Hawkeye68

The first 3rd party program I bought was Action Quest on cassette, and it came in a clear polybag with the manual serving as the "cover."

I wouldn't expect computer-savvy people to be happy. We've had nearly perfect, customizable emulation for a long time. I figured it was for collectors, casual gamers (those who bought the original 400 as a gaming console), and people who wanted an easy way to play on the big screen in the living room.

I've often wondered if there was any possible path for the 1978 Warner Atari to have survived to today. Maybe their best option would been to stay out of home computers, and release the 8-bit chip set as a console for Christmas 1981. And release high-margin software for home computers, but not for competing consoles. I'm glad they didn't go this route, because my 400 and 800 were my favorite purchases ever.

The ST had very few dealers outside of major cities. For many people, mail order for something that costly was simply a non-starter in the 80s and early 90s.

The overpriced 1200XL and the 5200 controllers were the main signs things had gone disastrously wrong. I'll never forget the first time I tried the 5200 at the local mall. I tried Super Breakout and just assumed the controllers were broken. How could Atari, the premier gaming company, have let this happen? Mind boggling, then and now.

I think if we could go back in time, prevent all the mistakes and create the perfect Goldilocks scenario, Atari computers still would have been obliterated by PC clones. People wanted at home what they used at work. The market for MS-DOS software was enormous. And I've always wondered if the Warner Atari really made money on the 400/800/1200/XL, or if financially, they would have been better off sticking to games.

I don't remember many Atari t-shirts and hats back in the day. What would have been the point? Everybody had an Atari.

I agree that the original was 4K perfection. It really was. But I like "Another Adventure" a lot. If I could've bought it in 1981 it would have easily been my favorite game.

They can be tastefully redrawn, as in "Another Adventure" but the awesome sound they make when eating you must remain the same!

I could probably play Adventure variations forever. There's just something relaxing about the simple mazes, simple controls and simple puzzles. Always a nice way to kill five or ten minutes. I have enjoyed almost all of them.

I got Surround used without an instructional manual. I don't think I ever explored it enough to find that. Like many, I had a "favorite" controller that was always plugged in on the left side. It was very annoying to have to change it for Surround, so I played it less for that reason.

I bought my cartridge in the summer of 1982 and it was the first release, with the two-phase splash screen. And you couldn't start the game with the fire button, you had to press start on the keyboard. The first couple of board were very slow and lethargic. I know it was improved for the 5200 release. Do the later 8-bit carts have the 5200 version?

Agree. It's odd that so much attention was paid to getting the hardware right and yet things like the difficulty switches and paddle resolution would have been obvious to anyone who grew up with an Atari.

I cringe every time I see one of those B&W labels. Tramiel-era corner-cutting gone berserk.

I grew up with the CX-40 (2600/800/ST) so it will always feel like home to me. I intend to acquire a CX-40+ to compare. That said, MAME brought the weakness of these controllers to full display. Our local retro-arcade has well maintained machines and I can easily double my scores there vs. playing with the CX-40 at home. Back in the day, there was a thriving market for 3rd party controllers for a reason.