{"id":6085,"date":"2021-05-20T11:21:31","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T11:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/museoupdating.webs.upv.es\/?page_id=6085"},"modified":"2021-05-20T15:19:46","modified_gmt":"2021-05-20T15:19:46","slug":"los-microordenadores-atari","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/museoupdating.webs.upv.es\/en\/los-microordenadores-atari\/","title":{"rendered":"Atari Microcomputers"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Nat\u00e0lia Cervell\u00f3 Fenollar<\/big><\/span><\/h5>\n

It all started with an electronics engineer who felt passionate about videogames, Nolan Bushnell<\/b>, who decided together with a colleague, Ted Dabney<\/b>, to start a business which at first was intended to be about videogames. With this in mind and 500 dollars, they created Syzgy, wait a minute\u2026 are we going to talk about Atari? Yes, the name was already picked so Bushnell when thinking about an easy-to-remember name it came to his mind Atari. Now they had a name it was time to start making money (which was their main goal).<\/p>\n

Regarding the name and logo, Atari is a word of Japanese origin. The word is used to designate something similar to the \u201ccheck\u201d of the chess in the Japanese board game Go. Its logotype was also created by a Japanese name: the three bars are based on the shape of Mount Fuji.<\/p>\n

The company started working for more arcade game machines. With this Nolan Bushnell created the Pong game, inspired by another similar game which simulated table tennis. Pong became a very popular game around the world and with it they reached their first success.<\/p>\n

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Ted Dadney and Nolan Bushnell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Ted Dabney<\/strong> on the left and Nolan Bushnell<\/strong> on the right posing with its first game arcade machine, the Pong.<\/p>

In the next video we can observe the game, inspired in the Ping-Pong.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Atari computers<\/h2>\n

Now we are going to focus on the microcomputers created by the company. These started in 1979 when Atari decided to go into the world of home computers, by creating the microcomputers Atari 400<\/b> and Atari 800<\/b>. It was a revolution for the 8-bit computers, these computers had technical characteristics superior than the rest of computers, including Apple II and Commodore PET. Its main differences to other microcomputers were its specific integrated circuits, CTIA\/GTIA to graphic, POKEY to audio generation and key control, and ANTIC which was in charge of the text.<\/p>\n

It was not until the year 1983 when they designed one of the most popular microcomputers, Atari 800XL, with 64KB of RAM memory, a key improvement and a new exterior appearance, distinctive of the XL series. The Atari BASIC language interpreter was included in the system, with this you could make your own programs and games without inserting a special cartridge (in previous microcomputers it was necessary). In this series we also found the Atari 600XL<\/b> (with less RAM memory) and the Atari 1200XL<\/b> (only in the USA). In these models it was necessary the use of a translator cartridge to play Atari 800 games.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Simple program in Atari BASIC which shows us a sample of the salute answer depending on the choice.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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This example was programmed on an Atari 8-bit machine emulator.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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When the company was bought by Jack Tramiel<\/b>, who was the founder of Commodore International, it stopped producing XL series computers; instead, in 1985 it was created another computer series of 8-bits, the XE<\/b> series, and another of 16-bits, the ST<\/b> series. From these computers we can highlight the Atari 520ST<\/b>, which had a new user graphic interface named GEM, similar to the ones that Apple used. Also, it is the first computer which incorporates sound input\/output called MIDI, which caught the attention of musicians. During the following years they created other models of ST series with different modifications of the first one.<\/p>\n

Finally, the company risked by designing 32-bits computer models, the Atari TT030<\/b> and Atari Falcon 030<\/b>, very efficient to work with graphics and sound. These computers had a lot of improvements which made them superior than other competing computers, but as always, Atari products did not succeed as the company expected. Also, at that time a 16-bits portable computer was launched, the Atari Portfolio<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Advertising<\/h2>\n

Television commercials helped to sell the products, the ones directed to microcomputers and game consoles showed families reunited in front of the computer enjoying games in family. This implied that a product of these characteristics reunited the family. Some advertisements were sponsored by famous athletes, as the football player Pel\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ad to advertise Atari games and programs for your omputers.<\/p>

In it, a daughter and her mother play educational games on their Atari-brand computer, and thus the two learn while they play. It also shows how a cartridge with a game is inserted into the computer.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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