Which console is better? Atari or NES?

[Andromeda Stardust]

pre-8bit?

 

bits are another terrible way to go about it ... for instance

 

VCS is 8 bit, but so is the TG16, PS2 is 64 bit but so is Jag, Intellevision is 16 bit and so is the sega genesis

Yeah, TG-16 was false advertising, but that machine was a real 8-bit powerhouse; @7Mhz it was 2x as fast as SNES!

 

64 is 64 bit; PS1 is 32 bit. N64 wins, yay!

 

How many bits was Atari PONG, like 1?

[PFL]

I've never understood this hang up with generations of consoles. Sure, the most successful consoles tend to come out every few years in 'competition' with each other but the only fact I see is that consoles (failures or otherwise) come out in a steady stream pretty much constantly... Kind of like tellys. I never hear people talking about (and spending nearly 5 pages on a forum!) what generation their telly is though!

 

To me, there are two 'generations' of consoles: Old and Not-so-old - and that definition changes on a daily basis depending what mood I'm in.

[CatPix]

How many bits was Atari PONG, like 1?

It's 0 bits

 

Pong machines works with TTL logic; it's digital at core, but there is no processor, just a bunch of transistors reacting to analog inputs (okay, a microprocessor and microcontroller are made of transistors, too, but their input and output is data, not analog signals) and putting out analog outputs.

 

Many early arcade games (including Pong) were TTL machines; it's why it's hard to emulate them perfectly : there is no code, no program to feed to an emulator, you have to recreate the whole electronic logic.

if you want "less bits", some early Microvision games were fitted with a 4bits processor from calculators. later ones are 8 bits (the Microvision itself doesn't contain any processor, it's all in the cartridge).

Edited May 16, 2014 by CatPix

[Andromeda Stardust]

It's 0 bits

 

Pong machines works with TTL logic; it's digital at core, but there is no processor, just a bunch of transistors reacting to analog inputs (okay, a microprocessor and microcontroller are made of transistors, too, but their input and output is data, not analog signals) and putting out analog outputs.

 

Many early arcade games (including Pong) were TTL machines; it's why it's hard to emulate them perfectly : there is no code, no program to feed to an emulator, you have to recreate the whole electronic logic.

if you want "less bits", some early Microvision games were fitted with a 4bits processor from calculators. later ones are 8 bits (the Microvision itself doesn't contain any processor, it's all in the cartridge).

Well, the very fundamentals of digital logic has two possible states, high or low, a one or a zero. A single bit is one of two possible states. Zero bits implies no state exists at all. Er, perhaps a singular state does exist since 2^0=1, but such a state is undefined since it cannot be represented by a 1 or 0. Still a circuit has to be nonzero amount of bits otherwise there can be no data output; even a light switch is one bit; on or off. Most ceiling fans are two bits, because there are 2^2=4 states, high, medium, low, and off. Three bits if you count the independantly controlled built in light fixture. But if PONG is one bit, I wonder if the "descrete logic = one bit" rule also applies to all those handheld LCD games...

Edited May 17, 2014 by stardust4ever

[CatPix]

Well, as this "bit war" is looked over the CPU, Pongs have no CPU, so they are 0 bits

bit yeah, there is still information going on for sure; tho, can you call them "bits" in the computer sense?

[Andromeda Stardust]

But you can't have logic states with zero bits. That's why Pong has to be at least one. As I said earlier, a frikking light switch is one bit. A brick might have zero bits but only because there is no circuit.

[CatPix]

Yeah, but game consoles are accounted by their CPU. I mean, I guess that's why the original question is about,hmm? What "class of CPU" the Pongs are part of?

No CPU : no Bits.

 

Or we gonna have to get more precise : the Intellivision is a 16/10/8 bits (16 bits CPU, 10 bits lenght instructions and 8 bits components) the SNES and Megadrive are both 8/16 bits systems, the Jaguar is a 8/16/32/64bits, etc...

[Cobra Commander]

Atari is better. This is common sense.

[PFL]

Atari is better. This is common sense.

This is, indeed, true. It's scientific fact. There's no real evidence for it but it is scientific fact.

