nd2003grad Posted September 8, 2016 Share Posted September 8, 2016 But related. I've seen TONS of arguments around and they were partly what influenced me to buy an A500 as there seems to be little legitimate argument as to an Atari ST being better other than nostalgia. HOWEVER, I'm curious what community members' opinions are as to whether there is any value in having an ST? Or an Apple IIGS for that matter? It seems that this was an era where there was little exclusivity, especially on the end of those two machines. I don't collect just to collect, I collect mostly to play games. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsson Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I'm not sure which people read this section, so your answers may be heavily biased. What is true is that in the early years - perhaps 1985-87 or a little longer - there were far more ST games than Amiga games, mainly because Commodore were unwilling to lend equipment and give away documentation while Atari under Tramiel were eager to get a head start. Many of those games once converted to Amiga also didn't utilize the hardware, so often it is like playing an Atari ST game on the Amiga. On the other hand, I think the game supply turned the other way around once we entered a few years into the 90's, but I'm not entirely sure on that. For a musician, built-in MIDI is handy on the ST but you could use an external interface on the Amiga to obtain that function. The ST has at least one native floppy disk format that is close to FAT-12 on the PC, but you just need to install CrossDOS to read such disks on the Amiga too. I can't comment on the IIgs as I've never seen one in real life. Perhaps some of the more serious Amiga/ST games rather showed up on the Mac? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIO2 Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 I would say just be happy with your Amiga. The fact people still talk about which system might be better should tell you there is no clear answer to that question. Either one is a fine machine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonyvdb Posted September 9, 2016 Share Posted September 9, 2016 With the Apple IIGS being fairly much backward compatible with older versions of the Apple it had alot going for it. I love the games that were made for that era of Apples. The Amiga did support alot more graphics intensive games and had a large fan base. Comparing the Apple to the ST or Amiga may not be a fair comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2003grad Posted September 9, 2016 Author Share Posted September 9, 2016 With the Apple IIGS being fairly much backward compatible with older versions of the Apple it had alot going for it. I love the games that were made for that era of Apples. The Amiga did support alot more graphics intensive games and had a large fan base. Comparing the Apple to the ST or Amiga may not be a fair comparison. I've been trying to find out if there were many games exclusive to the IIGS without much luck. I guess I'm mostly curious between Atari and Amiga as to if there is much lost other than the music on not having an ST. In many ways, the music seems to be the big difference... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonyvdb Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 There are only a handful of games made for the expanded GS maybe 20 games? The Amiga did not have built in MIDI but it's audio capabilities wer better than the ST because it can do 4 channels of 8bit audio simultaneously (8channes with software like Octamed) where the ST could only do 3 channels if memory serves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenixdownita Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 If you care about games it comes down to who ported them. Some were better on the ST some on the Amiga. Looking at specs alone these days tells little, CPU is faster on the ST by ~10%, the Amiga can display 32 colors in low res (or 4096 for still images) from the get go versus the 16 of the ST low res (not sure how many games really used more than 16 bitd as it took extra power), the Amiga multitasked natively the ST needs MultiTOS (irrelevant for gaming), the ST had midi and some game did use it (but you'd need a decent synth to even start), the ST had a gorgeous b&w hi-res mode (but it needs a special monitor and it's really not for gaming), the Amiga can play samples natively while the ST has an FM chip, the Amiga has an integrated blitter that the ST got later in the STE (not sure how many games used it). Really you will have to compare games to make a choice and some are better on the ST some on Amiga, also there are some exclusives that you may consider (I hated my friend with the ST because he could play an awesome port of Super Sprint and I couldn't, but he dropped his jaw the very first time he saw "Way of the little dragon" [which hasn't aged that well to be fair] or heard "the alley project" .... that'll serve him). I also believe there was more Amiga stuff EU only (so you'd need to pick up a PAL one) ... not sure for the ST there was such a split. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonyvdb Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 The Amiga switched between PAL and NTSC with the click of both mouse buttons on boot so no need to "get a PAL version" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarian63 Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 (edited) But related. I've seen TONS of arguments around and they were partly what influenced me to buy an A500 as there seems to be little legitimate argument as to an Atari ST being better other than nostalgia. HOWEVER, I'm curious what community members' opinions are as to whether there is any value in having an ST? Or an Apple IIGS for that matter? It seems that this was an era where there was little exclusivity, especially on the end of those two machines. I don't collect just to collect, I collect mostly to play games. Thoughts? That is my view of Amiga, nostalgia only,I have one but it's really just a console and not that great compared to other,and the horrid os... . ST/STE is much more useful. Either way own them both. Edited September 10, 2016 by atarian63 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2003grad Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 That is my view of Amiga, nostalgia only,I have one but it's really just a console and not that great compared to other,and the horrid os... . ST/STE is much more useful. Either way own them both. Woah! First person I've seen feel this way. I do understand that non-gaming gives some wins to Atari. