Anybody know anything about the Atari 800XL ?

[Anthony1]

Hi. I got a old Atari 800XL. When I was growing up, we got a Atari 2600 back in like 1978 or so, when I was about 8 years old. We had that for some time, and then instead of getting a Colecovision or an Intellivision, we got a Atari 800XL Computer. It had a slot on it for cartridges and I also had a tape player type thing that could play games and programs on tape. Kinda weird.

Anyways, I was at my Moms house diigging around in the garage and I found this puppy. Only thing is, I didn't find the power adapter or any of the video type cables.

Just the bare system itself, and a old Atari Joystick. And the tape player. The Tape Player I think is the Atari 410 or something like that. I also got a number of manuals for the system and some of the games. The game cartridges that I could find were: Eastern Front (1941), Shamus, Atari artist, Super Breakout, Galaxian, Jumbo Jet Pilot and Miner 2049er. I also have two programs on cassette tape. Energy Czar and Blue Max.

I can remember playing quite a bit of Blue Max back in the day, and of course Galaxian.

I have a ton of questions about this system for somebody that maybe knows quite a bit about the 800XL. If you know any of the answers to any of these questions, then great, if not, no biggie. But any help would defintely be appreciated.

I'm definitely curious to fire this puppy up again and check it out. This was the second Video Game type system that I've ever owned. It came inbetween the Atari 2600 and the Nintendo NES. It's kindof a forgotten system, at least to me. And I would love to revisit it and check it out.

Ok, here are my numerous questions.

1. Where can I find a power adapter for the Atari 800XL?

2. Is there a specific model # for the power adapter for the Atari 800XL?

3. I think that there is a special cable that will allow me to hook up my Atari 800XL to my Commodore 1084 monitor. Or am I mistaken?

4. I don't have the RF switch for the Atari 800XL. Is it possible to use a NES one with it?

5. From what I understand, none of the stuff that I have ( in terms of games) is very valuable. Does any of this stuff have any particular value?

6. What is considered to be the best games ever made that would work on the Atari 800XL?

7. Is the best place to find these games via Ebay?

8. Anybody know how much the 800XL originally cost?

Sorry about having so many damn questions about this, but I was just a young pup when I had it, and I don't really remember that much about it. I definitely remember playing Blue Max, but other than that, my memories on it are pretty limited. So any extra insight or takes on this particular system would be appreciated.

[GunPanther]

Hi Anthony. Good to see you found one of (IMHO) Atari's greatest efforts ever. I still have my 800XL so I'll try my best to answer your questions.


1. Where can I find a power adapter for the Atari 800XL?

You could try http://www.4jays.com They might be able to help you. Otherwise, try to look on Ebay.


2. Is there a specific model # for the power adapter for the Atari 800XL?

Yes. Here are the details:

Part Number - CO 61982
Power Supply DV-512CM
INPUT: 120V AC 60Hz 40W
OUTPUT: +5V DC 1.5A


3. I think that there is a special cable that will allow me to hook up my Atari 800XL to my Commodore 1084 monitor. Or am I mistaken?

Actually, once you have the correct RF switch unit, you should be able to hook the 800XL up to almost any 'old' monitor which will accept RF hookups. (I believe this is possible because I saw an old C64 monitor hooked up to an 800XL a long time ago at a swap meet)



4. I don't have the RF switch for the Atari 800XL. Is it possible to use a NES one with it?

No. You have to use the "TV/GAME" RF switch unit that can easily be found at Radio Shack. Alternatively, you could also use the RF switch unit that comes with an Atari 2600.



5. From what I understand, none of the stuff that I have ( in terms of games) is very valuable. Does any of this stuff have any particular value?

