Here in Brazil an electronics company called "Gradiente" released a video game called "Phantom System" in 1989 with 72 pins cartridges and was compatible with the NES system. It had the same black frame (carcass?) of that Atari7800, and the gamepad was much like the Sega Genesis (here known as Mega Drive). I won gift this console in the Christmas 1990 and I stayed with it for five years. I have fond memories of that time... Greetings from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Your videos are awesome! PS- I am 38 years old and never saw and felt real snow in my life. I felt a twinge of jealousy ... (sorry my english!) :-)
Man....I grew up here in Wisconsin USA. We get a ton of snow every year. I freaking hate it. I'd trade to live in a place warm all year in a heart beat. Kinda stuck in Wisconsin, all my family, friends, etc live here. I hate the freezing cold. So boring during the winter. Usually for the most part, stuck indoors half the dammed year
The timing was terrible for the 7800, I remember getting the 5200 and the big deal they made was that you could pause the games on the joystick. The only problem was that the joysticks were terrible and eventually broke.
If it had been released at the right time, it probably would have sold very well. Granted, NINTENDO seemed unstoppable at the time. But ATARI did enjoy a brief resurrection with their 7800, their refurbished 2600, their LYNX, and their computers. I had the 7800 , and I really liked it.
@@eternalhalloween1 i had a 7800. got it on sale dirt cheap for the time. problem was there wasn't very many games made specifically for it. played a lot of 2600 games on it and they were just terrible compared to nintendo at the time. ended up getting an nes and the 7800 collected dust. ended up trading it for bike parts (bmx trick bikes being huge back then).
@@thorodin3631 Well, there were a few good games like "Ikari Warriors," "Double Dragon," "Crossbow," "Dark Chambers," and "Pole Position" II. I wasn't a big fan of the NES. But interestingly enough, I really loved the SNES. I can say that the SNES and the ATARI 7800 were the game systems I played the most.
@@eternalhalloween1 ya, the thing is, nes had WAY more games than the 7800. there was like a total of 60 games made for the 7800. nes i think had well over a 1000.
My dad got me a 7800 for Christmas in 1987, I was 5 and we lived in Tacoma. I didn't know what it was. I thought it was a cartoon that you can control. That's what got me into video games. I still have it, looking for a Double Dragon game for mine. Great video!
The console itself looks really nice physically considering its age. Considering how the Nintendo was literally a white (mostly cream today lol) box, the 7800 looks all modern and cool in comparison. Such a shame it was never able to catch on in it's day.
mattorama Actually the NES dodged the crash perfectly and thanks to good promotion and comunication with the dealers and some well put selling-strategies Nintendo cleared the road for videogames once again.. Putting them back in peoples livingroom. Also in Japan people where still playing arcade-games. They just didn't want to buy the games such as ATARI would release since they didnt bring anything new to the table. Nintendo convinced the Japanese audience and 2 years later they had enough meat on their bones to convince the dealers in the US and another year later in EU as well. The videogamecrisis was over and SEGA who wanted to be part of the game now more then just then in arcades joined in with the not so welcome Mastersystem. But the Genesis/MegaDrive would soon arrive.
You are right about that. It was The US-market mostly that was in crisis when it came to home-consoles. Nintendo was the company though that convinced The re-sellers over there to once again invest in home-consoles. Thanks to Atari and all their unlicended copy-paste trash-games home consoles almost died in The US. Arcades where doing ok in Japan though. But in The early 80s the Arcade games where poping up in the japanese homes more and more. Today Japan is basically The only nation with a seriouse arcade-industry it seams.
@@QuickZ_ One of the things they did was to bundle the R.O.B. robot toy with the console, to convince US retailers that this thing was a potential toy craze and not just another videogame console. R.O.B. didn't actually do much and he was soon forgotten, but he was a great marketing hook to get past that post-crash resistance.
@TreyMasaki - All the background music is written and performed by me and my band. I released two songs for free on my personal web site. Check it out! MetalJesus (dot) com.
That's the work of George Opperman, one of their group of absolutely brilliant graphic artists. He also worked on some of their pinball machines (yes, Atari made pinball machines). Atari's legacy is mixed, but one thing they did amazingly well in their glory years was box and cabinet art. When the games were graphically primitive, firing the player's imagination was crucial, and they had the people to do it. One thing that changed in the Tramiel era was that that sort of fell by the wayside.
I appreciate you actually admitting to using an emulator and not pretending to hold the joystick and play. I don't know why, but my biggest pet peeve is when reviewers use emulation. I understand the need for it here, and you did it well.
Yea especially when the emulation doesnt look the part. 7800 emulation is still lacking, not even the boot up logo looks right since it cant color blend like an actual 7800. Games can be full of lines and incorrect colors, instead of proper shading.
I remember when Electronic Games Magazine printed a preview of the 7800. They had "screenshots" that sort of looked real, but which turned out to be artist's mockups. They weren't too far off from the real thing, but there were some differences. The bright colors and detailed graphics instantly made me want one, even though I already had a C64. It just looked cool. Of course then the crash happened and I didn't hear anything more about the 7800 until it turned up in my local toy store (Child World) for more than I was willing to pay at the time. I eventually got an Amiga and got access to the net, which lead me to a newsgroup posting where someone had a 7800 for sale for like $20. Even though I had the Amiga, I still wanted to own a 7800. I can be weird like that; Once I want something, the desire to own it pretty much never goes away. Anyway I bought it, then bought some cartridges from other people. Unfortunately, I sucked at playing most of the games, like Xevious and F18 Hornet. In fact I think I spent more time trying to fly into the little tunnel that you can see when taking off than I did playing the game the way it's meant to be played. :) I also got pretty lucky as mine came with the original power supply and it works with the Supercharger and games like Robot Tank.
