HDMI Out- is a must!

Play Stepmania

Play games the following games
Command and Conquer the first Decade
Fallout Trilogy (tactics being the 3rd)
MechCommander 2
Starcraft Battle Chest
Warcraft III: Battlechest
World of Goo
X-COM: Apocalypse
X-COM: Enforcer
X-COM: Interceptor
X-COM: Terror From the Deep
X-COM: UFO Defense
Diablo Battle Chest

play everything up to N64 emulators with a ton of mame.

Have a HUGE HDD! (300Gigs up) It would be nice but not important. I think 160GB would be plenty but a little tight.

I'll be using it for basic school work and programming (C++ and Visual Basic) programming isn't all that important for this a netbook since I have two other Laptops that do have the power.

So I'm thinking something with the following specs will fill my needs.

Any Intel Atom thing (don't know much about Netbook CPU's)
1 Gig of RAM
160GB HDD
Windows XP, (I rather have Windows 7 Home then starter)

That should be enough for my needs I'm thinking of going to costco and feeling the netbooks. Any netbook should feel these needs right? But I'm mostly worried about it having HDMI.. that is the most important thing of all. 

Sounds like you want a cheap laptop, the netbooks ive seen can barely run SimGolf.

Actually, I think a standard netbook will do you fine. C&C generals might be a little tight, but the other ones are better anyway. N64 emulators aren't going to happen...
 
I've never done any coding on a netbook, but for basic stuff I'd imagine you will be fine. The only thing is HDMI, I know that mine doesn't have it. I'm sure they exist, but I don't know if its in your price range.

Look on Tiger Direct or newegg, almost any netbook would beable to play those games fine and have atleast a 160gb hard drive with 1-2gb ram.
 
LINK

Try to get a Pine Trail one, don't get a regular old Atom (I have that, it can't play games worth a shit)

Netbooks are only designed for typing and web surfing. I wouldn't trust them to play any games.

Not HDMI for sure - that's a pipe dream. IMO, save up for a couple months and spring for a *real* laptop.

If your looking for any kind of higher performance from a netbook you need to look at the Nvidia ION line-up.

" Not HDMI for sure - that's a pipe dream. IMO, save up for a couple months and spring for a *real* laptop. "

I would have to say your out of luck.
Netbooks are not intended for gaming of any kind really

" I would have to say your out of luck. Netbooks are not intended for gaming of any kind really "

I got that for 200 at the American appliance store

.I'll be using it for basic school work and programming (C++ and Visual Basic) programming isn't all that important for this a netbook since I have two other Laptops that do have the power.  

" @Coombs said:

" I would have to say your out of luck. Netbooks are not intended for gaming of any kind really "

Yeah but I don't want to game with demanding games just games that are from 2000 and older.... I've heard netbooks are perfect for this... "

War3, world of goo and some of the later games in the CnC thing might be pushing it a bit with most netbooks. 
Also, HDD space ain't getting that high, considering a lot of netbooks don't even have a proper harddrive. 
 
And i don't think any of them have HDMi, cause they don't even have a proper graphics unit.

Not for 300 currently, but for 400 or 500 certainly. Also, no HDMI outs or ins... 
 
 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5646464&CatId=4949

I think most cheapo netbooks can run most of those games.

I havea netbook, it struggles to play peggle. Get a real laptop.

" Sounds like you want a cheap laptop, the netbooks ive seen can barely run SimGolf. "

I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but my netbook does all of these things.
 
It's an Aspire 1410, 11.6 in
1.3GHz 1MB L2
2gb
250gig drive 
HDMI out
 
It's also on the higher-end of netbooks, especially since it has a dual-core, but it plays most of those games you listed swell. Your biggest gaming issue (Assuming you're only playing old school tittles, like 03 and earlier) is getting the games to run at the native resolution (1366 x 768, for me).

" I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but my netbook does all of these things.  It's an Aspire 1410, 11.6 in 1.3GHz 1MB L2 2gb 250gig drive  HDMI out It's also on the higher-end of netbooks, especially since it has a dual-core, but it plays most of those games you listed swell. Your biggest gaming issue (Assuming you're only playing old school tittles, like 03 and earlier) is getting the games to run at the native resolution (1366 x 768, for me). "

" @AgentofChaos said:

" Sounds like you want a cheap laptop, the netbooks ive seen can barely run SimGolf. "

Huh my acer aspire 1 netbook that sells for 250-275 could easily run all those games don't be a troll. "