Not really. Mostly $3.00 - $10.00 The most 'valuable' game you probably have is "Miner 2049er" and that's only about $10.00 (less if you plan on selling it to a private party, with no documents or box)



6. What is considered to be the best games ever made that would work on the Atari 800XL?

Good question. Since I'm biased towards the 800XL, I'll recommend some for you:

(in no particular order)

Alleycat
Karateka
Snokie
Drelbs
Bruce Lee
Zorro
M.U.L.E.
Ball Blazer
Behind Jaggi Lines!
Necromancer (One of my faves!)
Buried Bucks
Preppie!!
Preppie!! 2
Spy VS Spy
Mountain King
Miner 2049er
Archon (The ULTIMATE version of it on any system)
Conan: Hall Of Volta
Jumpman
Jumpman Jr.
World Championship Karate
Salmon Run



7. Is the best place to find these games via Ebay?

You could also try http://www.4jays.com They usually have some games in stock (cartridge and disk)



8. Anybody know how much the 800XL originally cost?

If I remember correctly, these used to retail for $249.99 new when they first came out. I could be mistaken, but that's what my sister told me.



As for my memories, I fell in love with this system before the NES.

I bought my own 800XL in 1999 and have kept it in working order ever since.

Anyhow, I hope some of my answers to your questions will prove to be of some use to you.



GunPanther

[Nature Boy]

That's awsome! The 800XL is my favourite of the retro machines, even though it's not a 'console.' My family did the same thing your family did - ditched the VCS and went to a 400 (then 800 XL). We had that for a *lot* of years.

1. Where can I find a power adapter for the Atari 800XL?

4Jays will have what you want, but I *do* find them pricey. Be forewarned.

3. I think that there is a special cable that will allow me to hook up my Atari 800XL to my Commodore 1084 monitor. Or am I mistaken?

I've got a simple connector that my dad bought at radio shack back in the day that goes into the Monitor Port. It has 5-6 short female plugs at the end of it, and when I play around with them I can connect it to either a Composite TV input or a C64 monitor. Take a look at the monitor port (maybe even take a picture of it) and *I Think* you'll be able to get the same thing at RS. Then you just need Composite cables and you're set.

4. I don't have the RF switch for the Atari 800XL. Is it possible to use a NES one with it?

As was said, nope. However you can get one of those RCA to Cable connectors (at RS or Best Buy). And you can buy a splitter if you have other cables you need to connect to your TV.

5. From what I understand, none of the stuff that I have ( in terms of games) is very valuable. Does any of this stuff have any particular value?

It doesn't seem to, but I consider that a good thing. All I want are the games - the cheaper they are the less it hurts my pocketbook I figure

6. What is considered to be the best games ever made that would work on the Atari 800XL?

GunPanther gave you a good list there. But I have to add my faves

Seven Cities of Gold
Mr. Robot
River Raid (it's the version I played the most )

7. Is the best place to find these games via Ebay?

Pretty much. I have found them in the wild but only once.

One other suggestion: There is a SIO2PC cable out there (which has a COM port connection on one side and an Atari SIO connection on the other) and software that allows you to use a PC as a disk drive. I totally recommend it. I *love* being able to use the real disk drives, but I'm always afraid of them breaking down. With the cable I've not set them aside and yet I can still play everything I ever had. You can get it over at AA.

[GunPanther]

GunPanther gave you a good list there. But I have to add my faves

Seven Cities of Gold
Mr. Robot
River Raid (it's the version I played the most )

whoops!

You brought up another couple of cool games for the 800XL that I forgot to mention. Excellent, Nature Boy!

Mr. Robot & His Robot Factory WAS an awesome game. I remember totally having fun with any platformer type games like Mr. Robot or Miner 2049er.

Hell, here are some more to add to the awesome game list:


Montezuma's Revenge (IMO, the best version of the game, EVER)
Koronis Rift
Archon II: Adept (Not as good as the first, but still damn fun)
Ghostbusters
Zenji
Slinkey


If I remember some more, I'll be sure to add them.





GunPanther

[Anthony1]

Thanks for all the info, guys. I really appreciate it.


I ordered a special cable on Ebay, that I think will allow me to hook up the Atari 800XL to my commodore monitor. It's supposed to almost be the equivalent of S-Video.

