<s>
The	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
is	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
8-bit	O
home	O
computers	O
introduced	O
by	O
Atari	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
in	O
1979	O
with	O
the	O
Atari	O
400	O
and	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
series	O
was	O
successively	O
upgraded	O
to	O
the	O
Atari	O
1200XL	B-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
600XL	I-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
800XL	I-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
65XE	I-Device
,	O
Atari	B-Device
130XE	I-Device
,	O
Atari	O
800XE	B-Device
,	O
and	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
XEGS	I-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
last	O
discontinued	O
in	O
1992	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
all	O
differ	O
primarily	O
in	O
packaging	O
,	O
each	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
MOS	B-General_Concept
Technology	I-General_Concept
6502	I-General_Concept
CPU	B-General_Concept
at	O
and	O
the	O
same	O
custom	O
coprocessor	B-General_Concept
chips	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
first	O
home	O
computer	O
architecture	O
with	O
coprocessors	B-General_Concept
,	O
it	O
has	O
graphics	O
and	O
sound	O
more	O
advanced	O
than	O
most	O
contemporary	O
machines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
games	O
were	O
a	O
major	O
appeal	O
,	O
and	O
first-person	O
space	O
combat	O
simulator	O
Star	B-Application
Raiders	I-Application
is	O
considered	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
killer	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plug-and-play	O
peripherals	O
use	O
the	O
Atari	B-Architecture
SIO	I-Architecture
serial	O
bus	O
,	O
with	O
one	O
developer	O
eventually	O
also	O
co-patenting	O
USB	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
was	O
packaged	O
as	O
a	O
high-end	O
model	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
400	O
more	O
affordable	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
400	O
has	O
a	O
pressure-sensitive	O
,	O
spillproof	O
membrane	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
and	O
initially	O
shipped	O
with	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
800	O
has	O
a	O
conventional	O
keyboard	O
,	O
a	O
second	O
(	O
rarely	O
used	O
)	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
slot	O
,	O
and	O
hidden	O
slots	O
that	O
allow	O
easy	O
RAM	B-Architecture
upgrades	O
to	O
48K	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
XL	O
and	O
XE	O
are	O
lighter	O
in	O
construction	O
,	O
have	O
two	O
joystick	B-Protocol
ports	I-Protocol
instead	O
of	O
four	O
,	O
and	O
Atari	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
is	O
built-in	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
130XE	B-Device
has	O
128	O
KB	O
of	O
bank-switched	B-General_Concept
RAM	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
core	O
architecture	O
of	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
was	O
reused	O
in	O
the	O
1982	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
5200	I-General_Concept
game	O
console	O
,	O
but	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
two	O
systems	O
are	O
incompatible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1987	O
,	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
repackaged	O
the	O
65XE	B-Device
as	O
a	O
console	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
optional	O
keyboard	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
XEGS	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Jeremy	O
Reimer	O
,	O
two	O
million	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
computers	I-Device
were	O
sold	O
during	O
its	O
major	O
production	O
run	O
between	O
late	O
1979	O
and	O
mid-1985	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
"	O
label	O
was	O
not	O
contemporaneous	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
,	O
Inc.	O
,	O
used	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
[	O
or	O
400 ]	O
home	O
computer	O
system	O
"	O
,	O
often	O
combining	O
the	O
model	O
names	O
into	O
"	O
Atari	O
400/800	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
Atari	O
home	O
computers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Design	O
of	O
the	O
8-bit	O
series	O
started	O
at	O
Atari	O
as	O
soon	O
as	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
Video	I-General_Concept
Computer	I-General_Concept
System	I-General_Concept
was	O
released	O
in	O
late	O
1977	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Work	O
on	O
the	O
chips	O
for	O
the	O
new	O
system	O
continued	O
