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Atari 8-bit family

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   Home computer series introduced in 1979

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   CAPTION: Atari 8-bit family

   Atari 400 logo-02.svg   Atari 800 logo-01.svg
   Atari-800-Computer-FL.jpg
   The Atari 800's nameplate is on the dual-width cartridge slot cover
      Manufacturer
     * Atari, Inc. (1979-1984)
     * Atari Corporation (1984-1992)

          Type        Home computer
      Release date    November 1979; 43 years ago (1979-11)
   Introductory price
     * Atari 400: US$550 (equivalent to $2,050 in 2021)
     * Atari 800: US$1,000 (equivalent to $3,730 in 2021)^[1]

   Discontinued January 1, 1992; 30 years ago (1992-01-01)

   Units sold 4 million
   Operating system Custom
   Atari DOS (optional)
   CPU MOS Technology 6502B

     * @ 1.79 MHz (NTSC)
     * @ 1.77 MHz (PAL)

   Graphics 384 pixels per TV line, 256 colors, 8 * sprites, raster
   interrupts
   Sound 4 * oscillators with noise mixing
   or 2 * AM digital
   Connectivity

     * 2 or 4 * Atari joystick port
     * 1 * Atari SIO
     * 0-1 * PBI
     * 0-1 * Composite monitor
     * 1-2 * ROM cartridge

   Successor Atari ST
   Related Atari 5200

   The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced
   by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800.^[2] The series
   was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL,
   Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE, and Atari XEGS, the last
   discontinued in 1992. They differ primarily in packaging, each based on
   the MOS Technology 6502 CPU at 1.79 MHz^[a] and the same custom
   coprocessor chips. As the first home computer architecture with
   coprocessors, it has graphics and sound more advanced than most
   contemporary machines. Video games were a major draw, and first-person
   space combat simulator Star Raiders is considered the platform's killer
   app. The plug-and-play peripherals use the Atari SIO serial bus, with
   one developer eventually also co-patenting USB.^[3]^[b]

   While using the same internal technology, the Atari 800 was sold as a
   high-end model, while the 400 was more affordable. The 400 has a
   pressure-sensitive, spillproof membrane keyboard and initially shipped
   with 8 KB of RAM. The 800 has a conventional keyboard, a second (rarely
   used) cartridge slot, and hidden slots that allow easy RAM upgrades to
   48K. Both models were replaced by the XL series in 1983. The company
   was sold and reestablished as Atari Corporation, producing the XE
   series in 1985. The XL and XE are lighter in construction, have two
   joystick ports instead of four, and Atari BASIC is built-in. The 130XE
   has 128 KB of bank-switched RAM.

   The core architecture of the Atari 8-bit family was reused in the 1982
   Atari 5200 game console, but games for the two systems are
   incompatible. In 1987, Atari Corporation repackaged the 65XE as a
   console, with an optional keyboard, as the Atari XEGS. It is backward
   compatible with computer software.

   According to Jeremy Reimer, two million Atari 8-bit computers were sold
   during its major production run between late 1979 and mid-1985.^[4] In
   1984, Atari reported 4 million owners of its computers and its 5200
   game console combined.^[5] The 8-bit family was sold both in computer
   stores and department stores such as Sears using an in-store demo to
   attract customers.^[6] The primary global competition came when the
   similarly equipped Commodore 64 was introduced in 1982. In 1992, Atari
   Corporation officially dropped all remaining support for the 8-bit
   line.^[7]

   The "Atari 8-bit family" label was not contemporaneous. Atari, Inc.,
   used the term "Atari 800 [or 400] home computer system", often
   combining the model names into "Atari 400/800" or "Atari home
   computers".^[8]^[9]

   [ ]

Contents

     * 1 History
          + 1.1 Development
          + 1.2 FCC issues
          + 1.3 400/800 release
               o 1.3.1 Reception
     * 2 Follow-up systems
          + 2.1 Liz project
          + 2.2 1200XL
               o 2.2.1 Reception
          + 2.3 600XL and 800XL
               o 2.3.1 Reception
          + 2.4 Unreleased XL models
          + 2.5 Tramiel takeover, declining market
          + 2.6 XE series
          + 2.7 XE Game System
     * 3 End of support and legacy
     * 4 Design
          + 4.1 ANTIC
          + 4.2 CTIA/GTIA
          + 4.3 POKEY
     * 5 Models
          + 5.1 Production timeline
          + 5.2 Prototypes and vaporware
     * 6 Peripherals
     * 7 Software
          + 7.1 Built-in operating system
          + 7.2 Disk Operating System
     * 8 Playfield graphics
          + 8.1 Character modes
          + 8.2 Map modes
          + 8.3 GTIA modes
     * 9 See also
     * 10 Notes
     * 11 References
          + 11.1 Bibliography
     * 12 External links

History[edit]

   Design of the 8-bit series started at Atari as soon as the Atari Video
   Computer System was released in late 1977. While designing the VCS in
   1976, the engineering team from Atari Grass Valley Research Center
   (originally Cyan Engineering)^[10] said the system would have a
   three-year lifespan before becoming obsolete. They started blue sky
   designs for a new console that would be ready to replace it around
   1979.^[11]

   They developed essentially a greatly updated version of the VCS, fixing
   its major limitations but sharing a similar design philosophy.^[11] The
   newer design has better speed, graphics, and sound. Work on the chips
   for the new system continued throughout 1978 and focused on
   much-improved video coprocessor known as the CTIA (the VCS version was
   the TIA).^[12]

   During the early development period, the home computer era began in
   earnest with the TRS-80, Commodore PET, and Apple II--what Byte
   magazine dubbed the "1977 Trinity".^[13] Nolan Bushnell sold Atari to
   Warner Communications for US$28 million in 1976 to fund the launch of
   the VCS. Warner had recently hired Ray Kassar as the CEO of the
   company. Kassar said the chipset should be used in a home computer to
   challenge Apple.^[3] To adapt the machine to this role, it needed
   character graphics, some form of expansion for peripherals, and run the
   then-universal BASIC programming language.^[11]

