The Atari 7800+is the most pure gaming experience Ive had from any equipment in a long, long time.
Yet, using it evokes a feeling beyond nostalgia.
When was the last time I ever needed to blow into a cartridge?
© Adriano Contreras
It must have been more than 20 years ago when I last used the Nintendo 64.
Hell, even that is considered archaic by modern standards.
Theres no extra system for saving states and no built-in Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity.
© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
This version of the Atari 7800 uses HDMI and can support both widescreen and 4:3 aspect ratios.
Still, the console doesnt modify each cartridge to make each game fit your exact screen dimensions.
Text in some games looks blown out to the expanded size, but its far from unplayable.
© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
Its so low-key it doesnt even include a charging brick, just a USB-C to USB-C wire.
Ataris biggest improvement to the 7800 is its new game selection.
We want a console that will legitimately play old cartridges.
© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
Theres a port apiece on the back of the equipment for power and HDMI.
Theres a power, reset, pause, and select button.
Once you plug it in, you basically dont need to do any other setup.
© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
Once your TV is on the correct input, slotting in a cartridge will take care of the rest.
This benefits certain titles that rely on you reading text stretching across the screen.
The wireless controller that comes with the 7800+ doesnt connect directly to the console.
© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo
Instead, it connects to a dongle you plug into the console.
This takes very little time, even if the ports on the console feel more squishy than snappy.
The rectangular controllers only have two buttons and a joystick.
The large buttons have a very old-school feel without relying on ancient switches.
Even during lengthy sessions, I didnt feel my hands cramping against the squared-off plastic.
I plugged in an actual retro Joystick controller to test it, and yes, it definitely works.
Whats great is having all the peripherals together; none of them looked out of place.
Atari put some effort into making these controls comfortable for modern gamers.
Some may wish the console had extra amenities, like switching aspect ratios without having to reach behind it.
However, there are benefits to these limitations.
This console is aping the old design down to the small details.
It came from an age that required you to stand up and swap cartridges.
When you change the original for the sake of quality of life, you also detract from its verisimilitude.
Atari 7800+ Review: Games and Playability
The presentation is very, very retro.
you could play most of your old games, though the actual list of official 7800 is relatively small.
Like the original console, the 7800 redux is compatible with most Atari 2600 games.
He also provided work to bringBounty Bob Strikes Back!from the Atari 5200 to the 7800.
Alongside all that areAsteroids Deluxe, Space Duel,andFrenzy.
Ive always wanted to playNinja Golf, and its truly as difficult and zany as I imagined.
Both those games play fine at the 16:9 aspect ratio.
Even Frenzy plays fine at widescreen, but other games are better if you switch to 4:3.
Bounty Bobis the kind of game that makes you clutch your controller in utter frustration.
Its a game where you’re able to spend hours with and barely beat the first screen.
You do have to come to terms with the fact that this is still basically a form of emulation.
It better represents a path forward for other major publishers whose legacies step back into the 1970s and 80s.
Ataris system accomplishes that by embedding itself within the community, and it is better off for it.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
Just like the console from 1986, its backwards compatible with the 2600.
