Retro gaming has really taken off over the last five years and the NES is at the forefront of the recent resurgence. Most of the new interest is due to children of the 80’s coming into adulthood and wanting to buy the systems they grew up with. If you follow The Video Game Years (and why wouldn’t you? It’s awesome), or read books about the video gaming industry, you’ll know that the video game crash of 1983 dampened the production of gaming systems and caught several manufacturers unaware. Because of this, there are some gaming systems from this time that didn’t sell well, but are awesome systems to play and collect for. I present to you one such exhibit – the Atari 7800 ProSystem.

Atari had a monumental blockbuster with the 2600 and tried to follow it up with the 5200 in 1982. The 5200 system had several issues that limit its enjoyability: first, the controller is gimmicky and prone to failure by being a lot more complex than the 2600 joystick; second, the system wasn’t compatible with 2600 cartridges nor with the 400/800; third, the games were mostly updates to the existing 2600 catalog.

(the Atari 5200 w/ infamous controller) (the sleeker Atari 7800)

Fortunately, the lessons learned went into bringing the 7800 to market. While Atari sacrificed some hardware performance building it (such as using the old sound chips for compatibility), the 7800 is compatible with many 2600 games (which is sort of similar to the PS3 being able to play PS1 games these days). The system sports a 256 color palette and, by sacrificing some CPU power for the mode, can display a 320 pixel-wide screen (vs the 256 from the NES and SMS). Developed before 1984, this system isn’t as advanced as other 8-bit systems, but it does a very respectable job sticking to its roots – ports of classic arcade games.

Unfortunately the console had terrible timing being sold. Despite being targeted for release around 1984, due to business reasons it came out two years later. That pitted it against the next generation – the wildly successful NES. And, while the 7800 excels at arcade ports – like Xevious and Galaga, it could barely compete against the NES. While the 7800 couldn’t seem to gain 3rd party support, software developers clamored for the NES (which had to limit the number of titles each company could produce).

Despite setbacks, the 7800 is an amazing system if you love Atari games or classic arcade titles and is a joy to collect for. The console itself has a sleek, stylish design with a wonderful chrome bezel (the same motif also present on the controllers). The system is compatible with Atari 2600 controllers (as well as games) and there was a European control pad that mimics the NES pad (also the NES controller itself can be easily hacked to perform as a 7800 two-button controller). The system can take advantage of chips in the game cartridges for extra effects (such as the POKEY audio chip in Commando – which provides arcade-quality sound).

(the original 7800 controller) (the European 7800 control pad)

The main reason to collect 7800 is the playability (over availability) of the games it offers. Without going into the 2600 library, all of the 7800-based arcade ports are amazing from my experience. The 7800 version of Asteroids blows away the 2600’s.

The Donkey Kong gameplay is comparable to the arcade and despite the NES winning on appearance (I mean it was a Nintendo game after all), I personally prefer the 7800 gameplay over the Colecovision and NES.. Just take a second to compare the same game on four systems. While obviously the NES and arcade ports win-overall in the graphics department, the 7800 version does quite well.

(Arcade Donkey Kong) (Colecovision Donkey Kong)

(NES Donkey Kong) (7800 Donkey Kong)

The arcade version of Galaga is graphically superior to the 7800, but I actually prefer the gameplay of the 7800. Notice that the iconic ship sprite was scaled down in this port (perhaps to save performance). There’s also the 7800 version of Dig Dug that’s a great port.

(Galaga, Arcade) (Galaga, 7800)

Ms. Pac-Man is a decent port as well and Mario Bros. is also a must-own on the 7800.

Arcade ports are definitely where the system really shines.

(Ms. Pac-Man, 7800) (Mario Bros., 7800)

Atari, even in the home division, was an arcade company at heart – rooted in building arcade technology. I think this system reflects that in the way it operates (such as the graphic modes – the MARIA custom graphics chip also used in arcade boards) and the gameplay style of available games. Also, this was one of the first systems beginning to show some of the same power as the classic arcade cabinets.

Two unique games for the system are Ninja Golf and Desert Falcon. Ninja Golf is a ridiculous premise that pays off magnificently – a ninja playing rounds of golf that must fight enemies (a la the NES’ Kung Fu) between shots. It’s glorious and I recommend everyone play it. Desert Falcon is an ambitious 2.5-dimension shooter that is visually stunning and, while not overly successful, worth a shot just for the experience.

(Ninja Golf, 7800) (Desert Falcon, 7800)

Games that came out on both the 7800 and NES are comparable. Commando for both systems has its strengths and limitations in different areas (the 7800 beats out the NES on sound due to the cart sound chip for example). The 7800’s Xenophobe is just better all around than the NES version – although neither comes close the arcade version.

Some of the later games went for quasi-3D – such as Ballblazer and F-18. While I don’t recommend those games as far as playability, they are interesting to collectors and really showcase what would have been possible with more interest by developers.

Lastly, the 7800 has a homebrew community that continues development and have created some outstanding arcade ports – such as Pac-Man Collection (near arcade-perfect gameplay) and Beef Drop VE (a Burgertime clone that’s also close to the arcade). These can still be purchased over at atariage.com.

Two tips for new enthusiasts of this system: first, get it A/V modded for composite out so you can play with a clean picture; second, try and find the European control pad or get a NES controller modded to work. While the original controller has some classic charm, it is a bit clunky still and will curb your enjoyment just a bit. You can use a Genesis controller, but only one button will work (so it’s fine for the 2600 titles, but not for a two-button game like Ninja Golf – and you’re really going to want to play that).

Someone that will truly appreciate this system will be a fan of arcade classics and this system caters to that crowd quite well. Because of this, I really think this is an underrated system. Hopefully, you’ll seek one out and give it a shot.