   The VCS lacks bitmap graphics and a character generator. All on-screen
   graphics are created using sprites and a simple background generated by
   data loaded by the CPU into single-scan-line video registers. Atari
   engineer Jay Miner architected the two video chips for the Atari 8-bit
   family. The CTIA chip includes sprites and background graphics, but to
   reduce load on the main CPU, loading video registers/buffers is
   delegated to a dedicated microprocessor: the Alphanumeric Television
   Interface Controller or ANTIC. CTIA and ANTIC work together to produce
   a complete display, with ANTIC fetching scan line data from a
   framebuffer and sprite memory in RAM, plus character set bitmaps for
   character modes, and feeding these to the CTIA. CTIA processes the
   sprite and playfield data in the light of its own color, sprite, and
   graphics registers to produce the final color video output.^[14]

   The resulting system was far in advance of anything then available on
   the market. Commodore was developing a video driver at the time, but
   Chuck Peddle, lead designer of the MOS Technology 6502 CPU used in the
   VCS and the new machines, saw the Atari work during a visit to Grass
   Valley. He realized the Commodore design would not be competitive but
   he was under a strict non-disclosure agreement with Atari, and was
   unable to tell anyone at Commodore to give up on their own design.
   Peddle later commented that "the thing that Jay did, just kicked
   everybody's butt."^[15]

  Development[edit]

   Atari 400 (1979) has a membrane keyboard and a door covering the single
   cartridge slot.

   Atari 800 has the cover removed, showing expansion cards and two
   cartridge slots. The slots are molded into the cast aluminum RF shield.

   The Atari 800 has expansion cards for the RAM, ROM, and processor. It
   eventually shipped with three of these 16KB RAM cards, for a total of
   48KB.

   Management identified two sweet spots for the new computers: a low-end
   version known internally as "Candy", and a higher-end machine known as
   "Colleen" (named after two Atari secretaries).^[16] Atari would market
   Colleen as a computer and Candy as a game machine or hybrid game
   console. Colleen includes user-accessible expansion slots for RAM and
   ROM, two 8 KB ROM cartridge slots, RF and monitor output (including two
   pins for separate luma and chroma suitable for superior S-Video output)
   and a full keyboard. Candy was initially designed as a game console,
   lacking a keyboard and input/output ports, although an external
   keyboard was planned for joystick ports 3 and 4. At the time, plans
   called for both to have a separate audio port supporting cassette tapes
   as a storage medium.^[17]

   A goal for the new systems was user-friendliness. One executive stated,
   "Does the end user care about the architecture of the machine? The
   answer is no. 'What will it do for me?' That's his major concern. ...
   why try to scare the consumer off by making it so he or she has to have
   a double E or be a computer programmer to utilize the full capabilities
   of a personal computer?" For example, cartridges were expected to make
   the computers easier to use.^[18] To minimize handling of bare circuit
   boards or chips, as is common with other systems of that period, the
   computers were designed with enclosed modules for memory, ROM
   cartridges, with keyed connectors to prevent them being plugged into
   the wrong slot. The operating system boots automatically, loading
   drivers from devices on the serial bus (SIO). The DOS system for
   managing floppy storage was menu-driven. When no software is loaded,
   rather than leaving the user at a blank screen or machine language
   monitor, the OS goes to the "Memo Pad" which is a built-in full-screen
   editor without file storage support.^[14]

   As the design process for the new machines continued, there were
   questions about what the Candy should be. There was a running argument
   about whether the keyboard would be external or built in.^[19] By the
   summer of 1978, education had become a focus for the new systems. While
   the Colleen design was largely complete by May 1978, it was not until
   early 1979 that the decision was made that Candy would also be a
   complete computer, but one intended for children. As such, it would
   feature a new keyboard designed to be resistant to liquid spills.^[20]

   Atari intended to port Microsoft BASIC to the machine as an 8 KB ROM
   cartridge. However, the existing 6502 version from Microsoft was around
   7,900 bytes, leaving no room for extensions for graphics and sound. The
   company contracted with local consulting firm Shepardson Microsystems
   to complete the port. They recommended writing a new version from
   scratch, resulting in Atari BASIC.^[21]

  FCC issues[edit]

   Televisions of the time normally have only one signal input, which is
   the antenna connections on the back. For devices like a computer, the
   video is generated and then sent to an RF modulator to convert it to
   antenna-like output. The introduction of many game consoles during this
   era had led to situations where poorly designed modulators would
   generate so much signal as to cause interference with other nearby
   televisions, even in neighboring houses. In response to complaints, the
   Federal Communications Commission (FCC) introduced new testing
   standards which are extremely exacting and difficult to meet.^[22]

   Other manufacturers avoided the problem by using built-in composite
   monitors, such as the Commodore PET and TRS-80. The TRS-80 has a
   slightly modified black and white television as a monitor. It was
   notorious for causing interference, and production was canceled when
   the more stringent FCC requirements came into effect on January 1,
   1981. Apple Computer famously left off the modulator and sold them
   under a third party company as the Sup'R'Mod so they did not have to be
   tested.^[23]

   In a July 1977 visit with the engineering staff, a Texas Instruments
   (TI) salesman presented a new possibility in the form of an inexpensive
   fiber-optic cable with built-in transceivers. During the meeting, Joe
   Decuir proposed placing an RF modulator on one end, thereby completely
   isolating any electrical signals so that the computer would have no RF
   components. This would mean the computer would not have to meet the FCC
   requirements, yet users could still attach a television simply by
   plugging it in. His manager, Wade Tuma, later refused the idea saying
   "The FCC would never let us get away with that stunt." Unknown to
   Atari, TI used Decuir's idea. As Tuma had predicted, the FCC rejected
   the design, delaying that machine's release. TI ultimately shipped
   early machines with a custom television as the testing process dragged
   on.^[22]

   To meet the off-the-shelf requirement while including internal TV
   circuitry, the new machines needed to be heavily shielded. Both were
   built around very strong cast aluminum shields forming a partial
   Faraday cage, with the various components screwed down onto this
   internal framework. This resulted in an extremely sturdy computer, at
   the disadvantage of added manufacturing expense and complexity.^[3]

   The FCC ruling also made it difficult to have any sizable holes in the
   case, which would allow RF leakage. This eliminated expansion slots or
   cards that communicated with the outside world via their own
   connectors. Instead, Atari designed the Serial Input/Output (SIO)
   computer bus, a system for daisy-chaining multiple, auto-configuring
   devices to the computer through a single shielded connector. The
   internal slots were reserved for ROM and RAM modules; they did not have
   the control lines necessary for a fully functional expansion card, nor
   room to route a cable outside the case to communicate with external
   devices.^[3]

  400/800 release[edit]

   After Atari announced its intent to enter the home computer market in
   December 1978,^[24] the Atari 400 and Atari 800 were presented at the
   Winter CES in January 1979^[25] and shipped in November 1979.