@Harmon1ca - It took three takes of the intro before I was done. My teeth were starting to chatter while standing out there like a dumbass in a thin t-shirt and shorts! I'm sure my neighbors were wondering what the hell is wrong with me. :)
MJR, I would love to see more of these type of retro gaming reviews from you in the future. I know most of it has been covered in the past but I would still like to see more. Thanks!
I'm going to release a Atari 5200 next week actually, to round out my love for all things Atari... well... until I get a Lynx someday. :) Thanks for the comment!
I liked your video on the 7800 i just picked one up today with 6 games and its a much welcomed addition to my collection and i love coming to your channel to see game recommendations for pretty much all systems , from old videos to new you make awesome content and you are super underrated MJR much love
What makes your question even more valid and interesting is that one of the reasons the ATARI 5200 didn't do so well was that it was NOT backwards compatible. (And people still loved ATARI 2600 games.) And supposedly the reason SONY stopped making the PS 3 backwards compatible was that people were till buying PS 2 games.
Back then there was no Internet, so no way to have an online marketplace to sell “classic games”. Sony and Microsoft could easily make their consoles backwardly compatible, but they are not going to miss out on that revenue stream.
The PS3 uses a power pc cpu, and the PS4 uses an AMD x86. Previously playstation would build literally the PS3 and PS1 system INTO the PS3. It wasn't emulating, it duplicated the old hardware. It's not cost effective now.
You are absolutely right! The 7800 was "old and crusty" when it came out, focusing heavily on those old arcade games.. BUT, like you said, it does give it a certain charm today, over 25 years later. Many of those arcade ports are still some of the best versions, ironically, so it's great revisiting them. And the fact that it's cheap doesn't hurt, either! ;)
My Aunt Had a had a 7800 me and my cousin use to game on it when i was a kid when I stayed over his house we both had Nes consoles but we still had a lot of fun playing on it there the games are still fun even today graphics are not everything gameplay and fun are!
I inherited the 7800 and a shitload of games from my friend and neighbor. The RF connection came loose in 95' and my 12yr old soldering skills left it dead. I miss you 7800.
The 7800 was pretty successful in its time. It never came close to reaching the NES, but it did outsell the Sega Master System. I think its older hardware design, especially the use of the 2600 sound chip and joystick, held it back from its potential. Add in a proper joypad and make POKEY standard on the audio and you’ll have a better machine. The software library is pretty good, but where 7800 really shines is the indie homebrew scene. Kudos to Atari Age for publishing all these new retro games. Oh, and definitely get a composite or s-video mod for the 7800.
I had a 7800 for a short time growing up, your so right about the sound sucking. I pretty much thought it was a updated shape for the 2600 because that's all the games I would play or had around. Kind of wish I knew you needed the 7800 games to get the most of it.
Awesome video! I've owned, and been collecting for my Atari 7800 for some months now, and I love it. Also the Atari 7800 has a pretty active homebrew scene these days so great new games are still forthcoming.
I just played this for the fist time today. My friend got one for free from his wife's dad. Very fun console, especially when you have two controllers so you can play with a friend. Pole Position 2 was the best game he had, we played that for about two hours. Overall, it was a nice blast from the past, and I am very happy to have experienced it. But I do agree about the controller, it kept slipping from my hand and my hand was cramping during Joust. I can see why the NES ultimately beat it, but keeping an open mind, we had a ton of fun with it.
Totally agree, I was a C-64 fanatic by that time too. Excellent review as always, clean, intelligent and fair. I'm a 2600 owner but if I can get one on the cheap, I'd like to pick one up.
Home Computers were some of my most memorable moments in gaming. Between 1981 and 1987 that is what I was doing with friends. I still enjoy playing C64 games. Even some of the really poor ones.
My friend had a 7800 and I thought it was fun. I loved games like Joust, Food Fight, Centipede, Choplifter, Larry Bird vs Dr. J. I remember I was going to get a Nintendo, never playing one before, but while at the store my mom talked me into buying a 7800 because the console was cheaper and so were the games. My friend who owned the 7800 was all excited, calling me to see if I got my Nintendo. I had to tell him no, the console and games were cheaper. He was just like, "Oh... and hung up." lol But later in my youth I went to a tomboy friend of mine and her b-day. She had a nintendo and I for the life of me, COULD NOT STOP PLAYING "SUPER MARIO BROS." People kept popping their head in and saying, "Are you STILL playing that!?" But I knew I had to get a Nintendo and couldn't stop thinking about it, posted my Atari 7800 in the newspaper for $100 and sold it. I got my Nintendo with the power pad (didn't see that one coming) with the gun and controllers, 3 games in one that came with it, and Pro Wrestling my uncle bought me. I was in heaven that christmas! And so that concludes my story. uh, the end. :D
I found the best way to play my Atari 7880 is to hook it up to a VCR and then take the audio/video out from the VCR to the TV. Should work well for video capture.
love your reviews, probably one off the fairest reviewers ive seen on youtube, just watched your jaguar one. will be looking out for more of your video posts
@IntellivisionDude - The funny thing about Impossible Mission on the 7800 is... that's it's truly IMPOSSIBLE! The US version shipped with a bug that won't let you finish the game. Classic!
