7800 is here. Retire the 2600?
Well, just recieved the 7800 from a deal with a fellow DP forum member and I'm really happy with it. Is there any reason to leave the old 6-switch 2600 hooked up? Keep in mind I'm at 21 consoles now and I'm running out of space. If there is some compelling reason to keep the old 2600 hooked up let me know.
I keep mine hooked up because not all game run on it plus i find some just run better on the 2600.
Re: 7800 is here. Retire the 2600?
I may be biased, but sell it to someone who's poor! (Like me!) Spread the joy. :-)Originally Posted by congobongo
(Of course I have $7 in my checking and $6 in my savings... ugh... videogameconnections stole all my money this pay period!)
I can sum it up in one word, if you're lucky enough to have one.... Supercharger. Doesn't work on the 7800.
That being said, if a round of Escape From the Mindmaster doesn't get you going, pull the 6-switcher
Well, some 7800 can use Supercharger without a mod. To test it without risk blowing it up, try a touchy Activision games like Robotank or Decathlon. If they work, the Supercharger should be OK.
Another day, another dollar... wake me when it's payday.
still playing games
I prefer to use the 7800 only for 7800 games because it seems so fragile compared to the 2600.
Minor reason to keep the VCS: 7800 doesn't have difficulty switches. So you limit your gaming options.
Major reason: 7800 doesn't play Activison games. At least mine doesn't.
TROY'S GAMING HISTORY
1977- Atari 2600 (primitive)
1985- Commodore=128 (8-bit)
1989- Amiga 500 (16-bit)
1991- zzzzzzzzzzz :scatter:
2002- Playstation 2 (128-bit)
Just tested all of my Activision games (basically my favourites) all of them work including Pitfall I and II, crackpots, Private Eye, Frosbite, H.E.R.O., Fishing Derby, etc.
Also, if those aren't difficulty switches beside the joystick ports what are they?
The other posters made some good points. Here is my rundown of the major 7800 differences:
1. No color/BW switch (a 7800 does have difficulty switches though). You can install one yourself: http://home.earthlink.net/~resqsoft/7800.htm or just deal with it on a game by game basis. For Starmaster, you can use a diff switch to toggle the map on (undocumented feature), for Space Shuttle you can use just the backup engines (I think), for Ghost Manor you can play as the girl only.
2. Dim color on 2600 games. If the 2600 chroma (color) signal is up too high, it causes interference in 7800 games, so 7800's were actually made sort of "crippled". I converted my 7800 to s-video (same link as above) and got around the problem by installing a switch that connects either the 2600 or 7800 chroma signal, not both.
3. Some Activision games (Robot Tank, Decathlon, Space Shuttle) not compatible with SOME 7800 systems. I published a fix on RGVC and Chad Schell based a webpage on it: http://www.schells.com/7800mod.shtml
4. Some cartridges don't want to fit. Tigervision never does and some activision/Imagic ones are too tight for some 7800 models. Some people use a high-score cart as an extender. I made my own by gutting an asteroids game and adding a cart connector. Someone else said they shaved the Tigervision prongs down with nail clippers.
5. Supercharger destruction theory -- There's a suspicion that some 7800 models have destroyed superchargers in the past. Nothing has been determined for sure and people have gotten into flamewars over it (really mature IMHO). I had an SC go bad in my 7800, but think it wasn't making a good connection and it was driving against the 7800 or its various logic banks were driving against another. I'd say try it at your own risk (and post about it to RGVC at your own risk also) .
6. Some 7800's don't support player 3 and 4 paddle lines. Saw this posted once, but my four 7800's all work fine (anyone know?)
That's all that comes to mind right now. I'm using a 7800 board for my 2600 games right now. It's even installed into a 5200 console so I can play all three game types with one power supply, one S-video out connection, and one set of genesis/paddle controllers. Hope to have a webpage up about it in a month or so.
John
(inspects 7800) You're right! Never saw those there! Guess I should read the manual next time. :lol:
Try playing w/ the lights ON too!
"The big things that...nerds like to argue about might not actually matter that much."
You guys are forgetting one huge reason to keep the 2600 out -- nostalgia. I don't care how many modern or classic systems you have sitting around, when a 30 something sees your gameroom for the first time, he/she will instantly/magically be drawn to the old 2600 woody sitting there with those two Atari joysticks and a set of paddles. You just can't deny the visual power of the 2600 to evoke memories!
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