Atari keyboard, and Super Breakout

[Ze_ro]

I'm not very big on the Atari computers, but it's more because I haven't been able to find them anywhere! I've been tripping over C-64's in the streets, but none of the thrift stores around town even has a hint of Atari computer stuff. With two exceptions:

 

A long time ago, I noticed a game at the local flea market that claimed to be for the XE Game System, which I had never heard of at the time, so I ignored it, and it eventually went away.

 

And today. I was at a thrift store, and came across four games in a bag that looked to me like 8-bit computer games! So, for $2, I got Defender, Pac-man, Super Breakout, and Centipede... not too shabby. Of course, since the games were there, I looked around for the 400/800/etc that these must have come in with... but no luck I did however find a keyboard that had the Atari name on it... unfortunately, the Z key was busted off, there was a bug crawling around in the bag that it was in (That alone wouldn't have stopped me, but it didn't help), and it looked to be simply a PC-compatible keyboard (Even the connector). What's up with this? Was this an ST keyboard (I never see ST's anywhere either), or did Atari actually mess around with PC clones at some point?

 

Also, once I got home, I decided to open up the cartridges, seeing as I'm a curious *******... but when I opened Super Breakout, I noticed there was only one chip in it, with a second empty socket! Did this game only use one chip? I could easily see it being a small game... but I have no way to test this cartridge as of yet.

 

--Zero

[Gunstar]

That Atari keyboard you found, if it looks like an IBM style, could be either a megaST/TT keyboard or if it REALLY looks like a PC keyboard then that may be just what it is; Atari released the ABC-PC's in the late '80s that were Atari made 286/386 pc's. The only other detachable keyboard Atari made was for the XEgs and it definately does not look like a pc keyboard in anyway (other than it's seperate from the computer).

[Ze_ro]

I'm pretty sure it was just a standard IBM PC keyboard then... seeing as it had all the normal keys that you find on a PC keyboard. The only unusual part was that it only had 10 F keys, and they were on the left hand side of the keyboard (Which isn't really that unusual anyways)

 

--Zero

[Gunstar]

However, even if it was just one of the Atari ABCpc's, it may be valuable as a collector's item. Few were made, the fact that Atari made them,etc. etc., it's rare. It would be very cool in my opinion to have an Atari branded keyboard connected to my pc, even if it is outdated in some ways, a key can be replaced or repaired. How much was it?