throughout	O
1978	O
and	O
focused	O
on	O
much-improved	O
video	O
coprocessor	B-General_Concept
known	O
as	O
the	O
CTIA	B-General_Concept
(	O
the	O
VCS	O
version	O
was	O
the	O
TIA	B-General_Concept
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
early	O
development	O
period	O
,	O
the	O
home	O
computer	O
era	O
began	O
in	O
earnest	O
with	O
the	O
TRS-80	B-Device
,	O
Commodore	B-Device
PET	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
—	O
what	O
Byte	O
magazine	O
dubbed	O
the	O
"	O
1977	O
Trinity	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
VCS	O
lacks	O
bitmap	B-Algorithm
graphics	I-Algorithm
and	O
a	O
character	O
generator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
on-screen	O
graphics	O
are	O
created	O
using	O
sprites	O
and	O
a	O
simple	O
background	O
generated	O
by	O
data	O
loaded	O
by	O
the	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
into	O
single-scan-line	O
video	O
registers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
engineer	O
Jay	O
Miner	O
architected	O
the	O
two	O
video	O
chips	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CTIA	B-General_Concept
chip	O
includes	O
sprites	O
and	O
background	O
graphics	O
,	O
but	O
to	O
reduce	O
load	O
on	O
the	O
main	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
,	O
loading	O
video	O
registers	O
and	O
buffers	O
is	O
delegated	O
to	O
a	O
dedicated	O
microprocessor	O
,	O
the	O
Alphanumeric	B-General_Concept
Television	I-General_Concept
Interface	I-General_Concept
Controller	I-General_Concept
or	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
CTIA	B-General_Concept
and	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
work	O
together	O
to	O
produce	O
a	O
complete	O
display	O
,	O
with	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
fetching	O
scan	B-Algorithm
line	I-Algorithm
data	O
from	O
a	O
framebuffer	B-Algorithm
and	O
sprite	O
memory	O
in	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
plus	O
character	B-General_Concept
set	I-General_Concept
bitmaps	O
for	O
character	O
modes	O
,	O
and	O
feeding	O
these	O
to	O
the	O
CTIA	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
CTIA	B-General_Concept
processes	O
the	O
sprite	O
and	O
playfield	O
data	O
in	O
the	O
light	O
of	O
its	O
own	O
color	O
,	O
sprite	O
,	O
and	O
graphics	O
registers	O
to	O
produce	O
the	O
final	O
color	O
video	O
output	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commodore	O
was	O
developing	O
a	O
video	O
driver	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
but	O
Chuck	O
Peddle	O
,	O
lead	O
designer	O
of	O
the	O
MOS	B-General_Concept
Technology	I-General_Concept
6502	I-General_Concept
CPU	B-General_Concept
used	O
in	O
the	O
VCS	O
and	O
the	O
new	O
machines	O
,	O
saw	O
the	O
Atari	O
work	O
during	O
a	O
visit	O
to	O
Grass	O
Valley	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Colleen	O
includes	O
user-accessible	O
expansion	O
slots	O
for	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
ROM	B-Device
,	O
two	O
8KB	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
slots	O
,	O
RF	O
and	O
monitor	O
output	O
(	O
including	O
two	O
pins	O
for	O
separate	O
luma	O
and	O
chroma	O
suitable	O
for	O
superior	O
S-Video	O
output	O
)	O
and	O
a	O
full	O
keyboard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Candy	O
was	O
initially	O
designed	O
as	O
a	O
game	O
console	O
,	O
lacking	O
a	O
keyboard	O
and	O
input/output	O
ports	O
,	O
although	O
an	O
external	O
keyboard	O
was	O
planned	O
for	O
joystick	B-Protocol
ports	I-Protocol
3	O
and	O
4	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
plans	O
called	O
for	O
both	O
to	O
have	O
a	O
separate	O
audio	O
port	O
supporting	O
cassette	B-Device
tapes	I-Device
as	O
a	O
storage	O
medium	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
cartridges	B-Protocol
were	O
expected	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
computers	O
easier	O
to	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
minimize	O
handling	O
of	O
bare	O
circuit	O
boards	O
or	O
chips	O
,	O
as	O
is	O
common	O
with	O
other	O
systems	O
of	O
that	O
period	O
,	O
the	O
computers	O
were	O
designed	O
with	O
enclosed	O
modules	O
for	O
memory	O
,	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
,	O
with	O
keyed	O
connectors	O
to	O
prevent	O
them	O
being	O
plugged	O
into	O
the	O
wrong	O
slot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DOS	O
system	O
for	O
managing	O
floppy	B-Device
storage	O
was	O
menu-driven	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
no	O
software	O
is	O
loaded	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
leaving	O
the	O
user	O
at	O
a	O
blank	O
screen	O