Awesome review, Metal Jesus! I just picked up a 7800 off Craigslist for only $25. It's in very good shape and came with all the cables, 3 controllers, and two games! I'm glad you had some of the games in the review so now I know what to start looking for. Who knew collecting could be so fun?
7800 was a great system for it's day. I had one on release and was really waiting for it... but, I was always a big Atari guy, so along with the Atari PC, I had every Atari system back in the day....
Hey Metal Jesus- your videos are great! I usually don't leave comments on TH-cam, and I've been out of the video game loop for many years (the last console that I purchased was the Gamecube), but lately I've felt nostalgic for older retro console games and arcade games. These video clips are so much fun! If I may, a short story: Back in the day, as a little kid my mom usually let me pick out a few toys from the Sears catalog for Christmas. We never really had a lot of money, so it was a big deal- I could only pick out one or two things. The year that 7800 came out, if I remember correctly, the Nintendo console was also out as well. I picked out the Nintendo, but the price turned my mom off, and I already had a slew of Atari 2600 games... which as you pointed out, were compatible with the 7800. Alas, I was pretty bummed when my mom put her foot down and said, "You're getting the 7800." Ha ha! Most of my friends had already moved on to the Nintendo, so that took a lot of the joy out of it... I couldn't trade or share games with them. In hindsight, I should probably thank my mom, because I really enjoyed the 7800 (and later on I ended up saving enough money to purchase a Nintendo anyway, so I didn't miss out on the NES craze). Dark Chambers was my absolute favorite game for 7800, followed closely by Xevious. I played Xevious so much, that at one point, that crazily designed 7800 controller made a blister on my hand, *laughing. I didn't even know that there was an alternate controller for the 7800 that looked more like the Nintendo controller. I don't have my 7800 system anymore, but I still have all of my games for it, and my 2600 games, so maybe I'll look around on e-bay and see if I can find a 7800 for a decent price. Ms. Pac-Man was another great one for 7800. Lastly, sorry for the long TH-cam reply- as a writer/artist, I tend to be wordy! Again, your videos are great- you really communicate well and back up your facts with sources, etc... Rock on Metal Jesus :)!
Yup -- _Deluxe Asteroids_ was one of the very first games my brother and I got with our 7800 on Christmas Eve 1987 (_Pole Position II_ and the 2600 _Air-Sea Battle_ cartridge being the other two titles). Very cool game, and boasted some very creepy, eerie sound-effects which really helped with the immersion-factor.
Best Asteroids ever, was initially going to be called Asteroids 3D since it improved on the arcades graphics with actual spinning asteroids. This game is great, especially with an Autofire pad. You can machine gun em down as it has more bullets on screen at once vs the 2600.
To myself, I always sorta theorized/interpreted the "silver"-colored labels on Atari 7800 cartridges as being more of a "premium" packaging-statement, compared to the "mundane" 2600 library -- for me, it was like, your parents just paid more money for the 7800 as opposed to getting you a relaunched Atari 2600 (which sold for
Thank you for this video, there's a ton out there about the 2600 and the NES era, but there isn't a whole lot about the 7800 and 5200 (aside from the AVGN episode)
I've always found something charming about the Atari soundchip. Primitive as it may be, you always know an Atari game when you hear it, and that cannot be said for any of the newer systems of today.
Same. The same VCS has been in my family since 79' and has never stopped working. My 5200 and 7800 have never had issues either. "Aside from the 5200 controllers" As where I'm on my 2nd Genesis, and my original XBOX and 360 have given me issues as well. Atari systems were really made to last.
Another thing that's great about the 7800 also happens to be the homebrew scene. Some very talented hackers/coders have managed to put out some extremely good games for it. Even if many of them are of older arcade games, it makes one wonder how well the system could have done had Tramiel not been so stubborn about game consoles and put some funding into development.
I'd say the home computer market had a huge impact on the console market dying out. The over saturation of games was the main reason, but a lot of us older gamers moved on to the the Vic-20 and C64.
Picked myself up a 7800 a couple months ago. I had been looking for one for a decent price for a while now (they're hard to come by around here). It's fun, I'm glad to have it, but I haven't played it too much yet unfortunately. Nice review.
Proud owner of the 7800 over here. It's truly in my top 5 favorite consoles. I must admit, I actually like the controller idea yet it did take some time getting used to it. I think they design it like that for both left-handed and right-handed gamers... I could be wrong.
This is my favorite system ever believe it or not. My parents bought me this when i wanted NES because it would play our old Atari 2600 games. I am in process to collecting the other 55 or so i don't have. But what a pain. Every retro game store i go to has none or the ones i have. Looking forward to going to Digital Press to fill in same gaps! Love the videos keep them coming.
