Commodore 64 vs. Atari 8-Bit: The Ultimate Showdown!

[@zorglub667]

it of course always comes down to the individual port and how well it is programmed. however, one thing i always felt as a kid was that the atari side felt more, er, "direct" somehow. super low latency controls on everything. often super smooth scrolling. i cant really put my finger on it. even on games with more ornaments in the graphics on the c64, it never was quite able to shake off that feeling that that was just some lipstick on what otherwise was a less reactive, less direct feeling, slightly more stuttery game. it always had that "held together by duct tape" feeling in comparison. sid chip was more flexible of course. but had a voice less, that one cruical extra voice youd have needed for playing complete chords. ah well. the cutest platform war of them all, it will probably never go away, and im here for all of it :)

[@waltciii3]

Brings back the old memories. I had an 800 and my friend got a C64 a couple years later. We would pack up our computers and take them to each others houses for group gaming. I had one group of games and my Commodore friend had a different group of games, so it was just about playing and more variety. The C64 seemed more like computer games while the Atari was more like the Arcade games.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

I agree. Great memories. Your right, my Atari friends had different games too.

[@danaeckel5523]

Choplifter for the 8-bit Atari has 3 versions, first is the 1982 cart, then there is a 1982 disk which has somewhat better graphics, then the XEGS cart which looks way cool. I swear the 1982 cart was ported over from Apple II. I think later years that is when Commodore's quality started pulling ahead of Atari. If you look at modern homebrew games it is hard to tell which system is what.

[@AbeStephan]

Two words to prove ATARI rules : STAR RAIDERS .

[@kranibal]

I’m a C64 fan and I am giving this showdown to Atari 4-2. I gave the nod to C64 for Pitfall and HERO. Thanks for this video! Super fun to watch.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Thanks for watching and dropping a comment! Yeah, it's hard for me growing up on Commodore's to admit, but the Atari's were pretty awesome in their own right.

[@PeranMe]

These videos are always fun! One game that really shows off that the Atari machines ran the CPU at almost twice the speed of the C64 is Dropzone. Archer Maclean knew how to squeeze every last drop of performance out of a computer, and the explosion when you die chugs down to half speed on the C64. Luckily it doesn’t detract from the actual game, which is just plain amazing on both machines!

[@FloppyDeepDive]

Nice video. Keep up the good work!

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Thanks for watching and for the kind words.

[@mattblom3990]

Pole Position on a Commodore 64 was the first computer application I ever remember seeing in person. My uncle demo'd it for me. He was a tough guy to deal with and left a heck of a mess when I was left to work out his (bankrupt) estate in 2020 as I accepted the role of his will executor. But I still have fond memories over him fanboying over Pole Position and the C64. I know it doesn't look great but it was literally the first computer game I ever saw so...At that time, it was epic lol.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Yeah this was really this first time I've played. Like I said in the video, I played other racing games like Pit Stop, Crazy Cars, and Test Drive 1 & 2. But if I had it back in the day I probably would have thought it was bad a$$. 💪 I mean I can get past the graphics, but the controls are just unbearable. Literarily it's like driving impaired on a road that is a sheet of ice. 🤣

[@ReelMovieNetwork]

I'm typing this before I watch the full video. I didn't like Commodore's version of basic and a few other things but I know they have the sprites and that music chip. We were using Atari ST's in the recording studio because of their music capabilities. Now to watch the video.

[@GregsGameRoom]

It's like comparing the Sega Genesis to the Super Nintendo. One has technology that is almost 3 years newer than the other.

[@stevenrosscarpenter]

I 100% agree with you but Genesis and SNES get compared all the time. The fact that the old hardware hangs with the system that is 0.5 generations newer really shows its power (in both cases).

[@RetrogamerGenX]

I hear ya, but they both run on the same 6502 architecture per se'. Really the biggest difference between them are their custom audio, video, and Rom chips and how memory is handled. The VIC-II vs the Antic + C/GTIA and Pokey vs SID.