or	O
machine	O
language	O
monitor	O
,	O
the	O
OS	O
goes	O
to	O
the	O
"	O
Memo	O
Pad	O
"	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
built-in	O
full-screen	O
editor	O
without	O
file	B-Application
storage	I-Application
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
intended	O
to	O
port	O
Microsoft	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
to	O
the	O
machine	O
as	O
an	O
8KB	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridge	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
existing	O
6502	B-General_Concept
version	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
was	O
around	O
7,900	O
bytes	O
,	O
leaving	O
no	O
room	O
for	O
extensions	O
for	O
graphics	O
and	O
sound	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
contracted	O
with	O
local	O
consulting	O
firm	O
Shepardson	B-Device
Microsystems	I-Device
to	O
complete	O
the	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
recommended	O
writing	O
a	O
new	O
version	O
from	O
scratch	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
Atari	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
manufacturers	O
avoided	O
the	O
problem	O
by	O
using	O
built-in	O
composite	O
monitors	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Commodore	B-Device
PET	I-Device
and	O
TRS-80	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
TRS-80	B-Device
has	O
a	O
slightly	O
modified	O
black	O
and	O
white	O
television	O
as	O
a	O
monitor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
July	O
1977	O
visit	O
with	O
the	O
engineering	O
staff	O
,	O
a	O
Texas	O
Instruments	O
(	O
TI	O
)	O
salesman	O
presented	O
a	O
new	O
possibility	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
an	O
inexpensive	O
fiber-optic	B-Architecture
cable	I-Architecture
with	O
built-in	O
transceivers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
Atari	O
designed	O
the	O
Serial	B-Architecture
Input/Output	I-Architecture
(	O
SIO	O
)	O
computer	B-General_Concept
bus	I-General_Concept
,	O
a	O
system	O
for	O
daisy-chaining	O
multiple	O
,	O
auto-configuring	O
devices	O
to	O
the	O
computer	O
through	O
a	O
single	O
shielded	O
connector	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
internal	O
slots	O
were	O
reserved	O
for	O
ROM	B-Device
and	O
RAM	B-Architecture
modules	O
;	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
have	O
the	O
control	O
lines	O
necessary	O
for	O
a	O
fully	O
functional	O
expansion	O
card	O
,	O
nor	O
room	O
to	O
route	O
a	O
cable	O
outside	O
the	O
case	O
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
external	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Atari	O
announced	O
its	O
intent	O
to	O
enter	O
the	O
home	O
computer	O
market	O
in	O
December	O
1978	O
,	O
the	O
Atari	O
400	O
and	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
were	O
presented	O
at	O
the	O
Winter	O
CES	O
in	O
January	O
1979	O
and	O
shipped	O
in	O
November	O
1979	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
names	O
originally	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
memory	O
:	O
4KB	O
RAM	B-Architecture
in	O
the	O
400	O
and	O
8KB	O
in	O
the	O
800	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
time	O
they	O
were	O
released	O
,	O
RAM	B-Architecture
prices	O
had	O
started	O
to	O
fall	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
machines	O
were	O
both	O
released	O
with	O
8KB	O
,	O
using	O
4kx1	O
DRAMs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
user-installable	O
RAM	B-Architecture
modules	O
in	O
the	O
800	O
initially	O
had	O
plastic	O
casings	O
but	O
this	O
caused	O
overheating	O
issues	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
casings	O
were	O
removed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
computers	O
eventually	O
shipped	O
with	O
maxed-out	O
RAM	B-Architecture
:	O
16k	O
and	O
48k	O
,	O
respectively	O
,	O
using	O
16kx1	O
DRAMs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
models	O
have	O
four	O
joystick	B-Protocol
ports	I-Protocol
,	O
permitting	O
four	O
simultaneous	O
players	O
,	O
but	O
only	O
a	O
few	O
games	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
M.U.L.E.	B-Application
)	O
</s>
<s>
Paddle	B-Device
controllers	I-Device
are	O
wired	O
in	O
pairs	O
,	O
and	O
Super	B-Application
Breakout	I-Application
supports	O
eight	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	O
400	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
membrane	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
and	O
single	O
internal	O
ROM	B-Device
slot	O
,	O
outsold	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
by	O
a	O
2-to-1	O
margin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
