I still have my 800XL, 1050 drive, 1010 tape drive as well as the older and
rarer 850 interface module. In my opinion, the Atari 800XL was by far the best
8-bit of its time outshining in technical terms even the Commodore 64 with its
superior graphics and sound capabilities. It was just not a particularly popular
machine against the likes of the aforementioned C64 and ZX Spectrum micros but
was way ahead in many areas such as the DOS system.
 
Incidentally, DOS 2.5 was the last Atari version but interestingly my
machine shipped with Atari DOS 3. however, I believe the interface, although
more elegant, was not liked that much and so Atari compromised with all the DOS
3 features with some new ones and wrapped it in a DOS 2 interface.
 
Other third party versions included DOS XL, Smart DOS and Sparta DOS with
the latter probably the most sophisticated.
 
I have a "US Doubler" chip fitted in my 1050 drive which doubles disk speed
and increases capacity another 50%.
 
I've had a series of computers since then but my fondest memories lie with
the 800XL.

The Atari 8 bit home computers, for when they were first released in 1978 were very powerful and ahead of their time.

I used to deliver news papers when I was a young teenager. I saved up the money to buy an Atari 800XL. I previously had a Timex Sinclair 1000, but that one was given to me. The Atari was the first one that I worked for to buy. I did, however, receive the floppy disk drive, 300 baud modem and a third party printer for christmas as well as few games and other software programs. The floppy drive was also third party. It was an Indus GT which for it's time had a much sleeker look and design and they seem to load disks a bit faster than the 1050 did. But I eventually bought a 1050 so that I could have a second floppy drive. Eventually I migrated to the Commodore 64 simply because the games and software for it were more widely available in my area. It was getting really hard to find software for the Atari machines and we did have the luxury of the internet. Then eventually bought a Atari 520st with 1Mg Ram expansion back in. Those were the days of computing. I didn't own pc until about 1999 when I bought a used Packard Bell computer with Windows 95 on it and then eventually an eMachine's computer with Windows 98 on it, but I totally skipped over the MS-DOS era.

My Atari 800XL. Now on YouTube.
http://youtu.be/rxmcUVYECJg

I'd love an Atari 800 but its successor is OK too. (-:

I know it had it's problems, but I still think the 1200XL is one of the sexiest looking home computers from the 80s! :)

Yes, IMO the Atari 800 has better specs than the Spectrum 48k. However the Spectrum was WAY cheaper than the Atari 800-class machines, which it is one of the reasons why it was such a hit in the UK home market. Re: why no porting...Could it have been the NYSC/PAL differences with respect to colour? Maybe software developers just concentrated on their own local markets (i.e. countries).? Most Spectrum code was for the Z80 chip, not the 6502 so maybe porting wasn't that easy?

Thank you Terry. IMO the Atari 8bit graphics were better than the C64. The Atari's did have very capable graphics chips and the CPU ran much faster clock speed than the C64's. Using software tricks there were games that put a lot more colors on the screen than the C64's 16 colors. Also the Atari serial bus was years later used as a model in designing the USB standard. The C64 was superior mainly in the size of its user base, had more software (games), music synthesis and had a longer life span.

Best 8bit computer I've ever owned

OMG the memories. I spent four years writing "The Elite Personal Accountant" for this computer--wow, can't believe it's been 32 years. Wow. I remember switching from the 800 to the 800XL just because revision B of BASIC was included. I managed to get four modules on one 88K disk--now, the inefficiency compared to then is staggering. Thanks for the video!

Just got one of these today for 70 US dollars with the Dual Density Disk Drive thrown in for free!

Makes that the second vintage computer I have alongside my Texas Instruments TI-99/4A!

Love the vids, take care and good luck with your collection man!

I have a 1200xl system with duel 1050's that have doublers. System is video powered by a commodore monitor. Love it. Have thousands of software titles. It's a blast to play with.

The sound of switching it on and holding down the start(?) key to start a cassette based gane loading will forever be etched into my brain. The 'booorp' then a short pause followed by the 'screee'. That takes me way way back and yes, brand loyalty led me onto the STfm which I also loved. It's kind of sad but also wonderful that, after the end of its run I could pick up some fairly obscure cassette titles for the XL in the bargain bins in computer shops for as little as 50p. Sometimes real gems such as Panther, Zybex and such. I almost have whiplash at the speed I regressed back to childhood. Thank you.

The Atari 800 XL, sweet memories.. Playing Gyruss, Ghostbusters, etc. Still own one and a 130xe with a 1050 diskdrive.... Now 41, still like my old 800xl.....

