Friday, May 13, 2011
The History of Atari Computers
Atari hasn’t always been all about gaming. From the late ’70s to the early ’90s, the company produced a series of interesting and unusual desktops and laptops, including one that had a starring role in ‘Terminator 2.’
By Benj Edwards , PCWorld Apr 21, 2011 9:00 pm
Atari’s PC Evolution
It’s a name that’s legendary in the world of video games: Atari. But few people today remember that the former video game giant once made computers, too. For 15 years (1978 to 1993), Atari designed and produced four distinct lines of PCs: the 8-bit “Atari 800” line, the 16-bit ST line, the PC compatibles, and the 32-bit series.
Although Atari started off strong in the U.S. PC market, the company soon faltered in the face of shake-ups in the game industry (its core business) and stiff competition from IBM PC compatibles. In Europe, Atari held on to a niche of dedicated fans for years until finally shutting down its PC division in 1993. In the following slides, you’ll see just about every production computer model that Atari ever released over that 15-year period.
Atari 400 / 800 (1979)
Atari’s 8-bit computer line began as a next-generation follow-up to the groundbreaking Atari 2600 video game console. Upon seeing Apple’s success in the early personal computer market, Atari executives ordered their engineers to turn the new hardware into a personal computer system, which became the 800. Originally retailing for $1000, the Atari 800 shipped with 8KB of RAM, upgradable to 48KB. Its little sibling, the Atari 400, shipped with less RAM and a flat membrane keyboard for $550.
Atari 1200 XL (1982)
Atari upgraded its 8-bit computer line in 1982 with the 1200XL, which featured 64KB of RAM and a simplified internal construction wrapped in a sleek new case design. Even though the 1200XL incorporated what may be the best-feeling keyboard of the series, it also became known as a highly flawed machine. A new OS introduced frustrating incompatibilities with existing Atari 8-bit software, and the closed case allowed no serious expansion. Sales of the original 800 actually went up after the release of the 1200XL, sending Atari back to the drawing board.
Atari 600XL / 800 XL (1983)
The Atari 600XL and 800XL systems, released in 1983, fixed some of the 1200XL’s problems. The 600XL (a replacement for the Atari 400) included 16KB RAM, and the 800XL had 64KB. Both incorporated a 50-pin Parallel Bus Interface (PBI) on the rear, opening the door to sophisticated future upgrades.
Atari 65 XE / 130 XE (1985)
After Warner Communications sold the consumer portions of Atari to Jack Tramiel in 1984, Tramiel canceled many existing projects and began working on a new machine to best the upcoming Commodore Amiga. Meanwhile, he replaced the 8-bit XL series with two new models: the 65XE, with 64KB of RAM, and the 130 XE, with 128KB. Both were compatible with existing Atari 8-bit software.
Atari 520ST (1985)
The launch of the Macintosh in 1985 set off a race to create a new generation of 16-bit, GUI-based PCs. Atari designed its own such computer, the 520ST, and launched it in March 1985. It was an amazingly cheap $799 bundle that included a 360KB floppy drive, a mouse, and a monochrome monitor. (For an extra $200, you could get a color monitor.) The 520ST packed 512KB of RAM and incorporated a colorful graphical windowing system called GEM.
Just as the Macintosh platform quickly dominated the world of graphic design, the Atari ST found its strongest niche in music production due to Atari’s inclusion of two built-in MIDI ports, which was unusual at the time.
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