   The names originally referred to the amount of memory: 4 KB RAM in the
   400 and 8 KB in the 800. By the time they were released, RAM prices had
   started to fall, so the machines were both released with 8 KB, using
   4kx1 DRAMs. The user-installable RAM modules in the 800 initially had
   plastic casings but this caused overheating issues, so the casings were
   removed. Later, the expansion cover was held down with screws instead
   of the easier-to-open plastic latches.^[26] The computers eventually
   shipped with maxed-out RAM: 16k and 48k, respectively, using 16kx1
   DRAMs.

   Both models have four joystick ports, permitting four simultaneous
   players, but only a few games (such as M.U.L.E.) use them all. Paddle
   controllers are wired in pairs, and Super Breakout supports eight
   players.^[27] The Atari 400, with a membrane keyboard and single
   internal ROM slot, outsold the Atari 800 by a 2-to-1 margin.^[4] Only
   one cartridge for the 800's right slot was produced by March 1983, and
   later machines in the family have only one slot.^[28]^[27]

    Reception[edit]

   Creative Computing mentioned the Atari machines in an April 1979
   overview of the CES show. Calling Atari "the videogame people", it
   stated they came with "some fantastic educational, entertainment and
   home applications software".^[29] In an August 1979 interview Atari's
   Peter Rosenthal suggested that demand might be low until the 1980-81
   time frame, when he predicted about one million home computers being
   sold.^[30] The April 1980 issue compared the machines with the
   Commodore PET, focused mostly on the BASIC dialects.^[31]

   Ted Nelson reviewed the computer in the magazine in June 1980, calling
   it "an extraordinary graphics box". Describing his and a friend's
   "shouting and cheering and clapping" during a demo of Star Raiders,
   Nelson wrote that he was so impressed that "I've been in computer
   graphics for twenty years, and I lay awake night after night trying to
   understand how the Atari machine did what it did". He described the
   machine as "something else" but criticized the company for a lack of
   developer documentation. He concluded by stating "The Atari is like the
   human body - a terrific machine, but (a) they won't give you access to
   the documentation, and (b) I'd sure like to meet the guy that designed
   it".^[32]

   Kilobaud Microcomputing wrote in September 1980 that the Atari 800
   "looks deceptively like a video game machine, [but had] the strongest
   and tightest chassis I have seen since Raquel Welch. It weighs about
   ten pounds ... The large amount of engineering and design in the
   physical part of the system is evident". The reviewer praised the
   documentation as "show[ing] the way manuals should be done", and the
   "excellent 'feel'" of the keyboard.^[33]

   InfoWorld favorably reviewed the 800's performance, graphics, and ROM
   cartridges, but disliked the documentation and cautioned that the
   unusual right Shift key location might make the computer "unsuitable
   for serious word processing".^[c] Noting that the amount of software
   and hardware available for the computer "is no match for that of the
   Apple II or the TRS-80", the magazine concluded that the 800 "is an
   impressive machine that has not yet reached its full computing
   potential".^[34]

Follow-up systems[edit]

  Liz project[edit]

   Though planning an extensive advertising campaign for 1980,^[18] Atari
   found difficult microcomputer competition from market leaders
   Commodore, Apple, and Tandy. By mid-1981, it had reportedly lost $10
   million on sales of $10-13 million from more than 50,000
   computers.^[35]^[36]

   In 1982, Atari started the Sweet 8 (or Liz NY) and Sweet 16 projects to
   create an upgraded set of machines that were easier to build and less
   costly to produce. Atari ordered a custom 6502, initially labelled
   6502C, but eventually known as SALLY to differentiate it from a
   standard 6502C.^[d] SALLY was incorporated into late-production 400/800
   machines, all XL/XE models, and the Atari 5200 and 7800 consoles. SALLY
   adds logic to disable the clock signal, called HALT. ANTIC uses this to
   shut off the CPU to access the data/address bus.^[37]

   Like the earlier machines, the Sweet 8/16 was intended to be released
   in two versions: the 1000 with 16 KB, and the 1000X with 64 KB. To
   support expansion, similar to the card slots used in the Apple II, the
   1000 series also supports the Parallel Bus Interface (PBI), a single
   expansion slot on the back of the machine. An external chassis can be
   plugged into the PBI, supporting card slots for further expansion.

  1200XL[edit]

   Atari 1200XL

   The original Liz plans were dropped and only one machine using the new
   design was released. Announced at a New York City press conference on
   December 13, 1982,^[38]^[39] the rechristened 1200XL was presented at
   the Winter CES on January 6-9, 1983.^[40] It shipped in March^[citation
   needed] 1983^[41] with 64 KB of RAM, built-in self test, a redesigned
   keyboard (with four function keys and a HELP key), and redesigned cable
   port layout.^[28] The number of joystick ports was reduced from 4 to 2.
   There is no PAL version of the 1200XL.^[citation needed]

   Announced at a retail price of $1000,^[42] the 1200XL was released at
   $899 (equivalent to about $2,400 in 2021).^[40] This is $100 less than
   the announced price of the Atari 800 at its release in 1979,^[1] but by
   this time the 800 was priced much lower.

