History Platform / Atari7800

Atari made sure not to repeat the mistakes they made with the 5200. Unlike its predecessor, the 7800 is fully compatible with the library and accessories of the 2600 right out of the box, because it ''is'' a 2600, with a 6502 instead of the 2600's chopped-down 6507, a new graphics chip in addition to the 2600's TIA, and 4K of extra RAM. The 5200 controller was a malfunction-prone abomination, so the 7800 went back to basics and sported nothing but a simple joystick with two buttons. The controller was still criticized, though, so a new version with a form factor more in line with the NES and Master System controllers was released, [[NoExportForYou but only in Europe]]. All games designed for the 7800 had to be approved by Atari due to the system's lockout mechanism, ensuring there was no glut of third-party UsefulNotes/{{shovelware}} to plague the system like with the 2600. Atari had great plans for this system, the High Score Cart, the 7800 computer add on, and the 7800 trackball were planned but those addons were killed.

* [[UsefulNotes/GraphicsProcessingUnit GPU]]: Atari MARIA (7800 mode) or TIA (2600 mode)

While Nintendo were abusing their position as king of the mountain to hoard third-party games for the NES, Atari managed to still get a small amount of support for the 7800. Nintendo had a two year home console exclusivity requirement for third-party developers, but some NES conversions of arcade games were not made by the arcade manufacturers they originated from. The arcade manufacturers were not beholden to Nintendo's agreements as a result, so Atari could go straight to them to secure licensing rights. Atari also had rights to some Nintendo games as a result of negotiations from a failed deal between the two to distribute the Famicom in North America. This led to the 7800 getting its own versions of 7 NES games: ''VideoGame/{{Commando}}'', ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'', ''VideoGame/IkariWarriors'', ''VideoGame/KungFuMaster'', ''VideoGame/MarioBros'', ''VideoGame/{{Rampage}}'', and ''VideoGame/{{Xenophobe}}''.

* ''VideoGame/CommandoCapcom': The only game other than Ballblazer to use an on cartridge POKEY chip.

* ''VideoGame/{{Commando}}'': The only game other than Ballblazer to use an on cartridge POKEY chip.

* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongJr''

* UsefulNotes/StarpathSupercharger

* ''VideoGame/Sentinel''

* ''VideoGame/AstroBlaster'' (homebrew)
* ''VideoGame/Ballblazer'' (notable for its procedurally-generated jazz title screen BGM, achieved using an added-on POKEY chip on the cartridge).

* ''VideoGame/Basketbrawl''

* ''VideoGame/Tomcat:TheF14FighterSimulator''

During UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfVideoGames, Creator/{{Atari}} was king. Their [[Platform/Atari2600 2600 system]] reigned over the TV room as the console of choice and the company was a household name. But then a reckoning came, as the failure of the [[Platform/Atari5200 5200]] and the fallout from UsefulNotes/TheGreatVideoGameCrashOf1983 left Atari a shell of its former self. The company was split into two entities: Atari Corporation (which produced hardware for the home market) and Atari Games (which continued to make arcade games). Atari Corp, now under the ownership of Jack Tramiel, decided to come back into [[UsefulNotes/The8bitEraOfConsoleVideoGames an emerging market of 8-bit games]] with a new system: the '''Atari 7800'''. The system was initially released for a one-month run in June 1984 in southern California, but a number of legal and logistical issues led to its official launch being delayed until January 1986, by which time Creator/{{Nintendo}} and its Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem had successfully revived the console market from the Crash.