If you follow the lead designer's project history, the Amiga is essentially the next step in this line's evolution. I always wanted an Atari 8-bit computer back in the day. It took me until today to get one and to get it working. Now it's happily connected to my 50" plasma TV. The games on here are great fun.

Yes, here in New Zealand and having no local lad like Clive Sinclair, our machines tended to be a mix from UK and US markets with a bit of Aussie thrown in. So we saw all sorts.

Excellent video mate, the original 400 & 800 were awesome loved evreything about them & I've always prefered atari's designs over the C64, esp the XL models & even the XE models gets some credit :) I have the 65 & 130XE...eventually I'll looking into getting the 600 & 800XL :)

Say what you want about the 1200XL .. but Jeezz --- it was BEAUTIFUL !

Nice, sleek, elegant ... I don't even think the Apple team of current time could improve much on its look. It's just gorgeous.

I had the Atari 800XL and my friend had C64. We thought we were so cool sending messages via a 30 baud modem over the phone line and writing DOS programs. Computer history.

Claysic computer colleeection

Could listen to you talk about computers all day, great video mate.

Hi Tezza hope your keeping well, just got an 800XL on ebay and im using an SIO2SD drive to run it. Works like a charm. Many good times spent on this computer as a kid. Could you do a tutorial on DOS and BASIC commands etc.

Ahh thanks for the memories my first computer was the 400xl which i later upgraded to 32 k and then when it became unreliable to a 800xl which i had both bought 2nd hand with a tape drive so i never had the experience of listing to a computer salesman , i later bought a floppy disk drive for it as i programming for my dads business doing a price list in basic then i bought a 2nd floppy disk drive and then converted both of them to a HAPPY from the US that was a exercise in itself if you don't know what that is pm me . i may have some old software and a old photo of me with my Atari setup but them were the days of MTV and those days for me are gone , strangely i'm still at dads business /.......... doing price lists , thanks again.

Atari released DOS 1.0, then 2.0 which supported single sided single density for the 810 drive. When the 1050 came out it supported enhanced density disks which had 1.5x more storage than single density disks. Atari released DOS 3.0 to support this new drive and it's capacity but it was a HUGE failure and was very incompatible with... everything. Converting files from DOS 2 to DOS 3 was a one-way event just to find out your software don't work with DOS 3. DOS 3 also wasted a lot of disk space due to it's HUGE sector sizes.

So Atari went back to the drawing board and released DOS 2.5 which is newer than DOS 3. It fixed all the issues DOS 3 had, remained compatible with DOS 2 formats. And it was able to use enhanced density formart as well. However there were MANY MANY different kinds of DOS for the Atari. Most of them were simular to Atari DOS with it's menu-based operation and kept the same allocation table format. DOS XL, MyDOS, and then there was SpartaDOS.

SpartaDOS is an MS-DOS like DOS that supported sub directories, time stamps, and a batch files using a command line interface exactly like MS-DOS, but not MS-DOS compatible. It even had it's own file format but remained completely compatible with Atari DOS formatted disks, and it didn't care which you were using, it just worked flawlessly. SpartaDOS X, a cartridge based DOS, was the pinnacle of SpartaDOS. It came with built-in ARC (compression software) RAM disk support, and a ROM disk that had extra commands built-into it. A FAST disk access if you had the right hardware. Since it was on a cartridge, it had the smallest memory footprint allowing more conventional memory to be used by the user.

Love the sound of the keyboard clicks! Awesome!

Its funny, because my father bought an Atari 2600 game console, an Atari 800 computer and a commodore 64 computer for my 2 older sisters back in the 70's (I don't know the exact date or year because I wasn't born yet). When I was 4 or 5 around the late 80's or early 90's I remember playing with these two computer systems that were sitting off in the corner on the computer desk next to that big Radio Shack computer called T80 something ( I have to pull it out and check it again).

I use to play with the keys, hit the switch to hear the snapping sound or play with my toys on it, at that age I thought it was some kind of huge toy, my sisters would tell me to leave it alone when they would catch me near it.
I can honestly say I never really seen them playing with those two computers, they mainly played and talked about the Atari 2600 console when I listen to them romanists about their childhood, little do they know I found their console in the basement a few years ago and have added it to my console collection, score!

Sadly I think I might have thrown out the Atari 800 computer and the commodore 64 computer in the early 2000's as we upgraded our computers because I thought they were either broken or just old. My sister recently said it was never broken, they just weren't into computers like my father back in those days.

I'll look around my fathers basement and see if I can find them, it would be a shame if I threw out a piece of computer/gaming history.