[@danaeckel5523]

Everything was so slow moving in the early 80's I don't think the three year rules applies to Commodore 64 and Atari8. Both systems can be programmed to run like crap, and both systems properly optimized are awesome and some cases hard to tell them apart.

[@colinroberts9544]

I had the Atari 800xl and my friend had the C64, they both had their own charm, strengths and weaknesses, but I got to say the C64 had amazing music and sound most of the time. Nice video. Thanks 👍

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Thanks for sharing and watching!!

[@Eirath]

The bias on this was amazing. I'll give you that.

[@adroharv5140]

always wanted an Atari computer even though I owned a C64. I think in fairness the C64 wins out over it but the Atari has some absolutely gorgeous looking games thanks to it's lovely neon colour scheme. Faster too for specific games a bigger play screen on the Atari. That said I also really love the more realistic colour tones of the C64 and it does sprites based games better too at least in how you can detail them. It's great that we can play any one of the games so easily these days and I tend to do that on my Mist fpga

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Honestly man, I never wanted an Atari computer back in the day, I wanted an Apple II. I had the C64, but the school I was at used Apple II's which were not compatible obviously, and made it difficult to do "schoolwork" at home. But once I got the Apple II, I realized it was not a gaming machine. lol. A school or business/industrial computer yes, but gaming no. So I stuck with my C64 for games, then moved to Amiga by I think 89' or so for both school and play. I rocked the Amiga for a while, I didn't move on to PC until 96'.

[@adroharv5140]

​@@RetrogamerGenX yeah it's interesting how we all have our own variation on these things. I also stayed with the Amiga until this time until getting an N64 but I still used it for midi. The C64 and Amiga as well as being great fun were a very influenceable time and shaped where I am now. Great times

[@TheSudsy]

my mate had a C64 and i got an 800xl just to be different. I think the variety/volume of games were better for the c64, but quality wise some were better on Atari and some better C64. I always remember Dropzone on the Atari was awesome. Aesthetically the 800Xl looked better.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Nice. I had a couple friends with Atari computers, but most of us had the C64 and a few had Apples. Yes, each have their good games and bad. My all time favorite 8 bit computer design from Apple's and Commodore's to IBM's and BBC's would be the Commodore Pet 700 and Pet 8296. It's just amazing retro looking computers, wish I could find one someday.

[@moronicmisfit9148]

great video, I know both the Atari 800 XL and C64 came out at the sametime, but in Atari's defense the basic chipset which barely changed , was designed from the 1979 version on the Atari 400/800. And for bein that old, I think it holds up pretty well. There is also a better version of Choplifter for the Atari 8 bits on Atarimania, that improves the graphics, the older one was a port from the Apple II and I think used artifacting colors. but if you owned either of these machines back in the day, you were a happy camper. both have great capabilities . I myself, owned and still own,. a beefed up Atari 400 , with 48k and a raised up keyboard 1981, still works.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Very true, what was it, the Antic that changed, then later on in the XE they added the Freddy chip to integrate more on the LS logic. But yeah, pretty much the same design as the OG 400/800's. I've seen the newer version, but I was comparing OG to OG games. The XE version is much more colorfuls and more faithful to the Sega Master system and Colecovision versions. Yep, if you had either machine were loving life in the 80's. So many fond memories... Thanks for commenting and watching😉

[@tchrapkiewicz]

NOT true! The Atari 400/800 came out YEARS (over 3) before the Commodore 64.

[@moronicmisfit9148]

@@tchrapkiewicz dude, I said the 800 XL came out around the sametime as the C64. the 400 and 800 came out in 1979. The 800 XL was suppose to be a major upgrade, but all it really added was 128 more colors a built in Basic that had all the Antic modes available with the Graphics command. and the new GTIA modes with up to 16 colors at one time. what we really needed to compete was a controller with atleast two fire buttons, and more sprite features. but it is what it is..

