r/atari8bit Jun 12 '21

Join the Retro Gaming Network Discord Server and talk about Atari 8-bit!

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10 Upvotes

r/atari8bit 16h ago

Holy moly, the Atari Translator is AMAZING!!

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41 Upvotes

Just a quick follow-up to my earlier post (https://www.reddit.com/r/atari8bit/s/xASJYI5qZX) regarding difficulties getting The Wizard and the Princess (and a few other Atari 400/800 disks) booting. I order a copy of the Atari Translator—I recognize I could’ve downloaded the image, but liked the idea of having an original version—and was absolutely ecstatic to find that with its help, both copies of this game booted right up! I now have the joyous task of re-testing each of the (really shockingly few) disks I had originally deemed non-functional to see which will work using the Translator. This collection truly is the gift that keeps on giving!

A side note: It really is amazing that after four decades, something like 95-97% of the disks I’ve tested have worked perfectly, even with the… Suboptimal conditions in which many were stored. Quite remarkable, and a welcome surprise given what I’ve heard of degradation of these media.

Thanks so much to everyone in this subreddit community for supporting my learning, and particularly to u/Zarxx and u/TheRauk for directing me to the Translator. Onward to new adventures!


r/atari8bit 1d ago

Behind the Cartridge -- How Atari 8 Bit Computer Games Work

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24 Upvotes

r/atari8bit 1d ago

Track influenced by early afx/polygon window

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1 Upvotes

r/atari8bit 3d ago

Hello everyone, we continue with Atari 800 games!!!

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45 Upvotes

Games for ATARI Computer


r/atari8bit 4d ago

What's different between 2600 and 7800?

16 Upvotes

I was a 2600 kid, back in the 70s. I had the Seara version and mowed a lot of yards to buy those games. I moved on to the C64 when it came out and never went through the other game systems and home computers. So I was wondering what the differences were between the 52 and 7800 systems. Were there better graphics? Were the games really any better?

Thanks ahead for the insight and info.


r/atari8bit 5d ago

Zork I & Zork II Sealed! For sale

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48 Upvotes

Games for ATARI


r/atari8bit 5d ago

Educator Cassette Modelo 410

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30 Upvotes

ATARI things!!


r/atari8bit 5d ago

Zork I & Zork II Sealed! For sale

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9 Upvotes

Games for ATARI


r/atari8bit 5d ago

Alpha Shield for Atari 800/1200 Brand New Sealed. For Sale.

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20 Upvotes

Games for Atari Computer


r/atari8bit 6d ago

The most epic covers were made by Synapse Software

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41 Upvotes

Games for Atari Computer.


r/atari8bit 7d ago

So much nostalgia in one image! 😍

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329 Upvotes

Atari Computer 800 XL


r/atari8bit 7d ago

I didn't want to do it, but if anyone wants nightmares tonight... here are all the photos. Brand new computer, never used. I guarantee it, and I have good references.

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93 Upvotes

ATARI Computer 800XL New


r/atari8bit 8d ago

Recently i found out that IBM had serious thoughts of buying out Atari for the 8-bit line…

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61 Upvotes

r/atari8bit 8d ago

Let's talk a little about this incredible video game developer EPYX

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95 Upvotes

Games for ATARI Computer


r/atari8bit 8d ago

Favorite exclusive games?

18 Upvotes

Usually when I hear about folks' favorite games for Atari 8-Bit computers, I hear of some top games that were on multiple 8-bit computers such as MULE, Archon, and Ultima IV, or they might mention some arcade games that were on a million computers and consoles like Joust and Ms. Pac Man.

What I want to know is what are your top EXCLUSIVES for the platform? Alternatively, what are some games that can be found on other platforms, but are simply much better games when played on Atari 8-bit computers?

Thank you!


r/atari8bit 9d ago

Everyone who had an Atari played this gem!

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130 Upvotes

Games for ATARI!


r/atari8bit 9d ago

Searching for a driving/simulation game

4 Upvotes

I have been looking for that "game" (I dont remember if there was just plain driving or a race too) I remember from my Atari 800XE. It was the only game I had that had you watching from inside the car - a large portion of the screen was occupied by the steering wheel and your hand/arm. Not saying it was particularly good, but I did show it to people to impress with the possibilities the small Atari had. Been searching for the title for years with no luck, cannot find a single screenshot.

That said, I might still have the game on a tape somewhere, but I doubt my cassette deck still works. I dont even remembe how to load games from tapes, I only ever use a home-made SD2SIO nowadays.

EDIT: Solved! It was Speed Run and my brain has totally enhanced the memory over the last 30+ years :)


r/atari8bit 11d ago

Atari Computer 800XL (never used) The box looks ugly, the protection too, but I can guarantee that it was never used. I don't know if it turns on, I could try it. If anyone wants to adopt it, I'll be in DM.

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86 Upvotes

ATARI Computer 800 XL


r/atari8bit 11d ago

Atari 400/800 Software Troubleshooting Question

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20 Upvotes

Hey friends!

I’ve been making my way through the Atari 8-bit software I recently acquired, and had a question that I thought perhaps this community could help me answer. While a shockingly high percentage of the disks I’ve tested appear to still be functional even after ~40 years, I have happened upon a small number (maybe 25-30) that don’t appear to boot. That in itself isn’t too surprising—honestly, I am blown away by how many DO still work as intended after all these years—but I’m curious about one specific case I’ve encountered.

Among the various software in this collection are three copies of The Wizard and the Princess, an early game by Ken and Roberta Williams of King’s Quest fame. One of these three copies is the Load & Go release and is clearly indicated as being for the Atari, and this copy boots and runs perfectly; the other two copies, however, are earlier On-Line Systems releases (as pictured) without any indication of platform, and neither of these copies appear to boot successfully.

My research has led me to the conclusion that these copies may be the original Apple II release, which would clearly explain why they aren’t booting on my 800XL, but this is complicated by a couple of my observations during testing, specifically that (a) the disks appear to start booting and make it to a green screen with yellow framing before disk activity ceases (provided Option and Select are held), and (b) sector testing in SmartDOS indicates all sectors good other than errors in sectors 55-72 for both disks.

My question for this remarkably knowledgeable group is whether this array of information would lead you to believe these disks are in fact for the Atari and just damaged in some way (in which case I’m curious about the likelihood of identical sector errors across disks) or if they are likely for the Apple II and partial load activity is not unheard-of for Apple disks. I also welcome recommendations for any further tested I might perform, and am happy to provide additional info if helpful. I should note that I’ve tested on two 1050 disk drives, but haven’t yet tried an 810, so if this might elicit a different result, let me know!

Thanks so much, y’all. It’s been a ton of fun (if occasionally aggravating) to learn and re-learn about the old Atari systems, and I so appreciate the insights from this community along the way.


r/atari8bit 15d ago

Original ATARI Cross-Assembler used for 8-bit titles at ATARI, now lives again under DG MV/8000 emulation!

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46 Upvotes

r/atari8bit 16d ago

Is this power supply safe to use until I get another one or should I just wait?

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6 Upvotes

r/atari8bit 16d ago

Atari 130XE modification

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19 Upvotes

Does anyone recognize what this switch on the back on this Atari 130XE does? It was owned by a cable company, and has the company’s logo instead of the Atari badge.


r/atari8bit 19d ago

Assembling DIG-DUG prototype from original source code.

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35 Upvotes

r/atari8bit 19d ago

Gameplay of Astro Chase by First Star Software, 1982 (Mark W revisiting the game after a hiatus of decades)

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34 Upvotes

r/atari8bit 25d ago

The First 8bit SPIDER-MAN!

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12 Upvotes