   The PBI expansion connector from the original 1000X design was omitted,
   making the design rely entirely on the SIO port again. The +12V pin in
   the SIO port is not connected, which prevents a few devices from
   working.^[e] An improved video circuit provides more chroma for a more
   colorful image, but the chroma line is not connected to the monitor
   port, the only place that could make use of it. The operating system
   has compatibility problems with some older software.

   The 1200XL was discontinued in June 1983.

    Reception[edit]

   The press warned that the 1200XL was too expensive. Compute! stated in
   an early 1983 editorial:^[43]

     We're hard pressed to figure out what Atari is up to ... We're
     concerned about the emperor's new clothes because the actual
     features of the XL seem off base when compared to the competition.
     For example, the Atari 800, [less than $700 ] ... we're concerned
     that the 1200XL has been introduced to fill a nonexistent hole in
     Atari's product line.

   John J. Anderson, writing in Creative Computing's Outpost: Atari
   column, echoed these comments:^[44]

     If it had been announced at $499 instead of $899 , it would have
     been a welcome addition to the Atari computer line... The 1200 has
     met with nearly universal insouciance in the microcomputer
     community, and for good reason. It has an extra 16K in a designer
     case, without a right cartridge slot, expansion slots, or a third
     and fourth controller jack. It has no standard parallel or RS-232
     ports. Only substantive price cuts will help its image in any
     tangible way.

   Bill Wilkinson, author of Atari BASIC, co-founder of Optimized Systems
   Software, and columnist for Compute!, in May 1983 criticized the
   computer's features and price:^[45]

     So how do I rate the 1200XL in overall features and performance?
     Quite honestly, it depends entirely on what the price of the machine
     is. At anything under $450, it's a terrific bargain ... it should be
     able to sell for half the cost of the 800. However, the indications
     are that the price of the 800 will be dropped and that the 1200 will
     cost more than the 800. If so, buy an 800 quick!

  600XL and 800XL[edit]

   The 800XL is the best-selling model in the Atari 8-bit family.

   The 600XL has a slightly shallower case than the 800XL, as it lacks one
   row of RAM chips.

   By this time,^[when?] Atari was involved in what would soon develop
   into a full-blown price war. Several years earlier, Commodore was a
   major calculator vendor, selling designs based on a Texas Instruments
   (TI) chipset. TI decided to enter the market themselves and suddenly
   raised the prices to other vendors, nearly putting Commodore out of
   business. When TI introduced the TI-99, Tramiel turned the tables on
   them by pricing his machines below theirs. A price war ensued, causing
   a dramatic decline in home computer prices, reducing them as much as
   eight times over a period of a few months.^[citation needed]

   In May 1981, the Atari 800's price was $1,050 (equivalent to $3,100 in
   2021),^[34] but by mid-1983 it was $165 (equivalent to $450 in
   2021)^[46] and the 400 was under $150 (equivalent to $410 in
   2021).^[42] Although Atari had never been a deliberate target of
   Tramiel's wrath, the Commodore/TI price war affected the entire market.
   The timing was particularly bad for Atari; the 1200XL was a flop, and
   the earlier machines were too expensive to produce to be able to
   compete at the rapidly falling price points.

   A new lineup was announced at the 1983 Summer CES, closely following
   the original Liz/Sweet concepts. The 600XL is essentially the Liz NY
   model and the spiritual successor of the 400, and the 800XL would
   replace both the 800 and 1200XL. The machines look similar to the
   1200XL, but are smaller back to front, the 600 being somewhat smaller
   as it lacks one row of memory chips on the circuit board.^[citation
   needed]

   800XL main circuit board

   Atari had difficulty in transitioning manufacturing to Asia after
   closing its US factory.^[47] Originally intended to replace the 1200XL
   in mid-1983, the new models did not arrive until late that year.
   Although the 600XL/800XL were well positioned in terms of price and
   features, during the critical Christmas season they were available only
   in small numbers while the Commodore 64 was widely available.^[4] Brian
   Moriarty stated in ANALOG Computing that Atari "fail[ed] to keep up
   with Christmas orders for the 600 and 800XLs", reporting that as of
   late November 1983 the 800XL had not appeared in Massachusetts stores
   while 600XL "quantities are so limited that it's almost impossible to
   obtain".^[48]

   Although the 800XL would ultimately be the most popular computer sold
   by Atari, the company was unable to defend its market share, and the
   ongoing race to the bottom reduced Atari's profits.^[citation needed]
   Prices continued to erode; by November 1983 one toy store
   chain^[which?] sold the 800XL for $149.97 (equivalent to $400 in 2021),
   $10 above the wholesale price. After losing $563 million in the first
   nine months of the year, Atari that month announced that prices would
   rise in January, stating that it "has no intention of participating in
   these suicidal price wars".^[49] The 600XL and 800XL's prices in early
   1984 were $50 higher than for the VIC-20 and Commodore 64,^[50] and a
   rumor stated that the company planned to discontinue hardware and only
   sell software.^[51] Combined with the simultaneous effects of the video
   game crash of 1983, Atari was soon losing millions of dollars a day.
   Its owner, Warner Communications, became desperate to sell off the
   division.^[citation needed]

    Reception[edit]

   ANALOG Computing, writing about the 600XL in January 1984, stated that
   "the Commodore 64 and Tandy CoCo look like toys by comparison." The
   magazine approved of its not using the 1200XL's keyboard layout, and
   predicted that the XL's parallel bus "actually makes the 600 more
   expandable than a 400 or 800". While disapproving of the use of an
   operating system closer to the 1200XL's than the 400 and 800's, and the
   "inadequate and frankly disappointing" documentation, ANALOG concluded
   that "our first impression ... is mixed but mostly optimistic". The
   magazine warned, however, that because of "Atari's sluggish marketing",
   unless existing customers persuaded others to buy the XL models, "we'll
   all end up marching to the beat of a drummer whose initials are
   IBM".^[48]

  Unreleased XL models[edit]

   The high-end 1400XL were announced alongside the 600XL and 800XL. They
   added a built-in 300 baud modem and a voice synthesizer, and the
   1450XLD has a built-in double-sided floppy disk drive in an enlarged
   case, with a slot for a second drive. Atari BASIC is built into the ROM
   and the PBI at the back for external expansion.