Thank you very much for the very informative video. I was on the fence about purchasing a local 7800 package. Now I belive I will. It does seem a little steep, but it does come with many cib games and even some still sealed games. Keep up the fantastic videos. You put out some of the best video game content on youtube.
One thing I've noticed about your videos, is the the great background music. Do you record it yourself? I really like it! Great review of this console. I loved the intro & outro clips as well :)
@steveelmy - The Video Game Crash of 1983 primarily occurred in North America. Basically low quality games, and over saturation caused most retail stores to stop carrying games and consoles. And it appeared to happen over night. Several big game developers went bankrupt and closed and it looked like the video game "fad" was over. Thankfully, home computers and eventually Nintendo & Sega kept it alive!
I lived in Seattle from 08-11. Loved it. IIRC, Seattle isn't anywhere near the top in terms of sheer quantity of precipitation, but it never pours. For example, even though Houston has more quantity of rain, it pours really hard at once and ends for a week. In Seattle (during the Fall/Winter), it's like a cup of water that you're just slowly pouring (whereas Houston just dumps it all at once). It'll rain weakly, but also constantly because when one batch is done, the next batch has arrived.
I remember a friend of mine had one of these and I just remember the crisp, clear, almost perfect video game like graphics. I wanted one so bad but then was given a Commodore 64 and I had such a wonderful time with that. I remember playing The Bard's Tale IV on it as much as I play wow on my computer now a days. It nearly floored me when you said '87 and you being in high school. I graduated in '79. For some reason I just thought we were more of the same age. lol
I just got the Atari 50 collection, and it’s helped me to fall in love with this system (I think Dark Chambers is my current favorite game). Faults and all, I can tell this was a really well made system, with some fun titles. I think if this had been released in 82, instead of the 5200, Atari could have been able to weather the crash, and maybe stay more relevant on the scene.
great vid as usual man, i played 7800 centipede not that long ago for one of my vids i reckon its the closest to the arcade version you'll get,when atari do it right, thay do it right.
The 7800 version of dig dug and Mario bros was great. I paid at least 40 for each back then. Mario bros was especially satisfying with so many unique levels.
if you ask me the Atari 7800 not only because it was my first video game console but for me that was a very good era for video games too many consoles out there. in that late 80s and the begginig of the 90,s I buy another one only because I want to share with mt son to know what games his dad use when it was a kid. ! good memories
Here in Brazil an electronics company called "Gradiente" released a video game called "Phantom System" in 1989 with 72 pins cartridges and was compatible with the NES system. It had the same black frame (carcass?) of that Atari7800, and the gamepad was much like the Sega Genesis (here known as Mega Drive). I won gift this console in the Christmas 1990 and I stayed with it for five years. I have fond memories of that time... Greetings from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Your videos are awesome! PS- I am 38 years old and never saw and felt real snow in my life. I felt a twinge of jealousy ... (sorry my english!) :-)
Man....I grew up here in Wisconsin USA. We get a ton of snow every year. I freaking hate it. I'd trade to live in a place warm all year in a heart beat. Kinda stuck in Wisconsin, all my family, friends, etc live here. I hate the freezing cold. So boring during the winter. Usually for the most part, stuck indoors half the dammed year
Vc tem que estudar present perfect. Alem disso, nao se ganha coisas in christmas, e sim FOR christmas. Mas fora isso ta ok seu ingles
7800 does work with a Genesis pad
The 7800 is so unfortunate. It could have been Atari's greatest triumph if it had only come years earlier.
The timing was terrible for the 7800, I remember getting the 5200 and the big deal they made was that you could pause the games on the joystick. The only problem was that the joysticks were terrible and eventually broke.
If it had been released at the right time, it probably would have sold very well. Granted, NINTENDO seemed unstoppable at the time. But ATARI did enjoy a brief resurrection with their 7800, their refurbished 2600, their LYNX, and their computers. I had the 7800 , and I really liked it.
@@eternalhalloween1 i had a 7800. got it on sale dirt cheap for the time. problem was there wasn't very many games made specifically for it. played a lot of 2600 games on it and they were just terrible compared to nintendo at the time. ended up getting an nes and the 7800 collected dust. ended up trading it for bike parts (bmx trick bikes being huge back then).
@@thorodin3631 Well, there were a few good games like "Ikari Warriors," "Double Dragon," "Crossbow," "Dark Chambers," and "Pole Position" II. I wasn't a big fan of the NES. But interestingly enough, I really loved the SNES. I can say that the SNES and the ATARI 7800 were the game systems I played the most.
@@eternalhalloween1 ya, the thing is, nes had WAY more games than the 7800. there was like a total of 60 games made for the 7800. nes i think had well over a 1000.
My dad got me a 7800 for Christmas in 1987, I was 5 and we lived in Tacoma. I didn't know what it was. I thought it was a cartoon that you can control. That's what got me into video games. I still have it, looking for a Double Dragon game for mine. Great video!
The console itself looks really nice physically considering its age. Considering how the Nintendo was literally a white (mostly cream today lol) box, the 7800 looks all modern and cool in comparison. Such a shame it was never able to catch on in it's day.
The NES survived the crash because it DIDN'T look like the other consoles of the day, and more like a VCR or other plain media device.
mattorama Actually the NES dodged the crash perfectly and thanks to good promotion and comunication with the dealers and some well put selling-strategies Nintendo cleared the road for videogames once again.. Putting them back in peoples livingroom.
