The Atari 7800 is a play console of Atari.

The 7800 the moderately successful Atari 5200 replace and Atari should again a better position in the competition against Intellivision and Colecovision provide. With this console one tried to repair the substantial lack of the Atari 5200: it had simple, digital Joysticks, was downward-compatibly to the Atari 2600 and affordable.

The 7800 was the first Atari console, which was developed by an external manufacturer (general computer). The equipment was in such a way conceived that one could develop it to a vollwerigen home computer: A keyboard was developed, and over an inserted connection peripheral devices could be used such as floppy disk drives and printers. In addition general computer had developed a "“Highscore cartridge"”, a battery-operated RAM unit to the safety device of point conditions in plays. Atari produced however none of these accessories, so that the appropriate connection was removed later.

The 7800 in June 1984 in California one published for the first time. One month later sold Warner Communications Atari at Jack Tramiel, which (like most in the USA) believed, the times of the video games are counted. It stopped the production of Ataris existing systems and invested all means on the development of the 16-bit-Computers Atari pc. of the 7800 1986 on the market was brought again, after the success Nintendo of the Entertainment had proven system that the video game market was not dead.

The technical achievements 7800 are today disputed until. Of architecture it acted only around a Atari 2600 with better CCU and better diagram chip (MARIA). While the system could represent clearly more mobile objects (up to 100) than all competition consoles, then it was sound-technically underlaid for these. Around this to adjust some plays had built a POKEY audio chip into the cartridge. The development of plays for the 7800 was more complex than with other present consoles, however many programmers were with the development for the 2600 already trust.

The Atari 7800 suffered from the same software calm air, which should be characteristic for all Atari consoles after the Videospielecrash 1983. Relatively few plays were published by Atari, which beyond that often exhibited lack. At the same time Atari hardly undertook efforts, in order to win Third party developer for the system.

20 plays of the legendary Atari 2600 and 7800 console were again presented to 2005 with the console Atari Flashback.

Technical data

• CCU: MOS 6502, 1.79 MHz
• RAM: 4 KB
• Module size: to 128 KB
• Diagram chip: MARIA
• Dissolutions: 160x242, 320x242
• Colors (pallet): 16 (256)
• Sound chip: TIA
• Sound channels: 2 PSG
• CONTROLLER haven: 2

Related links

• AtariAge of 7800 plays

Articles in category "Atari 7800"

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• AtariAge - 7800 FAQ
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• Welcome to the Institute For Advanced Atari Gaming Studies
  Offers news, history, articles, and prototype information.