Customer Reviews

Atari 7800 System - Video Game Console

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

the Atari 7800, was a great system that Atari produced in the mid 80s.
However, the powers that be(actually, new management that sucked) scrapped the 7800 and kept it on ice for years due to the famous video game crash of 1983-1984.

when the Nintendo Nes came out and revitalised the gaming industry Atari took notice, and revamped the 7800 to compete with Nintendo, and Sega which revealed their newly produced Sega Master System. The big 3 had a fight on their hands....it didnt last though...

sega, did well but not enough..then the 7800 didnt sell all that well either. I for one have all these systems still and enjoy them all. But the Atari 7800 was special.

The 7800 was the first system to offer backwards compatibility with the HUGE atari 2600 catalog..a 5200 adaptor was produced but never released (its a shame) this was a big plus for me in getting a 7800.
they also produced a keyboard that was later scrapped. they kept this idea for the ill fated atari Xe system that came in the late 80s..

the 7800 boasted good graphics and sound, that rivaled the master system, as well as early NES titles. the european version had joypad controllers which are far better than the hand aching joystick controllers that came with the us versions.

The 7800 had great ports of arcade classics such as Donkey Kong, Ms Pac-man, Joust, and my favorite Galaga ..as well as some originals such as scrapyard dog)ataris take on the mario series)

its a gaming system, that fell victim to poor marketing, but if you got one you know that it was great. its pretty easy to get these days, if your a collector..pick one up you'll be glad you did.

Have YOU played Atari today?

It feels a tad strange to be writing this review now. But I suppose stranger things have happened. I actually felt that this was a pretty good system. Turning the clock (WAY BACK), the Atari 2600 was the system everyone had for a while. In the mid 80s, people were starting to lean towards computers, and Atari wasn't so sure the video game market was still viable. To make a long story short, the Atari 5200 had some success, but the 2600 proved to be the better seller. When Nintendo came along, Nintendo and Atari were suppose to be partners, but to make another long story short, Nintendo wasn't quite honest with Atari, and negotiations broke down. Nintendo decided to go on their own, and they took over the market almost overnight. The Atari 7800 was a great system, but by the time it had come out, Nintendo had already taken over. To be sure, the 7800 did help offer Atari a brief but significant resurrection, but it was just too late.

All of that said, to this day, I still think the Atari 7800 was a great system that would have done better if it had established itself before Nintendo. Its strongest element was probably improved arcade classics such as 'Double Dragon,' 'Crossbow,' and 'Pole Position.'

Another great thing about the Atari 7800 was that it was for the most part backwards compatible with Atari 2600 games. (Imagic did not seem to work in it.) I also feel if the 7800 had been around longer, the games would have improved. To this day, I still feel it was a sad day when the 7800 went out of production. Perhaps one day, this system will be re released. (Stranger things have happened.) To this day, I still dig out my 7800 now and then. Overall, it was a great system that didn't get the recognition it deserved.

The 7800 Atari Prosystem marked the advent of gaming quality. Marketing inattentivness killed this still unique computer based toy. Dual processing made this system compatible with ALL first generation cartridge based home games as well as the limited choices in this third generation genre. Computer pros will recognize the iconic nature of its design.

Some games are great some are not. Buy a few at a time as long as some have recognizeable titles. Avoid the 2600 Pac-Man.

I love my Atari 7800 Pro System! It plays nearly all of the vintage Atari 2600 games and all of the "newer" Atari 7800 games. And believe it or not they still make new Atari games to play on their systems-- they are called "homebrews" and are sold on specialty gaming sites on the web.

Anyways, if you buy an Atari 7800 make sure you track down the "European" CX78 Joypad instead of the bad joystick that was packaged with it in the USA. They aren't that hard to find brand new on-line. Most importantly, many 7800 games require one of these special two button controllers. You can use them with most 2600 games too, but you can also plug in your favorite one button joystick games for most 2600 games and some 7800 game too.

Like other reviewers stated, the Atari 7800 was dealt a tragic fate. It arrived on the scene too late and went against the mighty Nintendo which dumped more money into their gaming system and had an unfair monopoly on the video game market at that time. I would like to think that over time that more gamers are experiencing the magic of the Atari 7800 and finding out that it wasn't "a poor man's NES" like some would make you believe!

The Atari 7800 had a solid, but slim collection of games. Most of the titles were awesome ports of arcade games from the 80s like Commando, Food Fight, and Donkey Kong. They even had a handful of truly enjoyable, original titles like Midnight Mutants, Desert Falcon, and Scrapyard Dog.

The only downside of the Atari 7800 is that it doesn't have an A/V connection. So make sure you hook it up by a direct coax cable connection instead of an RF box. This way you will get a sharper picture.

Overall, the Atari 7800 is a much better bargain than the Atari 2600. And it's already backwards compatible with about 99% of the Atari 2600 titles and has its own great library of games. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed with buying an Atari 7800 Pro System!

I love my Wii and PS3, but Atari will always have an active place in my entertainment center.

Okay. I love my 7800 and I love to play 2 2600 (Atari-VCS) games on it. I love to play Q*bert and I love to play Phoenix. For both of them I use my Sega Genesis controller. I detest the 7800 paddle (I want to buy two of them and mount them to a 2x4 eventually). Luckily the Donkey Kong for the 7800 uses the sega genesis controller as well. But most 7800 games use 2 buttons which means to use the paddles provided. Also the list of 7800 games is short which makes me kind of upset (really upset). The 7800 was ready I believe almost around the same time the 5200 came out (1984), but management changes proved unwisely. The 7800 got shelved until its release in 1987. It was released because Video games were popular again, but by that time NES owned the market. The Controllers stink but it is almost 100 percent compatible with the 2600.

I think the Atari 7800 system make a perfect Atari Flashback 3 or 4 because it is more advanced than the Atari 2600. This Atari 7800 Flashback system I have a new idea must have all 59 Atari 7800 built in games including 14 after market Atari 7800 games. This is the new idea I have discovered with an interesting suggestion. If Jakks Pacific Inc made the Atari Flashback 1 and 2, then I think that company should create the Atari 7800 Flashback with all 59 built in Atari 7800 games plus 14 aftermarket Atari 7800 games.

i own it.it will play most atari 2600 game..it two system in one..i love it.one atari2600 you can not pause those 2600 game but it will pause 7800 game only.all my atari 2600 all work on it..the video game picture is the same .i notice one my old 2600 unit like space invader you see ghoost infreance one the screen i dont see it on the 7800.i,m using channel two it the best picure if i go to three is clear but a little fuzzy.channel two is picture perfect.it use you old atari joystick and your diffectly swicthies one right buy you control jack so you can make game eazy or harder.if you need parts for it go to go to video 61 and atari sales.they are in stacy mn.they help me alot they have new and used game and do some repair on this unit.they are the only one that i knowe i broke my panel on my unit they has a used.they are great please check them outi recommend to atari owner..amaon has game to and ebay does too.and get tv hook up fot it.i buy my atari jr from them about six year a go .please get it to repalce your old 2600 system .please buy itor you can get a good one one ebay two that where i got mine.