one	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
for	O
the	O
800	O
's	O
right	O
slot	O
was	O
produced	O
by	O
March	O
1983	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
machines	O
in	O
the	O
family	O
have	O
only	O
one	O
slot	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Creative	B-General_Concept
Computing	I-General_Concept
mentioned	O
the	O
Atari	O
machines	O
in	O
an	O
April	O
1979	O
overview	O
of	O
the	O
CES	O
show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
April	O
1980	O
issue	O
compared	O
the	O
machines	O
with	O
the	O
Commodore	B-Device
PET	I-Device
,	O
focused	O
mostly	O
on	O
the	O
BASIC	O
dialects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Describing	O
his	O
and	O
a	O
friend	O
's	O
"	O
shouting	O
and	O
cheering	O
and	O
clapping	O
"	O
during	O
a	O
demo	O
of	O
Star	B-Application
Raiders	I-Application
,	O
Nelson	O
wrote	O
that	O
he	O
was	O
so	O
impressed	O
that	O
"	O
I	O
've	O
been	O
in	O
computer	O
graphics	O
for	O
twenty	O
years	O
,	O
and	O
I	O
lay	O
awake	O
night	O
after	O
night	O
trying	O
to	O
understand	O
how	O
the	O
Atari	O
machine	O
did	O
what	O
it	O
did	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kilobaud	O
Microcomputing	O
wrote	O
in	O
September	O
1980	O
that	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
"	O
looks	O
deceptively	O
like	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
machine	O
,	O
[	O
but	O
had ]	O
the	O
strongest	O
and	O
tightest	O
chassis	O
I	O
have	O
seen	O
since	O
Raquel	O
Welch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
InfoWorld	O
favorably	O
reviewed	O
the	O
800	O
's	O
performance	O
,	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
ROM	B-Protocol
cartridges	I-Protocol
,	O
but	O
disliked	O
the	O
documentation	O
and	O
cautioned	O
that	O
the	O
unusual	O
right	O
Shift	O
key	O
location	O
might	O
make	O
the	O
computer	O
"	O
unsuitable	O
for	O
serious	O
word	O
processing	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Noting	O
that	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
software	O
and	O
hardware	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
computer	O
"	O
is	O
no	O
match	O
for	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
or	O
the	O
TRS-80	B-Device
"	O
,	O
the	O
magazine	O
concluded	O
that	O
the	O
800	O
"	O
is	O
an	O
impressive	O
machine	O
that	O
has	O
not	O
yet	O
reached	O
its	O
full	O
computing	O
potential	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
ordered	O
a	O
custom	O
6502	B-General_Concept
,	O
initially	O
labelled	O
6502C	O
,	O
but	O
eventually	O
known	O
as	O
SALLY	O
to	O
differentiate	O
it	O
from	O
a	O
standard	O
6502C	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SALLY	O
was	O
incorporated	O
into	O
late-production	O
400	O
and	O
800	O
models	O
,	O
all	O
XL/XE	O
models	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
5200	I-General_Concept
and	O
7800	B-General_Concept
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
uses	O
this	O
to	O
shut	O
off	O
the	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
to	O
access	O
the	O
data/address	O
bus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
support	O
expansion	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
card	O
slots	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
the	O
1000	O
series	O
also	O
supports	O
the	O
Parallel	B-Device
Bus	I-Device
Interface	I-Device
(	O
PBI	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
single	O
expansion	O
slot	O
on	O
the	O
back	O
of	O
the	O
machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Announced	O
at	O
a	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
press	O
conference	O
on	O
December	O
13	O
,	O
1982	O
,	O
the	O
rechristened	O
1200XL	B-Device
was	O
presented	O
at	O
the	O
Winter	O
CES	O
on	O
January	O
6	O
–	O
9	O
,	O
1983	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
shipped	O
in	O
March	O
1983	O
with	O
64KB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
built-in	O
self	O
test	O
,	O
a	O
redesigned	O
keyboard	O
(	O
with	O
four	O
function	O
keys	O
and	O
a	O
HELP	O
key	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
redesigned	O
cable	O
port	O
layout	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
number	O
of	O
joystick	B-Protocol
ports	I-Protocol
was	O
reduced	O
from	O
4	O
to	O
2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
no	O
PAL	B-Language
version	O
of	O
the	O
1200XL	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Announced	O
at	O
a	O
retail	O
price	O
of	O
$1000	O
,	O
the	O
1200XL	B-Device
was	O
released	O
at	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
$100	O
less	O
than	O
the	O
