How does Atari Compare to Nintendo?

[StaceyPowers]

Lots of references nowadays to Ataris what with all the 80s nostalgia which is big right now. When I was a kid, we had an original NES, but I never had a chance to play an Atari. For those who have had a chance to play on both systems (and/or others) from that era, how do they compare?

@The Blackangel I expect you probably have some thoughts here.

[The Blackangel]

First off, I want to say that this fake bullshit 80’s nostalgia from 20 year old kids makes me sick. It’s another fad that none of them even have a clue what it’s even about.

Now to answer the post.

First off you have to consider that the graphic capabilities of the 1970’s were by today’s standards extremely primitive. But back then, they were pretty advanced for a gaming system. Atari was a pioneer in the industry, and are the ones that kept gaming alive through the crash of 83. The system was really basic. The games were usually a single screen game, and the controller was a simple joystick and button. That was an amazing way to play the games. Simplicity equaled entertainment back then. And for some of us, myself included, it still does.

8 years later in 1985, we got the NES here in the western market. It was a revolution. The games were complex, the screens scrolled, and changed in all. The graphics were something we never saw coming. For the time, and by comparison, they were right next to lifelike. Compare Mario Bros on Atari to Mario 3 on NES. And the games got larger, more complex, and more challenging. The only problem was the price. Most couldn’t afford $200 for it. Nintendo fever hit like nuclear bomb. Atari kept gaming alive through the crash, but Nintendo was the defibrillator that got the pulse strong and hard.

 I can’t really compare the games other than graphically, because they are so wildly different. I’m not going to go on to systems like the 5200, 7800, or Colecovision. I’m posting this from my phone, and I can’t type for shit on it. I’m sure there’s 100 typos and mangled words, but I’m also sure my point got across.

When I get a chance to get on my computer and can use a real keyboard, I’ll answer to those.

Edited March 25, 2020 by The Blackangel