ATARI 7800

The 7800 ProSystem was completed in 1984 but Atari shelved it for nearly two years due to the Warner Communications acquisition and resulting corporate turbulence — it finally launched in 1986, a year after the NES. The Maria graphics chip handled sprites with considerably more capacity than the 2600, but the system lacked a modern sound chip: default audio used the 2600's POKEY, weak against the competition. Some titles included the POKEY chip inside the cartridge itself to improve audio — Ballblazer and Commando among them. Full backwards compatibility with 2600 cartridges was retained. The 7800 library is small (around 60 official titles) but covers quality arcade ports: Centipede, Ms. Pac-Man, Xevious. Complete in box, the 7800 is a relatively accessible platform to start collecting.