thinking about getting an 80's computer

[AlexKIDD]

So i've played nothing but console games my whole life and now i'm thinking about getting an old computer for gaming. I know very little about these computers at the moment. So which one would you guys recommend for a first one? And which games would you recommend?

I've been looking at commodore Amiga 500's and they look nice. Not many of them come with monitors though, so can you play them on a tv or a modern computer monitor? Also i'm wondering if any or all of these computers support joysticks,as i've never been a fan of playing games with just a mouse.

[Jess Ragan]

Yeah, an Amiga would be a great choice for an 80's computer. It was really powerful for its time, and still compares favorably to the Genesis and Super NES.

 

I believe the Amiga 500 can be connected to either a composite monitor or a standard television set. Also, they do accept a standard 9-pin joystick... in fact, you could use an Atari 2600 joystick if that's your personal preference.

 

JR

Edited July 13, 2005 by Jess Ragan

[Brad2600]

How about the good 'ol 800? Try getting an 800XL. It has better versions of some games that are also on the 5200.

 

If not, get a Commodore 64. These are my favorite computers from the 80s.

[Lord Thag]

Or try an Apple IIgs. Awesome graphics and sound, and windows-like OS. Lots of great versions of classic software like Bard's Tale and such, as well as some flawless arcade ports. Plus, the thing is a dead sexy looking piece of hardware.

[Lord Helmet]

I loved my c-64 as a kid. Lots of games. I like the Atari 8-bit line as well.

 

The next 80's computer I get will probably be a TI/99.

[n8littlefield]

I loved my C64 as well. It was a really good machine. I remember sitting there for about 5-10 minutes waiting for Frogger or Aztec Challenge to load off the casette player, boy those were the days!

 

I loved the machine though - especially once I got the floppy drive. Summer Games, Winter Games, Exploding Fist... man, now I think I need to find one too!

[+davidcalgary29]

So i've played nothing but console games my whole life and now i'm thinking about getting an old computer for gaming. I know very little about these computers at the moment. So which one would you guys recommend for a first one? And which games would you recommend?

I've been looking at commodore Amiga 500's and they look nice. Not many of them come with monitors though, so can you play them on a tv or a modern computer monitor? Also i'm wondering if any or all of these computers support joysticks,as i've never been a fan of playing games with just a mouse.

891113[/snapback]

 

 

I would skip the 500 and try to get an A1200, which was released much later in the Amiga's commerical life and contains many enhancements (hard drive, standard VGA connector) that simply makes life easier for enthusiasts to enjoy the system today. The A1200 also contains built-in PAL compatibility (not sure if the A500 has this), which means that you'll get to play the many great European games that were released for the system in the '90s.

 

On the downside, it's rather difficult to get the A1200 in North America. I'd try an Amiga users' group for this one.

[Pinball Wizzard]

IBM PC AT will be good choice...

[AlexKIDD]

Anyone know of a site that has game reviews for any of these computers?

[Jess Ragan]

You'll find tons 'o Amiga reviews here:

 

http://www.classicgaming.com/amigareviews/

 

Some of them are in German, but there's enough English reviews to keep you busy for a long, long time.

 

JR

[Clint Thompson]

From personal experience, I would say the Atari 800.... great machine, tons of games... fairly inexpensive to obtain.

[cimerians]

Commodore 64

[Osbo]

I'll go with a C64 and 800XL. Both can be connected to a PC (XE1541 for the 64, and SIO2PC for the XL) and use it for games server

 

I'm just waiting for my 'new' C64 and the SIO2PC cable is in the mail (11 bucks, ebay, complete cable)

[SteveW]

You should get some emulators and try out a bunch of different machines. There were so many good games across so many different platforms, you really need to find out which ones you like the best before deciding on a computer.

 

I'd personally get a bunch of them, if I had the space. In the past six months, i've bought a couple Tandy Color Computers, a Timex Sinclair 1000, an Atari 1040STFM, and an Atari 800XL, and they were all found in thrift stores. They all cost me less than $10 each. If I were you, i'd take the thrift store/flea market/second hand store route to find '80s computers, instead of eBay. You'll probably get away cheaper, although it'll take you more time to track them down in thrifts. But the thrill of the hunt is half the fun, in my opinion.

[Great Hierophant]

I keep an Apple //e Platinum around for fun and tinkering. You can often find them cheap. A far simplier machine than either the Atari or Commodore but with 8 expansion slots you can go very far. So many originals too.

[Mayhem]

Face it, you need a C64. Massive range of games, and the stuff you download (as mentioned) can be transfered to real floppies if you've got the right setup and an X1541 series cable.

 

Even better bonus: many of the PAL games have been fixed by cracking groups to work properly on NTSC machines as well.

[pinball22]

Yep, everyone needs a C64. A large portion of my favorite games of all time are C64 games.

[Stingray]

I'll throw in a vote for the Apple II. I have IIe, a IIGS, and a IIC. If I could only have one I'd probably keep the GS, as it has a better display and far better graphic capabilities. It can run just about all of the software designed for the earlier A2 computers as well. If you end up buying one that's missing any accessories, PM me, I probably have what you're missing.

 

-S

[kevin242]

Go for the Amiga 500. They can be found cheap. All Amiga's will play Pal/NTSC soft

and about 98% of games will run on the Amiga 500 with 1 meg of memory. It's a great

machine that has better gfx/sound then the Atari ST (altho I would say that should be

your second choice).

[Zonie]

IBM PC AT will be good choice...

891184[/snapback]

 

I hope your kidding.

[cimerians]

IBM PC AT will be good choice...

891184[/snapback]

 

I hope your kidding.

891976[/snapback]

 

 

[Blackjack]

The Video Adapter to hook your Amiga 500 to a TV is the

520 Video Adapter

 

I had one back in the day and I wish I still had it! Fun system. All my buddies with Nintendos were envious.

 

TV Sports Football

Lords of the Rising Sun

Might & Magic (3, I think)

North & South

Wayne Gretzky Hockey

Cyberball

 

Great games!

[+else]

Or try an Apple IIgs. Awesome graphics and sound, and windows-like OS. Lots of great versions of classic software like Bard's Tale and such,  as well as some flawless arcade ports. Plus, the thing is a dead sexy looking piece of hardware.

891129[/snapback]

 

I had an Apple IIgs back in the day (and still do, though it has been boxed up for years now). I used to love the thing, but today if I take a step back and take an objective look at it, I'm not so sure.

 

The support from Apple itself was pittiful. It was way over priced and way under powered. Apple released a whopping three programs for it (The OS itself, Appleworks GS, and Hypercard GS) -- and Appleworks GS was just the name they slapped on Beagleworks GS after they bought it. The latest release of Appleworks GS has bugs in it that Apple knew about but never fixed. And did anyone actually use or care about Hypercard GS? Basically, Apple kept trying to pretend the machine didn't exist and kept trying to kill it off.

 

As for third party support, there was very little of that as well. Sure there were some native GS titles released, but their numbers are small compared with other systems of that era.

 

I guess what I'm saying is that the GS is definately the best Apple II machine, but if you're looking for the best 16-bit machine you may want to look at the Amiga or Atari ST before making your decision....

[Spector]

Spectrum.

[yuppicide]

I'd get a Commodore 64 and get the adapter so you can use a normal IDE PC hard drive on it or so you can use a CompactFlash card and then I'd fill it with games.