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| Developer | General Computer Corporation |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Atari, Inc. Atari Corporation |
| Type | Home video game console |
| Generation | Third |
| Release date | US:
May 1986[1] PAL: 1987 |
| Introductory price | US$140 (equivalent to $389 in 2023) |
| Discontinued | January 1, 1992[2] |
| Media | ROM cartridge |
| CPU | Atari SALLY @ 1.19-1.79 MHz |
| Memory | 4 KB RAM 4 KB BIOS ROM 48 KB cartridge ROM space |
| Display | 160×240, 320×240 (288 vertical for PAL), 25 colors out of 256 |
| Graphics | MARIA custom chip @ 7.16 MHz |
| Backward compatibility | Atari 2600 |
| Predecessor | Atari 5200 |
| Successor | Atari Panther (canceled) Atari XEGS |
The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a home video game console officially released by Atari Corporation in 1986 as the successor to both the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200.[3] It can run almost all Atari 2600 cartridges, making it one of the first consoles with backward compatibility. It shipped with a different joystick than the 2600-standard CX40 and included Pole Position II as the pack-in game. The European model has a gamepad instead of a joystick. Most of the early releases for the system are ports of 1981–1983 arcade video games. The final wave of 7800 cartridges are closer in style to what was available on other late 1980s consoles, such as Scrapyard Dog and Midnight Mutants.
Designed by General Computer Corporation, the 7800 has graphics hardware similar to early 1980s arcade video games and is a significant improvement over Atari's previous consoles. It uses same Television Interface Adaptor chip that launched with the 2600 in 1977 to generate two-channel audio. In an effort to prevent the flood of poor quality games that contributed to the video game crash of 1983, cartridges had to be digitally signed by Atari.
The Atari 7800 was first announced by Atari, Inc. on May 21, 1984,[4][5] but a general release was shelved until May 1986 due to the sale of the company.[6] Atari Corporation dropped support for the 7800, along with the 2600 and the Atari 8-bit computers, on January 1, 1992.[2]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
CE2was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Patterson, Shane; Brett Elston. "Consoles of the '80s". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
- ^ Top 25 Videogame Consoles of All Time: Atari 7800 is Number 17, IGN.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
press releasewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Atari Video Game Unit Introduced". New York Times. 22 May 1984.
- ^ AtariAge: Atari 7800 History, AtariAge.