The Atari 7800 ProSystem was the first game system from Atari Inc. designed by an outside company, General Computer Corporation (GCC). The system had been designed in 1983 through 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. The project was originally called the Atari 3600, though was later renamed the Atari 7800.
Several key factors influenced the design of the 7800. First, Atari had been facing mounting pressure in the form of competition from the ColecoVision, which boasted graphics that more closely mirrored arcade games of the time than Atari’s reigning 2600 VCS system. Second, the Atari 5200 (the original intended successor to the Atari 2600 VCS) had been widely criticized for not being able to play Atari 2600 VCS games without an adapter.
The 7800 featured the ability to move around a tremendous amount of objects (75-to-100) that far exceeded previous consoles. Powering the system was an Atari SALLY 6502 (Atari’s slightly custom 6502, sometimes described as a “6502C”) processor running at 1.79 MHz, similar to the processor found in home computers (Atari 8-bit, Apple II, Commodore 64) and other consoles (Atari 5200 and Nintendo Entertainment System). In contrast to the Atari 5200, the Atari 7800 could play almost all Atari 2600 games out of the box, without the need for an adapter. In addition, it featured a return to a digital controller.
To address the concerns of parents that home computers were a better investment than consoles, the system was designed to be upgraded to a full-fledged home computer. A keyboard was developed, and the keyboard had an expansion port (which was the SIO port from Atari’s 8-bit computer line, though the 7800 could not run Atari computer programs) that allowed for the addition of peripherals such as disk drives and printers. To further enhance the gaming experience, GCC had also designed a “high score cartridge”, a battery-backed RAM cartridge designed for storing game scores. On the side of the 7800 was an expansion port, reportedly for a planned connection with a laserdisc player.
This is the collection of original hardware and software. None of this collection is for sale. If you have an item which is not on the list, please contact me and maybe we can trade. Donations are welcome too 🙂
Hardware:
| Item | Manufacturer | Boxed/loose |
|---|---|---|
| 7800 PAL with joypads etc. | Atari | boxed |
| 7800+ VIP pack | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| CX10 Joystick black | Atari | loose |
| CX10 Repairset NL/FR | Atari | boxed |
| CX13 Joystick extension cable NL/FR | Atari | boxed |
| CX20-1 Driving controllers | Atari | boxed |
| CX21 Video touch pad | Atari | loose |
| CX22 Trakball | Atari | boxed |
| CX23 Kids controller | Atari | loose |
| CX24 Deluxe joystick (large box) | Atari | boxed |
| CX24 Deluxe joystick (small box) | Atari | boxed |
| CX30 paddles | Atari | loose |
| CX40 Joystick black | Atari | boxed |
| CX40 Joystick double pack | Atari | boxed |
| CX40 joystick XE grey | Atari | loose |
| CX40+ Wireless joystick | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| CX50 Keyboard controllers | Atari | boxed |
| CX78 Joypad | Atari | loose |
| CX78+ Wireless joypad (7800+ VIP pack) | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| CX80 Trakball | Atari | boxed |
| Track & Field controller | Atari | boxed |
| XG-1 Lightgun | Atari | loose |
Software:
| Title | Media | Publisher | Boxed/loose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace of aces PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Asteroids NTSC | r | Atari | loose |
| Asteroids Deluxe NTSC (7800+ VIP pack) | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Asteroids Deluxe PAL | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Alien brigade PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Ballblazer PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Barnyard Blaster PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Baseball PAL | r | HES | loose |
| Bentley Bear’s Crystal Conquest PAL | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Bentley Bear’s Crystal Conquest PAL (7800+ VIP pack) | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Berzerk PAL | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Bounty Bob strikes back NTSC (7800+ VIP pack) | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Bounty Bob strikes back PAL | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Centipede NTSC | r | Atari | boxed |
| Choplifter PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Crossbow PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Dark chambers PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Dig Dug NTSC | r | Atari | boxed |
| Donkey kong NTSC | r | Atari | boxed |
| Donkey kong PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Donkey kong junior NTSC | r | Atari | boxed |
| Fatal Run PAL | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Fatal Run NTSC (7800+ VIP pack) | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Fight Night NTSC | r | Atari | boxed |
| Fight Night PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Food Fight PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Food Fight PAL (7800+ VIP pack) | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Frenzy NTSC (7800+ VIP pack) | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Frenzy PAL | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Galaga PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Galaga NTSC | r | Atari | loose |
| Hat trick NTSC | r | Atari | boxed |
| Hat trick PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Ikari warriors PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Impossible Mission PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Jinks NTSC | r | Atari | boxed |
| Joust PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Karateka PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Kung-Fu Master PAL | r | HES | loose |
| Mario bros PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Mat mania challenge PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Mean 18 PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Meltdown PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Midnight Mutants PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Motor psycho PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Ms Pacman PAL | r | Atari | loose |
| Ninja Golf PAL | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Ninja Golf NTSC (7800+ VIP pack) | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| One on one NTSC | r | Atari | boxed |
| Planet smashers PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Pole position II PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Scrapyard dog NTSC | r | Atari | boxed |
| Sentinel PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Space Duel NTSC (7800+ VIP pack) | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Space Duel PAL | r | Plaion/Atari | boxed |
| Super Huey UH-IX PAL | r | Atari | boxed |
| Xevious NTSC | r | Atari | boxed |
| Xevious PAL | r | Atari | loose |