Atari ST Computer System Review - LGR

The Atari ST was introduced right before the Commodore Amiga in 1985. Popular with gamers, musicians and desktop publishers, the ST earned its right as one of the best 16-bit computers of its day. But is it still worth owning to a current collector of vintage computers?

This is an overview of the history, hardware and software of the ST from the perspective of an American collector. How do the pros and cons stack up, and is it worth getting an ST over similar systems like the Amiga?

Many thanks to Borin81 for the 1040STfm!
http://www.youtube.com/user/Borin81

For lots of great info on the Atari ST and other Atari computers:
http://www.atari.st/
http://www.atari.org/

Download the floppy transfer program:
http://atari.8bitchip.info/floimgd.php

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This video contains music by The Insider and Kevin MacLeod that is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license for commercial use. Those photos at the beginning are CC images sourced from Wikimedia.

Category:

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[TheDXDan]

these games i guess are ok i guess

[phreakindee]

@TheDXDan Oh yeah, I guess I might ponder that perhaps we maybe I dunno, possibly?

[PSLover9]

Man, plug it into your tv's aerial port or VCR,DVD or whatever thing you use. NOT YOUR PC.

[phreakindee]

@PSLover9 Why? It works fine. And besides, this is a PAL system, as explained in the video. I don't have a PAL TV/VCR/DVD player or whatever thing I use.

[rcgldr]

In addition to the Atari monitors, you could hook up a Sony KV1311CR TV as a color monitor.

[phreakindee]

@rcgldr I have a Sony KV-1311CR display, but the problem is that you need a rare, proprietary cable to hook up an Atari ST, Amiga, or other RGB home computer to it. I don't know how to make one, don't know anyone that does, and I have never once seen one for sale :(

[Nympholita]

our first computer was an atari 1040 st :-)

i loved the games "egg hunter" and "bad uncle murray" xD

[somorastik]

Great review as allways! Please make a Jagged Aliance 2 review, maybe a comparison to the new version.

[plan7a]

:D

[ConanCnutKicker]

my older bro had an STE, and those control ports were a perennial balls-ache! but on our one sega control pads worked fine, baybe beacause we had a european mastersytem and mega-drive perhaps ????

[rvistaworkbench]

papperskorg.

[LoCDoGG1984]

They took a chance and fail with the jag plain and simple

[Mhd287]

why did atari stop making computers and worked on the jaguar

[MegaCellProductions]

I've used one of these. My guitar teacher has one!

[mrhunam]

Crapola, 15 minutes for all those C cells? Sounds like an Atari Lynx.

[sarahts21]

They also made 520STFM's with 512KB RAM. I know this because I had one as a kid... and another sat on a shelf.