   The 1400XL and the 1450XLD had their delivery dates pushed back, and in
   the end, the 1400XL was canceled outright, and the 1450XLD so delayed
   that it would never ship. Other prototypes which never reached market
   include the 1600XL, 1650XLD, and 1850XLD. The 1600XL was to have been a
   dual-processor model capable of running 6502 and 80186 code, and the
   1650XLD is a similar machine in the 1450XLD case. These were canceled
   when James J. Morgan became CEO and wanted Atari to return to its video
   game roots.^[52] The 1850XLD was to have been based on the custom
   chipset in the Amiga Lorraine,^[53] which became the Commodore Amiga.

  Tramiel takeover, declining market[edit]

   Commodore founder Jack Tramiel resigned in January 1984 and in July, he
   purchased the Atari consumer division from Warner for an extremely low
   price.^[f] When Tramiel took over, the high-end XL models were canceled
   and the low-end XLs were redesigned into the XE series. Nearly all
   research, design, and prototype projects were canceled, including the
   Amiga-based 1850XLD. Tramiel focused on developing the 68000-based
   Atari ST computer line and recruiting former Commodore engineers to
   work on it.

   Atari sold about 700,000 computers in 1984 compared to Commodore's two
   million.^[54] As his new company prepared to ship the Atari ST in 1985,
   Tramiel stated that sales of Atari 8-bit computers were "very, very
   slow".^[55] They were never an important part of Atari's business
   compared to video games, and it is possible that the 8-bit line was
   never profitable for the company though almost 1.5 million computers
   had been sold by early 1986.^[35]^[56]^[51]^[46]

   By that year, the Atari software market was decreasing in size. Antic
   magazine stated in May 1985 that it had received many letters
   complaining that software companies were ignoring the Atari market, and
   urged readers to contact the companies' leaders.^[57] "The Atari 800
   computer has been in existence since 1979. Six years is a pretty long
   time for a computer to last. Unfortunately, its age is starting to
   show", ANALOG Computing wrote in February 1986. The magazine stated
   that while its software library was comparable in size to that of other
   computers, "now--and even more so in the future--there is going to be
   less software being made for the Atari 8-bit computers", warning that
   1985 only saw a "trickle" of major new titles and that 1986 "will be
   even leaner".^[58]

   Computer Gaming World that month stated "games don't come out for the
   Atari first anymore".^[59] In April, the magazine published a survey of
   ten game publishers which found that they planned to release 19 Atari
   games in 1986, compared to 43 for Commodore 64, 48 for Apple II, 31 for
   IBM PC, 20 for Atari ST, and 24 for Amiga. Companies stated that one
   reason for not publishing for Atari was the unusually high amount of
   software piracy on the computer, partly caused by the Happy
   Drive.^[60]^[61]^[62] The magazine warned later that year, "Is this the
   end for Atari 800 games? It certainly looks like it might be from where
   I write".^[61] In 1987, MicroProse confirmed that it would not release
   Gunship for the Atari 8-bits, stating that the market was too
   small.^[63]

  XE series[edit]

   Atari 130XE

   The 65XE and 130XE (XE stands for XL-Compatible Eight-bit)^[64] were
   announced in 1985 at the same time as the initial models in the Atari
   ST series, and they visually resembled the ST. The 65XE has 64 KB of
   RAM and is functionally equivalent to the 800XL minus the PBI
   connection. The 130XE has 128 KB of memory, accessible through
   bank-selection. The 130XE was aimed to appeal at the mass market.^[65]

   The 130XE added the Enhanced Cartridge Interface (ECI), which is almost
   compatible with the Parallel Bus Interface (PBI), but physically
   smaller, since it is located next to the standard 400/800-compatible
   Cartridge Interface. It provides only those signals that did not exist
   in the latter. ECI peripherals were expected to plug into both the
   standard Cartridge Interface and the ECI port. Later revisions of the
   65XE contain the ECI port.

   The 65XE was marketed as 800XE in Germany and Czechoslovakia,^[66] to
   ride on the popularity of the 800XL in those markets. All 800XE units
   contain the ECI port.^[67]

  XE Game System[edit]

   Main article: Atari XEGS

   Atari XE Game System

   The Atari XEGS (XE Game System) was launched in 1987. A repackaged 65XE
   with a removable keyboard, it boots to the 1981 port of Missile Command
   instead of BASIC if the keyboard is disconnected.

End of support and legacy[edit]

   At the beginning of 1992, Atari Corp. officially dropped all remaining
   support for the 8-bit family.^[7]

   In 2006, Curt Vendel, who designed the Atari Flashback for Atari in
   2004,^[68] claimed that Atari released the 8-bit chipset into the
   public domain.^[69] There is agreement in the community that Atari
   authorized the distribution of the Atari 800's ROM with the Xformer 2.5
   emulator, which makes the ROM legally available today as
   freeware.^[70]^[71]

Design[edit]

   The processor board for the Atari 800 has the 6502, ANTIC and CTIA
   chips.

   The Atari machines consist of a 6502 as the main processor, a
   combination of ANTIC and GTIA chips to provide graphics, and the POKEY
   chip to handle sound and serial input/output. These support chips are
   controlled via a series of registers that can be user-controlled via
   memory load/store instructions running on the 6502. For example, the
   GTIA uses a series of registers to select colors for the screen; these
   colors can be changed by inserting the correct values into its
   registers, which are mapped into the address space that is visible to
   the 6502. Some of the coprocessors use data stored in RAM, such as
   ANTIC's display buffer and display list, and GTIA's Player/Missile
   (sprite) information.

   The custom hardware features enable the computers to perform many
   functions directly in hardware, such as smooth background scrolling,
   that would need to be done in software in most other computers.
   Graphics and sound demos were part of Atari's earliest developer
   information and used as marketing materials with computers running
   in-store demos.^[59]

  ANTIC[edit]

   ANTIC is a microprocessor which processes a sequence of instructions
   known as a display list. An instruction adds one row of the specified
   graphics mode to the display. Each mode varies based on whether it
   represents text or a bitmap, the resolution and number of colors, and
   its vertical height in scan lines. An instruction also indicates if it
   contains an interrupt, if fine scrolling is enabled, and optionally
   where to fetch the display data from memory.