Also in Japan people where still playing arcade-games. They just didn't want to buy the games such as ATARI would release since they didnt bring anything new to the table.
Nintendo convinced the Japanese audience and 2 years later they had enough meat on their bones to convince the dealers in the US and another year later in EU as well. The videogamecrisis was over and SEGA who wanted to be part of the game now more then just then in arcades joined in with the not so welcome Mastersystem. But the Genesis/MegaDrive would soon arrive.
You are right about that. It was The US-market mostly that was in crisis when it came to home-consoles. Nintendo was the company though that convinced The re-sellers over there to once again invest in home-consoles. Thanks to Atari and all their unlicended copy-paste trash-games home consoles almost died in The US.
Arcades where doing ok in Japan though. But in The early 80s the Arcade games where poping up in the japanese homes more and more. Today Japan is basically The only nation with a seriouse arcade-industry it seams.
@@QuickZ_ One of the things they did was to bundle the R.O.B. robot toy with the console, to convince US retailers that this thing was a potential toy craze and not just another videogame console. R.O.B. didn't actually do much and he was soon forgotten, but he was a great marketing hook to get past that post-crash resistance.
There was no crash in Europe at all.
NES was never as popular here as in the US.
I think the biggest flaw was the lack of support from developers, mostly due to Nintendo's strong grip on the market.
@TreyMasaki - All the background music is written and performed by me and my band. I released two songs for free on my personal web site. Check it out! MetalJesus (dot) com.
I don't know about Atari, but their logo is unmatched..
Kinda like an inverted McDonald's arch.
That's the work of George Opperman, one of their group of absolutely brilliant graphic artists. He also worked on some of their pinball machines (yes, Atari made pinball machines). Atari's legacy is mixed, but one thing they did amazingly well in their glory years was box and cabinet art. When the games were graphically primitive, firing the player's imagination was crucial, and they had the people to do it. One thing that changed in the Tramiel era was that that sort of fell by the wayside.
Great video as always. Keep up the good work.
Agreed!
I bought my Atari 7800 from Atari in 1992 and I still have it! Still works great after 30 years!
Been watching your vids lots for a few months now MJR and it was nice to see this older one here. You were still a great content maker even then.
I appreciate you actually admitting to using an emulator and not pretending to hold the joystick and play. I don't know why, but my biggest pet peeve is when reviewers use emulation. I understand the need for it here, and you did it well.
Yea especially when the emulation doesnt look the part.
7800 emulation is still lacking, not even the boot up logo looks right since it cant color blend like an actual 7800.
Games can be full of lines and incorrect colors, instead of proper shading.
@@Lightblue2222 that’s too bad, but no one is working on it….
I remember when Electronic Games Magazine printed a preview of the 7800. They had "screenshots" that sort of looked real, but which turned out to be artist's mockups. They weren't too far off from the real thing, but there were some differences. The bright colors and detailed graphics instantly made me want one, even though I already had a C64. It just looked cool.
Of course then the crash happened and I didn't hear anything more about the 7800 until it turned up in my local toy store (Child World) for more than I was willing to pay at the time.
I eventually got an Amiga and got access to the net, which lead me to a newsgroup posting where someone had a 7800 for sale for like $20. Even though I had the Amiga, I still wanted to own a 7800. I can be weird like that; Once I want something, the desire to own it pretty much never goes away.
Anyway I bought it, then bought some cartridges from other people. Unfortunately, I sucked at playing most of the games, like Xevious and F18 Hornet. In fact I think I spent more time trying to fly into the little tunnel that you can see when taking off than I did playing the game the way it's meant to be played. :)
I also got pretty lucky as mine came with the original power supply and it works with the Supercharger and games like Robot Tank.
@Harmon1ca - It took three takes of the intro before I was done. My teeth were starting to chatter while standing out there like a dumbass in a thin t-shirt and shorts! I'm sure my neighbors were wondering what the hell is wrong with me. :)
Hey, its a young Howard Stern crossed with Tiny Tim reviewing classic games.... SWEET!!!! (Im a big fan of all three of you!)
MJR, I would love to see more of these type of retro gaming reviews from you in the future. I know most of it has been covered in the past but I would still like to see more. Thanks!
I'm going to release a Atari 5200 next week actually, to round out my love for all things Atari... well... until I get a Lynx someday. :) Thanks for the comment!
I liked your video on the 7800 i just picked one up today with 6 games and its a much welcomed addition to my collection and i love coming to your channel to see game recommendations for pretty much all systems , from old videos to new you make awesome content and you are super underrated MJR much love
why does the Atari 7800 have backwards compatibility and the ps4 doesn't?
Sony is slacking....
EnclaveTesla lol exactly that is what Iam thinking
What makes your question even more valid and interesting is that one of the reasons the ATARI 5200 didn't do so well was that it was NOT backwards compatible. (And people still loved ATARI 2600 games.) And supposedly the reason SONY stopped making the PS 3 backwards compatible was that people were till buying PS 2 games.
Back then there was no Internet, so no way to have an online marketplace to sell “classic games”. Sony and Microsoft could easily make their consoles backwardly compatible, but they are not going to miss out on that revenue stream.
The PS3 uses a power pc cpu, and the PS4 uses an AMD x86.
