what year did the atari 400 come out

What is an Atari 400?

The Atari 400 is a home computer that is part of the 8-bit family series. The look of this thing may deceive you, but at the time, it managed to sell 4 million units between 1979 and 1992 alongside the more powerful Atari 800. These systems not only were a technical marvel when they came out, but they also helped make home computers go mainstream.

When did the Atari 800 come out?

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.

What is the history of Atari?

The original Atari, Inc., founded in Sunnyvale, California, in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, was a pioneer in arcade games, home video game consoles and home computers. The company's products, such as Pong and the Atari 2600, helped define the electronic entertainment industry from the 1970s to the mid-1980s.

When did the Atari 2600 come out?

The Atari 2600 debuted in September 1977. Does Atari still exist? The original Atari is long gone. However, Warner sold the arcade division of Atari under the name Atari Games to Namco in 1985. What killed Atari? Atari has gone through multiple transitions to stay alive as a company.

How much memory did a Atari 400 have?

Atari 400An atari 400Memory Size:8 KB - 48KBCPU:MOS 6502BOperating System:In-ROM Atari BASIC5 more rows•Oct 25, 2018

How much did the Atari 800 cost?

At launch, the Atari 800 retailed for $999 with 16K of RAM (about $3,387 when adjusted for inflation), and the Atari 400 with 8K retailed for $549 (about $1,861 today). Compared to a game console such as the Atari VCS at $190, that was expensive, but it undercut the 16K Apple II's $1,195 retail price in 1979.

What is the best Atari computer?

The 800XL hit the sweet spot of price and capabilities for many, and it became the best-selling model of the entire Atari 8-bit computer line. As a result, many fondly remember it to this day.

What could the Atari 400 do?

The Atari 400 and 800 were the first home computers to use custom coprocessors and the first to use "sprites" and special video interruptions like display lists, features that will be implemented later on the Commodore 64 and Amiga (Atari 400/800 and Amiga were designed by Jay Miner).

How many Ataris are there?

Including the Atari Pong, there are ten original gaming consoles that were made by Atari. These ten consoles do not include any of the flashback consoles that they are currently making more of regularly.

How much is an Atari 800 XL worth?

Atari 800 XL Console Atari 400LooseCompleteNew$67.28$149.68$299.00volume: 1 sale per year1 sale per year1 sale per yearGradedBoxManual$328.90$60.22$37.641 more row

Where is Atari now?

As of 2022, the current Atari is pursuing several lines of business outside of video gaming, including cryptocurrency and video-game themed hotels.

What was the best 8 bit computer?

Also known as the C64, it had 64 KB of memory, strong graphics, and was compatible with over 10,000 different software and game products. It was the best selling 8-bit computer of all time.

What are the different models of Atari?

Hop in and read all about it down below.1 Atari VCS (2021)2 Atari Flashback series (2004-2019) 2.1 Atari Flashback Portable series (2016-2019)3 Atari Jaguar (1993)4 Atari Falcon030 (1992)5 Atari Mega STE (1991)6 Atari Panther (Cancelled- 1991)7 Atari TT030 (1990)8 Atari Lynx (1989)More items...•

What video game console has the highest number of sales of all time?

PlayStation 21. PlayStation 2 – 159 million* *PlayStation 2 remains the best-selling video game console of all time. Sony's beloved system tops Nintendo DS by roughly 5 million units sold, while handily outselling every other console in existence.

What does Vic 20 stand for?

Video Interface Chip-20(Video Interface Chip-20) An early personal computer from Commodore Business Machines. Introduced in 1980 and following the Commodore PET, the VIC-20 had 5KB of RAM, used tape cassette storage and displayed 22 text characters per line on a standard TV.

How many Atari Jaguars were sold?

It sold no more than 150,000 units before it was discontinued in 1996. The commercial failure of the Jaguar prompted Atari to leave the console market.

How much did the Atari home computer system cost when it first came out in 1979?

US$550Atari 8-bit familyThe Atari 800's nameplate is on the dual-width cartridge slot coverRelease dateNovember 1979Introductory priceAtari 400: US$550 (equivalent to $2,050 in 2021) Atari 800: US$1,000 (equivalent to $3,730 in 2021)DiscontinuedJanuary 1, 1992Units sold4 million10 more rows

How many Atari Jaguars were sold?

It sold no more than 150,000 units before it was discontinued in 1996. The commercial failure of the Jaguar prompted Atari to leave the console market.

Who designed the Atari 800?

Like the Atari 400, the 800 was designed by a team which included Jay Miner, who later went on to help design the Amiga 1000. In 1983, Atari released a new and improved model - the Atari 1200XL. It's supposed to be compatible with all Atari 800 software and peripherals, but it isn't.

