Atari 7800 - What Did You Think?

[ColecoFan1981]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_7800

What did you think of Atari's 7800 Pro System?

This was originally slated to be released in June 1984, but because of the effects of the video game crash of '83 still being afresh (and also the July 2, 1984 sell-off of Atari by Warner Bros. to the late Jack Tramiel), the system was delayed until 1986 when it was released in response to strong Christmas 1985 season sales of the 2600.

When the 7800 finally did get released, instead of there being all new launch-title games for '86-'87, they decided to release it with all the launch titles intended for the system's original 1984 launch. This is because all the launch titles for the 7800 were programmed in 1983-84, and also explains why you see a 1984 copyright for Atari in the game's ROMs.

The 7800 has backward capability with the 2600 library, although not all 2600 titles will work on the 7800, including Coleco's Time Pilot.

7800 launch titles in 1984 included:
CX7801 - Centipede
CX7802 - 3D Asteroids
CX7803 - Dig Dug
CX7804 - Food Fight
CX7805 - Galaga
CX7806 - Joust
CX7807 - Ms. Pac-Man
CX7808 - Pole Position II (included with 7800 console)
CX7809 - Robotron: 2084
CX7810 - Xevious
CX7811 - Desert Falcon
CX7812 - Millipede (cancelled)
CX7813 - Jr. Pac-Man (cancelled)
CX7814 - Track & Field (cancelled)
CX7815 - Ballblazer
CX7816 - Rescue on Fractalus! (prototype only)
CX7817 - Crystal Castles (cancelled)
CX7818 - Moon Patrol (cancelled)

~Ben

[Velvis]

I had the 2600, a C64, NES, and an Amiga and loved the arcade. So while I wasn't a total game nerd, I enjoyed them. What I always thought was interesting to me was it wasn't until about 1991 that I had ever heard of or seen a 7800. I came a across it in like a weird store of some kind. If I recall they had a bunch of them so it may have been like a store that bought old stock and sold them. The 7800 was completely unknown to me before that day. I ended up buying one in about 98 when I got back into the retro thing. (I figured it played all the 2600 games as well.)

So I must have been busy with cars and girls and completely missed the 7800 the first time around. Either that or it was barely advertised.

I do remember when the 2600 was only $50 though from the TV ads.

[tom]

What Wikipedia failed to mention is that the Atari 7800 was NOT included in the 1984 sale of Atari to Jack Tramiel. The Atari 7800 property belonged to GCC. Hence the short Atari 7800 relase by Atari Inc. was just that, very short. Warner sold Atari Inc. to Jack, and the 7800 rights reverted back to GCC.
It took Jack two years of negotiation with GCC to get the 7800 back and finally release it. Trouble was that Jack had no new games to go with the console, and every developer was getting onto the NES bandwagon. Times changed, people wanted to play platformers, not shoot'em ups anymore.

Nice console, with Maria they did have a hell of a chip, it could move any number of objects of any size in all possible directions on the screen. Robotron 2084 where you have 70 robots running all over your screen...without flicker. Joust, 10 different colours...etc....

[old_skoolin_jim]

I never saw/played one until the late 90s, despite my family having a 2600 pretty much my whole life (born in '83). My friend had one with DK Jr. and Pole Position 2. I think, had it released in 1984, it would have given the NES a run for its money. Unfortunately, being released after the system that was delivering masterpieces like SMB, Metroid, Kid Icarus, (not to mention all the arcade-perfect ports), it was doomed from the start. Too bad, really.

[o.pwuaioc]

The 7800 is an awesome machine, but it really doesn't compare to the NES. Galaga is one of my key tests. Granted that the 7800 comes in second among home ports, but the NES beats it by a mile.

[otoko]

Actually, I liked the system. It would be hooked up with several others if I had the room.

To be honest though. I only picked it up for one reason:
250px-NinjaGolf.jpg

[Badhornet]

I enjoy it!

[AdamAnt316]

I actually owned a 7800 before I ever had a 2600. Got the system, along with a bunch of 2600 and 7800 cartridges, from one of my brother's friends. Included were both the 2600 and 7800 versions of RealSports Baseball, and the differences were striking. The original AC adapter crapped out after the wires frayed and shorted, but I eventually managed to find a replacement, and I've had lots of fun with the system. My favorite games are probably Joust and Dig-Dug, since they're very similar to the arcade versions.
-Adam

[homerhomer]

I bought one a couple of years ago. It's pretty fun and nice to have because of the backward compatibility. Although it can do some really cool stuff like Robotron 2084, Centepede, it mostly feels like a fancy up 2600. I can still remember the commercials back in the day. While I LOVED all the games they were pitching for it, they were the same games that were already released for the 2600, 5200 and like for every other system. The game looked dated even when they were new.

If anyone wants to sell me Ikari Warriors for the 7800, that would be awesome.

[tom]

I bought one a couple of years ago. It's pretty fun and nice to have because of the backward compatibility. Although it can do some really cool stuff like Robotron 2084, Centepede, it mostly feels like a fancy up 2600. I can still remember the commercials back in the day. While I LOVED all the games they were pitching for it, they were the same games that were already released for the 2600, 5200 and like for every other system. .

And Nintendo is getting away with it for years nowadays. Who'd have thought.

[o.pwuaioc]

And Nintendo is getting away with it for years nowadays. Who'd have thought.

They have? I mean, yes, you've seen various Legend of Zelda titles rereleased with better graphics, but there have been more new Zelda titles than old ones.

[tom]

What is it now? Mario Kart 7 or 8 or so? Super Mario 111? And the same (old) online games on Wii?....Suckers....

