Retro To Modern Gaming

like the Atari 130XE. Probably more, actually, since it's an emulator running on a Rasberry Pi derivitive. I don't recall anything after the Atari 400/800 released in 1979 that had memory expansion slots, other than ROM cartridge slots. However, the Atari 8-bit line didn't last as long as the Commodore 8-bit line, so 128K wasn't too bad. Remember the original Apple Macintosh released with just 128K. But by the end of the decade, operating systems and applications were demanding more and more memory.
BTW, the Commodore 64 didn't see any real memory expansion that mapped memory to the CPU, the CPU can only see 64K of RAM and ROM at once time. Memory expansion, such as the 1764, 1700, 1750, and the CMD RAMlink were just RAMDisks. The 17-series contained the REU chip, an equivelant to the Amiga Blitter chip that can transfer from the RAM expansion to local memory very quickly, and can do it without interrupting the 6510 CPU. It can do it even faster with the VIC II turned off. As it shared an interrupt with the VIC II chip to operate. The new Ultimate 64 and The64 mini/maxi have this build in, as well as the 1541 Ultimate II+ I use with my Commodore 64-SX, which gives a much bigger platform for game design than the old stock Commodore 64, While still being compatible with all of Commodore 64's existing massive library. So we're seeing much bigger games now, than we had in the past, as well as old games that were very disk-intensive, like Ultima IV that requires swapping 4 disks constantly to play, can now be stored on a single 1581 image that load to REU memory, or a Easyflash3 cartridge format that works like an REU but with ROM instat of RAM, so there's virtually no loading times. I need to investigate, still if there's something like Easyflash3 for the Atari. which is 1 MB ROM images. 1 MB seems small today, but for those 8-bit computers it's huge.

two joysticks.While the Atari version actually recognizes four joysticks. That means I can easily carry the little A400mini to game night and if it's just four or less of us, we can play M.U.L.E. together.
I suppose I can just run an Atari 8-bit emulator and use four USB controllers, except, I only have 3 USB controllers made by RetroGames, the two TheJoysticks I have, and TheGamePad that came with the A500Mini (Amiga. not Atari) and the A400mini comes with TheCXStick. Making four controllers. I could just grab any of those for about $30. But I still want the little console. Because of games I can't get on Commodore, Star Raiders II and can also play the original Star Raiders. Both great Atari exlusives. Mostly because the Commodore 64 wasn't even out yet when they were made. Atari 400/800 released in 1979, while the Commodore 64 came out in late 1982, so most software dated from 1983 onward.
I don't talk a whole lot about the A500min (Amiga) I have because it's so finicky trying to get games working from USB and even if I do get them working, it takes just accidentally pressing the setup button on the controller, and well, it automatically saves over the settings the image for the game, which is actually for a different system, so it breaks the game. I pressed it accidentally enough to just not play anything except the 25 games it came with. Been waiting and waiting to see if a patch comes down to fix it, but still not yet. But, The reason why it's called "A500" and not Amiga 500, same with C64 instead of Commodore 64, is because they have no rights to use those brand names. A400, however, they are now working with Atari, and have the rights, but keep the name they introduced it as. Comoodore and Amiga names are now going through a bit of legal armwrestling at the moment, as Commodore is coming back and trying to gather legal assets. Commodore in most countries other than Italy have been recovered. Amiga, is a different story. As both it's harware and operating system assets are seperate holding groups, worldwide. But the current Commodore does recognize Retro Games consoles, as well as others, to made the whole landscape friendly for promotion. Atari is sort of doing the same. But rather making use of their name only if the product can be sold out of their own online store. But both work. Atari unlike Commodore didn't break up in three directions, it broke up in two ways, game division went to Hasbro, and computer division went to Jack Tramiel. While they both changed hands over time they each stayed together until combining again about a decade ago. The reason Commodore broke up into three parts, is because Amiga was a company that Commodore absorbed back in the day, and remained somewhat seperate as far as legal terms go. Amiga OS, Kickstart, etc, were contract developers, I believe. So the A500mini doesn't not include the operating system, the images it uses for games are images from CD's from an Amiga=based Console that Commodore released called CD32. It also didn't have AmigaOS, per se, but did have bits in order to make use of a disk operating system to use a CD. A500mini doesn't have those resources. So setings changes muffs up those images. Retro Games for A500mini needs to just make it so it doesn't automatically write over that if the menu isn't entered by mistake.