announced	O
price	O
of	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
at	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
1979	O
,	O
but	O
by	O
this	O
time	O
the	O
800	O
was	O
priced	O
much	O
lower	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
1200XL	B-Device
was	O
discontinued	O
in	O
June	O
1983	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
press	O
warned	O
that	O
the	O
1200XL	B-Device
was	O
too	O
expensive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
J	O
.	O
Anderson	O
,	O
writing	O
in	O
Creative	B-General_Concept
Computings	I-General_Concept
Outpost	O
:	O
Atari	O
column	O
,	O
echoed	O
these	O
comments	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Bill	O
Wilkinson	O
,	O
author	O
of	O
Atari	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
,	O
co-founder	O
of	O
Optimized	B-Operating_System
Systems	I-Operating_System
Software	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
columnist	O
for	O
Compute	O
!,	O
in	O
May	O
1983	O
criticized	O
the	O
computer	O
's	O
features	O
and	O
price	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
1981	O
,	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
's	O
price	O
was	O
,	O
but	O
by	O
mid-1983	O
,	O
because	O
of	O
price	O
wars	O
in	O
the	O
industry	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
and	O
the	O
400	O
was	O
under	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
1200XL	B-Device
was	O
a	O
flop	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
earlier	O
machines	O
were	O
too	O
expensive	O
to	O
produce	O
to	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
compete	O
at	O
the	O
rapidly	O
falling	O
price	O
points	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
600XL	B-Device
is	O
essentially	O
the	O
Liz	O
NY	O
model	O
and	O
the	O
spiritual	O
successor	O
of	O
the	O
400	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
800XL	B-Device
would	O
replace	O
both	O
the	O
800	O
and	O
1200XL	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
machines	O
follow	O
the	O
styling	O
of	O
the	O
1200XL	B-Device
but	O
are	O
smaller	O
from	O
back	O
to	O
front	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
600XL	B-Device
is	O
more	O
so	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
intended	O
to	O
replace	O
the	O
1200XL	B-Device
in	O
mid-1983	O
,	O
the	O
new	O
models	O
did	O
not	O
arrive	O
until	O
late	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
600XL/800XL	O
were	O
well	O
positioned	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
price	O
and	O
features	O
,	O
during	O
the	O
critical	O
Christmas	O
season	O
they	O
were	O
available	O
only	O
in	O
small	O
numbers	O
while	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
was	O
widely	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brian	O
Moriarty	O
stated	O
in	O
ANALOG	O
Computing	O
that	O
Atari	O
"fail[ed]	O
to	O
keep	O
up	O
with	O
Christmas	O
orders	O
for	O
the	O
600	O
and	O
800XLs	B-Device
"	O
,	O
reporting	O
that	O
as	O
of	O
late	O
November	O
1983	O
the	O
800XL	B-Device
had	O
not	O
appeared	O
in	O
Massachusetts	O
stores	O
while	O
600XL	B-Device
"	O
quantities	O
are	O
so	O
limited	O
that	O
it	O
's	O
almost	O
impossible	O
to	O
obtain	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
600XL	B-Device
and	O
800XL	B-Device
's	O
prices	O
in	O
early	O
1984	O
were	O
$50	O
higher	O
than	O
for	O
the	O
VIC-20	O
and	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
rumor	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
company	O
planned	O
to	O
discontinue	O
hardware	O
and	O
only	O
sell	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ANALOG	O
Computing	O
,	O
writing	O
about	O
the	O
600XL	B-Device
in	O
January	O
1984	O
,	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
and	O
Tandy	B-Device
CoCo	I-Device
look	O
like	O
toys	O
by	O
comparison.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
approved	O
of	O
its	O
not	O
using	O
the	O
1200XL	B-Device
's	O
keyboard	O
layout	O
,	O
and	O
predicted	O
that	O
the	O
XL	O
's	O
parallel	O
bus	O
"	O
actually	O
makes	O
the	O
600	O
more	O
expandable	O
than	O
a	O
400	O
or	O
800	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
disapproving	O
of	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
an	O
operating	O
system	O
closer	O
to	O
the	O
1200XL	B-Device
's	O
than	O
the	O
400	O
and	O
800	O
's	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
inadequate	O
and	O
frankly	O
disappointing	O
"	O
documentation	O
,	O
ANALOG	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
our	O
first	O
impression	O
...	O
is	O
mixed	O
but	O
mostly	O
optimistic	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
