Most of the announced titles at launch were ports of 1980–83 arcade games. Designed by General Computer Corporation, the 7800 has significantly improved graphics hardware over Atari's previous consoles, but the same Television Interface Adapter chip that launched with the 2600 in 1977 is used to generate audio.
This can be used to render high resolution text in one area of the screen, while displaying more colorful graphics at lower resolution in the gameplay area. === Sound === The 7800 uses the TIA chip for two channel audio, the same chip used in the 1977 Atari VCS, and the sound is of the same quality as that system.
Most of the announced titles at launch were ports of 1980–83 arcade games. Designed by General Computer Corporation, the 7800 has significantly improved graphics hardware over Atari's previous consoles, but the same Television Interface Adapter chip that launched with the 2600 in 1977 is used to generate 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.
It was designed in 1983–1984 with an intended mass market rollout in June 1984, but was canceled shortly thereafter due to the sale of the company to Tramel Technology Ltd on July 2, 1984.
By some measures the 7800 is more powerful, and by others less, than Nintendo's 1983 NES.
The Pro-Line was developed for the 2600 and advertised in 1983, but delayed until Atari proceeded with the 7800.
on May 21, 1984, but a general release was shelved due to the sale of the company.
It was designed in 1983–1984 with an intended mass market rollout in June 1984, but was canceled shortly thereafter due to the sale of the company to Tramel Technology Ltd on July 2, 1984.
It uses the 2600's Television Interface Adaptor chip, with the same restrictions, for generating two-channels of audio. === Launch === The 7800 was initially released in southern California in June 1984, following an announcement on May 21, 1984, at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show.
Pac-Man, Pole Position II, Centipede, Joust, Dig Dug, Nile Flyer (eventually released as Desert Falcon), 2084, Galaga, Food Fight, Ballblazer, Rescue on Fractalus!, Track & Field, and Xevious. On July 2, 1984, Warner Communications sold Atari's Consumer Division to Jack Tramiel.
It launched with titles intended for the 7800's debut in 1984 and was aided by a marketing campaign with a budget in the "low millions" according to Atari Corporation officials.
The keyboard and high score cartridge planned by Warner were cancelled. In February 1987, Computer Entertainer reported that 100,000 Atari 7800 consoles had been sold in the United States, including those which had been warehoused since 1984.
Atari released five 7800 light gun games: Alien Brigade, Barnyard Blaster, Crossbow, Meltdown, and Sentinel. === Canceled peripherals === After the acquisition of the Atari Consumer Division by Jack Tramiel in 1984, several expansion options for the system were canceled: The High Score Cartridge was designed to save high scores for up to 65 separate games.
In May 1985, Tramiel relented and paid GCC.
This led to additional negotiations regarding the launch titles GCC had developed, then an effort to find someone to lead their new video game division, which was completed in November 1985.
The Atari 7800 ProSystem, or simply the Atari 7800, is a [video game console] officially released by Atari Corporation in 1986 as the successor to both the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200.
The original production run of the Atari 7800 languished in warehouses until it was reintroduced in January 1986. The console was released nationwide in May 1986 for $79.95.
A complaint from owners in 1986 was the slow release of games.
By the end of 1986, the 7800 had 10 games, compared to Sega's 20 and Nintendo's 36.
The lineup emphasized high-quality versions of games from the golden age of arcade video games like Joust, Centipede, and Asteroids, which at the time of the 1986 launch were four, six, and seven years old, respectively. Eleven games were developed and sold by three third-party companies under their own labels (Absolute Entertainment, Activision, and Froggo) with the rest published by Atari Corporation.
The keyboard and high score cartridge planned by Warner were cancelled. In February 1987, Computer Entertainer reported that 100,000 Atari 7800 consoles had been sold in the United States, including those which had been warehoused since 1984.
Atari would sell over 1 million 7800 consoles by June, 1988. === Discontinuation === On January 1, 1992, Atari Corporation announced the end of production and support for the 7800, 2600, and the 8-bit computer family including the Atari XEGS.
Several new commercial Atari 7800 games such as Beef Drop, B*nQ, Combat 1990, Santa Simon, and Space War have been released. ===Source code=== The source code for 13 games, the operating system, and the development tools which run on the Atari ST were discovered in a dumpster behind the Atari building in Sunnyvale, California.
Atari Corporation dropped support for the 7800, along with the 2600 and the Atari 8-bit family, on January 1, 1992. == History == Atari had been facing pressure from Coleco and its ColecoVision console, which supported graphics that more closely mirrored arcade games of the time than either the Atari 2600 or 5200.
Atari would sell over 1 million 7800 consoles by June, 1988. === Discontinuation === On January 1, 1992, Atari Corporation announced the end of production and support for the 7800, 2600, and the 8-bit computer family including the Atari XEGS.
The signing software was eventually found and released at Classic Gaming Expo in 2001. The Atari community has slowly uncovered the original 7800 development tools, which has encouraged additional game development.
Through this loophole, Atari 7800 conversions of Mario Bros., Double Dragon, Commando, Rampage, Xenophobe, Ikari Warriors, and Kung-Fu Master were licensed and developed. Nine games were released by Atari late in the system's lifecycle: Alien Brigade, Basketbrawl, Fatal Run, Meltdown, Midnight Mutants, MotorPsycho, Ninja Golf, Planet Smashers, and Scrapyard Dog. ==Legacy== ===Atari Flashback=== In 2004, the Infogrames-owned version of Atari released the Atari Flashback console.
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