COCO2 16k vs 64k?

[Major_Tom_coming_home]

The Color Computer 2 was the computer I had as a kid and I'm getting back into it now (mainly for the games of course). I was wondering if there is any advantage in having the 64K model instead of the 16K model if I'm mainly just playing the cartridge based games? I had the 16K as a kid and I don't remember ever not being able to run any coco2 games or software on it due to it not being the 64k model. The COCO2 I have now is also a 16k model. It seems like the only upgrade worth considering would be to get a COCO3 at some point. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[BassGuitari]

If you're just going to be running cartridges, a 16K system will do you just fine. There are lot of good tape games for 16K systems from the likes of Spectral Associates and Mark Data, as well. But if you really wanted to get into cassette and disk games, you probably want the 64K. Or at least 32K. Most tape and disk games from ~1984 onward required 32K or more. 16K really kind of limits you to the first 3-4 years of the system's life.

FWIW, there are hundreds of .wav and .dsk game files over at the Color Computer Repository, either to stream directly from your soundcard (.wav) from the free DriveWire disk server (.dsk). The only hitch is you may need Extended Color BASIC or Disk Extended Color BASIC, depending on the game and what you're doing. Plain old Color BASIC probably won't cut it for most of them, other than very early games.

Practically speaking, if you're thinking about upgrading to a 64K CoCo2, you may as well go straight for the CoCo3, which has 128K standard and will run, like, 99% of the CoCo1/2 library.

[MarkO]

CoCo 3s seem to be more rare, so a reasonable priced 64K Extended Basic CoCo 2 might be your Best Bet.. Go for a CoCo 3 if you can....

 

My first CoCo, I only got a few years ago, and it was a CoCo 3 that came with an Apple ][e Platinum System.. My second CoCo was a 64K Extended Basic CoCo 2, and my Third and Fourth came as a set.. A 16K Standard Basic CoCo 2, and a 4K Standard Basic CoCo 1..

 

 

MarkO

[Mr SQL]

You still have a pretty big library to explore with your 16K machine - there are tons of awesome games, even text adventures like Raka Tu and the Sands of Egypt that ran in 16K. You can load the games from your ipod if you have the cassette cable.

[BassGuitari]

I don't know if CoCo3s are necessarily more rare, but they definitely aren't as cheap as they used to be (well, nothing is, but especially CoCo3s). The fact I only paid $50 for my minty-fresh boxed system about three years ago is a minor miracle. CoCo1/2 systems are less desirable since they don't offer "the whole shebang," and therefore are relatively cheaper to get (64K will probably cost you, though).

(Full disclosure: my favorite model is the battleship gray CoCo1. )

And like Mr. SQL and I said earlier, there are still a lot of really good games that will run on a 16K system.