Introducing the Atari 7800 ProSystem: Too Little, Too Late
The Atari 7800 Prosystem, follow-up to the 5200, fares slightly better than its predecessor, at least in terms of lifespan. The entire hardware and software staff at Atari is put behind the new project, originally labeled the 3600, in late 1983 after exhaustive market research is conducted in an attempt to determine exactly what features gamers are looking for in a home machine. Also onboard is Cambridge, MA based General Computer Corporation, who design an advanced graphics chip for the system. Named MARIA, this new piece of hardware can generate 256 colours at once, with a screen resolution of 320×192 pixels. It also figures in a complete revamping of Atari’s signature Player/Missile style of sprite handling, a system essentially used by every Atari console and computer since the VCS/2600 in 1977. As such, the new game unit can handle up to 100 moving objects on-screen at the same time. Having learned a lesson from the much-maligned analog controllers of the 5200, Atari includes regular style Precision Pro-Line joysticks with its sequel. Players do lose something in the bargain, though: system options such as Pause, Start and Select are moved off the controllers, where they had been conveniently placed on the 5200, and onto the front of the new system’s case.
General Computer Corp. also created the Hyperdrive 20, the first hard drive for the Apple Macintosh computer.
The entire unit, complete with out-of-the-box 2600 compatibility, is introduced as the 7800 ProSystem (2600 + 5200, get it?) by Atari CEO James Morgan at the Summer CES in Chicago in 1984. Morgan and Atari don’t make any friends with owners of and third-party manufacturers of games for the 5200 by adding that production of the previous console will now end, under two years since its release. They do trumpet the good news that the 7800 has the most advanced graphics of any current video game console or home computer system, with an announced retail price of only $150.
Atari 7800 ProSystem manual cover, produced when Atari was still owned by Warner Bros., 1984
The Atari 7800 ProSystem
This low-ball pricing for a flagship Atari product is required to make the system competitive in a market swamped in discounted game consoles. In line with the current mania for home console computer conversion kits, such an add-on is also profiled at CES, but not physically demonstrated there, called the 7800 Computer Keyboard. Developed by GCC, it is to offer 4K RAM, expandable to 20K, and is stated by Atari to be priced under $100. Other hardware peripherals mentioned for the add-on computer include a modem cartridge called Atari Terminal, the AtariLab science kit, and a cartridge for programming the system in BASIC. A program called The Word Processor is also announced, and users will be able to use this and other application software due to the keyboard add-on being compatible with most equipment made for the Atari 8-bit computers, such as printers. Also touted at CES is the ability to save game scores on the 7800 with the announced Hi-Score cartridge. With this plugged into the cartridge slot and another game inserted into the top of it, users are able to keep the score results for up to 65 play sessions.
Click the button to play Asteroids on the 7800. Arrow keys to move, CTRL for fire 1, ALT/OPTION for fire 2
The purchase of the consumer division of Atari by Jack Tramiel in the fall of 1984, however, spells doom for the 7800 and its sundry paraphernalia. Some 7800 units had trickled out onto the market under Morgan, but Tramiel places a freeze on almost all video game projects at Atari and focuses the company more towards the home computer market and their 16-bit ST computer line.
7800 competes with Sega Master System, Dec 1988 Toys 'R' Us catalog
Atari 7800 video game console in the Sears Christmas Wishbook 1989
Atari 7800 video game console in the Sears Christmas Wishbook 1989
Asteroids, this time for your 7800 console: Yet another version
Pole Position II, on the 7800: A darn good version
They might be well-worn arcade games like Dig Dug, but at least they're good ports
Atari flogs a 5-year old console, 1989
Could the Atari 7800 have been the Atari/Nintendo Entertainment System?
With the Atari 7800 ProSystem, even though the once-fearsome Atari name is losing its potency, it still has enough power to strike fear in the hearts of Nintendo brass. In 1983, enjoying success with their Famicom videogame unit in Japan, the company approaches Atari with the hopes that they will build and distribute the Famicom in North America. With Atari’s financial troubles mounting and draconian terms to the deal imposed by Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi, the proposed partnership eventually falls through. Nintendo goes it alone, and eventually takes over the home videogame market in North America with the NES.
