best atari computer

[tugboat450]

Which computer is the easiest to program and has the best games?

Thanks!

[mimo]

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease not another which is the best Atari thread.

Do a search in these forums young padawan !

 

 

Seriously they all use the same BASIC programming language with different revisions for bug fixes

XL series have better keyboards than the XE series

130XE has more memory, but very few games actually use it

400/800 will not run XL/XE games

 

47% of Atari Age users say that the 800xl is the best buy

 

So really you need to have a look around and see what hits your budget

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...620&hl=best

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...198&hl=best

http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...121&hl=best

[tugboat450]

My apologies. My little brother decided to use my account. Thanks for the info that he was too lazy to look up himself!

[Warriorisabouttodie]

Which computer is the easiest to program and has the best games?

Thanks!

 

They all use the same programming languages and for the most part the same games. If you need to pick one, I suppose the 130xe or an expanded 800xl would be your best bet. Personally I think the 1200xl looks the coolest.

[frogstar_robot]

If you intend to use the built-in BASIC, you'll want to have a Rev C. BASIC installed in the unit. Rev B. has as infamous problem associated with repeated loads and saves of the same program. Basically, a heavily edited program will grow to fill all memory but will overwrite memory locations that are used as registers by the OS before that happens and crash the machine. There is a workaround but using Rev C. BASIC or BASIC XL or XE is a better idea.

[+therealbountybob]

I'd get a Atari 130XE for programming; the keyboard is fine, and the RAM disk is very handy... have been using one for 20 odd years

 

I'd also get an Atari 800 to allow you to play great 4 player simultanoues games like Dandy (Dungeons) plus other oldies like Beserk

[+doctorclu]

Personally I think the 1200xl looks the coolest.

 

This is what is great about the Atari 8 bit line in my opinion... the shear amount of variety. And at this point in fandom with the various upgrades, you also have all the opinions now open on all of them, basically.

 

So if you like a small footprint... 600 xl. You like a large footprint... 1200/800

 

You like a detachable keyboard... XEGS. You like a membrane keyboard for your kids... 400 (those are a little harder to upgrade as the rest, but hey, still a cool computer...) And the list goes on.

 

Still a fan of the retro look of the 800 myself. I have liked those since I first saw them in 1982.