Previously playstation would build literally the PS3 and PS1 system INTO the PS3. It wasn't emulating, it duplicated the old hardware.
It's not cost effective now.
Hope ps5 would emulate all previous generations
Wow I really need to stop watching MJR at almost 4 am.
@Miguel Flagstaff
good question.
I love that instrumental jam that starts at 5:12. It's Metal Jesus rockin !
You are absolutely right! The 7800 was "old and crusty" when it came out, focusing heavily on those old arcade games.. BUT, like you said, it does give it a certain charm today, over 25 years later. Many of those arcade ports are still some of the best versions, ironically, so it's great revisiting them. And the fact that it's cheap doesn't hurt, either! ;)
My Aunt Had a had a 7800 me and my cousin use to game on it when i was a kid when I stayed over his house we both had Nes consoles but we still had a lot of fun playing on it there the games are still fun even today graphics are not everything gameplay and fun are!
I inherited the 7800 and a shitload of games from my friend and neighbor. The RF connection came loose in 95' and my 12yr old soldering skills left it dead. I miss you 7800.
Hint : you can use the Atari ST RGB scart cable on the 7800.
Still have mine from 1988!
Also, this came out 10 YEARS AGO??? This was the video that got me subbed to this wonderful channel!
The 7800 was pretty successful in its time. It never came close to reaching the NES, but it did outsell the Sega Master System. I think its older hardware design, especially the use of the 2600 sound chip and joystick, held it back from its potential. Add in a proper joypad and make POKEY standard on the audio and you’ll have a better machine. The software library is pretty good, but where 7800 really shines is the indie homebrew scene. Kudos to Atari Age for publishing all these new retro games.
Oh, and definitely get a composite or s-video mod for the 7800.
Good to know I was part of the gaming elite, back then with owning one...Food Fight ROCKED!
Great Video! Thanks for taking the time to make these!
your reviews are brilliant mate old skool but brilliant keep up the good work
I had a 7800 for a short time growing up, your so right about the sound sucking. I pretty much thought it was a updated shape for the 2600 because that's all the games I would play or had around. Kind of wish I knew you needed the 7800 games to get the most of it.
Awesome video! I've owned, and been collecting for my Atari 7800 for some months now, and I love it. Also the Atari 7800 has a pretty active homebrew scene these days so great new games are still forthcoming.
I love my 7800, it is one of my collection's favs I only need a collecovision to complete my collection
The quality looks amazing your one of my favroute youtubers
@philiptwood - I have heard of that. Very cool that gamers are keeping this alive! Might have to snag it...
I just played this for the fist time today. My friend got one for free from his wife's dad. Very fun console, especially when you have two controllers so you can play with a friend. Pole Position 2 was the best game he had, we played that for about two hours. Overall, it was a nice blast from the past, and I am very happy to have experienced it. But I do agree about the controller, it kept slipping from my hand and my hand was cramping during Joust. I can see why the NES ultimately beat it, but keeping an open mind, we had a ton of fun with it.
Totally agree, I was a C-64 fanatic by that time too. Excellent review as always, clean, intelligent and fair. I'm a 2600 owner but if I can get one on the cheap, I'd like to pick one up.
Home Computers were some of my most memorable moments in gaming. Between 1981 and 1987 that is what I was doing with friends. I still enjoy playing C64 games. Even some of the really poor ones.
Watched a lot of your videos good stuff dude and keep on rocking
My friend had a 7800 and I thought it was fun. I loved games like Joust, Food Fight, Centipede, Choplifter, Larry Bird vs Dr. J. I remember I was going to get a Nintendo, never playing one before, but while at the store my mom talked me into buying a 7800 because the console was cheaper and so were the games. My friend who owned the 7800 was all excited, calling me to see if I got my Nintendo. I had to tell him no, the console and games were cheaper. He was just like, "Oh... and hung up." lol But later in my youth I went to a tomboy friend of mine and her b-day. She had a nintendo and I for the life of me, COULD NOT STOP PLAYING "SUPER MARIO BROS." People kept popping their head in and saying, "Are you STILL playing that!?" But I knew I had to get a Nintendo and couldn't stop thinking about it, posted my Atari 7800 in the newspaper for $100 and sold it. I got my Nintendo with the power pad (didn't see that one coming) with the gun and controllers, 3 games in one that came with it, and Pro Wrestling my uncle bought me. I was in heaven that christmas! And so that concludes my story. uh, the end. :D
I love these games and your vids. Thanks for your channel!
I found the best way to play my Atari 7880 is to hook it up to a VCR and then take the audio/video out from the VCR to the TV. Should work well for video capture.
love your reviews, probably one off the fairest reviewers ive seen on youtube, just watched your jaguar one.
will be looking out for more of your video posts
This is about as many takes as I can possibly do it's FRICKIN' cold!
@IntellivisionDude - The funny thing about Impossible Mission on the 7800 is... that's it's truly IMPOSSIBLE! The US version shipped with a bug that won't let you finish the game. Classic!
I never did learn what the hell you're supposed to be doing in that game.
Connect to the RF in on a vcr, tune that to ch 3 and connect that via composite
Awesome review, Metal Jesus! I just picked up a 7800 off Craigslist for only $25. It's in very good shape and came with all the cables, 3 controllers, and two games! I'm glad you had some of the games in the review so now I know what to start looking for. Who knew collecting could be so fun?
