation had the rights to the Atari 7800. Jack had to buy the rights to the 7800 from General Computer Corporation.

Jack also needed to hire a person to run the video game division of Atari Corp. after the rights of the Atari 7800 were purchased and that happened in November of 1985.

I got this information from Marty Goldberg. Marty has corrected people on this issue before on Atariage is one of the 2 historians on Atari. The other is Curt Vendel are the historians of Atari. Both of them have paperwork, and data that backs up their claims.

The reason of 2600 sound on the 7800 is not all compatible. The fact is General Computer Corporation designed the 7800 based on what Atari inc. wanted. Atari Inc. wanted a game console that was 2600 compatible, but also created cheaper than the Atari 5200 was.

The plan was to put ram and sound in Atari 7800 game cartridges. The sound in game cartridges was supposed to be Pokey and Gumpy. Gumpy was a sound chip under Research and Development before Tramiel bought the computer and game console divisions of Atari Inc. and it was supposed to be a better and cheaper sound chip than pokey. The plan is not different than Nintendo had the Famicom (Nes) using MMC chips inside rom cartridges and some companies put sound chips in cartridges like Konami did for the Japanese version of Castlevania III.