C64 or Atari ST out?

[Abmvk]

Yes, I know it is my own decision, but still, insights would be appreciated:

My collection is based on one criterium: it must be a system, or part of a system, or at least closely related to a system, I used to own or work with when younger. This way my collection is almost complete, but can be improved. I do have a Sinclair Z88 and the third party keyboard for a ZX Spectrum I used to own, but I still don’t have the ZX Spectrum and ZX 81 I used to have. And I am still hoping to find a working AS/400 that fits my hobby room once.

But that is just to give an impression of the way my collection works. I have acquired two computers (one as a gift, one I bought) I played a lot with at friends homes, but I never owned when I was young. It still felt good to have them now: a Commodore 64 and an Atari Mega 2. Great fun, but “illegal” in my collection criterium. And bigger problem: I just don’t have enough space to use them both. If I just store them for the sake of owning them, they have no purpose as they don’t meet the collection criterium. But if I want to use them, I only have room for one.

So the question is: who must go? The commodore 64 or the Atari ST?

 

[krebizfan]

Do you prefer the games for either one? I would keep the Atari Mega since getting another will be very difficult while getting another C64 should be easy for many more years.

 

[Abmvk]

Yes, I prefer the games on the C64. But tbh for both systems only a few games that I really like. (Lemmings on the ST and Boulderdash on the C64 are my favorites)

 

[Timo W.]

Given that the ST has pretty much no exclusive games and not a single one was better than e.g. the Amiga port, I would let the ST go. And no, I'm not hating the ST - I own three STs myself. But given the options, there is really nothing speaking for the ST in this case. The C64 is the one to keep.

 

[Abmvk]

Well, there is one thing speaking for the ST: it is technological the more sophisticated machine. But I agree, given the situation, the C64 has a few things more. As a child I played hours and hours at a friend with a C64. My experience with the ST is very limited.

It looks like the C64 is going to win.

 

[Timo W.]

it is technological the more sophisticated machine

No, not really. It's just a 68000 with a simple graphics chip that only provides a 16-color framebuffer (no sprites, not blitter) and an off-the-shelf sound chip that was kind of outdated in 1985 already. It's about as sophisticated as e.g. an Apple II or the IBM PC. It still has its place in history, of course, but it was build on a budget, not as a highly sophisticated system.