What video game console has the highest number of sales of all time?

PlayStation 21. PlayStation 2 – 159 million* *PlayStation 2 remains the best-selling video game console of all time. Sony's beloved system tops Nintendo DS by roughly 5 million units sold, while handily outselling every other console in existence.

How much is the 1983 Atari 800?

1983: May - Atari offers a US$100 rebate on the Atari 800, bringing its retail price to below US$400.

When did the Atari 1450 XL come out?

1983: June - Atari introduces the Atari 1450 XL, with built-in 300 bps modem.

What is the shield on Atari 400?

Most of the Atari 400 circuitry is under a solid metal shield, to keep the radio emissions under the legal limit.

Who bought Atari in 1976?

1976:Warner Communications buys Atari from Bushnell for $28 million.

How much RAM does an Atari 130XE have?

1985: Atari introduces the 130XE, with 128KB RAM.

When did the Atari 400 come out?

Both the Atari 400 and 800 were released in November 1979 and came packed with plug-and-play peripherals using the Atari SIO serial bus. Unlike, the Atari 400 that could fit up to 16kb of DRAM, Atari 800 allowed easy RAM upgrades up to 48KB. Thanks to its advanced capabilities it made gaming a whole lot popular.

How much did the Atari 400 cost?

These systems not only were a technical marvel when they came out, but they also helped make home computers go mainstream. The Atari 400 cost 550 US Dollars back then. As of right now, the cost of a brand new is 1960$ among retro collectors.

Why is the Atari 2600 important?

The Atari 2600 is an important console that is often praised for spreading the use of microprocessor-based design. In addition, while the VCS had an innovative design, it sadly lacked a frame buffer. The lack of such technical capability has proved to be a challenge for developers at the time, pushing designers to squeeze as much as possible from the system and experiment with different kinds of complex designs.

What is the TT030?

Similar to the 8-bit family, the TT030 is part of the Atari ST’s line of personal computers. Released back in 1990 at a crazy price of almost 3,000 USD, The TT030 was initially intended to be a high-end Unix Workstation. However, things didn’t go the way they were planned.

What is the Atari ST?

And that is when the Atari ST was released, a successor to the 8-bit family line of home computers. The initial model, 520ST, is the first persona computer to feature a bitmapped color GUI. Meanwhile, The 1040ST is the first model to include 1 MB of RAM and cost-per-kilobyte of less than US$1.

When was Atari founded?

Atari was founded back in 1972 by Pong and Computer Space co-creators, Ted Dabney and Nolan Bushnell. The aforementioned was massively popular but after the video game crash in 1983, Atari would face constant ups and downs that led to its drastic demise. What made the situation worse is the emergence of a plethora of video game consoles including the NES, SG-1000, and the PC Engine.

When did Atari cancel the Cosmos?

All seemed great and ready to go until the company pulled the plug by the end of 1981 by canceling the system. Speculators hinted that maybe Atari felt that releasing the Cosmos to the public was a risky move after the brutal criticism it has endured. The console may not have been officially released, but it has become a collector item that costs a fortune to get your hands on.

When did the Atari 400 come out?

After Atari announced its intent to enter the home computer market in December 1978, the Atari 400 and Atari 800 were presented at the Winter CES in January 1979 and shipped in November of the same year.

What is the difference between Atari 400 and Atari 800?

Atari 400 (1979) with a membrane keyboard and a door covering the single cartridge slot. Atari 800 with the cover removed, showing expansion cards and two cartridge slots. The slots are molded into the cast aluminum RF shield. The Atari 800 uses expansion cards for the RAM, ROM, and processor.

How much RAM does the Atari 130XE have?

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 Atari 8-bit computer line sold two million units during its major production run between late 1979 and mid-1985.

How much did Atari lose in 1980?

By mid-1981 it had reportedly lost $10 million on sales of $10–13 million from more than 50,000 computers.

What did Ted Nelson say about the Atari?

He described the machine as "something else" before criticizing the company for a lack of developer documentation. Nelson 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".

How many KB is the Atari 6502?

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.

What is an Atari 8 bit?

Atari 8-bit family. 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 and manufactured until 1992. All of the machines in the family are technically similar and differ primarily in packaging.

When was Atari invented?

The original Atari, Inc., founded in Sunnyvale, California, in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, was a pioneer in arcade games, home video game consoles, and home computers. The company's products, such as Pong and the Atari 2600, helped define the electronic entertainment industry from the 1970s to the mid-1980s.

When did Atari Games Inc. become Atari Games?