Game Attempt of the Atari 7800
Click the button to play the Atari 7800 version of Pole Position II
The Jack Tramiel-led Atari Corp. eventually reintroduces the 7800 at the winter 1986 CES, along with the redesigned, smaller 2600. Included with the 7800 is the cartridge Pole Position II, and there are only three other game titles available for sale at the console’s debut: well-worn arcade hits Asteroids, Joust and Ms. Pac-Man. A library of 59 games eventually builds up for the system during its run, with the 7800 selling over 3.5 million units between 1986 and 1990. However, in a market distrustful of Atari’s past failures and now dominated by product from Nintendo and Sega, Atari has to sell the units for under $80 and even new game releases for it at or under $20, a very low-profit margin indeed compared to the around $35 for new NES releases. In early 1992, along with the old warhorses 2600 and 400/800 computer line, Atari announces the end of production of the 7800.
Xenophobe, the arcade game, infests the Atari 7800 video game system
Xenophobe on the 7800, much better than the 2600 monstrocity
Arcade stalwart Asteroids was, naturally, a launch title for the 7800 video game console, 1986
A launch title for the Atari 7800, Centipede on the system improves things by offering a two-player simultaneous mode
The Atari 7800 port of classic arcade game Ms. Pac-Man was nicely fast-paced, but trying to do quick turns with the janky ProLine controller had players reaching for a different power pill (aspirin, 1986)
Wrestling with the awkward and stiff ProLine joysticks that came with the Atari 7800 video game console wasn't really conducive with a twitchy SHMUP like Galaga (1986)
An extremely faithful port of the smash hit Namco/Atari arcade game, this was another launch title for the Atari 7800 video game system, 1986
Not a bad arcade racer for the Atari 7800 video game system, but Pitstop II had it beat with split-screen 2-player racing. (1986)
A faithful port from the excellent Williams arcade original to the Atari 7800 video game console, but flapping like mad while mashing on the ProLine joystick was for the birds
Smash-hit arcade game Xevious soars onto the Atari 7800 video game console, 1986
Somehow, Atari 7800 launch title Robotron: 2084 handled the chaos of the Williams arcade game pretty well, and could use two joysticks to control movement and shooting separately (1986)
While a pretty faithful port of the arcade game, Food Fight on the Atari 7800 video game console can't keep up the frantic pace of the original and often suffers from slowdowns. (1986)
Originally designed by Jordan Mechner (Prince of Persia), this game was progressive in that it had a princess that could kill you with one kick to the head if you had a combat stance when making the final approach to rescue her
Careful not to squish any hostages when landing your chopper in Choplifter! for the Atari 7800, an early third-party game translation for the system
Famed EA computer sports game Dr. J and Larry Bird Go One on One takes a shot on the Atari 7800 video game console, 1987. And yes, you can still smash the backboard, and yes, the janitor angrily comes out ot sweep it up
Borne of a collaboration between Lucasfilm and Atari, Ballblazer for the Atari 7800 video game console overcame the severe audio limitiations of the system by including a POKEY sound chip in the cartridge, one of only a few games to do that on the 7800, 1988
Missing the pie factory level, like on most other ports of the famous Nintendo arcade game, Donkey Kong for the Atari 7800 video game console also sounded terrible
Featuring a jungle setting that would establish the environments of the entire Donkey Kong series, Donkey Kong Junior is a startling anomaly in that Mario is the villain of the game. Atari 7800, 1988
Much like the old saying that I went to a fighting match and a hockey game broke out, players found that punching and checking the opponent into oblivion was more fun than actually playing hockey. For the Atari 7800 video game console, 1988
Taking the arcade hit Zaxxon as a launching point, the developers of this game spent a lot of time on the excellent animations found within. Desert Falcon, for the Atari 7800, 1988
The title of the game, or an ominous warning about your chances. Impossible Mission, here for the Atari 7800 video game console, had an impossibly cryptic puzzle aspect that made the mission indeed impossible for a lot of gamers. (1988)
Two-player co-op mode was the highlight of this Nintendo arcade port to the Atari 7800 video game console, but was your friend ALWAYS co-operative? (1988)
Hey, you got your skateboarding game in my puzzle game! Super Skateboardin', for the Atari 7800 video game console, 1988
Whenever I see the cover of sports extravaganza game Summer Games, I always with they had used a more dramatic leg pose for the skeet shooter than someone standing and waiting for the bus, 7800 version 1988
You can struggle with using both the joystick AND keyboard in Water Ski for the Atari 7800, or better yet get a friend to control the boat while you water ski, 1988
Winter Games, classic Epyx sports game ported to the Atari 7800 in 1988, falls short by excluding a closing ceremony scene