So when I get that, and if I ever get a power adapter, I will let you guys know how it looks. The picture is supposed quite a bit better with this particular cable.

The Power adapter is at my Mom's house somewhere. But the problem is, is that my Mom has this disease (a mental disease) that causes her to keep tons and tons of crap in her house. So trying to find anything in there is like finding a needle in a haystack.

What I might try to do is a win an auction on Ebay for a 800XL system and just have them ship the power adapter to save money on shipping costs. That's probably the best bet.

I could try digging around in my Moms house again, but it really would take a small miracle for me to find that adapter.

[video_game_addict]

The Power adapter is at my Mom's house somewhere. But the problem is, is that my Mom has this disease (a mental disease) that causes her to keep tons and tons of crap in her house. So trying to find anything in there is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Alot of people have that same sickness here... it's called a Packrat, :P

Way to go with the 800XL, the Atari 8bit line is one of the BEST Atari platforms to get into! I only use mine as a gaming machine, so I went with the Atari XE. Basically it looked a little more like a console, I could take the keyboard off, and it came packaged with the light gun. There are some compatibilities issues with the OS & RAM requirements on some of the cart based games. Not alot, but some games, like Shamus will not work on your 800XL, it was 400/800 only. BEST or Video 61 sells a translator adapter that plugs into the system and then the cart plugs into it I believe, to get around the OS issues on some of the 400/800 only titles. There are translator programs on disk for most of the disk based software issues.

Most games will play trouble free on the 800XL thou, so that's not an issue with very many. The earlier 800's and the 400 & 600XL lines were plagued with too little RAM, as a result some of the later games wouldn't work on them, but the 800XL should work with pretty much everything except a small amount of Synapse & Imagic titles.

The 8-bit line is basically like the 5200 with digital joysticks. It rocks! And the video cable you're buying should work fine with the Commodore monitor or your tv in composite. It's not true S-video with the tv it uses RCAs. But it's hella better than RF!

A great find and even better it was Free!


Hope you find the power supply to it, those are kind of specific. The XE models also have the DIN type power input, the older 400/800's do not. Buying another 800XL is an option, you can sometimes get a deal on one at ebay. If it's a package deal with carts thou, they can sometimes go high depending on what's there. It would probably be best to still take the whole lot even if you don't think you'll need the Atari, doesn't hurt to keep spares.

[Anthony1]

Can anybody do me a huge favor?


I need somebody to take a few digital pictures of their Atari 800XL power adapter.

You can email the pics to me at tapdatazz1@yahoo.com


I need to see what this adapter looks like, so I can find it at my moms house. I just got the special monitor cable today, and I would love to check out the 800XL with this special monitor cable. But without the power adapter, I'm shit out of luck.

I've been trying to get one off of Ebay, but I can't find any without buying the system too, and I don't want to pay $30 plus, just to get the damn power adapter.

I know that it's in my Mom's house somewhere, but if I don't know exactly what I'm looking for, then it makes it that much harder.

Also, if you could take a picture of it, in relation to a game cart, so I know what size the thing is.

[Cantaloup]

Can anybody do me a huge favor?

I need somebody to take a few digital pictures of their Atari 800XL power adapter.

You can email the pics to me at tapdatazz1@yahoo.com

This is your lucky day, as I recently got a digital camera and happen to have this power adapter. I e-mailed the pictures. Let me know if you need something else.

[Zach]

Today is your REALLY lucky day, actually. I happen to have an extra power adapter for the XL line of computers. It has the same part number and specs as the one GunPanther listed above, and I know it worked with my 600XL. If you want to pay for shipping, it's yours!

Also, my picks for some of the best 800XL games are:
1. Pitfall II (great graphics, great music, great control. Best version.)
2. Donkey Kong (a little wierd-feeling at first, but it looks good and includes the long lost "pie factory" level!)
3. Frogger (awesome version!)
4. Q-Bert (one of my favorites back in the Atari 400 days)

Let me know if you want that power adapter.