In 1984, as a result of the video game crash of 1983, the home console and computer divisions of the original Atari Inc. were sold off, and the company was renamed Atari Games Inc. Atari Games received the rights to use the logo and brand name with appended text "Games" on arcade games, as well as rights to the original 1972–1984 arcade hardware properties. The Atari Consumer Electronics Division properties were in turn sold to Jack Tramiel 's Tramel Technology Ltd., which then renamed itself to Atari Corporation. In 1996, Atari Corporation reverse-merged with disk-drive manufacturer JT Storage (JTS), becoming a division within the company. In 1998, Hasbro Interactive acquired all Atari Corporation related properties from JTS, creating a new subsidiary, Atari Interactive.

What is the Atari 5200?

Atari 5200. Atari 7800. In 1975, Atari's Grass Valley, CA subsidiary Cyan Engineering, started the development of a flexible console that was capable of playing the four existing Atari games. The result was the Atari Video Computer System, or VCS (later renamed 2600 when the 5200 was released).

What happened to the Atari in 1983?

These problems were followed by the video game crash of 1983, with losses that totaled more than $500 million. Warner's stock price slid from $60 to $20, and the company began searching for a buyer for its troubled division. In 1983, Ray Kassar had resigned and executives involved in the Famicom merger lost track of negotiations, eventually killing the deal. With Atari's financial problems and the Famicom's runaway success in Japan after its July 16, 1983, release, Nintendo decided to remain independent.

What was the biggest success of Atari?

Under Warner and Atari's chairman and CEO, Raymond Kassar, the company achieved its greatest success, selling millions of 2600s and computers. At its peak, Atari accounted for a third of Warner's annual income and was the fastest-growing company in US history at the time. It ran into problems in the early 1980s, however, as interference from the New York-based Warner management increasingly affected daily operations. Its home computer, video game console, and arcade divisions operated independently and rarely cooperated. Faced with fierce competition and price wars in the game console and home computer markets, Atari was never able to duplicate the success of the 2600.

What does Atari mean in Go?

The word ataru means “to hit a target” in Japanese and is associated with good fortune, while atari means “about to win” (like checkmate in chess ).

Why was the Atari 5200 unsuccessful?

It was unsuccessful due to incompatibility with the 2600 game library, a small quantity of dedicated games, and notoriously unreliable controllers. Porting arcade games to home systems with inferior hardware was difficult.

What is the Atari 400?

Atari began development of the 400 & 800 in 1977, using the code names Candy (400) and Colleen (800). Rumor has it that these names came from some “hot” secretaries there at Atari. Candy was originally intended to be the next generation of the video game system, to replace the VCS. Colleen was intended to be the true home computer with all the bells and whistles that would make it superior as a computer to Candy, including peripheral ports and expansion capability. Some people may not know that there was actually a third machine being designed at the same time called ‘Elizabeth,’ which was the Colleen design but with a built- in 13 inch color monitor.

How much was the Atari 400 dinnerware set?

Retail price of the dinnerware sets started at $1299.

What was the most successful gaming console in 1977?

Atari’s Pong console did well and was upgraded a number of times, then in October 1977, the company released the Atari 2600 or VCS (for Video Computer System) and it became the most successful gaming console of its time. Also noteworthy is that Jack Tramiel stormed out of a January 13, 1984 meeting of Commodore’s board of directors, and never returned to the company. Later, in July of 1984, he purchased the Consumer Division of Atari, Inc. from Warner Communications. He renamed it Atari Corporation, and went on to produce the 16-bit Atari ST line of personal computers. We’ll discuss the 2600, ST and much more in later episodes.

What is the Atari software acquisition program?

ASAP (Atari Software Acquisition Program) – Perhaps one of the earliest attempts by a computer manufacturer to tap the general public for useful and productive software.

What is the difference between a 400 and 800?

The 400 had a single cartridge slot, usually used for game cartridges or for a BASIC cartridge. The 800 had two cartridge slots, called “ left cartridge” and “right cartridge” respectively. The right cartridge slot was intended to support any left side cartridges, but very few right side cartridges were made.

How many keys does a 400 keyboard have?

The 400 has a 61 key membrane keyboard. The 800 has a standard style 61 key full stroke keyboard.

When was Spacewar invented?

The final product was called Computer Space and was released in 1971 by the coin-op game company Nutting Associates. The game was not a success in their standard markets, taverns, so the team looked to create an easier game, and they started their own company, Atari in 1972.

Who invented the Atari video system?

History of the Atari Video System. Mary Bellis covered inventions and inventors for ThoughtCo for 18 years. She is known for her independent films and documentaries, including one about Alexander Graham Bell. In 1971, Nolan Bushnell together with Ted Dabney created the first arcade game.

How much did Atari make in 1980?

The sale was no doubt aided by the success of Pong. By 1980, sales of Atari home video systems had reached $415 million. That same year, the first Atari personal computer was introduced. Nolan Bushnell was still employed as president of the company.