Listening to the floppy chirp as it loads a program brings back so many good memories.

A much better home computer than the Commodore 64, but sadly overlooked at the time. I remember my parents buying one from Laskys in the UK for £249, probably around 1983. 3 months later it was down to £99, much to my parents horror.

Brilliant, Tezza - what a great nostalgic video - we love the Atari 800XL over at: http://atari.boards.net/
Please come and see us to talk more Atari.
Cheers and thanks again for a great upload.
BAZ

I still own an Atari 800xl from when I was 13 back in the 80's its at my parents complete with tape drive & disc drive as disc drive did not exist when it was purchased plus printer & some game cartridges & 1000's games on disc.

The power supply is dodgy...... It was fine in the first few years but needed some constant switching later in life to boot the pc

This is my first computer. Thx.

Nice , I am a happy owner of one of these :) QC

This is superb. My Atari 800XL got me through University. As word processor, project budgetting tool, C editor and terminal. Still have it!

Great stuff Terry, great stuff. I have a Sinclair ZX Spectum (from new, still used with composite video mod), Atari 600Xl (I expanded it internally to 64k), loads of 800XL's, loads of ST variants, loads of x86 PC's including a IBM ValuePoint 486 in the loft. I am watching you on a home built AMD 64x2 Linux lash up in England. Keep up the good work.... Oliver

I have one of these machines coming in the mail this week.  I'm really excited. 

I had 800xl back in the days. I even remember flipping pages in manual, and trying to figure out what was all about- some times around 88-90, and since i couldnt speak/ read any English it wasnt all that simple. Just like it was yesterday, i remember this picture in the book at 13:15 . I also remember when i noticed a sequence of numbers and letters some where in that book. I decided to rewrite it on the computer- some time later-  RETURN and viola!!! one of the programs made the screen black, and than all of the sudden thunder appeared on the screen and than my text appeared. Thank you for reminding me that( i had a "flash back" and i went back in time ;) to that exact moment.... My A800XL for some reason was always running" SELF TEST" every time i turned it on when around 1991-92 it just died.

I'm not sure if this got answered already. I don't have the patience to read through all of the comments, but here's the story on Atari's DOSes for the XL's and XE's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_DOS

Atari originally shipped a version called DOS 3 with their 1050 disk drives. It supported the 1050's "enhanced density" capability (not quite double-density), but it used a format that was incompatible with earlier DOSes, and became very unpopular. Atari relented and came out with DOS 2.5, which supported "enhanced density" disks, and was compatible with older DOS disks. I have this vague memory as well that you could take an "enhanced density" disk formatted with 2.5 and use it in a single-density 810 disk drive. It could read/write from/to it, with the limitation that the 810 could access most of the disk, but not all of it.

When Atari came out with its XE computer line, it also released the XF551 double-sided, double-density disk drive (though they still made the 1050, which was less expensive). They made DOS XE for the XF551, and it was incompatible with previous DOS disks. This was the last version they made.

There was also a little known version called DOS 4, which was made exclusively for the never-released Atari 1450XLD computer.

Thanks for the response. It's really anyones guess. It seems after 1986 the atari 8bits get largely ignored (still getting good games, but not as many). I CAN think of at one instance of a game getting porting to the C64: Karnov. So it is possible. I was just thinking it would have greatly extended the life of what is really a good machine. I've only been playing the spectrum in emulators, but I think its actually a pretty good machine from what ive seen.

Thank you so much for this video. I bought one once here because even though its not of my generation, Atari 800xl was quite popular in its time in my country but the one i got was in very bad conditions so I couldn't really enjoy it.

Thanks. It's amazing how many modern storage solutions have appeared for these old 8-bitters.

It's not the drive as such. Beeps come out of the monitor speaker as data is drawn from the disk. I'm assuming this is deliberate and is coded into the operating system just to reassure users data is flowing. It could get a little irritating if you were using something that has a lot of disk access though. I guess the answer would be to turn the volume down. (-:

The U.S. market documentation for the Atari XL series was much higher quality, at least before Tramiel took over -- it was printed in full color on thick glossy paper and spiral bound. It still didn't have a lot of in-depth detail about anything, but at least it looked really nice! The physical design of the XL series computers was also notably superior to many other home computers of the time -- despite the cost-cutting motive, they really made the hardware look stylish and elegant.

i still have and use my atari 800xl and 1050 disk drive

Atari 800XL in 1987, 14 y/o. My grandfather bought it to me for my birthday. I still remember seeing the sealed box after coming from school... Then programming in BASIC... FUN times, ..games,..utility software and music routines. :)

I was still in High School when I got my 800XL. I can tell you from personal experience that Atari/Commodore favoritism back then could be easily compared to the Sega/Nintendo Console War of the early 90's.

