The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bithome computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800[2] and manufactured until 1992. All of the machines in the family are technically similar and differ primarily in packaging. They are based on the MOS Technology 6502CPU running at 1.79 MHz,[a] and were the first home computers designed with custom coprocessor chips. This architecture enabled graphics and sound more advanced than contemporary machines, and gaming was a major draw. First-person space combat simulator Star Raiders is considered the platform's killer app. The systems launched with plug-and-play peripherals using the Atari SIOserial bus, an early analog of USB.
Comments