When did JTS sell Atari?

Two years later in 1998, JTS sold Atari assets as intellectual property scraps. All copyrights, trademarks, and patents were sold to Hasbro Interactive for $5 million. Bellis, Mary. "History of the Atari Video System.".

Who was the CEO of Atari in 1984?

In 1984, Warner Communications unloaded Atari to Jack Tramiel, ex-CEO of Commodore. Jack Tramiel released the somewhat successful Atari ST home computer and sales topped $25 million in 1986.

What is the name of the game that was created by Nolan Bushnell?

It was called Computer Space, based on Steve Russell's earlier game of Spacewar!. The arcade game Pong was created by Nolan Bushnell (with help from Al Alcorn) a year later in 1972. Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney started Atari (a term from the Japanese game Go) that same year.

When did Atari start making games?

The 70s were the formative years for Atari. The founding duo of Dabney and Bushnell had already begun their first game creation in 1969 for Nutting Associates. By 1971, they completed the project and cemented their idea for a path forward as arcade game makers. They set about hiring their team starting with their first programmer, Allan Alcorn. After the creation of Pong, Atari, Inc had found a solid start in the gaming industry.

Who made the Atari?

Atari was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. The two-man team had started under the name Syzygy Co in 1971. Strange enough, the name Syzygy Co was taken in California. The duo decided to change the name to Atari, Inc. Bushnell was a fan of the ancient Chinese board game Go. In Go, there’s the word ‘Atari’ which means “I’m about to win”. It’s similar to saying “checkmate” in chess.

How did Atari make money?

They create and sell a product. They also manage software and licensing rights. Historically, they made money through coin-operated arcade machines. The modern Atari exists almost exclusively as a software license.

What was the first computer to have a bitmapped GUI?

The Atari ST is a line of home computing systems from Atari Corp. This series had the first computer to come with a bitmapped color GUI. In 1986, the 1040ST became the first personal computer to ship with a megabyte of RAM.

What is the history of video games?

The history of video games is longer than most people think. Atari, Inc. was a pioneer in arcade games, home video game consoles, and home computers in its early years. Atari is largely responsible for the existence of arcade gaming cabinets and the proliferation of love for video gaming by the average person.

How much did Atari lose in 1983?

In 1983, the great video game crash hit Atari extremely hard. They lost around $310.5 million in the second quarter alone. Stocks dipped to a third of their prior value.

What was the first game ever sold?

This was game-changing technology that allowed for the creation of the video game arcade cabinets. The first game ever commercially sold was Computer Space, but it was Atari’s first that gained immense traction.

When did Atari come out?

Though the 2600 was a moderate success in the late 70s, it didn’t really take off until Atari licensed Space Invaders. Then the console became a hit, and Space Invaders became the first game to sell one million units . Atari, under Warner’s guidance, aimed for the 2600 to become obsolete within three years. So they started working on a replacement: the 5200. And the 2600 did become obsolete, but the market was changing too.

How much did the Atari 2600 cost?

So, he created the Atari Video Computer System (VCS), later named 2600, which carried four games, a joystick and two controllers. All for just $849 in today’s money. It was a partial success at first, enough for him to keep working at it. But hardware will always be expensive, now and then. So, he sought investors and Warner Communications knocked on the door.

When did Nintendo and Atari start working together?

In 1982, talks between Nintendo and Atari were at full swing. Nintendo sold its Famicom console successfully in Japan but had failed to enter the US market, so they turned to Atari to form a partnership. In 1983, Nintendo proposed that Atari help them build the device while Nintendo helped in the marketing. This seemed like a great deal.

Why did Sega propose to Atari?

Because Atari would make the same mistake years later. In 1988, Sega proposed to Atari that the latter build their devices and, according to Michael Katz, the president of video games division:

What was the problem with the Bushnell arcade machine?

They placed a rudimentary version of the arcade machine in a tavern and it was SO successful that the main problem it had was that it overflowed with quarters.

What was the first video game?

It was called Spacewar! and many students saw it as just entertainment, but one man was obsessed with the game.

Who took over Atari?

Then Hasbro was taken over by Infogrames, the French developer, just three years later. Ironically, after Hasbro took over Atari, they released the Jaguar patents to the public and now it has a cult following. Then Infogrames kept Atari alive with promises of another console, a retro-styled VCS. But Atari seems to be a stagnant money pit with a broken promise. In 2017, there was finally word that the VCS would come out. But it does so in a very tough market. There’s the Playstation, the Xbox, the Wii and even Nintendo released its retro NES version. So, one must ask, is the VCS worth launching?

Overview

History

Follow-up systems

End of support and legacy

Design

Models

Peripherals

Software