I still have my 800XL and 1050 disk drive (still have their boxes too!), along with my small collection of floppies that amazingly, still work! I recently picked up an S-DriveMAX unit, so it has been getting some use lately. I've already been able to preserve some of my disks digitally, in .atr format.

I have my Atari 800XL which still use to this day. My favorite software are video game programs based mostly on coin-op arcade video games. However I switch between DOS 2.0s and DOS 2.5 because they have certain features that works better for one program better than the other.

I got my original Atari 800 around 1980 (full price). Around 1985 I picked a new 800XL for $50 someone won with a scholarship.

Detailed video on retro...computers....

i had an atari 800xl and my friend had a commodore 64. . we were battling to see who had the better games...i lost....i like the biege atari 400 and 800 best...

So nice to see one Atari 800 that still runs, thanks!

They dont make them as good as they was back then, so simple to use!

There was a DOS 3.0 that came out before DOS 2.5 if my memory serves me correctly. It was universally hated. DOS 2.5 was introduced after 3.0 and was loved.

If you really wanted max out your Atari 8-bit and ST, and do some real tinkering, a subscription to Antic Magazine at the time was key! You can still find the editions online. Tons of programs, programming and even hardware hobbies for the Atari. The September 1986 edition was real awesome. They taught how to construct a WEFAX interface circuit so you could access Facsimile transmission over shortwave radio (especially weather transmissions for cargo ships). It was also adaptable to the ST.



Also, the 4 function keys from the 1200 still exist in the 800xl. You just need to know where to solder some push buttons switches off the mainboard. I never did it but My cousin did it.

even if the 1200xl was discontinued, the 1200xl was a much better computer with an even better keyboard. I had a 1200xl, and before that an atari 400.

Would anyone know if the Atari 800XL system could connect to the internet? Was a browser ever written for it? I know there was a modem for it.

I owned an Atari 800xl and a Commodore 64. The Atari was way superior, as it's disk drive system worked MUCH better than the Commodore. I never knew you could hold down a key on power up to force the loading on the Atari - wish I had known that back in the 80's!

Re-do this one Terry.

I always loved the Atari 800XL. The only thing missing, of course, was the four joystick ports for MULE.The keyboard was solid and better than the later XE models, and everything looked very nice. Kinda wish I still had mine today.

I never really messed with dos/basic based operating systems much. First computer I ever saw was a windows 95 my dad brought home from the police department (he was a detective back then). He wouldn't let me touch it, which annoyed the hell out of me. I remember he eventually gave it to me around the time ME came out. Was the first computer I ever owned. I never got a chance to use anything Atari, considering that was before my time. Never even got the chance to own a 2600 console. Kind of weird playing the emulators though. Feels like I'm going back in time. People in the 70's/80's were extremely lucky to experience the dawn of the computer age. Wonder how many could even guess how far it would go?


To put it into perspective, the 800XL had 64k ram. The computer I'm using now has 8gb ram (and that's considered on the low-side now days). That's over 100,000x more ram than its predecessor. If I were to have 32gb ram (which is growing more common among high-end), that would be about 500,000x more ram. Imagine what things will be like 50 years from now...


Good video.

Zx spectrum 48k and 128k.graphics were not good, amstrad cpc 464,wos ok

Amiga wos the best commodore,

Atari 1040st wos just as good

my first PC was a COMPAQ(HP) 486 PC . 8mb memory and 66MHZ Pentium CPU. 500MB Hardisk . Theres no cpu fan.

There was a later version of the Atari 800 line - the 130XE.

I chose a 600xl with datacassette over a c64 with a floppy drive because I was an Atari fanboy back in the day. I later learned I was actually a Jay Miner fanboy, for I also loved my Amiga 500 years later . Amazing times!

Atari 8-bit and Amiga Hardware presentation:
https://youtu.be/ehgFgMZG6Nk?t=556
Space Harrier on the 800XL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_Wazp4_V3k

7:35 yes some keyboards used separate switches for each key that do resemble mechanical keyboard switches you see on PC keyboards today. Some 800XL models had membrane switches under each key.

6:33 You didn't always have to hold OPTION down when booting a disk. Holding the OPTION key when you boot up just disables the built-in BASIC since most commercial games didn't use BASIC. The Atari would always check to see if a floppy disk is available and boots that first to load in DOS.