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarian63 Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 (edited) Woah! First person I've seen feel this way. I do understand that non-gaming gives some wins to Atari. actually it's my goto for games of that era, Amiga for a few arcade games, but generally the STE see's more from me, heck I even have 2 in my office besides the one at home. A Mega STE and a regular ste. We sold both systems at the store I owned back in the day, St was always dominant till about 89 when Atari decided to focus on europe and they were hard to get so we stared push a500 a2000 a3000 because we could get those. Used to import games for both systems for europe so we had stuff 6 months or more ahead of us release.Has both systems cracking with stereo amp attaached playing the latest games. Fun days! I miss it (the era anyway). Edited September 10, 2016 by atarian63 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastRobPlus Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 The ST was a games console and a home computer. The Amiga was the first modern personal computer. This debate has been done to death and won in favor of Amiga dozens of times over, even here on Atariage in the ST forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2003grad Posted September 10, 2016 Author Share Posted September 10, 2016 I understand that and (based on what evidence I have as a novice) agree, but my question is whether there is any practical need to have an ST if you have an Amiga. I think I've come up with, as a casual collector, that the answer is a resounding "no." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FastRobPlus Posted September 10, 2016 Share Posted September 10, 2016 I personally like the different feel you get from the tech of the era. Even the same software is subtlety different when played on a Mac II vs Amiga vs ST vs IBM clones. If were just talking games, I'm sure there will be games on the ST that will never reach the Amiga, even though a few coders have been pumping out ports of some of the most egregious omissions (like Oids) -edit- I also love the STacy - that's system has no 68K rival. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2003grad Posted September 11, 2016 Author Share Posted September 11, 2016 It's a back-burner thing. I may get one someday. Seems difficult to get one's hands on an STE. I presume this needs 15khz as well, which I luckily have two synch monitors for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+davidcalgary29 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 But related. I've seen TONS of arguments around and they were partly what influenced me to buy an A500 as there seems to be little legitimate argument as to an Atari ST being better other than nostalgia. HOWEVER, I'm curious what community members' opinions are as to whether there is any value in having an ST? Or an Apple IIGS for that matter? It seems that this was an era where there was little exclusivity, especially on the end of those two machines. I don't collect just to collect, I collect mostly to play games. Thoughts? I think that the 'best' machine is the one that you get the most pleasure in using today. By all (or at least most) measures, the ST is a 'better' platform than the A8, but even though I have loads of TOS computers, I almost never use them. I'll never stop using the A8, though, so it's 'better' for me. The same is true for consoles and handhelds: I have a PS4 and a Vita, but I find them boring and enjoy the Dreamcast and my Lynx more. It sounds like the Amiga is 'best' for you. What else matters? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Woah! First person I've seen feel this way. I do understand that non-gaming gives some wins to Atari. Then you haven't met me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keatah Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 As much as I like the Apple II lineup, as far as I'm concerned they could have skipped the IIgs. The IIgs was never in the same league as the ST/STE or Amiga. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinphaltimus Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I can't speak for Apple or Atari. My Amiga 500 was by far the most fun I ever had with a platform. Making music,2D and 3D animations and art as well as games, I find it hard to believe anyone would have anything negative to say about it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenixdownita Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Bitd the rivalry ST/Amiga ran very deep, these days it seems all petty. The main issue with the ST that I had is that to enjoy it in full you needed to have 2 monitors, but then again the interlaced res of Amiga was headache inducing so ... I can see why for productivity the ST was likely better (DTP/Music/Office kind of work). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoestring Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Oh no, we're not doing this again are we ? Let's do x68000 vs Amiga vs ST That's sounds like more fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd2003grad Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 LOL I made it CLEAR that I did NOT want this to go this way!!!! All I asked was if someone thought it was worthwhile to have an Atari ST if you already have an Amiga 500; basically, is there enough overlap to just own the "one" of your choice at least game-wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sinphaltimus Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 OK, all I can help with is this. If I wanted to know about getting game system a even though I have game system b and game system a can be emulated near perfectly? Well then, I would emulate game system a and make up my mind based on that as to whether or not I thought a real physical game system a would be worth it.From what I've seen on eBay, my Amiga 500 setup is worth around $500 for everything. I personally would not pay $500 for everything I have. Which hurts, because I want an extra Amiga 500 to keep as a spare should mine die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoestring Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 You could go with an FPGA system ( fpga arcade or MIST ) rather than replacing your existing A500 if you had to. 8520s are a common failure nowadays & Amiga hardware is becoming more expensive than what its worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
high voltage Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 (edited) Amiga was mostly (99%) a games machine in Europe, nothing more. Oh some TV programs like The Chart Show used it for animation stuff. But mainly, Amiga = games, as more than 10 UK gaming magazines dedicated to Amiga has proven. With the Amiga Batman Pack, Amiga overtook ST in gaming. ST, games, and music, eg Fatboy Slim, Jean Michel Jarre, Madonna etc.... Oh yes, Jay Miner WANTED the Amiga to be a games machine anyway. Even so, my personal choice, Amiga, easier to use out of the box. Edited September 12, 2016 by high voltage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.