7800 was a great system for it's day. I had one on release and was really waiting for it... but, I was always a big Atari guy, so along with the Atari PC, I had every Atari system back in the day....
Hey Metal Jesus- your videos are great! I usually don't leave comments on TH-cam, and I've been out of the video game loop for many years (the last console that I purchased was the Gamecube), but lately I've felt nostalgic for older retro console games and arcade games. These video clips are so much fun!
If I may, a short story: Back in the day, as a little kid my mom usually let me pick out a few toys from the Sears catalog for Christmas. We never really had a lot of money, so it was a big deal- I could only pick out one or two things. The year that 7800 came out, if I remember correctly, the Nintendo console was also out as well. I picked out the Nintendo, but the price turned my mom off, and I already had a slew of Atari 2600 games... which as you pointed out, were compatible with the 7800. Alas, I was pretty bummed when my mom put her foot down and said, "You're getting the 7800." Ha ha! Most of my friends had already moved on to the Nintendo, so that took a lot of the joy out of it... I couldn't trade or share games with them.
In hindsight, I should probably thank my mom, because I really enjoyed the 7800 (and later on I ended up saving enough money to purchase a Nintendo anyway, so I didn't miss out on the NES craze). Dark Chambers was my absolute favorite game for 7800, followed closely by Xevious. I played Xevious so much, that at one point, that crazily designed 7800 controller made a blister on my hand, *laughing. I didn't even know that there was an alternate controller for the 7800 that looked more like the Nintendo controller. I don't have my 7800 system anymore, but I still have all of my games for it, and my 2600 games, so maybe I'll look around on e-bay and see if I can find a 7800 for a decent price. Ms. Pac-Man was another great one for 7800.
Lastly, sorry for the long TH-cam reply- as a writer/artist, I tend to be wordy! Again, your videos are great- you really communicate well and back up your facts with sources, etc... Rock on Metal Jesus :)!
We had this console; loved the version of Asteroids.
+TheFireflyGrave Astroids and the Pole position 2 were fun games to play on it.
Yup -- _Deluxe Asteroids_ was one of the very first games my brother and I got with our 7800 on Christmas Eve 1987 (_Pole Position II_ and the 2600 _Air-Sea Battle_ cartridge being the other two titles). Very cool game, and boasted some very creepy, eerie sound-effects which really helped with the immersion-factor.
@@nisus8 small correction. Its just called Asteroids.
Deluxe is a newer 7800 home brew
Best Asteroids ever, was initially going to be called Asteroids 3D since it improved on the arcades graphics with actual spinning asteroids. This game is great, especially with an Autofire pad. You can machine gun em down as it has more bullets on screen at once vs the 2600.
The PAL version had Asteroids built in to the system.
The new Edladdin super twin controller makes me feel like I'm back in the arcade playing robotron 2084. Simply a must own for any 7800 owner!
To myself, I always sorta theorized/interpreted the "silver"-colored labels on Atari 7800 cartridges as being more of a "premium" packaging-statement, compared to the "mundane" 2600 library -- for me, it was like, your parents just paid more money for the 7800 as opposed to getting you a relaunched Atari 2600 (which sold for
for a second there when she opened the door I thought, Howard Stern? Bababooey to you and the MS's. Great video
Just found your channel, and I am loving all of your videos now
I don't mind atari 7800 being stuck in the past i look the sound and the graphics and the games too i think atari 7800 is awesome and so underrated
Wow you have come a long way! Keep it up!
Makes me wish I'd saved my old 7800 console. I spent days upon days playing Xevious and Desert Falcon.
I remember the days of living in Marysville, WA for 3 years. LOVED THE WEATHER! :)
This intro is so ridiculous! I love it!
Oh man I got my Atari 7800 and all boxed with some games in box as well. Awesome I havent tried it yet bht its awesome to own one!
IDEC if the rest of the video is good or not, that opening made my day!
Thank you for this video, there's a ton out there about the 2600 and the NES era, but there isn't a whole lot about the 7800 and 5200 (aside from the AVGN episode)
I agree, as an adult it's a pretty cool system to own. I never even remembered it from when I was a teen (when it came out).
I've always found something charming about the Atari soundchip. Primitive as it may be, you always know an Atari game when you hear it, and that cannot be said for any of the newer systems of today.
I still have my 7800 I bought at toys r us in 1988, and I have about 7 games for it.
Xevious one of my favorite games. The day my dad brought a 7800 home was one of the highlights of my early life.
I still got my Atari from the 70s in perfect working condition
Same. The same VCS has been in my family since 79' and has never stopped working.
My 5200 and 7800 have never had issues either. "Aside from the 5200 controllers"
As where I'm on my 2nd Genesis, and my original XBOX and 360 have given me issues as well.
Atari systems were really made to last.
What impresses me about the 7800 is how it moves so much around the screen without flicker
I've got to get one of these! Great vid as always.
Imagine if it came out in 1984.
Another thing that's great about the 7800 also happens to be the homebrew scene. Some very talented hackers/coders have managed to put out some extremely good games for it. Even if many of them are of older arcade games, it makes one wonder how well the system could have done had Tramiel not been so stubborn about game consoles and put some funding into development.