Tezza can I come hang out with you and play with old computers? Pleeeease? :D

Oh... have to come to NZ I guess.

I just got a working c128 !!

Where is a review of a C-128 ?? I like your videos. But what ? No C 128 ?

I owned first a 600xl, next a 800xl, the 130xe before going 16 bit with STs and Amigas and seriously, for a machine that originated in 1979, it was quite powerful regarding colors, graphics and sound...actually nothing could touch it's potential. However, what is better does not always dominate the market. Recently, I purchased several models and still adore my Atari 800...what a quality product... cheers from Canada.

The 1200XL had a revised OS that made some programs not work because of how they used the OS as in the 400/800. The 600XL/ 800XL had a less revised OS so fewer programs required the Translator or FixXL boot disks. The 1200XL also needed a minor fix on the SIO so it could power SIO based devices like the XE modem.

Today the 1200XL is a sought after model. It has 2 LEDs on the keyboard the user can light up at will once you know how.

I have just found a very similar setup to this in my attic, I would like to set it up and see if it still works as it appears to be in good condition, I think all of the wires are present and it has a huge box of games, 3 joysticks and two instruction manuals, one for the Atari 800xl and the other for the 1050, could anyone tell me what type of monitor/ tv I need to set it up??

beep beep beep beep beep at the start... one raison why I left atari 800xl.

Hi Tezza, love your videos I wish you would do more.

I’m a pc guy :) is there a successor to the 800xl with better specs that is compatible with the software and carts that run on the 800xl?

GREAT VIDEO I subbed

Mapping the Atari - felt like I spent a fortune purchasing that book.

How did you get that quickshot iv joystick?

Wow, yeah, I had an 800XL as a kid, and sure enough, I remember having it on the living room floor when I first got it. Later of course we moved it to desk.

I have very fond memories of this machine, including trying to make my own video games. But, you know, I've always thought the original 800 had a nicer look.

It was my first computer ever. I must have been 10yrs old. Have spend hours and hours with it. Playing games and typing over basic listings from magazines.

you inspired me to hook up my ole' 800xl I still have a complete and working system... cheers and thanks for sharing. it was an awesome walk down memory lane!

I love the style, keep up the good work.

You can get cleaner off screen footage of your TVs/Monitors by lowering the ISO setting on your camera.

HI Terry. What do you think a 1200 would go for on TM?

I knew Texas Instruments was going to be mentioned. They overextended themselves by putting so much into their home system, but made hardly any profit. They up and disappeared and wound up making calculators and what not which is what I think they did before computers.

Jesus Christ everything is on YouTube, literally.

I had gotten this computer as a gift from my parents back then(may they rest in peace). For the time it wasn't bad, it did help me to do reports and what not, but you needed to spent time doing programming to get really good with it.

My very first computer before this was the Sinclair. That thing was terrible lol

I've played with the Atari 8-Bit line off and on over the years. I've got an 800XL that was donated to me by a co-worker right now and having fun with it. Previously I had a 400, a 130XE, and an XEGS.

My biggest complaint is the unfortunate placement of the return key. Why not the home row??? Otherwise I like them all a lot.

Hi, Terry. Great videos! I didn't see anyone else mentioning this, but Atari did release DOS v.3 for the 8-bits, but it was abysmal so Atari retreated back to 2.5. I bought a 1050 here in the USA that came with v.3, so that's how I know it existed. At that time, ICD had developed SpartaDOS, which was more like MS-DOS, and that became the favored operating system. It allowed for the addition of large capacity SCSI hard drives using a couple different interface devices (one of which was also manufactured by ICD). It was pretty nice.

I quite like the Atari series, comparable in many ways to the C64. The Commodore 64 was a much superior machine both hardware and software-wise, but there are a bunch of unique titles for the Atari that makes it somewhat special. Also like the C64 scene, the Atari 8-bit scene is still alive and kicking with all kinds of demos and hardware mods.
The one thing that worked against Atari was the fragmentation of the 8-bit line. They had many different and semi-compatible machines with different OS and BASIC versions over time.

good computer.

I'm sure this thread is deprecated by now, but I, too, had an 800XL. I had upgraded from a Timex-Sinclair 1000 with a tape drive. My 800 had 2 1050 drives as well as an aftermarket modem (150/300) and a thermal printer (wow, the paper was on a roll and expensive.) Laughably, I ran one of the only BBS' in the Houston area at the time off the Forum BBS software, that crappy modem, and a whopping 150 of storage. Good times! :)

i still have my atari 1200xl, i had a black Indus GT 5 1/4 floppy drive a atari 1027 printer and a atari 1020 cassette... i used to have a cassette with a great nuclear plant simulator, i don't know if you remember. it got lost in one of my house moves, or something, i still some times use the old 1200xl, good times. i enjoy your videos very much, and congratulations on your collection of vintage PCs.

