I think the 7800 shared hardware with the 2600 as well as the cartridge format in order to have access to the 2600 library (much as the Playstation 2 included a PS processor which enabled it to run PS games) -- it might even have been a beefed up VCS in the same sense that the Wii is a beefed up Gamecube. The 5200 was a pretty different animal, but I think it shared its CPU with the Atari 800 -- hence if you get the chance to compare them, you find that a few games that graced both platforms, like some of the Activision titles, are exactly the same.
Sean,
The Atari 7800 isn't a beefed up 2600. You assumption is common about the Atari 7800. The 7800 only uses the 2600 chips for sound, switch and Controller interfaces while in 7800 mode.
The Atari 7800 and the 2600 don't use the same processor for making games.. The Atari 7800 uses a full 6502c processor whereas the 2600 VCS has a stripped down 6507 processor which runs at a slower speed.t has additional RAM (Random Access Memory) and the ability to access more cartridge data at one time than the 2600. The most substantial difference, however, is its entirely different graphics architecture which differs markedly from either the Atari 2600 VCS or Atari’s 8-bit line of computers.
The source of the confusion stems from the fact that compatibility with the Atari 2600 is enabled by including the same chips used in the Atari 2600. When operating in “2600” mode in order to play 2600 titles, the 7800 uses a Television Interface Adapter (TIA) chip to generate graphics and sound. The processor is slowed to 1.19 MHz in order to mirror the performance of the 2600’s stripped-down 6507 processor. RAM is limited to 128 bytes found in the RIOT and game data is accessed in 4K blocks. When in “7800” mode (signified by the appearance of the full screen Atari logo), the graphics are generated entirely by the MARIA graphics processing unit, all system RAM is available and game data is accessed in larger 48K blocks. The system’s 6502c runs at its normal 1.79 MHz instead of the reduced speed of 2600 mode. The 2600 chips are used in 7800 mode to generate sound as well as switch and controller interfaces.
I'm with Linktothefuture; I would like to see all the old the gameboy, GC and GBA games. Nintendo doesn't make them anymore, so release them for the dsi & wii.
@7th lutz: Okay, cheers for clearing that up! I do recall it interesting when the 7800 came out, but I don't remember much promotion for it. By that time I had missed the window of opportunity for buying a NES (got the money as a gift to buy it, but it was sold out everywhere so I think I ended up buying books or RPG stuff instead, which meant I was playing games on my 2600 until I got an 800XL.) and it was more of a curiosity.
I do recall coveting the Atari 5200 because of the better arcade ports and nicer graphics on some of the Activision titles, but the controllers were just horrible when I tried the store demos and the machine was terribly expensive as well.
It would be nice to have the Mega CD, if only for Sonic CD, and there are some great Game Boy titles I'd like to play again, but the system I most want to see would be the Commodore Amiga. So many of my favourite games of all time were for that machine.
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I seriously hope they'll add the Mega-CD/Sega-CD format. I see games up on the VC in their inferior Megadriver/Genesis versions and I just can't bring myself to buy them. All my memories of Ecco The Dolphin and Pitfall The Mayan Adventure are of their amazing CD versions.
Also, when I was a youngster I had an Amstrad CPC. It was an old 8-bit computer but had better sound & graphics than the Commodore 64 & the Spectrum. So when I see titles like "Winter Games" or "Cybernoid" it brings back memories but the versions up there are not MY versions.
Obviously, I'm more optimistic of seeing the Mega-CD format on there but damn it would be amazing if they supported the CPC
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Topic: Other Systems You'd Like to See
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