I'd say the home computer market had a huge impact on the console market dying out. The over saturation of games was the main reason, but a lot of us older gamers moved on to the the Vic-20 and C64.
My first console when I was like 5. Love this system
i love the excitebike wall hanging.. so cool!
Great review MJ. I'm a huge fan of the 7800 and think its a fantastic console and it contains many of my all time favorite games
I just got my first Atari 7800 and now I can finally play hero that I never got to play on my 2600 when I had it.
Moving to Bellingham in dec.cant wait
“The Atari 5200 may be the largest console ever made”
*PS5 has entered the chat*
Picked myself up a 7800 a couple months ago. I had been looking for one for a decent price for a while now (they're hard to come by around here). It's fun, I'm glad to have it, but I haven't played it too much yet unfortunately.
Nice review.
This was my first console. My top 5 games were Ms. Pacman, Dig Dug, Food Fight, Galaga, and Choplifter.
@Stonerman023 - I took advantage of the big Threadless sale over the holidays. They have some cool t-shirts
Proud owner of the 7800 over here. It's truly in my top 5 favorite consoles. I must admit, I actually like the controller idea yet it did take some time getting used to it. I think they design it like that for both left-handed and right-handed gamers... I could be wrong.
This is my favorite system ever believe it or not. My parents bought me this when i wanted NES because it would play our old Atari 2600 games. I am in process to collecting the other 55 or so i don't have. But what a pain. Every retro game store i go to has none or the ones i have. Looking forward to going to Digital Press to fill in same gaps! Love the videos keep them coming.
Thank you very much for the very informative video. I was on the fence about purchasing a local 7800 package. Now I belive I will. It does seem a little steep, but it does come with many cib games and even some still sealed games.
Keep up the fantastic videos. You put out some of the best video game content on youtube.
One thing I've noticed about your videos, is the the great background music. Do you record it yourself? I really like it! Great review of this console. I loved the intro & outro clips as well :)
HECK YEAH!!!! Representin Seattle baby!!!
@steveelmy - The Video Game Crash of 1983 primarily occurred in North America. Basically low quality games, and over saturation caused most retail stores to stop carrying games and consoles. And it appeared to happen over night. Several big game developers went bankrupt and closed and it looked like the video game "fad" was over. Thankfully, home computers and eventually Nintendo & Sega kept it alive!
I lived in Seattle from 08-11. Loved it. IIRC, Seattle isn't anywhere near the top in terms of sheer quantity of precipitation, but it never pours. For example, even though Houston has more quantity of rain, it pours really hard at once and ends for a week. In Seattle (during the Fall/Winter), it's like a cup of water that you're just slowly pouring (whereas Houston just dumps it all at once). It'll rain weakly, but also constantly because when one batch is done, the next batch has arrived.
@cheesystick1 - Very true! It's the only tricky part about collecting this console.
I remember a friend of mine had one of these and I just remember the crisp, clear, almost perfect video game like graphics. I wanted one so bad but then was given a Commodore 64 and I had such a wonderful time with that. I remember playing The Bard's Tale IV on it as much as I play wow on my computer now a days. It nearly floored me when you said '87 and you being in high school. I graduated in '79. For some reason I just thought we were more of the same age. lol
Great review! although I wish Seattle would get more snow like that in recent times.
Jedediah Brown Yeah, we rarely get snow...but when we do... SNOW DAY!!! \m/
MetalJesusRocks You could always move to Iceland there is lot of snow.
+DoctorHver
Is there a lot of ice and snow in Iceland? Serious Question, because I heard the climate is surprisingly mild when considering the name.
Just found your channel and man your vids are awesome! Definitely going to subscribe and look forward to watching all your reviews.
I've completely grown to love Metal Jesus. Such a nice guy.
I just got the Atari 50 collection, and it’s helped me to fall in love with this system (I think Dark Chambers is my current favorite game).
Faults and all, I can tell this was a really well made system, with some fun titles. I think if this had been released in 82, instead of the 5200, Atari could have been able to weather the crash, and maybe stay more relevant on the scene.
I had an Atari 2600, 5200 and 7800, I miss all three :(
Got here by accident. Very presentable presenter. Fun to watch and to listen. Defiantly will follow his work.
I just have to share this Atari 7800 commercial from Australia. Dont you wish you were this cool
? Atari 7800 commercial 1990
Brilliant video!
I remember when we all went to home computer based RPG's. You described it very well when you said we had moved on as gamers.
great vid as usual man, i played 7800 centipede not that long ago for one of my vids i reckon its the closest to the arcade version you'll get,when atari do it right, thay do it right.
The 7800 version of dig dug and Mario bros was great. I paid at least 40 for each back then. Mario bros was especially satisfying with so many unique levels.
@jyatzy123 - I used the MESS emulator on my XP machine. It's a little friendlier to configure than the OSX version (which I would normally prefer)
if you ask me the Atari 7800 not only because it was my first video game console but for me that was a very good era for video games too many consoles out there. in that late 80s and the begginig of the 90,s I buy another one only because I want to share with mt son to know what games his dad use when it was a kid. ! good memories
and yeah about sound ofcourse they had to put the origanal sound chip in order to make a system back word compatible with 2600 games to run