high-end	O
1400XL	O
were	O
announced	O
alongside	O
the	O
600XL	B-Device
and	O
800XL	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
added	O
a	O
built-in	O
300	O
baud	O
modem	B-Application
and	O
a	O
voice	B-Application
synthesizer	I-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
1450XLD	O
has	O
a	O
built-in	O
double-sided	B-Architecture
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drive	I-Device
in	O
an	O
enlarged	O
case	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
slot	O
for	O
a	O
second	O
drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
is	O
built	O
into	O
the	O
ROM	B-Device
and	O
the	O
PBI	O
at	O
the	O
back	O
for	O
external	O
expansion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
1600XL	O
was	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
a	O
dual-processor	O
model	O
capable	O
of	O
running	O
6502	B-General_Concept
and	O
80186	B-Device
code	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
1650XLD	O
is	O
a	O
similar	O
machine	O
in	O
the	O
1450XLD	O
case	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
1850XLD	O
was	O
to	O
have	O
been	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
custom	O
chipset	O
in	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
Lorraine	I-Device
,	O
which	O
became	O
the	O
Commodore	B-Device
Amiga	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nearly	O
all	O
research	O
,	O
design	O
,	O
and	O
prototype	O
projects	O
were	O
canceled	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Amiga-based	O
1850XLD	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tramiel	O
focused	O
on	O
developing	O
the	O
68000-based	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
computer	O
line	O
and	O
recruiting	O
former	O
Commodore	O
engineers	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
his	O
new	O
company	O
prepared	O
to	O
ship	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
in	O
1985	O
,	O
Tramiel	O
stated	O
that	O
sales	O
of	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
computers	I-Device
were	O
"	O
very	O
,	O
very	O
slow	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Antic	B-General_Concept
magazine	O
stated	O
in	O
May	O
1985	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
received	O
many	O
letters	O
complaining	O
that	O
software	O
companies	O
were	O
ignoring	O
the	O
Atari	O
market	O
,	O
and	O
urged	O
readers	O
to	O
contact	O
the	O
companies	O
 '	O
leaders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
The	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
computer	O
has	O
been	O
in	O
existence	O
since	O
1979	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
stated	O
that	O
while	O
its	O
software	O
library	O
was	O
comparable	O
in	O
size	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
other	O
computers	O
,	O
"	O
now	O
—	O
and	O
even	O
more	O
so	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
—	O
there	O
is	O
going	O
to	O
be	O
less	O
software	O
being	O
made	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
computers	I-Device
"	O
,	O
warning	O
that	O
1985	O
only	O
saw	O
a	O
"	O
trickle	O
"	O
of	O
major	O
new	O
titles	O
and	O
that	O
1986	O
"	O
will	O
be	O
even	O
leaner	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
,	O
the	O
magazine	O
published	O
a	O
survey	O
of	O
ten	O
game	O
publishers	O
which	O
found	O
that	O
they	O
planned	O
to	O
release	O
19	O
Atari	O
games	O
in	O
1986	O
,	O
compared	O
to	O
43	O
for	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
48	O
for	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
,	O
31	O
for	O
IBM	O
PC	O
,	O
20	O
for	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
and	O
24	O
for	O
Amiga	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
warned	O
later	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
"	O
Is	O
this	O
the	O
end	O
for	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
games	O
?	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1987	O
,	O
MicroProse	O
confirmed	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
not	O
release	O
Gunship	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bits	I-Device
,	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
market	O
was	O
too	O
small	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
65XE	B-Device
and	O
130XE	B-Device
(	O
XE	O
stands	O
for	O
XL-Compatible	O
Eight-bit	O
)	O
were	O
announced	O
in	O
1985	O
at	O
the	O
same	O
time	O
as	O
the	O
initial	O
models	O
in	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
series	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
visually	O
resembled	O
the	O
ST	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