All the mini-games featured in 32 in 1 for the Atari 7800 are actually just straight from the 2600 version with no upgrades for the newer console, 1988
You'll command a lot of money if you find the super-rare Tank Command for the Atari 7800, 1988
The Atari 7800 video game console had a surprising number of realistic flight simulators, with F-18 Hornet being one of the most unforgiving ones, expecially when trying to make subtle flight movements with the decidedly unsubtle ProLine joystick (1988)
A sophisticated baseball game on the Atari 7800 video game system, hobbled by janky controls on the ProLine joysticks, and anemic, buzzy audio (1989)
Both this game and Gauntlet by Atari Games crib their concept from Dandy (D&D), a 1983 computer game dungeon crawler by John Palevich (1989)
True helicopter flight simulator Super Huey UH-IX for the Atari 7800 video game console, 1989
Wrestling matches devolve into punch-and-kick-fests in Title Match Pro Wrestling, for the Atari 7800 video game console, 1989
Dan Kitchen, creator of Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space, brought a lot of verisimilitude to Tomcat: The F-14 Fighter Simulator for the Atari 7800 video game console, 1989
Digitized voices in Touchdown Football try to overcome the sparse graphics in this early football game (pre-Madden) by Electronic Arts, for the Atari 7800 video game console,1989
Head to the top of the tower in platform game Tower Toppler, for the Atari 7800 video game console, 1989
Xenophobe was a wildly fun (and tense) game in the arcades, and it morphs very well onto the Atari 7800 video game console, 1989
One of the best arcade translation on the Atari 7800 video game console (along with Xenophobe), of an truly excellent arcade game by Bally Midway. (7800 version, 1989)
People felt jinxed trying to play Jinks, a breakout-style game for the Atari 7800 video game system, with the stiff and oddly-shaped ProLine controllers. (1989)
Ace of Aces was a serious combat flight simulator on the Atari 7800 video game console, with controls for a myriad of systems on the player's plane
The politeness of the thugs in Double Dragon, here for the Atari 7800, always reminded me of the invading soldiers in the original PC game The Settlers. They'll queue up nicely in front of you so each can take a sound beating while the others wait. (1989)
Fight Night pulls a fast one, promising 12 different fighters, but merely changing the clothes and colour scheme around on 6 character models. For the 7800 video game system, 1989
Players thought it was pretty cracked that this shooter didn't support the available light gun for the Atari 7800, 1989
Running from or dodging eternally floating, spammed throwing knives was an earmark of this pretty good arcade port to the Atari 7800 video game console, 1989
This Atari 7800 version of Crossbow was praised for closely following the design of the original Exidy arcade hit, and rightfully supported the 7800 light gun, 1989
An all-time hits leader in MLB at the time, Atari probably felt pretty good about landing Pete Rose as a licensee.... until he was shortly banned from baseball for illegal gambling. Whoopsie! For the Atari 7800, 1989
Commando, for the Atari 7800, was one of the games that improved the anemic audio of the system by including an additional POKEY sound chip inside the cartridge, 1989
Ninja Golf for the Atari 7800 has a goofy premise of you battling ninjas and fire-breathing statues while sprinting down a golf course to the next shot.... and is commonly regarded as one of the best games for the console. Go figure
One of the final games for the Atari 7800, Basketbrawl leans heavy conceptually on the hit Midway arcade game Arch Rivals, 1990
Ikari Warriors for the Atari 7800 video game system allowed simultaneous 2-player play, but battles over ammo supplies and who gets the tank created a battlefield of its own. (1990)
The arcade wrestling game Mat Mania, aka Exciting Hour, was a compelling wrestling game. While the version for the Atari 7800 video game console offers co-op tag-team mode, it also sports very imprecise controls (1990)
The title of this serious golf simulation for the Atari 7800 video game system was more of a disclaimer... it was brutally hard, especially with the stiff ProLine controllers (1990)
This game has the DNA of classic Atari arcade game Asteroids, so cribbing that formula ensured Planet Smashers on the Atari 7800 video game console was a pretty fun space shooter in 1990
Reminding one of the Gottlieb arcade classic Reator, Meltdown on the Atari 7800 rose temperatures with gamers having to use the finicky XG-1 light gun to play (1991)
People on Earth are suffering from radiation poisoning due to a comet collision, and will explode if you don't deliver the vaccine in time. Such is the web that Fatal Run, for the Atari 7800 video game console, weaves. (1991)
Nintendo had Mike Tyson. Sega had Michael Jackson. Atari's big get? Al Lewis, aka Grampa Munster. For the Atari 7800 video game console, 1991
Sure, the Genesis had Road Rash, but owners of the Atari 7800 had... Motor Psycho. A clever play on words, and a not bad motorcycle combat game (1991).