   Since each row can be specified individually, the programmer can create
   displays containing different text or bitmapped graphics modes on one
   screen, where the data can be fetched from arbitrary, non-sequential
   memory addresses.

   ANTIC reads this display list and the display data using DMA (Direct
   Memory Access), then translates the result into a pixel data stream
   representing the playfield text and graphics. This stream then passes
   to GTIA which applies the playfield colors and incorporates
   Player/Missile graphics (sprites) for final output to a TV or composite
   monitor. Once the display list is set up, the display is generated
   without any CPU intervention.

   There are 15 character and bitmap modes. In low-resolution modes, 2 or
   4 colors per display line can be set. In high-resolution mode, one
   color can be set per line, but the luminance values of the foreground
   and background can be adjusted. High resolution bitmap mode (320x192
   graphics) produces NTSC artifacts which are "tinted" depending on the
   color values; it was normally impossible to get color with this mode on
   PAL machines.

   For text modes, the character set data is pointed to by a register. It
   defaults to an address in ROM, but if pointed to RAM then a programmer
   can create custom characters. Depending on the text mode, this data can
   be on any 1K or 512 byte boundary. Additional registers flip all
   characters upside down and toggle inverse video.

  CTIA/GTIA[edit]

   The Color Television Interface Adaptor^[72] (CTIA) is the graphics chip
   originally used in the Atari 400 and 800. It is the successor to the
   TIA chip of the 1977 Atari VCS. According to Joe Decuir, George McLeod
   designed the CTIA in 1977. It was replaced with the Graphic Television
   Interface Adaptor^[72] (GTIA) in later revisions of the 400 and 800 and
   all later 8-bit models. GTIA, also designed by McLeod, adds three new
   playfield graphics modes to ANTIC which enable more colors.^[73]

   The CTIA/GTIA receives Playfield graphics information from ANTIC and
   applies colors to the pixels from a 128 or 256 color palette depending
   on the color interpretation mode in effect. CTIA/GTIA controls
   Player/Missile Graphics (sprites) including collision detection between
   players, missiles, and the playfield; display priority for objects; and
   color/luminance control of all displayed objects. CTIA/GTIA outputs
   separate digital luminance and chroma signals, which are mixed to form
   an analog composite video signal.

   CTIA/GTIA reads the joystick triggers and the Option, Select, Start
   keys, and controls the keyboard speaker in the Atari 400/800. In later
   computer models the audio output for the keyboard speaker is mixed with
   the audio out for transmission to the TV/video monitor.

  POKEY[edit]

   POKEY is the third custom support chip, responsible for reading the
   keyboard, generating sound and serial communications (in conjunction
   with the PIA chip (Peripheral Interface Adapter, 6520) commands and
   IRQs, plus controlling the 4 joystick movements on 400/800 and later
   RAM banks or ROM (OS/BASIC/Self-test) enables for XL/XE lines.^[74] It
   provides timers, a random number generator for generating acoustic
   noise and random numbers, and maskable interrupts. POKEY has four
   semi-independent audio channels, each with its own frequency, noise and
   volume control. Each 8-bit channel has its own audio control register
   which select the noise content and volume. For higher sound frequency
   resolution (quality), two of the audio channels can be combined for
   more accurate sound (frequency can be defined with 16-bit value instead
   of usual 8-bit). The name POKEY comes from the words "POtentiometer"
   and "KEYboard", which are two of the I/O devices that POKEY interfaces
   with (the potentiometer is the mechanism used by the paddle). The POKEY
   chip--and its dual- and quad-core versions--was used in many Atari
   coin-op arcade machines of the 1980s, including Centipede and
   Millipede,^[75] Missile Command, Asteroids Deluxe, Major Havoc, and
   Return of the Jedi.

Models[edit]

     * 400 and 800 (1979) - original machines in beige cases. The 400 has
       a membrane keyboard. The 800 has full-travel keys, two cartridge
       ports, and monitor output. Both have expandable memory (up to
       48 KB); the slots are easily accessible in the 800. Later PAL
       versions have the 6502C processor.
     * 1200XL (1983) - new aluminum and smoked plastic case. Includes
       64 KB of RAM, two joystick ports, a Help key, and four function
       keys. Some older software was incompatible with the new OS.
     * 600XL and 800XL (1983) - the 600XL has 16 KB of memory and PAL
       versions have a monitor port The 800XL has 64 KB and monitor
       output. Both have built-in BASIC and a Parallel Bus Interface (PBI)
       expansion port. The last produced PAL units contain the Atari
       FREDDIE chip and Atari BASIC revision C.
     * 65XE and 130XE (1985) - the 130XE has 128 KB of bank-switched RAM
       and an Enhanced Cartridge Interface (ECI) instead of a PBI. The
       first revisions of the 65XE have no ECI or PBI, while the later
       ones contain the ECI. The 65XE was relabelled as 800XE in Eastern
       European markets, and was mostly sold in East Germany, Poland and
       Czechoslovakia.^[67]
     * XE Game System (1987) - a 65XE styled as a game console. The basic
       version of the system shipped without the detachable keyboard. With
       the keyboard it operates just like other Atari 8-bit computer
       models.

  Production timeline[edit]

   [USEMAP:as38hc6a8geg7eh2gxr732ikr1ylauf.png]

   Production timeline dates retrieved from Atari 8-Bit Computers
   F.A.Q.,^[67] and Chronology of Personal Computers.^[76]

  Prototypes and vaporware[edit]

     * 1400XL - similar to the 1200XL but with a PBI, FREDDIE chip,
       built-in modem and a Votrax SC-01 speech synthesis chip. Cancelled.
     * 1450XLD - a 1400XL with built-in 5 1/4'' disk drive and expansion
       bay for a second 5 1/4'' disk drive. Code named Dynasty. Made it to
       pre-production, but got abandoned by Tramiel.
     * 1600XL - codenamed Shakti, this was dual-processor system with 6502
       and 80186 processors and two built-in 5 1/4'' floppy disk
       drives.^[77]
     * 1850XL - codenamed Mickey, this was to use the "Lorraine" (aka
       "Amiga") custom graphics chips
     * 65XEM - 65XE with AMY sound synthesis chip. Cancelled.
     * 65XEP - "portable" 65XE with 3.5" disk drive, 5" green CRT and
       battery pack.

