GlowingGhoul

I thought you and the other non-NTSC users did not have artifacting (hence the complete disregard for it by many modders based in PAL countries, like VBXE or the GTIA in FPGA projects)? Didn't games that used artifacting appear black and white for you?

I recall the colors changing when I switched from a 600XL to a 130XE. Green grass or blue water, but not both

FYI, Crypt of the Undead (not "The Crypt") was published by another company, bought by Epyx, and soon after renamed "The Nightmare". Playing that game in the dark, only sound in that vast, stark cemetery your footsteps, walking into the Mausaleum and then a few steps in.... I'm pretty sure I have PTSD from that game. Scared the crap out of me.

Low res text looks terrible, and can be very difficult to read on the A8, IMHO. Obviously, I wouldn't sacrifice the quality of graphics in AR for a larger window, but the inability to use high res text on the same line as multi-color graphics forced some hard compromises. One of the few things I think worked to the C64's advantage was 320x200 hi-res mode specifically because it could display multi-color high res text, at least for the kinds of games I preferred.

My point was the lack of being able to display high resolution text on the same line as multi color graphics meant AR had a lot of wasted space on either side of the tiny "action window", compared to Ultima III which was able to use a much more efficient layout.

Well, I love the way (intentional) artifacting looks in A8 games. Choplifter - the delicate, single pixel pulsating stars in the background, and the overall crispness of the graphics. Ultima III - High resolution text on the same horizontal plane as multi-color graphics. Even my loved Alternate Reality is kind of sloppy in this regard, wasting space on either side of the main window. Don't think we would have gotten nearly as much software early on if artifacting wasn't available making conversions much easier. I'm skeptical software houses would have gone through the expense of converting to Atari's lower resolution modes on an unproven system.

How much is the Jaguar CD?

A UAV might be a good addition without compromising reliability.

I have 6 Rev C UAV boards left if anyone needs one. $25+5 shipping (within US).

I have 6 revision C UAV boards left if anyone wants any, $25+5 shipping each (within US).

I don't think STE's have been less than 300 Euro for a long time now.

Impressive.

That's a relief. I'd hate to think I was making my machine significantly less compatible with this upgrade.

Do we have any idea how many games used illegal opcodes? If I understand correctly, anything that does will crash the 65C816, is that right?

The biggest obstacle Atari computers were facing in the early to mid 1980's was the perception of Atari as a "game machine" company. I don't recall the origin of the computers being much of an issue. Mention that you had an Atari and you were written off as an unserious computerist by the likes of CP/M and Apple micro users. They were trying to professionalize their computer line by the time the XLs rolled around, and a LOT of effort was spent on marketing the XL's as "serious" machines. Leaving the Fuji off was undoubtedly an attempt to distance themselves from the "gaming" stigma that stopped businesses from buying Atari computers. They probably should have spun off the computer division into a company with an entirely different name.

That 16k Atari 800 at £645 is the equivalent of £2231 today. http://inflation.stephenmorley.org/

2 years ago. And a Turbo Chameleon as well. FPGA system emulation is not for me, not convenient, buggy cores, and most of all, and I know this isn't "specific", but the graphics, sound, even things like scrolling, are just not right. Close enough for some perhaps, but after spending hundreds on FPGA based emulators hoping to get rid of my physical hardware, I ended up getting rid of the FPGA's instead. Ok, I kept the Chameleon, but only because it provides a VGA output when plugged into the real C64 I bought. There's a reason these things seem like the answer to having all systems in a tiny package, and yet haven't become the standard for most people. It's more like an interesting technical demonstration than a refined product.

You'll be happier with real hardware if that's an option. I find the FPGA Atari 8 cores to be less than satisfying. Sound and graphics are a bit "off". Even emulation is better, but (enhanced) real hardware is the best.

My reason is simpler: Upgrade 600XL memory without soldering, and without having to upgrade to 64k first (which other upgrades require)! In fact, out will come the CPU, RAM, and ROMS for a nice, cool running system, since heat buildup can be an issue in the 600XL's smaller case.

Definitely still available. I just ordered 5

Let's just put this to rest now. I live in the most Metro of Metro areas, and going out hundreds of miles doesn't result in the $10 trunkloads of retro computing gear we used to have access to. Like Timothy, I've spent the last few years building up my collection, and eBay's pretty much the only way to go at this point. If it's on Craigslist, it makes ebay look cheap.

A glut of Atari 8-bit equipment? Come on, give me a break. And if it were true, someone could easily put it up for sale on ebay to rake in an enormous profit. You're living in the distant past.

That's nice, the fact is some people can't seem to accept that the "real" price of an Atari computer isn't the $1 you might have found in a thrift store. There isn't some conspiracy out there to drive up the prices of these things, just the market at work chasing fewer and fewer goods. Shill bidding happens, but you're just one of the legion of whiners on retro computing boards who think that a trunkload of old gear should always be the $10 it was in 1995, and if it isn't there must be some conspiracy at work.

My goodness what a collection of baseless complaints, paranoia, and conspiracy theories. We're long passed the phase at which Atari 8-bit stuff was nearly worthless, and either available for a token amount or free if you fished it out of the trash yourself. Rarity has increased, prices have gone up. Some people ask for too much, and their listings languish, but its quite clear that actual, real, sale prices have been rising steadily. I know some of you don't like it, but that's how it is. We'll never see the days of cheap, plentiful Atari hardware again. I have more bad news for the complainers. Right now, availability and pricing are as good as it's going to get. It'll be worse next month, and in a few years it'll be far worse than it is now.

Anything but www.neptunesociety.com !