Bally Astrocade VS. Atari Jaguar

[Sonaru]

Hi everyone. I'm trying to decide whether to buy a Bally Astrocade or an Atati Jaguar. They're both rare and expensive consoles so I can only buy one or the other. I'm looking to buy either system if I can find a working system that pops up below $200 USD but that's probably not going to happen. 

[ballyalley]

1 hour ago, Sonaru said:

I'm trying to decide whether to buy a Bally Astrocade or an Atati Jaguar. [...] I can only buy one or the other.

 

You wouldn't expect this answer from me, but if you're deciding between these two systems, then go for the Atari Jaguar.  If for no other reason than to own and play Tempest 2000.  Yes, the hype about that game is totally true.  It's not just one of the best games on the system; it's one of the best games ever.

 

The Astrocade is wonderful but, let's face it, it can't compete against the Jaguar, which has some really wonderful ports.  Even 16-bit ports to this system are great.  A good example is Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure.  The Jag has the best version of this game.  There are many other examples.  You'll have fun looking for them all.

 

After you get the Jaguar, save up some coins and buy an Astrocade in a year or two.  In the meantime, emulate it with MAME and get a good taste of it by playing a exclusive game like "Solar Conqueror."

 

Adam

[Sonaru]

Thank you for the tip! That's what I was leaning towards. Also the Jaguar units are more reliable so I don't have to worry about it breaking if I ever plan on reselling it. 

[glazball]

This is a toughie since both systems bring something unique to the table.  Let us know what you end up buying and how you like it!

[juansolo]

For me this one is tough because they're both great, but they're both also quite limited in different ways and I don't think either are worth the sort of money they sell for these days.

[Sonaru]

I agree that the prices these days are really inflated. I'm not sure if prices will ever drop at some point. I really should've bought either console a few years ago when they were cheap. 

[Frozone212]

Well as someone with an attraction to older tech, I'd say go first for the jaguar and then the Astrocade like the first dude said. Although, the system IS programmable so there's that

[Gunstar]

Luckily I've owned a Jag since the 90's and a beat-up Bally Arcade I picked up about 2005, and have restored, so I get to play both! And maybe program both.

[johannesmutlu]

I will consider the astrocade waaay more in line with the nes because,

1,it was also sold as an entertainment system,

2,it also resambled something else, in this case a frontloading cassette player,

3,it also contained a frontloading ZIF system,

4,it’s graphical and sound capabilities were advanced for it’s time.(in fact the nes should,ve be Z80 based since nintendo arcade systems were also Z80 based and also since nintendo’s intentions was also to port their arcade games to the nes,but the nes was ironically based on the 6502 chip while the astrocade was Z80 based wich i consider an average case)

so was the nes an innovative design to speak??? NO it wasn’t because the astrocade beated the nes by a whopping 7 years ,and with that in mind i am totally amezed that the redesigned famicom the us nes did sold because of A,being called and sold as an entertainment system,B,being a frontloading design to resamble a vcr deck along with it’s ZIF system,yes there were other factors such as the different time frame and including a robot and/or zapper,nintendo’s exclusive ip’s  and it’s UNFAIR intimidating contracts with game developers and retailers in wich nintendo played a falsch monopoly against it’s competitors,

and if i had to choose between the atari jaguar and the astrocade, i would go for the astrocade because it has support for the lightpen thus turning any good old crt tv into a touch screen,

also it does awesome,space invaders,centipede and pac man clones on it as well?

[Sonaru]

Yeah the Bally was really innovative for its time. I actually got both a Jaguar and a Bally Arcade recently. Between the two, I find the Bally more interesting and fun so I play on that more than the Jaguar. 

[Sonaru]

Also does anyone know how many units the Bally and Jaguar sold? Is the Jaguar or Bally more rare?

[Lostdragon]

On 11/3/2021 at 2:48 AM, Sonaru said:

Thank you for the tip! That's what I was leaning towards. Also the Jaguar units are more reliable so I don't have to worry about it breaking if I ever plan on reselling it. 

You might want to try Pitfall Mayan Adventure on a few systems if possible, if it's something your considering. 

 

Found it a nice looking, but rather mediocre title myself. 

 

 

The Genesis version runs at 60 FPS, the Jaguar version at 30..

 

 

Some people don't notice the difference, others found it rather laggy and choppy. 

 

The machine honestly is worth buying for Tempest 2000 alone, it really is that good. 

 

I'd take it over Tempest 4000 any given day. 

 

[Keatah]

Well the Astrocade has a very 70's moody atmosphere about it. A Fairchild Channel F aura. Some of the games can be very fun. Whereas the Jaguar is just 90's (redundant low-end arcade) stuff.