Peripherals[edit]

   Main article: Atari 8-bit computer peripherals

   Atari 1020 four-color plotter

   During the lifetime of the 8-bit series, Atari released a large number
   of peripherals including cassette tape drives, 5.25-inch floppy drives,
   printers, modems, a touch tablet, and an 80-column display module.

   Atari's peripherals use the proprietary Atari SIO port, which allows
   them to be daisy chained together. A primary goal of the Atari computer
   design was user-friendliness which was assisted by the SIO bus. Since
   only one kind of connector plug is used for all devices the Atari
   computer was easy for novice users to expand. Atari SIO devices use an
   early form of plug-n-play. Peripherals on the bus have their own IDs,
   and can deliver downloadable drivers to the Atari computer during the
   boot process. The additional electronics in these peripherals made them
   cost more than the equivalent "dumb" devices used by other systems of
   the era.

Software[edit]

   Main article: Atari 8-bit family software

   Atari did not initially disclose technical information for its
   computers, except to software developers who agreed to keep it secret,
   possibly to increase its own software sales.^[32] Cartridge software
   was so rare at first that InfoWorld joked in 1980 that Atari owners
   might have considered turning the slot "into a fancy ashtray". The
   magazine advised them to "clear out those cobwebs" for Atari's Star
   Raiders,^[78] which became the platform's killer app, akin to VisiCalc
   for the Apple II in its ability to persuade customers to buy the
   computer.^[79]^[80]

   Chris Crawford and others at Atari published detailed technical
   information in De Re Atari.^[81] In 1982, Atari published both the
   Atari Home Computer System Hardware Manual^[82] and an annotated source
   listing of the operating system. These resources resulted in many books
   and articles about programming the computer's custom hardware.

   Because of graphics superior to those of the Apple II^[83] and Atari's
   home-oriented marketing, games dominated its software library. A 1984
   compendium of reviews used 198 pages for games compared to 167 for all
   others.^[84]

  Built-in operating system[edit]

   The Atari 400/800 boots into the Memo Pad text editor when no program
   is loaded.

   The Atari 8-bit computers come with an operating system built into the
   ROM. The Atari 400/800 has two versions:
     * OS Rev. A - 10 KB ROM (3 chips) early machines
     * OS Rev. B - 10 KB ROM (3 chips) most common

   The XL/XE all have OS revisions, which created compatibility issues
   with certain software. Atari responded with the Translator Disk, a
   floppy disk which loads the older 400/800 Rev. 'B' or Rev. 'A' OS into
   the XL/XE computers.
     * OS Rev. 10 - 16 KB ROM (2 chips) for 1200XL Rev A
     * OS Rev. 11 - 16 KB ROM (2 chips) for 1200XL Rev B (bug fixes)
     * OS Rev. 1 - 16 KB ROM for 600XL
     * OS Rev. 2 - 16 KB ROM for 800XL
     * OS Rev. 3 - 16 KB ROM for 800XE/130XE
     * OS Rev. 4 - 32 KB ROM (16 KB OS + 8 KB BASIC + 8 KB Missile
       Command) for XEGS

   The XL/XE models that followed the 1200XL also have the Atari BASIC ROM
   built-in, which can be disabled at startup by holding down the silver
   OPTION key. Originally this was revision B, which has some serious
   bugs. Later models have revision C.

  Disk Operating System[edit]

   Main article: Atari DOS

   The standard Atari OS only contained very low-level routines for
   accessing floppy disk drives. An extra layer, a disk operating system,
   was required to assist in organizing file system-level disk access.
   This was known as Atari DOS, and like most home computer DOSes of the
   era, had to be booted from floppy disk at every power-on or reset.
   Atari DOS was entirely menu-driven.
     * DOS 1.0
     * DOS 2.0S - Improved over DOS 1.0; became the standard for the 810
       disk drive.
     * DOS 3.0 - Came with 1050 drive. Uses a different disk format which
       is incompatible with DOS 2.0, making it unpopular.
     * DOS 2.5 - Replaced DOS 3.0 with later 1050s. Functionally identical
       to DOS 2.0S, but able to read and write enhanced density disks.
     * DOS XE - Designed for the XF551 drive.

   Third-party replacement DOSes were also available.

Playfield graphics[edit]

   Moire pattern in 320 horizontal pixel graphics mode. The colors are
   artifacts of displaying hi-res pixels which are half the size of the
   NTSC color clock.

   While the ANTIC chip allows a variety of different Playfield modes and
   widths, the original Atari Operating System included with the Atari
   800/400 computers provides easy access to a limited subset of these
   graphics modes. These are exposed to users through Atari BASIC via the
   "GRAPHICS" command, and to some other languages, via similar system
   calls. Oddly, the modes not directly supported by the original OS and
   BASIC are the modes most useful for games. The later version of the OS
   used in the Atari 8-bit XL/XE computers added support for most of these
   "missing" graphics modes.

   ANTIC text modes support soft, redefineable character sets. ANTIC has
   four different methods of glyph rendering related to the text modes:
   Normal, Descenders, Single color character matrix, and Multiple colors
   per character matrix.

   The ANTIC chip uses a Display List and other settings to create these
   modes. Any graphics mode in the default CTIA/GTIA color interpretation
   can be freely mixed without CPU intervention by changing instructions
   in the Display List.

   The actual ANTIC screen geometry is not fixed. The hardware can be
   directed to display a narrow Playfield (128 color clocks/256 hi-res
   pixels wide), the normal width Playfield (160 color clocks/320 hi-res
   pixels wide), and a wide, overscan Playfield (192 color clocks/384
   hi-res pixels wide) by setting a register value. While the Operating
   System's default height for creating graphics modes is 192 scan lines
   ANTIC can display vertical overscan up to 240 TV scan lines tall by
   creating a custom Display List.

