Bixler

Actually to someone like me it is not obvious at all. Why will Pitfall 2 not work on the 7800? That's a shame, because I was looking forward to playing it eventually (my goal is to get every notable/good Atari game for the 2600/7800 after a while, but if something is not compatible, what's the point?)

Yep, I definitely do not want to risk modifying a system myself, which is why I will be picking one up from Best Electronics, already modded, for $125.

I will try to find those three brands, thank you! I assume that they will have either Sony or Panasonic at the very least.

Alas I do not -- I was going to pick up the Atari Flashback consoles, but I heard some negative reviews and people telling me that I should just go with the 7800. I initially thought, "who the hell would still support or care about something that old?" but lo and behold, I found AtariAge, and damn do these old Atari systems get some serious love! There must be a reason for that, so I'm really stoked to get my hands on one. Although I'm sure some CRT TVs are better than others, I am assuming that they should all be pretty similar concerning picture quality. I'm pretty limited as a college student to whatever my Goodwill is carrying. I might send out a message to my campus about buying one and see if I get any replies.

I am definitely interested in arcade titles. The 7800 is very appealing to me because 1) it is really unlike any other console I ever plan on picking up, 2) it is 99.9% backwards compatible with the 2600, which is what will I'm sure comprise the bulk of my eventual library, and 3) it is pretty affordable, even for the $125 reconditioned composite console from Best Electronics that I am planning on picking up in the relatively near future, compared to other retro systems. I will absolutely be picking up a CRT -- the question is, which one? I'm assuming that brand really doesn't matter all that much, so I will most likely just head to my local Goodwill.

This may sound stupid, but I was rereading this thread and couple questions came to mind -- does the near 100% compatibility with Atari 2600 games include modern homebrew? Also, this may sound heretical, but would you say that a lot of games for the 2600 and 7800 hold up today? While many of them look like a lot of fun (Pac-Man Collection, Mario Bros, Donkey Kong, Space Invaders, Asteroids, River Raid, Pole Position, Halo 2600, Xevious, and others), I'm curious as to how you think they stack up with the lasting value of, say, Sega Genesis or SNES titles? Thank you!

Are there any videos on demand of the panels from PRGE 2013? Thank you.

Sonic the Hedgehog for the PS3. I couldn't even finish the game, and the six hours I spent with it were some of the most headache-inducing I have ever spent with a game in my life.

Aye, I was going to pick up a 2600 until I realized that the 7800 was backwards compatible, so I saw no reason not to pick up a 7800 instead. I'm really not sure which controllers I will end up using, other than not the remote ones that just look terrible. Maybe the European ones that look like the original NES controllers to a degree? Good to hear about Best Electronics. I'm definitely not into modding anything myself (absolutely no know-how, and I do not have the proper tools to do so), so at this point I am 99% sure I will pick up the $125 composite system from Best Electronics. Y'know I thought a lot about the Ouya but I would just rather have the real thing. It will be a nice feeling to be playing the real deal rather than a copy. I will be heading to my local Goodwill and searching there for CRT TVs (bound to have a few) that won't take up *too* much space. I'm assuming they will hardly cost me anything compared to picking up even a used HDTV. Thanks for your input!

3. Definitely justifies a purchase of the $125 package from Best Electronics in my mind. 4. Even more reason to pick up the composite system! 5. Yep, all I have used are PS3 and Wii controllers, really, except for the handful of times I have played a NES or N64. Thank you! Thank you for the visuals!

I have heard legends about Atari homebrew -- that it is basically the best in the retro console market for that sort of thing. I'm excited! Great to hear how durable these machines are. I suppose I won't worry about boxes or manuals; I balked at $11 for a bunch of pieces of plastic to store these things in anyhow. I will probably end up purchasing the European controllers later on once I have more cash saved up from the initial dent that the system and a handful of games will make in my wallet. Though since the games seem to be so cheap for the most part, I don't think that will be more than a month or two afterwards. Thanks for the input!

That looks like what Mark from Classic Game Room was describing. Fantastic news that it is so cheap. If you are referencing Best Electronics, I checked their 7800 page and they sell a system that has been, if I read correctly from the link posted above, modified already with the composite modification for $125 and looks like new. I am strongly considering that option. I unfortunately do not have a soldering iron on hand nor do I know how to use one.

Excellent. That's fine -- I was worried it was only "mostly/kind of" compatible, but it sounds great. I think I would save up for a composite system if I went that route. Does it just benefit the picture quality, or does it have other benefits as well? Would I still need the extra components to connect the system to the TV if I went with the composite system? I will start checking out CRT TVs at my local Goodwill when I am ordering the Atari 7800, thanks for the input. That sounds affordable, excellent. I was scared off by SNES prices with my budget. The $125 composite console from Best Electronics comes with non-Atari brand controllers. Are these decent at all, or should I just go with Genesis controllers and adapters? I suppose there isn't much need, really. Thanks! Thank you! I will check out all of those options in due time. Right now I am strongly leaning towards picking up a composite system from Best Electronics. Thoughts? Thank you so much for your valuable input, it has been tremendously helpful.

Hello, I am 19 years old and very interested in retro gaming. I have never owned a system older than a PS3, however, so I am definitely out of my element. I was checking out old retro gaming systems and the one that has looked to be the most bang for my (admittedly, quite limited) buck is the Atari 7800. I have some questions: How durable are Atari 7800 consoles? I have heard that they are built like tanks and work quite well today, though NES consoles have a habit of breaking after a number of years. How do the 7800s hold up? Is the 7800 100% backwards compatible with Atari 2600 games? Where would you recommend picking up an Atari 7800, and for roughly how much? I realize that prices will obviously vary, but what would you say is a solid, good price for an Atari 7800? Should I be hunting for new or will used suffice? I watched Classic Game Room's "review" of the Atari 7800, and he said that one needs to pick up some adapters from a place such as Radio Shack, and that one needs a VCR and component cables to get the system to work. I'm assuming this is all still true. Are there any specific brands of VCRs, component cables, TVs, and adapters that you would recommend for the best possible experience? (Do I really need a VCR? I have a few at home I can bring up, but I'm just making sure before I have one shipped or pick up one up in Goodwill for ~$10). Follow-up to question four: Would you recommend a standard HDTV, or a CRT TV instead for a better quality picture? I hear that retro gaming is best done on a CRT TV rather than an HDTV. Concerning cartridges; are they generally expensive? One of the reasons I am strongly considering the Atari 7800 over other retro gaming consoles is because I have heard that cartridges are not terribly expensive when compared to, say, SNES cartridges. Is this true? From what I have gathered, Sega Genesis controllers are fully compatible with the Atari 7800. Is it 100% compatible with all Atari 2600/7800 games? Many people have said that the Atari 7800 controllers are absolutely awful. If most of you agree, what controller would you recommend? I am assuming that once I start picking up cartridges, I will not have manuals or boxes. Are there any retro game boxes that you would recommend? I stumbled across Retro Game Cases and thought it looked like a great idea, although somewhat pricy (~$11 per box, yeesh). Those are all that I can think of right now. Thank you very much in advance!