General Category > General Discussion
Atari help
KaiserWAVE:
So, the other day I picked up Pac-Man for the 2600. It was dirt cheap so I couldn't resist even if I don't own the system. Not the first time that I buy a game before the actual system. I've played the 2600 as a kid with friends but never owned one myself. I started with the NES. Anyway, now I'm deciding whether to get an Atari 2600 or Atari 7800. I like the 2600's design better, the black or "wooden" one, not the 2600 Jr. that looks more like the 7800. The 7800 is backwards compatible though, which is a huge plus. Also it has a fairly small games library, and the games are easy to get and for the most part fairly cheap on eBay. So it would be possible to hunt for a full set.
That's where you guys come into the equation. I read somewhere that the 7800 is "almost fully backwards compatible". Do you know of any must have 2600 games that don't work on a 7800, which would in the end be a deal breaker and push me more to the 2600 ?
Are there any other important pros for the 2600 and cons for the 7800? Or is it a safe bet to get a 7800?
Also important, when I go hunting for an Atari 2600/7800 I want to get one with the original box because I'm also a collector. And the 2600 boxes I've seen were usually pretty beat up (understandable for a 30 year old piece of cardboard) while the 7800 boxes were in surprisingly good shape considering their age.
Ok there you have it, GO :)
sheep2001:
Easy answer - get both. As a collector - i had to have a 2600 in my collection (although i still need to get a heavy sixer, just got the 4 switch model) The 7800 has some good games, which, for the price seemed a no brainer for me, even though i didn't have the nostalgia for it like i did other systems. I think my 7800 must be one of the later models, as iMagic carts fit just fine - i heard that on early models some 3rd party carts - particularly iMagic, either dont fit, or are extremely tight.
I honestly haven't tried all my carts in the 7800, but of those i have, every single one has worked without issue.
Vt102:
--- Quote from: sheep2001 on August 13, 2013, 09:00:41 AM ---Easy answer - get both. As a collector - i had to have a 2600 in my collection (although i still need to get a heavy sixer, just got the 4 switch model) The 7800 has some good games, which, for the price seemed a no brainer for me, even though i didn't have the nostalgia for it like i did other systems. I think my 7800 must be one of the later models, as iMagic carts fit just fine - i heard that on early models some 3rd party carts - particularly iMagic, either dont fit, or are extremely tight.
I honestly haven't tried all my carts in the 7800, but of those i have, every single one has worked without issue.
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What he said!
KaiserWAVE:
--- Quote from: Vt102 on August 13, 2013, 09:12:16 AM ---
--- Quote from: sheep2001 on August 13, 2013, 09:00:41 AM ---Easy answer - get both. As a collector - i had to have a 2600 in my collection (although i still need to get a heavy sixer, just got the 4 switch model) The 7800 has some good games, which, for the price seemed a no brainer for me, even though i didn't have the nostalgia for it like i did other systems. I think my 7800 must be one of the later models, as iMagic carts fit just fine - i heard that on early models some 3rd party carts - particularly iMagic, either dont fit, or are extremely tight.
I honestly haven't tried all my carts in the 7800, but of those i have, every single one has worked without issue.
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What he said!
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I was afraid you'd say that :D
scarmullet:
I also have no problems with 3rd party carts on my 7800, but don't use a supercharger on a 7800, it could damage both devices.
The only thing that is truly expensive about the 7800 is finding a proper gamepad from Europe (instead of the stick us Yanks got), and you need a 7800 controller for playing 7800 games, Genesis controllers won't cut it.