Shooting gallery game Sentinel for the Atari 7800 video game console, 1991
Not the most professional-looking art on the cover of Scrapyard Dog for the Atari 7800 game console, 1991
Another shooter for the Atari 7800 video game console compatible with the Atari XG-1 light gun, 1991
Compatible with the XG-1 light gun, Alien Brigade for the Atari 7800 is considered one of the finest third-party (in this case, by Sculptured Software) games for the console, and enjoyed a large promotional campaign from Atari
Sources (Click to view)
Santa Ana Orange County Register, “New Atari is on the way, but old unit not obsolete”, by Michael Blanchet, pg. D5, Sept. 3, 1982
I’m not sure that “pin their hopes” is accurate either. There was genuine hesitation on going with Yamauchi’s very one sided deal. First and foremost was the fact that it was a yet unreleased/unproven console when they approached Atari (they were shown a wirewrap), and the engineers were split on which was the better tech (GCC’s MARIA and it’s larger sprite capacity or Ninteno’s PPU). Likewise, Yamauchi’s deal required Atari to release their Atari branded Famicom world wide by that Christmas ’83 (this was already during the spring ’83), get all the parts from Nintendo from console to cartridge (Atari was just allowed to do their own cases and packaging) and a guaranteed minimum order. So they had some right to their hesitation, and they were looking to stall signing anything until MARIA was further along so they could more properly evaluate the two. Then the Coleco incident happened, then Kassar was let go, and then Morgan came on and froze all new projects. By that time Yamauchi decided Nintendo should go it alone.
It’s funny that so much emphasis would be placed on which had the better graphics chip, both companies having a pissing contest in that regard, when ultimately a game console lives and dies by their games. Sure, the technology inside is the tool the game developers use, but what really counts is what happens in front of the Toys R’ Us shelves: here’s one console with 4 year old arcade game translations, and here’s the other with Super Mario Bros.!
Not Entirely accurate. Yes, the 7800 went to TRU and KB Bargain bins, but it did have a nice lifespan in the USA and abroad with a decent selection of titles (more and better ones available today). Actually over 3 Million were sold and it was a better seller in the USA than the SMS. I had both and feel the SMS was a better system (with better games), but the 7800 had it charms and provided a nice profit cushion for the Tramiel Atari when they needed it them most.
Phoenix: The Fall and Rise of Videogames Third Edition, by Leonard Herman
I’m not sure that “pin their hopes” is accurate either. There was genuine hesitation on going with Yamauchi’s very one sided deal. First and foremost was the fact that it was a yet unreleased/unproven console when they approached Atari (they were shown a wirewrap), and the engineers were split on which was the better tech (GCC’s MARIA and it’s larger sprite capacity or Ninteno’s PPU). Likewise, Yamauchi’s deal required Atari to release their Atari branded Famicom world wide by that Christmas ’83 (this was already during the spring ’83), get all the parts from Nintendo from console to cartridge (Atari was just allowed to do their own cases and packaging) and a guaranteed minimum order. So they had some right to their hesitation, and they were looking to stall signing anything until MARIA was further along so they could more properly evaluate the two. Then the Coleco incident happened, then Kassar was let go, and then Morgan came on and froze all new projects. By that time Yamauchi decided Nintendo should go it alone.
It’s funny that so much emphasis would be placed on which had the better graphics chip, both companies having a pissing contest in that regard, when ultimately a game console lives and dies by their games. Sure, the technology inside is the tool the game developers use, but what really counts is what happens in front of the Toys R’ Us shelves: here’s one console with 4 year old arcade game translations, and here’s the other with Super Mario Bros.!
Not Entirely accurate. Yes, the 7800 went to TRU and KB Bargain bins, but it did have a nice lifespan in the USA and abroad with a decent selection of titles (more and better ones available today). Actually over 3 Million were sold and it was a better seller in the USA than the SMS. I had both and feel the SMS was a better system (with better games), but the 7800 had it charms and provided a nice profit cushion for the Tramiel Atari when they needed it them most.
Interesting, thanks for the info. Looks like I need to edit this a bit. 😉