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Atari 7800 trak-ball?


bikeguychicago

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Has any bought one of these? If so, how do they perform and what games do they work with (aside from Centipede as mentioned in the listing)?

I don't know of any (released) game besides Centipede which was intended to use the 7800 trackball. Given that, you have two choices: you can buy one of those trackballs for $130, or you can go for the trackball-enabled version of 7800 Centipede by Kenfused and order it on a custom AtariAge cartridge that you can play with your own trackball controller(s) for $30.

 

In my opinion, if you really love Centipede, the 7800 version is good enough—especially when played in cooperative mode!—to justify picking up a cartridge and an extra CX-80 trackball if you don't have one already.

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Video 61 has had these on sale for awhile now on their site for $89.95. I am guessing that they are the seller of these on ebay. Unless you want to use a trakball on 2 button games I would just get the centipede TB hack. Also I'm sure someone here could mod your trakball for 2 button use at a better price than they're asking for this trakball.

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I took a look at that and I don't think it's worth +$100. It seems to me it's modified really "weird". Sure it can play 2600 one button games programmed to it in trackball mode but any 2600 games hacked use two button joystick or a regular two button 7800 game, like Xevious, it's a pretty serious design flaw.

Edited by Bakasama
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Video 61 has had these on sale for awhile now on their site for $89.95. I am guessing that they are the seller of these on ebay.

 

 

Video61 is based in Minnesota (local to me) & the trakball ships from Lancaster California, so I dont think it's them.

 

Im pretty sure Atari never marketed a 7800 trakball, the one they DID sell was perfectly compatible. That photo looks suspect & homemade- no self-respecting company would put the word(?) "grippy" on their product. The seller also states the trakball is the only way to play games like Centipede...which just isnt true.

 

Allan's right, seller's stuff seems really unnecessarily overpriced.

Edited by RJ
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maybe someone bought it from video 61 & is reselling it? They have the same graphic on the ebay listing as the video 61 site.

 

That's what that eBay seller does. Buys stuff and tries to resell it on ebay for really high prices hoping that some new collector will come along and get suckered in.

 

Allan

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That's what that eBay seller does. Buys stuff and tries to resell it on ebay for really high prices hoping that some new collector will come along and get suckered in.

 

Allan

 

Which is why I asked here...

 

I come from the other side of the tracks (from a console formerly made by a toy company that makes Hot Wheels and Barbies) and just bought a 7800. Based on my experience with other forum members and their willing to help, I thought I'd solicit help here to avoid being one of those newbie 'suckers' :)

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I'm happy to modifiy those at a cost of $15 plus shipping per each. (You provide the trackball(s)... like the above post said, they are may still be $12 at Best).

 

You could order a pair, have it sent directly to me, I modify, and return to your address. That gets you a pair for less than half of what they are asking for just one.

 

(or you could just get the hacked version of the game :grin: but now that I've seen Beep4me and their silly price, I'll probably make one just to cut his price in half Gwahaha)

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Which was the better trackball... the CX22, the CX80, or the Wico?

I own all three (I only have the 99/4A version of the Wico, but it's the same trackball). The Wico trackball is a good solid controller, but of the two Atari trackballs, I prefer the CX80. The action buttons are larger and feel more solid to me (I seem to recall that they use leaf switches as opposed to the silver dome switches of the CX22), and I also found the trackball to control more smoothly than the CX22, although that could have been a problem with the CX22 that I tried. The CX80 also works flawlessly with the trackball-enabled version of 7800 Centipede.

 

(I should also point out that Centipede does NOT require the two-button mod. You may wish to get it for other games, but Centipede only requires one button.)

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well I tried my CX-80 on my 7800 ... the only Centipede I have is for the 2600 ....

 

the trak ball work for the 2600 v of Centipede ...

 

the fire buttons DON"T at all work for dual fire games that I have for 7800 , I tried Choplifter & Xenophobe

 

it would seem the trak ball would indeed need to be modded , the ebay price is kinda steep IMO , but he did make a custom box of sorts for it. might not be as straight forward as I hoped it would be ...

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/93812-modifying-a-trak-ball-to-simulate-a-pro-line/?do=findComment&comment=1139417

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well I tried my CX-80 on my 7800 ... the only Centipede I have is for the 2600 ....

 

the trak ball work for the 2600 v of Centipede ...

 

the fire buttons DON"T at all work for dual fire games that I have for 7800 , I tried Choplifter & Xenophobe

 

it would seem the trak ball would indeed need to be modded , the ebay price is kinda steep IMO , but he did make a custom box of sorts for it. might not be as straight forward as I hoped it would be ...

 

http://atariage.com/...e/#entry1139417

 

Needs a new cord, two resistors, and a little time. Seriously though I'm happy to do it for $15 ($5 for parts $10 for my time) if anybody would like it done.

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