dee (01/18/83)
I hear that the Atari 5200 is identical to the Atari 800/400 except that the joystick interface is slightly different. Can anyone confirm this? Donald Eastlake (decvax!cca!dee)
bryan (01/18/83)
While it is true that the 5200 is a stripped down version of the 400/800 computers, I would not buy one. Buy the 400 instead, the cost difference is not that much and you get a system that can be easily expanded, in almost unlimited ways. Plus there is no way the 5200 can support as many games as the 400 because the 400 can be expanded to 48k while the 5200 can not be expanded. There are already over 2000 software programs available for the 400/800 computers. The reason the 5200 can not be expanded is because it uses a smaller version of the 6502, which does not have the adress capabilites of the 6502. Also the OS of the 400 is a lot more powerful than that of the 5200. p.s. I saw a 400 expanded to 32k for sale in Compute for 177.95 ihlpb!bryan
jjm (01/19/83)
I disagree with a previous article advising the purchase of an Atari 400 instead of the 5200. The joystick interface is very different. The 5200 uses a "true" proportional joystick with keypad and two firing buttons. The 400 uses the old "4-banger" with one firing button. There is NO WAY a game on the 400 can compare with the controls offered on the 5200. Additionally, the 5200 will have a trackball option. The 400 will not. Apparently, the PACMAN that runs on the 5200 is better than the version for the 400. Atari 5200 PACMAN includes the "halftime cartoons"; I have been told that the 400 does not. If all you want is arcade style video games, why spend extra money on an Atari 400? And if you want a home computer, why not get something better than the Atari 400? Jim McParland ABI - Holmdel hou5e!jjm