7800 VS NES

[Mister VCS]

Somtetimes I hear that the 7800 ist technical superior to the NES, and it was a

tragedy that Atari released this system too late.

I disagree.

When you look close to the system, it is only a modifizied 5200/XL system with

the sound of the 2600. The starting titles would be Dig Dug, Donkey Kong,

Asteroids and so on. Short: the same games Atari already released for the

2600, 5200 and XL! In 1984 people where tired to play this old games the 4th

time with minor graphic-modifications. They where tired in 1984 and in 1986,

it doesen´t matter. Atari lost it´s innovation in 1984, always the same poor

Action/Arcade games. They would never reach the creativity of Nintendo who

pushed videogaming to a new dimension (Super Mario Bros).

Why didn´t Atari released such games as Raiders of the Lost Ark for the 7800?

Don´t missunderstand me: I love Atari, and I hate Nintendo, but sometimes,

you have to be critical with a true love

love som

[DracIsBack]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mister VCS:

Somtetimes I hear that the 7800 ist technical superior to the NES, and it was a

tragedy that Atari released this system too late.

I disagree.

When you look close to the system, it is only a modifizied 5200/XL system with

the sound of the 2600. The starting titles would be Dig Dug, Donkey Kong,

Asteroids and so on. Short: the same games Atari already released for the

2600, 5200 and XL! In 1984 people where tired to play this old games the 4th

time with minor graphic-modifications. They where tired in 1984 and in 1986,

it doesen´t matter. Atari lost it´s innovation in 1984, always the same poor

Action/Arcade games. They would never reach the creativity of Nintendo who

pushed videogaming to a new dimension (Super Mario Bros).

Why didn´t Atari released such games as Raiders of the Lost Ark for the 7800?

Don´t missunderstand me: I love Atari, and I hate Nintendo, but sometimes,

you have to be critical with a true love

love som

---

 

Really - the NES isn't much more than a modified 5200 either. :-) Same processing power, limited colour palette. Where Nintendo shined and Atari fell on their ass in developing innovative games. Some will disagree with me, but technical issues aren't the reason the NES cleaned up. The reason Nintendo succeeded was because they changed the face of gaming. While Atari released better versions of Atari 2600 titles and Commodore 64 ports on the 7800, Nintendo came out swinging with longer, more detailed games like Super Mario and Zelda. They also had major marketing bucks attached.

 

In contrast: The Tramiels kept the 7800 on the shelf, until Nintendo actually took off. Then, in 1986, they released it with only a couple of leftover titles from the Warner era. They backed it with $300,000 in marketing compared to tens of millions Nintendo was paying. TO put that in perspective, Atari's 7800 marketing budget was only a fraction of what they spent on the Jaguar or the Lynx! Add to that Nintendo's tactic of locking developers out of competitive platforms and bullying stores that carrying competitive products and you had dead competition.

 

Technical stuff had little to do with it. Marketing, strongarm tacticss and some revolutionary games were Nintendo's big combo punches.

 

The Tramiels were cheap and they didn't help the matter. They didn't license big titles. THey didn't spend a lot of game development. They didn't release 1 megabit games until 1988 (Nintendo had these in 1985) because they didn't want to shell out for extra RAM. They didn't buy television ads, a lot of magazine ads or make a lot of POP material. They announced a lot of vapourware. They killed the 7800's peripherals.

 

Seriously: it has little to do with technical issues as the 7800 and NES are very similar in terms of overall processing power (each has some strengths over the other in certain areas) as it does with short-sighted Tramiel idiocy.

[Mister VCS]

I don´t think that Warner had much more success with the 7800 than the Tramiels.

The starting titles (from Warner!) showed that Warner didn´t learned from the 5200 flop.

I don´t understand why they spent the 7800 the VCS soundchip. Warner would

concentrate the software on action-games, but people wouldn`t play action games in

1984 and the following years. Playing Donkey Kong is not more fun on a 7800 than on

a XL or Colecovision, nobody needed this.

But Warner was able to promote the 7800 quite well, and nobody knows what happened

if the creative Acitivision programmers made "NES-quality" games on the 7800.

[Paul Slocum]

There were two threads a while back that you made me want to reread:

 

http://www.atariage.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb...ic&f=4&t=000249

 

http://www.atariage.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb...ic&f=4&t=000246

 

-Paul

[KAZ]

Ok, I love the Nintendo, there's nothing at all wrong with it. I love Mike Tyson's Punchout, and Super Mario Brothers, and everything.

 

But seriously tho...try comparing Ms. Pacman on the 7800 to the one made on the Nintendo.

 

I know it is only one example...but I liked the 7800 version a whole lot better. The nintendo version felt choppy. The 7800 played it very smoothly.

 

Granted this was using emulators, and not the real things, but I can't figure that the real things would be much different.

 

Donkey Kong Junior is another example. Tho this time Nintendo is in about a dead tie with this one. There are elements in both that I found appealing. Same with Donkey Kong. 7800 seems to do things more smoothly, for some reason, it just seems to flow nicely, like the system could handle more if given the chance.

 

By the way, lest I talk harshly about Nintendo, Mega Man 2 is my favorite game of ALL TIME. No game for the 7800 can compete for my love of this game.

 

Seems that Nintendo has 7800 beat in the memory department, am I right? But 7800 has it Nintendo beat in the processing power?

[KAZ]

The more I even hear about the 7800, the more I want it. And I love the debate over whether it is better than the Nintendo as far as technology. I already have a Nintendo. I just love how some games play on the 7800, and it shows nicely how advanced Atari got (compared to the Atari 2600). That is why I'd get it. So I'd have a comparison across three systems. Ms. Pacman on 2600, compared to 5200, compared to 7800. Dig Dug the same, Donkey Kong Jr. on, um, where the hell was it for the 5200? Donkey Kong for 5200? Pisses me off!

 

And no prototypes or anything like that I suppose for these games for the 5200?

 

what other games are on all three systems, I just can't think.

 

[ 05-09-2002: Message edited by: KAZ ]

[Jetboot Jack]

One real problem with the 7800 games and the ports of DK and DKjr in particular is the AWFUL sound - it makes my head split.

 

IMHO DK/DKjnr/Mario Bros play better on the 8bit (which is just a big 5200) than the 7800 - and especially 'cos the sound is so much better on these versions.

 

Ms Pacman is great on both the 7800 and 5200 Centipede rules all other versions!

 

BUT when programmed aggressivley the 7800 can do MORE than the 8bit architecture graphically - Desert Falcon, Basketbrawl, Ikari Warriors, Commando etc...

 

I would reckon IF Atari had produced big (1mbit plus) carts for the 5200 it could have been a competitor for longer. Had Atari licenced or developed good modern games for the 7800 it could have done better too (just make sure you put POKEY in every cart!)

 

sTeVE