What is the monitor over your left shoulder at 0:55 ?
By the looks it is similar to mine that I have randomly found with no cables and I have no idea what system it is for.

funny that I just realize that on the Atari800XL it is actually a cartridge port on the top, not a calculator LCD! Somehow seem bit less cooler than I imagine it in my childhood... ;)

Can you safely buy one of these and be reasonable sure it works? I heard that the Atari lineup along with the Ti99-4A were solidly built compared to a lot of their competitors.

As my high school used Atari 800's, I gave serious consideration to getting one of these in about '84, but Atari's financial state was questionable and most of my friends had Apple ]['s of some sort.

DOS XE was the last version of DOS from Atari. It came bundled with the XF551 disk drive.

Was my second computer and I loved it. :) thanks for the vid.

This was my first computer also had the 1050 disk drive with happy chip ,,,,Happy days wish i still had one ,soooo much fun

I lusted after this series of hardware. But went to the C-64 instead.

Years later, and after having my 800XL help me through uni, I realise these 8-bit computers would have gotten further if they'd had 80-column capability.

Love this Channel Tezza, Hope your well?

Great videos, really enjoyable! Why not do some crowdfunding - sure people would help you with money (for computers), so we can get new videos.... Faster :-D

I remember the first time i saw my friend taking off from his airfield on falcon.It was almost impossible to Establish a connection and keep the connection at 1200 baud but i knew right then and there the future of video gaming.My ram was expanded by stacking  ram chips (bank select) and i had a happy drive.All my friends thought i was some kind of genius but of course i was not.I keep coming back here because it is like coming home in some kind of strange way.Now i make short movies and music videos and i owe it to the Atari experience https://youtu.be/ryECSqLeGRM .

well at least you didn't use DOS 3 it sucked hehe

On a similar note, this was the first computer to properly scare me. Rescue on Fractalus. Even the title gives me shivers.

Your show rocks, Sir. Thank you so much.

There is another difference in the 800XL between the 400. The 800XL had a way to copy the ROM to the RAM to change e.g. the Font by simply overwrite the data. And it had a built in new character font with many european umlauts (which were replaced with the control symbols), which the 400 didn't have.

My very first computer <3

Thanks for reviving it to me

Great video Terry!!!..used to have an Atari 800xl back in the 80s and have just recently purchased another one..love the Atari..awesome memories!!!!

Simon

Thanks for making this video it brought back many memories for me.

Thanks Terry, this brings back many memories...

My parents purchased this computer back in early 1983 (I was 10 at the time), but there was no GUI, no Windows OS and/or MS software available like Word or Excel which we take for granted today!

My computer did not come with a DISC Drive but a shoddy ATARI Cassette player to run games!  And it took for ever to load!  I remember, one in particular, 'The Goonies', you had to run the cassette every time you completed a level.

Plus, I was the only kid in school to own an ATARI, most peers had AMSTRAD, ZX Spectrum and/or Commodore 64 so difficult to exchange games.  I do not think ATARI was a popular brand in the UK and sold well but I liked the design.

ATARI BASIC was a tough language to master and after creating a couple of graphics which I copied from a book (without understanding or caring about the underlying logic), I gave up quickly.

Pity I did not bother with the programming element though but there were no computers at school, no teacher acting as a guide.  With hindsight, I wish I had been more inquisitive and tried to learn it myself.

Hi Terry like your video's you have a very good collection...Personally I always like the ZX81 - it was simple, even got it to recognise speech on 1K of Ram back in the 80s...

Man, I now realize how far behind I was. I got an Atari 400 in '83 (I originally wanted a TS-1000 - US version of ZX81) so I was 4 years out of date at that point. Didn't matter though. I learned how to program and I had Star Raiders. I need to dig that baby out and make sure it still works. :)

Hi Terry, I just picked up a whole lot with every add on for the 800 xl for 80 US dollars.  I also recieved a bunch of game carts,floppy games and cassete games.  I have two other 800xl's that do turn on but will not play games.  I believe the power supply contracted a surge and blew both of my two other keyboards.  Do you know what inside of the 800 xl needs to be replaced or howto repair them?  Thanks once again great video.

