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The 'Original'

-^CrossBow^-

Entry posted by -^CrossBow^-

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While it might be called the 'Original' it certainly isn't an original 7800 by any means. It is just the name I've given to this one as it is my original childhood 7800 and is the only game console from my youth that I still own. It is largely still all stock but I did install Eckart's DevOS BIOS 1.0 back around 2004/2005 timeframe to help in providing new dumps of Activision and Absolute brand 7800 games that didn't have complete dumps previously. I believe those dumps are still here and are the ones currently available for download from the AtariAge database.

 

This 7800 as I would learn in much later years, appears to be somewhat of an Enigma. My parents gifted it to me for my birthday back in 1988. They bought it on (clearance sale?) for what looks to be only $59.99 at the time given the price tag on the box. Even though it was purchased in late '88 timeframe it actually contains one of the first revision mainboards and chips inside it that have '84 year date codes on them. It also has the expansion port as was common on the AT84 made units. It shows signs of factory hand soldering and other rework so I suspect this was a refurbished unit that was sold out as new or possibly one that was found laying around from old stock that initially didn't work and was repaired and then sold as new. Strange 7800 but I wouldn't want it any other way.

 

I also still have the original box for it although it has duct tape on it that I likely applied well over 20 years ago to keep the box held together. For over a decade the console was stored in a detached garage after I stopped playing it in 1990 sometime when we got our first 286 computer and my parents stored it away. The box is in good shape overall but is dented overall on the top causing it to not sit completely square and lift up as it were. 

 

 

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-^CrossBow^-

I never played Ultima or Starflight originally back then. I was more into the Sierra adventure games. But I did fall in love with Wing Commander on that same 286 back then. At least the happy ending to that, is a decade later I got the 'Original' back from my mother's garage, cleaned it up, and still own it to this day. Although it doesn't get used much and sits in the box stored away. I have my heavily upgraded 'Daily Driver' for playing on.

 

But yes, once we got that 286, I lost interest in console gaming since for me at that time, console games couldn't touch what gaming was like on the PC back then. That changed once the DC,GC,PS2, Xbox came out.

 

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