[AtariORdead]

Atari is great, But NES is still much much better.

[xDragonWarrior]

Bandai Supervision 8000

Edited May 18, 2014 by xDragonWarrior

[atarian63]

Not

[Nebulon]

Atari is great, But NES is still much much better.

 

"Do you have stairs in your house?"

 

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/terriblesecret

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

"Do you have stairs in your house?"

 

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/terriblesecret

"We are the Space Robots. We are here to protect you..."

 

WTF did I just watch? Nobody pushes me down the stairs and gets away with it!

 

If it was me, I'd arm myself with a microwave oven with the window removed. Wear tinfoil apron. Aim microwave away from the body, towards the robot. Start timer and nuke the robot.

Edited May 20, 2014 by stardust4ever

[AtariORdead]

 

"Do you have stairs in your house?"

 

http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/terriblesecret

NES is still better

[+Random Terrain]

NES is still better

 

Me also love intendo tapes, especially the shiny kind!

 

 

Shiny! Shiny! Me like! Me like!

[PFL]

NES is still better

 

 

Perhaps you should consider changing your name to something a little more suitable then.

[cimerians]

Joystick's dump all over gamepads. Atari wins.

[AtariORdead]

 

 

Perhaps you should consider changing your name to something a little more suitable then.

I love Atari, the 2600 was fantastic and I loved it, I also still have my Lynx from when I got it new. However, I am also realistic.

[LaXDragon]

The results are going to be skewed as these are after all Atari centric forums. I'm not going to let that sway me however.

 

NES, clearly. I had many times more fun on my NES than even my beloved Atari VCS. Many games on the NES provided deeper and richer gameplay experiences than anything on the Atari. Pitfall while great and amazing for its time, but it does not hold a candle gameplay wise to Super Mario Bros. Adventure vs. Zelda, come on, not even a fair fight. The list goes on and on, Metroid, Mega Man, Contra, Duck Tales...

 

At the end of the day, I still love them both, and they both still provide great gameplay to this day

[AtariORdead]

The results are going to be skewed as these are after all Atari centric forums. I'm not going to let that sway me however.

 

NES, clearly. I had many times more fun on my NES than even my beloved Atari VCS. Many games on the NES provided deeper and richer gameplay experiences than anything on the Atari. Pitfall while great and amazing for its time, but it does not hold a candle gameplay wise to Super Mario Bros. Adventure vs. Zelda, come on, not even a fair fight. The list goes on and on, Metroid, Mega Man, Contra, Duck Tales...

 

At the end of the day, I still love them both, and they both still provide great gameplay to this day

Exactly this. Its a concept I really do not think the majority of people on the internet really gets. You can like 2 seperate things.

 

To them its this.

 

" I think the NES is better " = OMFG he hates the Atari 2600, lets burn him with fire, the dirty atari hating MF.

 

Newsflash, just because you prefer one thing does not mean you automatically dislike the other. I like the NES, but guess what, brace yourselves here, I can also like the Atari despite having a preference for the NES.

 

I mean bloody hell I have a cat and a dog, I love them both but I prefer my dog, that does not mean I am about put my cat in a sack and throw it off the nearest bridge.

[+Gemintronic]

We're not only talking about a leap in console generations but a completely different paradigm in games. Each 2600 game was meant to be played for a lifetime like non-video game forms of entertainment (chess, baseball, etc..).

 

The experience between consoles is different and not by any means a one to one relationship. As other people have noted this whole topic is kinda unfair (to both systems).

[Mr SQL]

Have to agree the tile mapped games are a lot of fun on the NES, but the original Flashback made it incredibly clear the VCS comes out ahead with classic arcade ports and fast action genre

[PFL]

I love Atari, the 2600 was fantastic and I loved it, I also still have my Lynx from when I got it new. However, I am also realistic.

It was just a joke bloke.

 

I don't think this thread is remotely serious. No system is better than another. The whole thing is subjective... Just a bit of fun.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Joystick's dump all over gamepads. Atari wins.

Don't be so sure...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/30203515@N04/sets/72157629736738048/

Edited May 21, 2014 by stardust4ever