[@danaeckel5523]

@@moronicmisfit9148 What the 800XL really needed was 80 column support and stereo pokey.

[@corvuscorax9265]

I fought bitterly with my C64 owning buddy about what is better :D 800 was a great machine for it's time (mainly those Miner's coprocessors were special) but the C64 had much better library as it was supported by more studios for a long time. And that's why C64 wins...

[@dedbattery]

That was an awesome head to head. Yay Atari 🎉 Games looked really awesome. River Raid, as you know is the only one of those I've played, it looks so different and nicer then my version. I really need to get a copy of pitfall II, and hero looks really neat. Great video

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Thanks!! All of the Activision games are great, HERO, Pitfall II and River Raid are some of the best, but there are many more that are great as well.

[@lynnes8bitworld124]

Donkey Kong on the Atari does have the intro sequence.. just let it idle on the selection screen for a few minute and then it will play it.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Yep you are right. Not too sure why they didn't include it when you start the game if it was already programmed in. It's just a simple sub routine. But yes it's there, you just have to sit and wait for it while not playing.

[@ronm6585]

Thanks for the comparisons. Cheers.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Thanks for watching and dropping a comment. 😉

[@slaapliedje]

There are very many videos, and they are fun, between the c64 and the Atari 8bit line of computers. Amusing to me, there are very few that compare either to the Apple II. They were all fairly contemporary. Sadly, there were numerous games that were created on the Apple II and then ported over, so they rarely would fully utilize the capabilities of the Commodore or Atari machine. The Ultimas are all in this category.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Bro.. If you want an Apple II comparison, I got you. I love all 8 bit computers and own many including Apples. I will put that idea on the back burner and make a video including Apples in the future. BTW I loved the Ultima series!! Have you tried Alternate Reality series? It's RPG/Dungeon Crawler, just a really fun game on most the 8 bit computers.

[@harrkev]

The Apple 2 didn't have anything close to the graphics horsepower of the others. Not even sprites. But it was earlier and used all off-the-shelf hardware.

[@slaapliedje]

@@RetrogamerGenX The only Apple II I own is a IIGS, since it covers all the bases! The Ultima series is still my favorite of all time. One of these days I intend to try and complete all of them... I've beaten 1,3,4,6,9. Almost beat 5, but I'm fairly confident that when I was playing it, my friend's dos version was badly cracked and only let you play so far. I should have tried to get it on my ST when I was using that... And of course I played Alternate Reality: The Dungeon until I beat it! I wish I still had the graph paper that I mapped every little square I could on! Still the best RPG ever not completed... if only they'd had the correct funding to make the entire game, and actually release them on every platform up to the 16/32 bit computers! AR was actually developed on the Atari 8bit, and if I recall is the first game ever to use bitmapped/textured walls (I could be wrong on that, but pretty sure that is the case).

[@retroprojections]

Oh man.. I'm not color blind, the graphics on H.E.R.O. for the Commodore are just BAD. As an old coworker friend of mine would say, "I can't tell if you tried too hard, or not enough, but either way, you didn't try too good!" Love the shirt change for the outro!!! 😂

[@RetrogamerGenX]

The graphics are pretty bad because of that. But honestly if they wouldn't have tried to over do it, it would of been a pretty good port. Ah, you noticed the shirt change. lol

[@slaapliedje]

@@RetrogamerGenX I kind of think that the C64 version would have looked awesome, if they'd been able to squeeze more colors into it. It looked like it was trying to be an Amiga Psygnosis game... but without the capabilities of an Amiga. I can see the art direction they were trying for... H.E.R.O. is definitely one of my all time favorites though!

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Dude, yep looks just like you described with an Amiga Psygnosis game on a C64. lol Perfect analogy.

[@CBM64]

@@slaapliedje It's one of few games that uses the hi-res mode. Looks fantastic if you ask me. The NTSC version that is played here is slightly different from the PAL version it seems.

