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Introduced in May of 1984, the 7800 ProSystem came out fighting with a series of
well-engineered accessories and peripherals developed in tandem by parent company
Atari. This series of accessories, known as the "ProLine" series of accessories, was
introduced not only to help bolster support Atari's new flagship video game system,
but also to push the performance and enjoyment quality of the 2600 to new limits. The
new advanced series of Atari accessories were engineered to all be fully compatible
with the 7800ProSystem, and recieved the name "ProLine" in keeping with the
"ProSystem" name motif of the new Atari 7800.

While ultimately the 7800 ProSystem severely lacked the third-party support that it
needed to become a world-wide success, the 7800 ProLine accessories are all
interesting and well-thought-out, each in their own right. These accessories are
detailed below.

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7800 PROSYSTEM
INTRODUCED: MAY 1984; JUNE 1986
DEVELOPER: ATARI / GCC
MODEL NUMBER: CX7800

The Atari 7800 ProSystem was first introduced in 1984 (and again later in 1986
under new ownership) to compete with the ColecoVision and Intellivision systems,
however it soon found its self facing newcomers from Nintendo and Sega. The 7800
ProSystem featured an 8-Bit Processor and an advanced graphics chip, code-named
"Maria" which provided graphics that rivaled those of the local arcade at the time of
its release. The 7800 is also backwards-compatible with all existing 2600 technology.
Packaged with the 7800 were two ProLine Joysticks, a/c adapter, television
connections, instructions, and the cartridge "Pole Position II". The exterior is handsome
and refined, its graphics were state of the art, but inside it has the soul of a 2600. The
7800 is the culmination of everything Atari stood for, combining arcade quality graphics
with the extensive library of 2600 games and accessories. The 7800 lost complete
support from Atari in 1992 after an 8-year ride. The 7800 still holds a small but
dedicated following to this day.

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CX-24 JOYSTICK
INTRODUCED: MAY 1984
DEVELOPER: ATARI
MODEL NUMBER: CX24

Packaged with the Atari 7800 ProSystem were two Atari 7800 CX-24 Joysticks. The
CX-24, better known as the "ProLine Joystick", was designed and released in 1984
as the answer to many gamer's complaints. The classic 2600 Joystick was a solid
winnerof a controller, however it was outdated and overrated. Atari gamers were
severely let down with the 5200 joystick design with clumsy unresponsive control.
Atari shot back with a controller that was engineered to be more advanced and
responsive than the original 2600 joystick, and would work with all 2600, 7800, and
8-Bit Computer systems. The CX-24 Pro-Line Joystick features dual fire buttons,
responsive control, and a sleek easy to hold design.

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7800 CARTRIDGE
INTRODUCED: MAY 1984; JUNE 1986
DEVELOPER: ATARI
MODEL NUMBER: CX78xx

The Atari 7800 ProSystem game cartridge was a real feat of electronic engineering for
its time. One primary objective of the 7800's development was to create a system that
would be out-of-the-box reverse compatible with all of the existing 2600 technology,
not having to rely on special adapters and software to make this possible. This dictated
that the 7800 cartridges would have to be the same size as the original 2600 cartridges.
The 7800 cartridges generally held around 8K of memory, however a 32K "Super
Cartridge" was developed which allowed more complex "Super Games" to be played on
the 7800. Games such as Ballblazer, Impossible Mission, and Karateka were
developed to take advantage of this almost "unlimited" memory for the 7800. The "Pole
Position II" game cartridge was included with the Atari 7800 ProSystem.

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CX-78 JOYPAD
INTRODUCED: OCTOBER 1987
DEVELOPER: ATARI
MODEL NUMBER: CX78

Atari decided early on that one key feature of the 7800 was to be its sleek and refined
joystick. Atari engineers had laughed at the Nintendo controllers. "How do you play video
games without a joystick?" they asked. But things soon changed as joypads became
mainstream and Atari was forced to compete. In 1987 Atari introduced the CX78
Joypad to the European market. The CX78, better known as the "ProLine Joypad"
featured precise control, comfortable design, dual fire buttons and a unique directional pad
which had a thumb-stick that could screw in and out of the pad. You could use the joypad
just like the NES controller, or you could choose to screw in the peg and play with a small
thumb-sized joystick. The ProLine Joypad was not introduced to the American market
until independent Atari dealers imported the Joypads in the late 1990's.

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G-1 LIGHT GUN
INTRODUCED: MAY 1987
DEVELOPER: ATARI
MODEL NUMBER: G-1

The Atari Light Gun was introduced in 1987 along with the Atari XE Game System, for
use with all 2600, 7800, and XE Series Systems and Computers. The Atari Light Gun
is needed to play 7800 titles such as Meltdown, Barnyard Blaster, and Sentinel. These
games were in direct response to the series of light gun games from Nintendo and Sega
such as Duck Hunt and Jungle Hunt. The Atari Light Gun features the exclusive XE-Series
styling, and is the only peripheral for the 7800 marketed by Atari which is not Atari Black.

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HIGH SCORE CARTRIDGE
INTRODUCED: MAY 2000
DEVELOPER: ATARI / GCC / GARY RUBIO
MODEL NUMBER: CX78HSC

The High Score Cartridge is a unique device that sits firmly between the 7800 and a
compatible 7800 game cartridge, of your choice. This device allows you to save
your high scores on particular 7800 titles. When General Computer Corporation (GCC)
became involved with the development of the Atari 7800, they teamed up with the Atari
development staff to work on a few innovative accessories which were to make the 7800
a truly impressive system. The first of these accessories was the Atari 7800 High Score
Cartridge. However, when Jack Tramiel bought Atari in 1984, he ultimately pulled the
plug on all 7800 accessories that were still in development. In 2000 High Score Cartridge
programmer Gary Rubio and AHS founder Curt Vendel teamed up to make this cartridge
a reality. Pictured to the left is the version of the High Score Cartridge which was sold
by Atari 7800.com from 2000 - 2002, featuring a fully enclosed cartridge (top
and bottom) and a premium-grade label.

 

 

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