65XE	B-Device
has	O
64	O
KB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
is	O
functionally	O
equivalent	O
to	O
the	O
800XL	B-Device
minus	O
the	O
PBI	O
connection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
130XE	B-Device
has	O
128	O
KB	O
of	O
memory	O
,	O
accessible	O
through	O
bank-selection	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
130XE	B-Device
was	O
aimed	O
to	O
appeal	O
at	O
the	O
mass	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
130XE	B-Device
added	O
the	O
Enhanced	B-Device
Cartridge	I-Device
Interface	I-Device
(	O
ECI	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
almost	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
Parallel	B-Device
Bus	I-Device
Interface	I-Device
(	O
PBI	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
physically	O
smaller	O
,	O
since	O
it	O
is	O
located	O
next	O
to	O
the	O
standard	O
400	O
and	O
800	O
compatible	O
Cartridge	B-Protocol
Interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ECI	O
peripherals	O
were	O
expected	O
to	O
plug	O
into	O
both	O
the	O
standard	O
Cartridge	B-Protocol
Interface	O
and	O
the	O
ECI	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
revisions	O
of	O
the	O
65XE	B-Device
contain	O
the	O
ECI	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
65XE	B-Device
was	O
marketed	O
as	O
800XE	B-Device
in	O
Germany	O
and	O
Czechoslovakia	O
,	O
to	O
ride	O
on	O
the	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
800XL	B-Device
in	O
those	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
800XE	B-Device
units	O
contain	O
the	O
ECI	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
XEGS	I-General_Concept
(	O
XE	O
Game	O
System	O
)	O
was	O
launched	O
in	O
1987	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
repackaged	O
65XE	B-Device
with	O
a	O
removable	O
keyboard	O
,	O
it	O
boots	O
to	O
the	O
1981	O
port	O
of	O
Missile	B-Application
Command	I-Application
instead	O
of	O
BASIC	O
if	O
the	O
keyboard	O
is	O
disconnected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
agreement	O
in	O
the	O
community	O
that	O
Atari	O
authorized	O
the	O
distribution	O
of	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
800	I-Device
's	O
ROM	B-Device
with	O
the	O
Xformer	O
2.5	O
emulator	B-Application
,	O
which	O
makes	O
the	O
ROM	B-Device
legally	O
available	O
today	O
as	O
freeware	B-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	O
machines	O
consist	O
of	O
a	O
6502	B-General_Concept
as	O
the	O
main	O
processor	O
,	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
and	O
GTIA	B-General_Concept
chips	O
to	O
provide	O
graphics	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
POKEY	B-Device
chip	O
to	O
handle	O
sound	O
and	O
serial	B-Architecture
input/output	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
support	O
chips	O
are	O
controlled	O
via	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
registers	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
user-controlled	O
via	O
memory	O
load/store	O
instructions	O
running	O
on	O
the	O
6502	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
GTIA	B-General_Concept
uses	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
registers	O
to	O
select	O
colors	O
for	O
the	O
screen	O
;	O
these	O
colors	O
can	O
be	O
changed	O
by	O
inserting	O
the	O
correct	O
values	O
into	O
its	O
registers	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
mapped	B-Architecture
into	I-Architecture
the	I-Architecture
address	I-Architecture
space	I-Architecture
that	O
is	O
visible	O
to	O
the	O
6502	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
coprocessors	B-General_Concept
use	O
data	O
stored	O
in	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
such	O
as	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
's	O
display	O
buffer	O
and	O
display	O
list	O
,	O
and	O
GTIA	B-General_Concept
's	O
Player/Missile	O
(	O
sprite	O
)	O
information	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
is	O
a	O
microprocessor	O
which	O
processes	O
a	O
sequence	O
of	O
instructions	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
display	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
mode	O
varies	O
based	O
on	O
whether	O
it	O
represents	O
text	O
or	O
a	O
bitmap	O
,	O
the	O
resolution	O
and	O
number	O
of	O
colors	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
vertical	O
height	O
in	O
scan	B-Algorithm
lines	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
instruction	O
also	O
indicates	O
if	O
it	O
contains	O
an	O
interrupt	B-Application
,	O
if	O
fine	O
scrolling	O
is	O
enabled	O
,	O
and	O
optionally	O
where	O
to	O
fetch	O
the	O
display	O
