What do you love about the Atari 7800?

[7800 Pro Gamer]

There's a lot of reasons to be drawn to something.  We enjoy items and activities that give us some sort of value.  But that being said, people seem to be drawn to video games for their entertainment value more so then other forms of media.  We frequent these forums because we enjoy Atari more than most other forms of games and entertainment. 

So what is it about the Atari 7800 that draws you to check these forums for new topics and insights?  What do you like about the 7800?  

I'll start by saying that in the early days I was just drawn to video games as most of us were as kids. Video games were fun and gave me a reprieve from reality. But as an adult I came back to the Atari 7800 initially for nostalgia.  But I've stayed because it fits my game playing sensibility more than modern console do. I usually spend about 30 minutes at a time playing games before I have to do something like go to work, cook, clean, etc. Modern games demand a lot of time investment that I just don't have, but I do have time for a game or two of Joust or Food Fight.

And when I do have more time I choose to play through Midnight Mutants, or give Fatal Run a go, or even take up the back nine of Ninja Golf. Of course I enjoy other games and systems but I think the Atari 7800 represent my favorite era of gaming and my life. 

So what do you like about the Atari 7800?  Collecting?  The asthetic?  Nostalgia?  Let's share some thoughts!  Thanks everybody!

[DegasElite]

I like the cosmetic design of the A7800, as well as games like Rampage, Midnight Mutants, and Double Dragon. I like the version of Rampage for the A7800 because it is closer to the design of the arcade version in level layout than the NES. Commando and Ikari Warriors are great games for the A7800 as well. Its architecture is superior to the NES, even though the retail games a lot of the time do not show it. The home-brew games are showing what the console is capable of, though, and it's all good there. Also, the A7800 version of Double Dragon is more arcade-like than the NES version in layout as well. The NES version of Double Dragon is a totally different game from the arcade version, and I see that a lot of the time for the NES versions of arcade games. At least Atari tried to keep the arcade feel.

[dauber]

A huge thing for me is the Atari 2600 back-compatibility, and I'm lucky enough to have not one but two 7800s (late production) that will play everything, including the 2600 games that are not supposed to work on it. 🙂

Other than that, there were two things that sold it for me: 1) Food Fight, and 2) the homebrews. (I didn't get a 7800 until 2006.)

[E. King]

On 5/4/2022 at 6:23 PM, dauber said:

A huge thing for me is the Atari 2600 back-compatibility, and I'm lucky enough to have not one but two 7800s (late production) that will play everything, including the 2600 games that are not supposed to work on it. 🙂

Other than that, there were two things that sold it for me: 1) Food Fight, and 2) the homebrews. (I didn't get a 7800 until 2006.)

I agree the backwards compatibility with all the 2600 games is a huge plus and I think it was pretty much the very first console to offer it.

Food Fight alone was a good enough reason to own an Atari 7800 back in the day as it is one of the best games ever made in my opinion.

Now they have Food Fight on the VCS store for only $3 so anyone with a VCS should for sure be getting it since it plays great with the VCS Classic Joystick.

All of the 2600 carts I have tried on my 7800 work and have not found any that did not.

The 7800 library is small and hit or miss but there is enough great games and some decent arcade ports to make it a great console to have

The Homebrews are also a very cool option for the 7800.

[Atari 5200 Guy]

Sentimental value.  The 7800 was found completely by accident and ended up being a Christmas gift for a once teenage boy.  While I felt it was lacking in games the NES was getting the 7800 did have an equal amount of value from an arcade perspective.  While they were getting old the arcade titles it was receiving were way better made than what the NES received and they did give a nice break from the NES games.  Many endless nights I spent playing Asteroids, Ballblazer, and Ms. Pac-Man.  Mom played the Ms as well as Centipede although she didn't like it as well as she did the 5200 version.  

I don't hold the 7800 as close to my heart as others here but it still has sentimental value to me because of who it came from.  That's probably also why I am very passionate about almost all of my game systems pre XBOX.  They came from long lost family members at one point in my life.  Only the imported consoles I have lack that sentimental value but they do hold a high value because of where they came from.

Getting back to the 7800 the reason why that machine continues to impress me is because, for its time, its probably one of the most powerful 8-bit game consoles there was.  We just never got to see what it could really do when it mattered.