[@itamar7559]

The commodore versions use the multicolor mode (don’t remember if that’s the name) which was only 160 pixels wide iirc. They look very pixelated compared to the atari, which seems to have more balanced modes. I wonder how they compare with newer games from the mid-late eighties.

[@VGVindaloo]

The Atari version of Donkey Kong also was one of the few versions that had all four stages from the arcade. Even the original NES version didn't have all four, but it was patched in later for Nintendo's virtual console and the ROM from that works on original hardware. Another thing I like about the Atari version: You can push the stick diagonally to get up ladders. In the Arcade and most other versions, only up works, which makes it feel less fluent. And regarding Choplifter: The black and white version of it looks much better on the Atari. The C64 version looks a bit pixelated here. Didn't it also have a hi res version?

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Yeah I liked this version of DK. There are three versions of Choplifter for the 8bit. The first one that I showed is ported from Apple II, then the disk based version which is the one that's more like the C64's version in black and white (I had no idea this one existed until I posted this and the comments came in), and last was the XE version that was more like the Sega arcade version. Thanks for watching and dropping a comment!!

[@djmips]

Games are only as good as the programmer. Also the C64 Donkey Kong is closer to the arcade speed - the Atari is too fast

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Bet... You maybe right. I will have to fire up the ol' MAME machine and check it out. It's been awhile since I've played the arcade version.

[@rickgrimes3479]

If you thought that why would you make a comparison video before you even checking that?

[@budrekot]

The Pal version on the Atari seems more the speed

[@datacipher]

@@RetrogamerGenXno… you aren’t wrong. The c64 version is god awful… molasses. It’s true the Atari version runs faster than the arcade… better that than sooooo slow. I won a couple donkey Kong arcade local contests back in the day… the 8 bit dk on Atari is the only home version I can stand. It’s fun to run through the levels fast.

[@tarstarkusz]

This compo was heavily geared towards pretty early titles. The 800 line was out in 79 and the C64 didn't come out till 82. They had more experience with the 8bit. If you really want to see commodore crushed, check out robotron. The 8bit, especially the 5200 version just crushes it while the C64 version is awful.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Oh yeah Robotron is on a whole new level. Nah man, I don't want to see my C64 crushed. lol But I do have to say, I'm becoming a fan of the Atari 8bit. Never did I think I would say that. Makes want to get a ST just to see how it stacks up against my Amiga's.

[@tarstarkusz]

@@RetrogamerGenX I was a commodore kid too. My first Atari 8-bit computer was the XEGS in the late 90s from a flea market.

[@CBM64]

Donkey Kong on C64 is better. The Atari 8-bit port seems off. Gotta compare it to the arcade.

[@Sinn0100]

Fun Fact: The Atari 8-bit shares the same hardware as the 5200. Atari wanting to keep them separate made them incompatible.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Yep. I always called the 5200 Ataris money grab. Same hardware but incompatible controllers, games, and peripherals. I mean, just go buy an Atari 8-bit, and you would have so much more than you would have with a 5200. Atari fixed this with the XEGS.

[@TonimanGalvez]

8bits Ataris are nice machines, but I prefer the C64, it's got Turrican 1, 2 and 3, got Defender of the Crown, got Last Ninja 2 and many more big games, much bigger and nicer than the Atari ones.

[@VortexArcade]

I had an Atari 130XE, and the games that made me save up and buy a C64 were Forbidden Forest and the Access Software games, like Beach Head. Those blew the Atari away and I hated to admit it. There were also some great games I'm not sure were on the Atari, like Space Taxi. Love watching these comparisons.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

That's cool. You're one of the few that switched sides. Most stuck with either the A8bit or C64 until the 16/32 bit machines came out like Amiga and Atari ST/ TT030. Even then most people stuck with the same company. Space Taxi is one of my favorites. "Pad one please" Great game, fun and addictive gameplay. Thanks for watching and sharing!!

