7800 PAL/NTSC compatibility

[Simon]

Hi,

 

I'm curious if my PAL 7800 would be able to play NTSC cartridges. I already searched for that theme in these forums and checked out the 7800 FAQ, but I couldn't find that information.

 

Can PAL-/NTSC-carts be played on every 7800 console or is there a lock-out technology like in the NES for example?

 

Thanks.

 

Simon

[MattyXB]

Here you find some info:

7800 compatibility ntsc-pal

 

Yes and No. Some work, some not.

Some games work with small glitches, Huge glitches or Crash.

[Simon]

Hmmm... why didn't I find that thread when I searched the forums? I must've made an error by typing the keywords.

 

Is there a list available which shows up all PAL and NTSC games and states which titles work on the other machine, too?

 

What about for example "Jinks NTSC" and "Galaga NTSC" from the AtariAge store? Will they work on my PAL-console? BTW: I understand "work" as being fully playable...

 

Simon

[Mayhem]

Most of the early NTSC ones work fairly okay on a PAL machine. Certainly that's where I've seen most of the compatibility. Later on, that's when it starts getting into dubious territory. So I'd reckon Galaga would probably be okay, but Jinks might not. Anyhow, you should be able to get Galaga PAL cheap on eBay UK...

[DeV0]

Its such a damn pity that ntsc robotron wont run on a pal machine, I love that game. I think that a mod for an NTSC/PAL switch cant be that hard? I think the only difference in the chips is the placement of the pins. The later 7800''s clearly show PAL and NTSC on the mbs so maybe i'll try it one day.

[Eckhard Stolberg]

Devo:

I think you would at least have to replace the MARIA chip too. The PAL chips do 50Hz with 312 lines, while the NTSC ones do 60Hz with 262 lines. This behaviour seems to be build into the MARIA itself and is probably what causes the NTSC games to crash on the PAL console.

 

The PAL MARIA tries to process some scanlines that the NTSC game doesn't provide. Therefore the MARIA processes some random game data instead, which might switch the 7800 into a state where the game display doesn't work anymore.

 

Simon:

None of the NTSC 7800 games "fully" work on a PAL 7800. The best you could get is a game that plays slower than it should with some slightly off colours. If you really wanted to play the games as they were meant to be, you'd be better off getting a cheap NTSC 7800 and a multi-standard TV as well.

 

 

Ciao, Eckhard Stolberg

[+Mitch]

I took a look at this a while ago and it appears like you need to swap out the Maria, TIA and change the jumpers.

If you are hooking it up to an NTSC TV you will want to swap out an inductor as well to enable the sound. I don't have the schematic in front of me at the moment so I don't know the location number. If anyone wants to know I can look it up though.

 

Mitch

[DeV0]

What a pain in the butt, Putting a 50/60hz switch alone is one of the easiest mods to do on the majority of consoles. Changing the hz on the appropriate pin is not feasible? Coming from a pal country it is very common for people to do this. Hmm, av mod plus 60hz,,, Another fried machine 4 me?

[EricBall]

What a pain in the butt, Putting a 50/60hz switch alone is one of the easiest mods to do on the majority of consoles. Changing the hz on the appropriate pin is not feasible? Coming from a pal country it is very common for people to do this. Hmm, av mod plus 60hz,,, Another fried machine 4 me?

 

Unlike the TIA in the 2600, the 7800 MARIA handles the number of lines per frame. There are also differences between NTSC and PAL video beyond the 60Hz/50Hz frame rate.