I remember the story about Super Mario World, parents shouted: What, $250 bucks for console and game just to play the SAME game (referring to SMB3 on the NES, having just paid $50 for it 1/2 year ago). (Source: book Game Over)

[Atarileaf]

I love the 7800, even though I didn't own one during its inital run. It has a small but great library of some of my favorite arcade titles of the early 80's. After the 2600, its probably my favorite retro game system.

[Rob2600]

And Nintendo is getting away with it for years nowadays. Who'd have thought.

You must be related to kupomogli.

[Rickstilwell1]

What is it now? Mario Kart 7 or 8 or so? Super Mario 111? And the same (old) online games on Wii?....Suckers....

I remember the story about Super Mario World, parents shouted: What, $250 bucks for console and game just to play the SAME game (referring to SMB3 on the NES, having just paid $50 for it 1/2 year ago). (Source: book Game Over)

I don't really like people referring to sequels as the same thing if it's not exactly the same. Most of Nintendo's stuff has different levels, special moves, characters, bosses and music, while the Atari ports we are talking about are trying to represent the same exact board with whatever each system can handle graphics wise.

[o.pwuaioc]

I don't really like people referring to sequels as the same thing if it's not exactly the same. Most of Nintendo's stuff has different levels, special moves, characters, bosses and music, while the Atari ports we are talking about are trying to represent the same exact board with whatever each system can handle graphics wise.

Not to mention different physics. Ms. Pac-Man on the 7800 is just an updated version of Ms. Pac-Man, not that different from the dozens Ms. Pac-Man games in circulation. Meanwhile, Super Mario World is entirely different in every respect except genre and protagonist from Super Mario Bros. 3. Only an ignorant parent would think they're basically the same game (and let's face it, not every parent, probably not even most parents, played both).

[fergojisan]

I had no idea the 7800 existed until 1995, when I saw one at a flea market. I was lucky enough to start collecting for it when you could get sealed Atari-made games from $.80-$2.00. It's the only complete US collection I have left now. The games are great too, for the most part, especially the arcade ports. When I found out that Food Fight was released for this system, I searched high and low for it (no eBay back then). That's my favorite game for the system. Plus, it looks pretty nice.

[tom]

Not to mention different physics. Ms. Pac-Man on the 7800 is just an updated version of Ms. Pac-Man, not that different from the dozens Ms. Pac-Man games in circulation. Meanwhile, Super Mario World is entirely different in every respect except genre and protagonist from Super Mario Bros. 3. Only an ignorant parent would think they're basically the same game (and let's face it, not every parent, probably not even most parents, played both).

Ms. Pac-Man is an arcade game from Bally available on numerous platforms (actually a GCC original), why should it be different to any other versions? Bally themselves programmed the 7800 version, btw, totally faithful with the arcade version.

Parents might be ignorant, but they controlled the funds.

Anyway:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/featur...tz_.php?page=5


And the Tramiels did come back, but like you said about the 5200, they just sold the same games over and over again.

AK: Yeah, but Nintendo has done the same thing with their games.

Sure, but Nintendo made major improvements every time out.

AK: Yeah, but so did Atari. However, they were starting from such a primitive system that the improvements had to be small by comparison, and maybe not as good as the fans wanted them to be.

[o.pwuaioc]

Apples and oranges. Super Mario World is a completely different game than Super Mario Bros. 3. Not even close to Ms. Pac-Man on the 2600 and Ms. Pac-Man on the 7800.

[tom]

Ms. Pac-Man is Ms.Pac-Man on any console SMW is just an update (it was also called SMB 4) of a previous Super Mario title.

[o.pwuaioc]

Ms. Pac-Man is Ms.Pac-Man on any console

Right, which is why the 7800 did so poorly.

SMW is just an update (it was also called SMB 4) of a previous Super Mario title.

Just because you say it doesn't make it true. I think you need to look up the word "update" and "sequel", since you're clearly confused about what the former means.

[101011]

s_NinjaGolf_5.jpgNinja_Golf.jpgAfter many long years of ninja training, you are finally ready for the most difficult test of all... Nine Holes Of Ninja Golf

[CRV]

Anyway:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/featur...tz_.php?page=5

I was going to post that. Beyond most of the launch games that were supposed to come out in 1984 and the Nintendo games, what else on the 7800 are "the same games over and over again?" It's a meme. I think there are about 10-15 "old" arcade games that were previously released on the 2600 and 5200, and most of those were from '84. I guess since most of those came out first and they were the most plentiful (Ms. Pac-Man was the best-selling game), those were the ones that stuck with people.

[Xian042]

I got a 5200 and a 7800 at their respected releases.

The 5200 was my preferred system minus the botched controllers. The outdated library really hurt the 7800, they didn't look much better than 5200 games. In fact, Mario Bros. for the 7800 was actually noticeably inferior to the 5200 version. Also there was confusion as to what games the 7800 could play. Either people didn't know it could play 2600 games, or they thought it could play 5200 games and felt burned when they got it home and realized it couldn't. (Store clerks were partially to blame for this, telling people it can play ALL Atari games because they had no clue the 5200 even existed)

Plus it looked like a stripped down version of the 5200, I think if it had a drastically different look than the older Atari systems it would have helped, not saved it, but helped.

The hardware of the 7800 was underutilized, many argue it was technically superior to the NES minus the dung sound chip. Like someone else noted, Robotron had a crazy amount of sprites on screen moving in different directions with no flicker. Try that NES!

I liked the system. The arcade classic lineup was the best you could get so far at home, but this appeal only lasted so long until Super Mario Bros. arrived.

[tom]

Right, which is why the 7800 did so poorly.


Just because you say it doesn't make it true. I think you need to look up the word "update" and "sequel", since you're clearly confused about what the former means.

Just because you say I'm confused that doesn't make it true. I think you need to examine if you even have knowledge about video gaming, since you clearly don't know a lot.