The Atari 7800 ProSystem was the company's belated answer to the NES, designed in 1984 but shelved until 1986 after Atari Inc.'s sale to Tramiel. Originally-shipped NTSC 7800s are RF-only — composite video did not become an option without third-party mods until decades later. The rear carries that single RF antenna output, the front has the same two DE-9 joystick ports as the 2600 (with full backward compatibility for 2600 carts and controllers), and the right side hides an expansion bay that Atari intended for a high-speed peripheral but never released one for. Power is a proprietary 9V DC barrel jack.
Device Information
- Manufacturer
- Atari
- Release Year
- 1986
- Model Number
- CX7800
- Category
- Gaming Console
Source: manufacturer product page · Last updated: · How we verify port data →
Available Ports
| Connector | Quantity | Power (PD) | Capabilities | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF Antenna Input (Coaxial) | 1 | — | — | TV OUT (rear) | RF output via the supplied switch box. The original NTSC 7800 has no native composite or S-Video — those are aftermarket modifications. |
| DE-9 (Atari / Sega Joystick Port) | 2 | — | — | Controller 1 / 2 (front) | Two DE-9 joystick ports. Backward-compatible with Atari 2600 controllers (joysticks, paddles, driving controllers) and the 7800's own CX24 Pro-Line two-button joypads. |
Other Atari Gaming Console models with the same ports
Notes & Compatibility
Rear: RF antenna output (NTSC was RF-only at release — composite/S-Video mods became popular decades later), 9V DC barrel power inlet (not modeled). Front: 2x DE-9 joystick ports, fully backward-compatible with Atari 2600 cartridges and controllers (the 7800 even has hardware-level 2600 compatibility). Right side: expansion bay (covered by a removable plastic door) that was never used commercially — not modeled. Console ships with CX24 Pro-Line joysticks plus an RF switch box. Every standard NTSC and PAL 7800 is RF only; a French model with a 13-pin DIN video output is the exception. The practical upgrade is the well-documented composite mod (it taps video before the RF modulator) into a composite-to-HDMI converter. Without the mod, a TV with no analogue tuner needs an analogue RF demodulator.