Atari Announces the 7800 Plus Console Coming This Winter (polygon.com) 13
Atari has just announced a renewed version of its 7800 home console from 1986. Polygon: Dubbed the 7800 Plus, the new console will launch later this winter but is already available to pre-order from Atari for $129.99. The 7800 Plus is a scaled-down version of the original hardware equipped with an HDMI connection and has the ability to play first and third-party cartridges for the Atari 2600 and 7800. Additionally, you'll have the option to play your games in their original 4:3 aspect ration, or upscale them to widescreen format. While emulators and other options for playing retro Atari games exist, playing the games on their original hardware remains the definitive way to experience many of these classic titles.
Along with its new console, Atari also announced a pair of new wireless controllers. The CX40 Plus wireless Joystick and CX78 Plus Wireless gamepad are loving recreations of the original hardware as they shipped with the Atari 2600 and 7800. Both of the new controllers are compatible with either the Atari 2600 Plus (released last year) or the new 7800 Plus consoles but can also be hooked up to your PC by using the included USB-C adapter -- they're even compatible with an original 2600 or 7800 if you have one lying around. Both peripherals are available from Atari now and cost $34.99.
Along with its new console, Atari also announced a pair of new wireless controllers. The CX40 Plus wireless Joystick and CX78 Plus Wireless gamepad are loving recreations of the original hardware as they shipped with the Atari 2600 and 7800. Both of the new controllers are compatible with either the Atari 2600 Plus (released last year) or the new 7800 Plus consoles but can also be hooked up to your PC by using the included USB-C adapter -- they're even compatible with an original 2600 or 7800 if you have one lying around. Both peripherals are available from Atari now and cost $34.99.
Who put the boop in the boop badoop badoop? (Score:3)
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Remaking the Atari 2600 made sense, from a nostalgia perspective.
You think the developers of the remake would have to put half or even a quarter of the effort of the original developers? Here's a fascinating video of David Crane explaining the development of Pitfall [youtube.com]. It is amazing what limitations that team had to deal with and how they ever made an addictive game given those limitations. Almost as interesting as Story of Mel [utah.edu], but then again this one may be just folklore.
will it have the 7800 High Score Cartridge build i (Score:2)
will it have the 7800 High Score Cartridge build in?
I had a 7800 back in the day (Score:2)
The biggest problem (besides the controller that killed your hands and died in less than 6 months) was the games were all programmed 2 year before the console launched so they were ports of simple arcade games vs the more advanced NES/Famicom games we were getting in '86.
The actual 7800 hardware could easily hang with and at times best the NES. Folks tend to compare much, much newer NES games (often wit
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
The 7800 was garbage compared to the C64. Not to mention the Amiga which had just come out. Actually, all consoles were and still are garbage compared to general purpose computers.
Arcade/Homebrew->2600->C64->Amiga->PC... Nothing else exists
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ngl, you're right lol
It's not a scaled down version... (Score:5, Informative)
It's a SOC emulator. Just like the 2600+. Yes, a lot of people who love Atari did work on it, and it's very cool that we're seeing a homebrew get bundled, but I'm willing to guarantee it's the 2600+ in a new case. Polygon seems confused when they refer to this as being original hardware.
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So... no sudden magic creation of 6502 and 6510 microprocessors from nothing
What about all my 5200 carts? (Score:2)
> has the ability to play first and third-party cartridges for the Atari 2600 and 7800
Somewhere I've got 50+ carts for the Atari 5200. I guess I won't be reliving my youth on this thing.
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Yeah it's a bit confusing that they ignored the 5200 entirely.
CAD drawing? (Score:2)
Don't they have the actual console to show? Why a CGI ? Have the started working on it?
Same as the 2600+ (Score:2)
So besides a different case, how is this different from the 2600+? That already plays 7800 games. The new controllers are probably more interesting news than the console.
What the 2600+ was missing was a WiFi connection and an online store where you could buy any of the Atari games for the 2600 or 7800 for something like $5. Sure, you can find them all online now and play them with the same emulator on a computer, but plenty of people would still buy them. (And the same thing for the The400 Mini.)