Atari 7800+ has arrived

 At the beginning of this year I bought the new Atari 2600+ console, looking forward to using my homebrew and old Atari 2600 carts in it. 

Sadly I was disappointed, as per my blog post here - a lot of titles didn't work at all.

Fast forward to December 2024, and they have now released the Atari 7800+ console. Does it work any better? Let's find out!

I bought this from EB Games locally, pre-ordered 6 months ago and released in early December here in Australia.

Unlike the Atari 2600+ launch, there are far more titles available to buy with the console, including (as you would expect) a number of re-released Atari 7800 console games in original style boxes, with manuals and cartridges.

Feels funny walking into EB Games, past all the latest PS5, Nintendo switch and Xbox games and consoles to pickup new release system and game released originally back in the 1980's. I remember when these games and systems were on the shelves on these same game shops back then...heh.
I used to own an Atari 7800 back in the day, and sold it to help fund my Amiga 4000T back in 2004.
This re-creation of the Atari 7800 is quite impressive, and the retail box looks great:

The box rear shout out "Get your pixel fix like it's 1986" - love it.

A wireless gamepad is included with the 7800+. I also bought an additional wireless gamepad for two player games.

Inside the box is the console, wireless controller for the original DB9 joystick ports on the unit (also compatible with the original atari gamepads), and a usb to wireless converter if you want to use the wireless controller on a PC or Mac, eg with an Atari emulator.

Also included in the box is Crystal quest (a 7800 game), an Atari branded HDMI cable and USB-c, but no power supply...

Personally, having own the "woody" 2600, the later 2600jr and also the 7800 systems originally, I like the look of the 7800 the best. It looks more modern, the buttons are more understated, though I understand why people like the original metal switches. This machine feels like a late 80's era machine.
The 7800 looks basically identical to the original machine, just smaller. It has the cartridge port on top (as per the original) to load game cartridges into.

Lifting up the main unit, you can see the front ports, I put the wireless controller in the left one in this photo:

There his a B A switch next to both ports to change their function.
The wireless controller comes with two fire buttons, directional pad and the screw-in plastic thumb stick controller, which allows for games that need smooth transition in the diagonal directions. The original 7800 had the same controllers (wired though). I keep the thumb stick screwed in when not using it, as I don't want to lose it! 
There is also a small round indented button on the back (top?) of the wireless gamepad so you can pair it with the wireless connector plugged into the DB9 joystick port on the Atari 7800+. 
Press and hold to start pairing - it flashes the light, which becomes solid once paired, as below:
The controller also has a USB-C port for charging it.

At the back of the Atari 7800+ is the modern HDMI output connector, a switch to switch the output 4:3 or 16:9, and USB-C power. No RF out or TV modulators needed in 2024. Glad for that! Some retro things like that are best left in the 80's!

The 2600+ also supports running 7800 cartridges, but I think it makes more sense this way - having an Atari 7800 that can play 2600 games too was the setup of the original machine.

The original 2600 cannot play 7800 games. Only the 2600+.
Included is Crystal Quest, a 7800 game:

I plugged in the cartridge and switched on the system using the power button on top. There is a pause, reset and select buttons on the top of the console also.

I chose to use 4:3 output mode by toggling the switch on the back (shown earlier), as the output is very pixelated when stretched to 16:9...

The Atari 7800 system was a step up from the Atari 2600, with faster CPU, dedicated MARIA GPU for superior graphics, supporting high resolution also. The sound though was the same as the 2600. As a system it was comparable to the NES, which was its main competitor at the time of release.

Safe to say the NES was way more popular, and ultimately the Atari 7800 system and games were discontinued in 1992.

Playing the 7800 games after so many years is quite nostalgic, though I will concede that Atari systems are not in the same league as C64 and Amiga systems in my highly biased opinion. YMMV.

As I bought a lot of new 7800 games with the system, I was keen to try them out. 

Asteroids deluxe - well, err, it's Asteroids, and it's deluxe? Looks way better than the 2600 version, but basically the same game.

I bought Bezerk as well, and I forgot how frustrating that game is!
They say apparently you can swap the cartridges without powering off first, but old habits die hard - I turn it off each time.

Reading up on the internals of the Atari 7800+, it seems the system on power on reads in the physical cartridge in real time to a cartridge file format temporarily, that is then fed into an Atari 2600 emulator running on the system. 

Personally I prefer not to delve too much into the black magic happening behind the scenes, but I was curious how physical cartridges worked in a re-creation system like this. Now I know.

Bounty Bob Strikes back is a new game for the Atari 7800, rather than a re-release. It was released on Atari 5200, but not on 7800 before. It is the sequel to the classic Miner 2049'er.

I remember playing Miner 2049'er a lot, mostly on the C64, so it is nice to have the new release 7800 version finally in 2024.

I then turned my attention to my homebrew Atari 2600 cartridges and demoscene cartridges. Most of these didn't work on the Atari 2600+, and I was very worried about if they would work on the Atari 7800+ given the underlying system is essentially the same. 

I bought the physical release homebrew games and demoscene titles from AtariAge, in case you are wondering where they came from.
Happily though, whatever the issues are in the Atari 2600+ have been resolved in the 7800+. I am pleased to report the demo cartridges and homebrew cartridges work great on the 7800+, which is a huge relief.

Being able to run physical Atari 2600 demoscene cartridges on the 7800+ like the 6 in 1 demo cartridge below is fantastic!

As mentioned, the homebrew physical release games I couldn't get working on the 2600+, now work on the 7800+. I can now finally play Space Rocks:

It is kind of an Asteroids clone which has more complex enemies to shoot down.

Deepstone Catacomb is a dungeon exploration game, and very impressive for a Atari 2600 title:

Stay Frosty 2 is a surprisingly additive game:

I will concede though that I am not very good at it.

In addition to the new release 7800 games I bought with the 7800+, I also bought some more new re-release Atari 2600 games in physical cartridges and boxes! How amazing in 2024 to be able to buy new release titles for Atari 2600 and 7800? Hard to believe right?

Epyx games is a compilation including Summer Games, Winter Games and California Games. I had to play California Games naturally:

One limitation with the 7800+ (same as the Atari 2600+) is it can't play my Harmony SD Card Cartridge.

 

This cartridge has all the games on the SD Card, selectable from a menu. 
I note that all the multi-game cartridges being released have physical dip switches on them to select the game on the back of the cartridge.

The reality is therefore that you buy the Atari 7800+ to play physical cartridge games. 
If you want to play sd card based games, you can use an emulator for that anyway.

I have to say I am quite impressed with the 7800+. It is what the 2600+ system should have been. 

I was worried about wasting my money, but it is great that I can finally run all the games I want on the Atari 7800+, and it means I can continue to buy new homebrew games for Atari 2600/7800 into the future also. 

Exciting times indeed!

Anyone want a lightly used Atari 2600+? :-)

Read more