[@jayhays8267]

@13:41 - Mario moves WAY too fast in the Atari version. Mario does move slowly in the C64 version but not too much slower than in the official arcade version. I do think the C64 version looks much more closer to the arcade version than the Atari.

[@IntellivisionDudeGaming]

Great comparison video dude. If i remember right the 8bit version of Donkey Kong has all 4 levels and may be the only home port back then with all 4. Maybe?

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Thanks man!! The C64 version has all 4 too. It's just hell'a harder to get too. 🤣

[@thefurthestmanfromhome1148]

You can only realistically compare titles on the 2 platforms, if they had the same coding teams and weren't designed with a specific platform in mind. It then gets even more complicated when there are multiple versions released on the same platform.

[@artbell259]

not c64 vs Atari, but R-Type is the ultimate test, the number of aliens on screen really tells the story in terms of system power - Atari ST having fewer than Amiga

[@metesev]

I presume these were more or less early games, mostly ported from Atari (as mentioned at the end of the video)... Games written on the second half of the 80s for C64 might prove better.

[@The_Haze]

Ok, I got to jump in here. You played an inferior version of Choplifter for Atari 8-bits. I don't know why, but there are like 3 versions of the game for the Atari bit computers. The one you played seems to be a direct port of the Apple II version. I could confirm from the Atari Mania website that there were for sure 2 different versions. One in 1982 and one in 1988. But I swear there was a 3rd version in-between. Why this happened, I got no idea. Just search for any longplay here on YT and you'll see.

[@KJW648]

Choplifter goes to Atari, higher resolution and so smooth.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

I can explain. The OG version like I played was the first version of the game. The original version was created on an Apple II, and yes was ported to Atari 8bit, Commodore Vic-20 & C64, MSX, Sega SG-1000 and more. In 1985 Sega created a whole new choplifter game for the arcade with completely different graphics. This version is the one you are speaking of. It was later ported to the Sega Master system, Atari 8bit & 7800. Through the years there have been several other versions of the game too for different systems each having Dan Gorlin's permission making him a rich man. So the one you are speaking of is the newer version of the game ported from the arcade. To compare that one to the C64 version ported from the Apple II wouldn't be fair because the C64 never got the updated version.

[@craiggilchrist4223]

You cant compare an ATARI400 with a C64. You need to play Donkey Kong Arcade on ATARI for start animation.

[@tarstarkusz]

The Atari version of donkey kong should be the right height, but it's not. That ruins the game for me.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Right!! Donkey Kong's sprite on the Atari 8bit is off too. Just looks weird. The C64 one looks like the arcade, plus he is on the left side of the screen like he should be on the first stage.

[@bjbell52]

He OBVIOUSLY have something wrong with your Atari setup because your colors are off. One guess - you're using an emulator. Atari hires graphics mode is 320 x 192. This mode allows 4 colors on the screen at the same time in bit-mapped graphics and of course you can add hires Atari sprites to get more color. I bought choplifter when it first came out and there is NO WAY it looked that bad. One more thing : many early Atari games were ported from Apple games and often they didn't bother to use many of the things the Atari could do. This was one of the many Apple ports and whoever did the Atari version probably changed very little of the code to port it to Atari whereas the C64's version looks like it used some of the graphic features the C64 has to offer. That why, whereas I don't mind looking at different ports, I know sometimes they don't put a lot of effort into the ports between the Apple & the Atari.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Nope. 100% brought to you by my Atari XEGS via A/V out to an A/V to hdmi converter to my capture device, to OBS. The C64 is my C64C, via s-video to hdmi, to the rest mentioned before. Absolutely nothing wrong with my Atari, that's just how Choplifter looks. You maybe thinking of the Choplifter that was released later on the XE's. Emulation... That's funny.

