website/content/museum/atari-7800-prosystem.md

title, categories, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	origins	years	cpus	params
Atari 7800 ProSystem	Consoles	U.S.A.	1984	6502c	name company company_name specs tabs photos screenshots emulators links videos comments oc_id source 7800 ProSystem /companies/atari Atari label value NAME 7800 ProSystem label value MANUFACTURER Atari label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1984, 1986 (full launch) label value END OF PRODUCTION 1992 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Pole Position II (USA) - cartridge; Asteroids (Europe) – in system memory; 32-in-1 (Australia and New Zealand) - cartridge label value KEYBOARD 1 detachable joystick with 2 fire buttons (USA); 2 detachable controllers including a pad and 2 fire buttons each (Europe) label value CPU 6502c (custom, not 65C02) label value SPEED 1.79 MHz label value CO-PROCESSOR TIA (sound chip), Maria (graphics), Riot (I/O) label value RAM 4 KB label value ROM 4 KB (BIOS) label value GRAPHIC MODES 320 x 200 label value COLORS 16 hues, 8 luminances each, 128 colors. 256 colors possible, 16 on screen at once. label value SOUND 2 channels; POKEY sound chip option in cartridges (for additional or replacement 4 channels) label value I/O PORTS RF TV video output, 2 x controller ports, expansion port (not on all system revisions) label value BUILT IN MEDIA Cartridge, 32 KB Maximum label value OS Over 65 cartridges, plus most 2600 VCS cartridges label value POWER SUPPLY External power supply unit, 9v DC 1A label value PERIPHERALS All Atari 2600 peripherals; Atari XEGS Model XG-1 Light Gun; Unreleased: Keyboard (which would allow use of Atari 8-bit computer peripherals, but not software), High Score Cartridge, Dual Controller Holder and 5200 Compatibility Module photos software emulators links videos title subtitle text image LEFT SIDE null title subtitle text image 7800 (EUROPEAN MODEL) null title subtitle text image FRONT null title subtitle text image FRONT PORTS These are the joystick ports and option switches null title subtitle text image BOTTOM null title subtitle text image RIGHT SIDE null title subtitle text image RIGHT SIDE #2 null title subtitle text image CONTROLLER PAD null title subtitle text image JOYSTICK UNSCREWED null title subtitle text image US BOX null title subtitle text image EUROPEAN BOX null title subtitle text image EUROPEAN BOX - BOTTOM null title subtitle text image ASTEROIDS null title subtitle text image BARNYARD BLASTER null title subtitle text image BALL BLAZER null title subtitle text image BASEBALL null title subtitle text image BASKETBRALL null title subtitle text image CENTIPEDE null title subtitle text image COMMANDO null title subtitle text image CROSSBOW null title subtitle text image DARK CHAMBER null title subtitle text image DESERT FALCON null title subtitle text image DIG DUG null title subtitle text image DONKEY KONG null title subtitle text image DONKEY KONG JR null title subtitle text image DOUBLE DRAGON null title subtitle text image FATAL RUN null title subtitle text image FIGHT NIGHT null title subtitle text image FOOD FIGHT null title subtitle text image GALAGA null title subtitle text image HAT TRICK null title subtitle text image IMPOSSIBLE MISSION null title subtitle text image JOUST null title subtitle text image KARATEKA null title subtitle text image MARIO BROS null title subtitle text image MEAN 18 null title url platform text MESS http://www.mess.org/ Multiplatform This multi-system emulator, can emulate the Atari 7800 title url text Atari 7800 FAQ http://www.atariage.com/7800/faq/index.html?SystemID=7800 What would be a system without a FAQ ? ;-) title url text AtariAge http://www.atariage.com/ What you don't know this site ?! Go there, I tell you. title url text Cousin Vinnie's Atari 7800 Panoramic Froo-Froo http://www.bigfishusa.com/7800/index.html A 7800 dedicated page with reviews and original articles title url text Dan Boris' 7800 Tech Page http://atarihq.com/danb/a7800.shtml Useful technical page title url text Jindroush's 7800 Tech Page http://cat.asw.cz/~kubecj/7800tech.htm Another interesting technical page title url text The Atari 7800 page http://www.atari7800.org/ Nice page. Instruction manual archive, Games list, Emulators, Screenshots, Schematics and more title url text The Atari History Museum http://www.atarimuseum.com/ Everything Atari !! A must see title url text Atari 7800 commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxfsb1wvWb8 Length: 51s author date text walmartcartpusher Saturday 18th April 2009 "Uhh, not much to say about this thing, one question, do you acually need to connect this to a computer or something cause i dont know where to connect the rf or w/e" should be the same as the Atari 2600 games/tv switch... author date text Olivier (Earth) Tuesday 9th August 2005 Well, the European version has a special audio & video output connector -> scart connector. I guess the US version has also a audio & video output. author date text Deadman101 (US) Monday 8th August 2005 Uhh, not much to say about this thing, one question, do you acually need to connect this to a computer or something cause i dont know where to connect the rf or w/e author date text Jerry Reno (Bowie, MD) Wednesday 27th July 2005 The "Atari Flashback" miniconsole is, according to the label on the bottom, a "Mini 7800". It looks like a tiny 7800; iIt has five 7800 games in rom, with a dozen or so 2600 games. The two controllers look like 7800 controllers, but are not compatible, according to the manual. 898 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230530065125/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=898 2023-05-30

The Atari 7800 ProSystem was originally scheduled for release in late 1984, as the follow-up to Atari’s misguided 5200 SuperSystem, but didn’t see release until 1986, when it retailed for approximately $140 (USA). Instead of competing with comparatively weaker systems like the 5200 and Coleco’s ColecoVision, the later release date for the 7800 brought direct competition from the more robust Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), released in late 1985, and the Sega Master System (SMS), which, like the ProSystem, was released in 1986.

In late 1984, despite having had successful showings at trade events, an extensive and enthusiastic preview in one of the top video and computer game magazines of the day (Electronic Games), retail orders already taken, and warehouses full of stock, Atari management decided to shelve the system and its launch games in favor of their computer line when it became apparent to them - and seemingly everyone else in the industry - that the videogame depression had become an irreversible crash. Also put on the shelf was a redesigned Atari 2600 (VCS), dubbed the Atari 2600jr, due to its diminutive size. These moves have often been criticized in hindsight, but for those around at the time, it was clear that videogames were being supplanted by low cost and powerful personal computers as the more flexible game machines of choice, and a game system in the traditional sense simply wouldn’t be financially sustainable.