X-Nico

unusual facts about Atari 8-bit computer peripherals



Ariolasoft

The company released approximately ten games for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amiga systems, and numerous titles for the Atari 8-bit.

Atari 8-bit family

In order to support expansion for high-end systems, similar to the card slots used in the Apple II or S-100 machines, the 1000 series also supported the Parallel Bus Interface (PBI), a single expansion slot on the back of the machine.

Atari XEGS

However, unlike the 5200, the XEGS is still compatible with the existing range of Atari 8-bit computer software and peripherals, and thus could function as a home computer.

Brad Fregger

He was the producer of Activision's Ghostbusters, the game Hacker, the Atari and Commodore 64 versions of Pitfall II and Shanghai (the first commercial version of Brodie Lockard's Mahjong solitaire), and he designed and produced the first commercial version of computer solitaire (Solitaire Royale, published by Spectrum Holobyte).

Chuck Peddle

The most famous member of the 650x series was the 6502, developed in 1976, which was priced at 15 percent of the cost of an Intel 8080, and was subsequently used in many commercial products, including the Apple II, Commodore VIC-20, Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari 8-bit computers, Oric computers and BBC Micro from Acorn Computers.

Composite monitor

From the late 1970s stand-alone composite monitors came into use, including by the Apple II, Commodore VIC 20/64/128, Atari, the IBM PC with CGA card, some computers compatible with it, and other home and business computers of the 1980s.

Frisky Tom

Mouskattack, a game with similar visuals and gameplay, was published in 1982 by Sierra On-Line for the Atari 8-bit computers and Apple II.

Horizontal blank interrupt

For instance, both the Bally Astrocade and Atari 8-bit family (originally intended to be a console) included HBI support.

Hover Bovver

Hover Bovver is a 1983 game written by Jeff Minter released for the Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit and a Windows version for the PC was released by Idigicon Limited in 2002.

Interactive Picture Systems

The products created by the company included Movie Maker for ATARI, Trains, Grandma's House, and Aerobics for Spinnaker Software for the Atari 800, C64 and Apple II platforms.

Jr. Pac-Man

Ports for the Atari 5200 and the Atari 8-bit computers were finished in 1984, but were scrapped along with Super Pac-Man when the home computing and game console divisions of Atari, Inc. were sold to Jack Tramiel.

Shadow of the Beast

An Atari 8-bit version was in the works in 1990 to be published by Harlequin, but it was never finished due to collapse of the company.

Star Warrior

Star Warrior is a 1980 science fiction role-playing video game written and published by Automated Simulations (later known as Epyx) for the Apple II, TRS-80, and Atari home computers.

Television Interface Adaptor

Development of the TIA was led by Jay Miner who continued at Atari expanding on the design of the TIA for the Atari 400/800 computers with the ANTIC and CTIA/GTIA chips.


see also