[@kangarht]

1. you can only have 2. colors at 320x192 and even those must be the same hue. 2. hires sprites (320x size pixels) on atari does not exist 3. same amount of effort went into c64 ports

[@bjbell52]

​@@kangarht 1) You can have 4 colors at 320 x 192. The technique is called artifacting. 2) I never said the sprites are 320 pixels. I said there were lorez and hirez sprites. 3) Effort depends upon the machine and what you're trying to accomplish. Scrolling is easier to do on the Atari. Multicolored sprites are easier to do on the C64.

[@kangarht]

@@bjbell52 1artefacting that only works with NTSC CRTs, and also reduces your resolution to 160x hence "colors" are made from pixel pairs.

[@gamingtonight1526]

Could tell Atari would win based on the games he chose.

[@jpl9148]

Can you make a video Amiga vs Atari ST?

[@RetrogamerGenX]

One day brother, one day... I have a few Amiga's, but I don't own an ST and all my videos are on the real machines, not emulaton. I've been looking for a good deal on an ST locally, just haven't found one yet. But when I do, it's on like Donkey Kong. 💪

[@mortimore4030]

I prefer POKEY to the SID chip. Atari 8-bit computers had great sound effects.

[@simonllawrence]

Madness

[@madigorfkgoogle9349]

Where are you from, USA? Looks like you are using wrong ATARI games with wrong computer version, PAL games on NTSC? The Choplifter! has different colours, and actually there was also XE version of Chopliter! from 1988, that stomps the C64 version you showed into the ground.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Yep from the US. And using all NTSC games, not PAL. Yes you are right, the newer XE version is ported from the Sega arcade version of the game and not the Apple II version. So to compare, I had to use the same version of the game. Wouldn't have been fair to use the better version that the commodore never got.

[@rickgrimes3479]

Atari XE? that's the 16bit version of the computer not the 8-Bit😔.

[@madigorfkgoogle9349]

@@RetrogamerGenX hmm... I have the PAL ATARI an in my version of Choplifter! the background is dark blue (night sky), ground is dark magenta, people, chopper, tanks and mountains are white, there is no green colour at all there, and the chopper has rotor sound. Speaking of fair, the C64 version is more then one year newer then ATARI version. So its not the same version anyway. And not even mentioning the newer "Sega" version shows ATARI as a much inferior computer. Meanwhile it is just a poor port (or lets say closer to Apple original) and I thing wrong region version in your video.

[@madigorfkgoogle9349]

@@rickgrimes3479 no its not, XE was 800 line refresh in Jack Tramiels times, its ATARI 65XE is basically late 800XL with new designe of shell (in ATARI ST style). Both are fully compatible.

[@paultucker3143]

Now what about the euro version of DK by Ocean?

[@TheWarmotor]

Your head is very rectangular.

[@SAM-ru4vx]

XEGS vs Commandore 128?

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

There's two versions of DK on the c64 and you played the terrible one.

[@thomasboisse605]

LOL picking some games that had bad ports on c64 isent prove at all that Atari was better. So where are those great games like Turrican, Giana Sisters, Elite, Test Drive, Lotus, Kick off, x-Out, Katakis, R-type on Atari? Where are all the great games that are far ahead of all the Atari ever had??? . Sorry but this comperison is totaly nonsense.

[@rickgrimes3479]

What's wrong with this guy the c64 versions are obviously superior, especially on Donkey Kong. The Atari version is missing the intro and some other parts of the game. Yet somehow he says the Atari 8-bit version is better because it's faster😂. Also the Commodore 64 versions are using the smallest cartridges ever yet still making better versions compared to the Atari. If you're going to be biased against something at least try and hide it, and he didn't even compare the Commodore 64's is best games instead of these old garbage games😂. If so they would be no comparison.

[@maxxdahl6062]

Yeah I'd take a c64, even the C64 DTV over an atari 8 bit 10 out of 10 times.

[@mortimore4030]

Nothing is wrong with him. The Atari has better versions here. Wait till you see how much smoother Rescue on Fractulus is on the Atari or how much better Elektroglide is on the Atari.