   The Display List capabilities provide horizontal and vertical coarse
   scrolling requiring minimal CPU direction. Furthermore, the ANTIC
   hardware supports horizontal and vertical fine scrolling--shifting the
   display of screen data incrementally by single pixels (color clocks)
   horizontally and single scan lines vertically.

   The video display system was designed with careful consideration of the
   NTSC video timing for color output. The system CPU clock and video
   hardware are synchronized to one-half the NTSC clock frequency.
   Consequently, the pixel output of all display modes is based on the
   size of the NTSC color clock which is the minimum size needed to
   guarantee correct and consistent color regardless of the pixel location
   on the screen. The fundamental accuracy of the pixel color output
   allows horizontal fine scrolling without color "strobing"--unsightly
   hue changes in pixels based on horizontal position caused when signal
   timing does not provide the TV/monitor hardware adequate time to reach
   the correct color.

  Character modes[edit]

   ANTIC text mode OS mode Characters (or bytes) per mode line TV scan
   lines per mode line Colors Colors per character matrix Characters in
   font Matrix pixel size (color clocks * scan lines) Matrix map (color
   clocks * scan lines) Matrix map (pixels * pixels) Notes
   2 0 32/40/48 8 1.5 1 128 1/2 * 1 4 * 8 8 * 8 High-res pixels. High bit
   of character displays the character data in inverse (values
   $80 to

   $FF)
   3 -- 32/40/48 10 1.5 1 128 1/2 * 1 4 * 8/10 8 * 8 High-res pixels.
   Lowercase characters are displayed 2 scan lines lower allowing
   descenders.
   4 12
   (XL OS) 32/40/48 8 5 4 128 1 * 1 4 * 8 4 * 8 Two bits per pixel
   allowing 4 colors inside one character matrix. When the high bit of the
   character is set a fifth color replaces one of the other four.
   5 13
   (XL OS) 32/40/48 16 5 4 128 1 * 2 4 * 16 4 * 8 Color same as above
   Antic Mode 4. Characters are twice as tall.
   6 1 16/20/24 8 5 1 64 1 * 1 8 * 8 8 * 8 One color per character matrix.
   The two high bits of each character value specify the color of the
   character allowing a choice of four colors.
   7 2 16/20/24 16 5 1 64 1 * 2 8 * 16 8 * 8 Color same as above Antic
   Mode 6. Characters are twice as tall.

  Map modes[edit]

   ANTIC map mode OS mode Pixels per mode line (narrow/normal/wide) TV
   scan lines per mode line Bytes per mode line (narrow/normal/wide)
   Colors Color clocks per pixel
   8 3 32/40/48 8 8/10/12 4 4
   9 4 64/80/96 4 8/10/12 2 2
   A 5 64/80/96 4 16/20/24 4 2
   B 6 128/160/192 2 16/20/24 2 1
   C 14 (XL OS) 128/160/192 1 16/20/24 2 1
   D 7 128/160/192 2 32/40/48 4 1
   E 15 (XL OS) 128/160/192 1 32/40/48 4 1
   F 8 256/320/384 1 32/40/48 1.5 1/2

  GTIA modes[edit]

   GTIA modes are Antic Mode F displays with an alternate color
   interpretation option enabled via a GTIA register. The full color
   expression of these GTIA modes can be engaged in Antic text modes 2 and
   3, though these will also requires a custom character set to achieve
   practical use of the colors.

   ANTIC map mode OS mode Pixels per mode line (narrow/normal/wide) TV
   scan lines per mode line Bytes per mode line (narrow/normal/wide)
   Colors Color clocks per pixel Notes
   F 9 64/80/96 1 32/40/48 16* 2 16 shades of the background color.
   F 10 64/80/96 1 32/40/48 9 2 uses all 9 playfield and player/missile
   color registers.
   F 11 64/80/96 1 32/40/48 16* 2 15 color hues all in the same luminance
   specified by the background color register, though the background color
   is black.

See also[edit]

     * List of Atari 8-bit family emulators

Notes[edit]

    1. ^ 1.77 MHz on PAL versions of the computers
    2. ^ One of the 8-bit's engineers, Joe Decuir, would later work on the
       USB system at Microsoft and is one of the contributors to the
       original USB patents.
    3. ^ There is an "Atari key" between the / and shift, whereas a
       typical keyboard would extend the shift key into this area.
    4. ^ A 6502C was simply a version of the 6502 able to run up to 4 MHz.
       The A models run at 1, and the B's at 2. The basis for SALLY is a
       6502B.
    5. ^ The +12V was typically used to power RS-232 devices, which now
       required an external power source.
    6. ^ No cash was required, and instead Warner had the right to
       purchase $240 million in long-term notes and warrants, and Tramiel
       had an option to buy up to $100 million in Warner stock.

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  Bibliography[edit]

     * The Atari 800 Personal Computer System Archived December 8, 2012,
       at archive.today, by the Atari Museum Archived July 22, 2012, at
       archive.today, accessed November 13, 2008
     *

   Goldberg, Marty; Vendel, Curt (2012). Atari Inc: Business is Fun.
   Syzygy Press. ISBN 9780985597405.

     Levy, Steven (1984). Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution.
   Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-19195-2.

     Alcorn, Al (April 12, 2015). "ANTIC Interview 32 - Al Alcorn, Atari
   Employee #3". Antic (Interview). Interviewed by Randy Kindig.

External links[edit]

     * Atari 8-Bit Computers: Frequently Asked Questions
     * Atari 400/800 Peripherals Archived December 11, 2014, at the
       Wayback Machine
     * "A History of Gaming Platforms: Atari 8-bit Computers" at Gamasutra
     * Atari XL Series Systems & Prototypes Archived July 2, 2019, at the
       Wayback Machine
     * Technical chipset information
     * Atari Mania database of Atari 8-bit family games and other software
     * Atari Archives text of Atari 8-bit family books
     * Atari SAP Music Archive POKEY music and players
     * More K's. Less -L-'s Britisch brochure for Atari 400 and 800.

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