Great video. My family used to own one as a child, and i only played video games on it that came in cartridges, i never had any disks! Though i did have a painting program that uses a stylus which i totally loved back then!

Brill video. Brill. Thanks. I've never found another keyboard exactly like the Atari 800XL. And that is sad. Loved this computer.

great video.....terry......never used an atari 800.....very informative.....how many different retro machines , do you own? :-)

In Ireland, the was a certain amount of negative opinion about buying an Atari in the early 1980's, due to the cost of peripherals (especially the dedicated tape drive), software (availability and cost) and certain compromises with the hardware (admittedly not as many as the 1200xl) in the 600xl/800xl.  Fine choice for a computer if you had a lot of money.  With machines like the Spectrum up to the C64 (loads of software available) the Atari range wasn't popular until the 520ST (which essentially seems to have been a Commodore machine developed at Atari).  Very nice case design though.

Thanks for making this video and bringing me down memory lane. I owned an Atari 400 and then an 800 XL. I loved them both as they were solid machines. In college I used the XL for word processing and logging onto the college mainframe to do CS homework. I also did my junior project in Datasoft's Interlisp. So they were practical as well as playing great games. But I don't miss those tangled cords and desk clutter.

Please show more stuff with this Atari 800 XL. Did you buy a Happy Board? Would be interesting to see. I self got an 800 XL and also an 800 with these 4 Joystick Ports - playing MULE with 3 other friends was amazing. Best Regards from Germany.

The Atari Disc Drive's initial selling price was $995? Oh,my...maybe that's why the 1010 cassette recorder was most popular in Europe, since the disc drive was more expensive than the computer itself...

Very informative. Thank you for the upload. 

I still have my 800XL in a box in my garage. I may have to dig it out now. Thanks for bringing back memories.

Hey i had one of them with the 1050 floppy drive which i loved. In my view it was the best at that time and was a fantastic upgrade from the speccy.

Great review! I have a few floppies in storage, I'll have to see if I have a copy of that hackers game you showed.

My first computer! :)  I had a 410 datasette with it and plugged it into my 13" color TV... those were the days!

I used to stay up all night writing a program that would do just a crude graphic with a sound. Man those were the days! Get one letter/number/space in the wrong spot and it wouldn't work!

I just bought an Atari 800XL, not sure if it's broken.  I read everywhere it is supposed to have BASIC built in, but when I start mine it goes into a SELF-TEST mode.  Is it ok or should I take it back?  It boots games carts ok though :D

I had a Commodore 64 at the time, but always heard good things about 8-bit Ataris.  Unlike Commodore, they maintained a strong level of compatibility between the machines produced in 1985 all the way back to 77, and they had a better BASIC language with more commands built in, and more colors.  But the 64 ended up being more popular just like VHS was more popular than Beta.  And I love your New Zealand accent!  Subscribed and looking forward to seeing more 80's computer greatness.

these weren't just for games. you could actually program your own games, using the basic language.

I had one in the mid 80s and taught myself programming in BASIC.  My floppy drive would not write I/O unless I power cycled it just before attempting the write.

I actually wrote a payroll program for my mother's company...

I had some word processing program too...

good computer.

Thanks for those comments!

6:40 LOL .. Memories T__T

grew up using one of these in the 80's back in the UK.

Tezza, I was wondering if you could answer this for me: Is the Atari 800 more powerful spec-wise over the Zx-spectrum? If so, why wasnt software simply ported to the Atari here in the states since the spectrum had tons of software over in Europe? Looking at the Atari's game library it is simply terrible. Like GamedOut Gamer pointed out below, the 800 could have been a serious contender against the C64 back in the day. I would have been fine with a port of Toobin, for example, than nothing.

This computer brings back memories.

Good plan!

All my power supplies are under the desk, thus avoiding too much desktop clutter.

Another enjoyable video, thanks. Always interesting to see how familiar machines impacted the markets abroad differently. Growing up in 'ZX81 and VIC 20' era Britain, the Atari's were seen as the pinnacle for game fans with their great graphics and sound; there was nothing to touch them until the C64 came along. Interesting to note that the Atari graphics & sound chips were initially intended for a successor console to the Atari VCS, which became the 5200, which didn't even get launched here.

The XE's were designed to be cheap, Atari by this time was under Jack Tramiel! He knew how Commodore could make the C64 so cheap, and used that knowledge at Atari. Technically a good 8-bit line, but styled to echo the 16-bit ST with slanted vents and function keys.

Certainly on first release the 400 and 800 were very expensive; they had excellent graphics & sound for sure & the 800 a nice keyboard & 32 (later 48K) RAM. Still too much for impoverished Britons though which partly explains the success of the ZX81 & Spectrum. The VIC & C64 were assembled in Britain & with Commodore's fierce pricing they sidelined Atari's. There was a shortlived late blooming of Atari games here when budget games co's took an interest but it was all imports apart from that.

Oh I see. In that case I definitely haven't got one. They sound interesting. Thanks for the tip.

Atarimax looks to be an alternative to the PC USB link you used. They're like blank cartridges that you program from your PC via USB then you just use it in the Atari cartridge slot like a regular cartridge. So a similar concept but allows you to operate the Atari without it being tethered to another computer. I'm considering getting one of these because I think I read the straight PC USB link doesn't work with Atari XEGS.

Thanks for the support. I think some of my carts do have the Atarimax name on them? I'm not sure though. I'll have to check.

I had an Atari XEGS with a keyboard and an Atari Tape Deck as a kid (in Australia). I only ever met one other kid with one of these. The Atari XL looks pretty cool. I'd love to get one for my collection. Have you used the Atarimax cartridges? Thanks for the videos... very entertaining and informative.

My friend had one of these in the 80's, I had the Spectrum +2 although we always used to play on his 800xl as the graphics were better. Many happy memories playing on this system.

Great video. I had both the 800 (not XL) and then upgraded to the XE. Both were great machines. Of course, back in the day it was Atari vs C64. We had Apple ]['s in school but they were too expensive to own. As I look at both now, I'd say as far as graphics and sound, it was c64 then the Atari but the Atari did have some tricks that if the devs took advantages made the games stand out. You had mentioned it not being the leader of the pack but in the US I don't think that was the case.

I really don't know Derek. I don't THINK there was any disk access up to the point I stopped (so no overlay) but I could be wrong?

how much memory would you say that game takes

Good review :o) I'd never used one until a few years ago, now I love them, love the look of it too, one of my favs :o)

Interesting. I didn't realise Atari's penetration into the U.K. market was so weak.

yes, do it. I have a 130XE as well. Reliable but somehow it just feels cheaper than the 800XL.

In fact the drive beeps are generated by GTIA chip (not POKEY) and indicate sector loading/saving activity. It's quite noisy (and annoying).

Nice machine!! :) I have a 600 XL in my collection (no peripherals as of yet though, I might have a look into one of the modern day add-ons ;) ). The keyboard indeed is very good! :)

That floppy disk drive makes some very unique and interesting sounds when it's working, I thought that noise was just some electronic interference, it sounds like it's quite noisy, how loud is the noise the drive makes?

Excellent review, as always!

I hear you Keith!

Thanks for that. One of my aims with these videos is to make these machines and the role they played more accessible to younger people.

Thank you again for a great video, really interesting for a younger tech head like myself.

Nice Terry! You keep mentioning the 'tangle of wires' around these retro machines. My modern day desktop is not different, if not much, much worse! Speakers, dual monitors, mouse, external hard drive, printer, power cords, usb hubs. It goes on and on! Things have only gotten worse.

Great overview of a really good machine. I like the whole Atari 8-bit series. I recently got the latest Atarimax IDE II cartridge, highly recommended if you want even better solid state loading capabilities.

I might be wrong but I don't think it was compatible, even though it was the same physical size

I had one of those back in the early 80s. Unfortunately these machines were widely ignored especially by the british game industry. Games like Elite were made for almost every machine including the Tatung Einstein etc. but not for the Atari 8 bits. If you look into some old C+VG for example you see all the games you did n o t get..... A few years later they became quite popular in East Europe, but I had an Amiga by then.

I actually owned one of these when a neighbor gave it to me around 1992. I knew it had a 6502 and yes, the keyboard is actually very comfortable to type on compared to other machines of its time, but unfortunately I didn't have any peripherals nor any manuals and there was no such thing as Google at that time, so I ended up throwing it away when I emigrated. Such a shame. Wasn't that top slot compatible with the old 2600-type cartridges?

Great looking computer for sure!

A truly iconic computer that I personally had been saving up for to buy but my parents beat me to it and got a C64. Amazing things can be done with this system. MrAtari from the Netherlands even has Star Wars movie clips running of an IDE interface on this mighty machine. In a lot of ways more powerful than the C64. Love the LEFT CARTRIDGES for it and like design a lot

Very nice -- love the Atari machines :-)

You're welcome. Yes, there is left hand only audio with the camera mic. I don't know why. I can't find a setting to fix it. Luckily most of the video is voice over with a headphone mic which records on both channels.