data	O
from	O
memory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
each	O
row	O
can	O
be	O
specified	O
individually	O
,	O
the	O
programmer	O
can	O
create	O
displays	O
containing	O
different	O
text	O
or	O
bitmapped	B-Algorithm
graphics	I-Algorithm
modes	O
on	O
one	O
screen	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
data	O
can	O
be	O
fetched	O
from	O
arbitrary	O
,	O
non-sequential	O
memory	O
addresses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
reads	O
this	O
display	O
list	O
and	O
the	O
display	O
data	O
using	O
DMA	O
(	O
Direct	O
Memory	O
Access	O
)	O
,	O
then	O
translates	O
the	O
result	O
into	O
a	O
pixel	O
data	O
stream	O
representing	O
the	O
playfield	O
text	O
and	O
graphics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
stream	O
then	O
passes	O
to	O
GTIA	B-General_Concept
which	O
applies	O
the	O
playfield	O
colors	O
and	O
incorporates	O
Player/Missile	O
graphics	O
(	O
sprites	O
)	O
for	O
final	O
output	O
to	O
a	O
TV	O
or	O
composite	O
monitor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
the	O
display	O
list	O
is	O
set	O
up	O
,	O
the	O
display	O
is	O
generated	O
without	O
any	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
intervention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
High	O
resolution	O
bitmap	O
mode	O
(	O
320x192	O
graphics	O
)	O
produces	O
NTSC	O
artifacts	O
which	O
are	O
"	O
tinted	O
"	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
color	O
values	O
;	O
it	O
was	O
normally	O
impossible	O
to	O
get	O
color	O
with	O
this	O
mode	O
on	O
PAL	B-Language
machines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
text	O
modes	O
,	O
the	O
character	B-General_Concept
set	I-General_Concept
data	O
is	O
pointed	O
to	O
by	O
a	O
register	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
defaults	O
to	O
an	O
address	O
in	O
ROM	B-Device
,	O
but	O
if	O
pointed	O
to	O
RAM	B-Architecture
then	O
a	O
programmer	O
can	O
create	O
custom	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Color	B-General_Concept
Television	I-General_Concept
Interface	I-General_Concept
Adaptor	I-General_Concept
(	O
CTIA	B-General_Concept
)	O
is	O
the	O
graphics	O
chip	O
originally	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
Atari	O
400	O
and	O
800	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
successor	O
to	O
the	O
TIA	B-General_Concept
chip	O
of	O
the	O
1977	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
VCS	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Joe	O
Decuir	O
,	O
George	O
McLeod	O
designed	O
the	O
CTIA	B-General_Concept
in	O
1977	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
replaced	O
with	O
the	O
Graphic	B-General_Concept
Television	I-General_Concept
Interface	I-General_Concept
Adaptor	I-General_Concept
(	O
GTIA	B-General_Concept
)	O
in	O
later	O
revisions	O
of	O
the	O
400	O
and	O
800	O
and	O
all	O
later	O
8-bit	O
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GTIA	B-General_Concept
,	O
also	O
designed	O
by	O
McLeod	O
,	O
adds	O
three	O
new	O
playfield	O
graphics	O
modes	O
to	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
which	O
enable	O
more	O
colors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
CTIA/GTIA	B-General_Concept
receives	O
Playfield	O
graphics	O
information	O
from	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
and	O
applies	O
colors	O
to	O
the	O
pixels	O
from	O
a	O
128	O
or	O
256	O
color	O
palette	O
depending	O
on	O
the	O
color	O
interpretation	O
mode	O
in	O
effect	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CTIA/GTIA	B-General_Concept
controls	O
Player/Missile	O
Graphics	O
(	O
sprites	O
)	O
including	O
collision	O
detection	O
between	O
players	O
,	O
missiles	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
playfield	O
;	O
display	O
priority	O
for	O
objects	O
;	O
and	O
color/luminance	O
control	O
of	O
all	O
displayed	O
objects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CTIA/GTIA	B-General_Concept
outputs	O
separate	O
digital	O
luminance	O
and	O
chroma	O
signals	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
mixed	O
to	O
form	O
an	O
analog	O
composite	O
video	O
signal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
CTIA/GTIA	B-General_Concept
reads	O
the	O
joystick	O
triggers	O
and	O
the	O
,	O
,	O
keys	O
,	O
and	O
controls	O
the	O
keyboard	O
speaker	O
in	O
the	O
Atari	O
400	O
and	O
800	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
POKEY	B-Device
is	O
the	O
third	O
custom	O
support	O
chip	O
,	O
responsible	O
for	O
reading	O
the	O
keyboard	O
,	O
generating	O
sound	O
and	O
serial	O
communications	O
(	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
the	O
PIA	O
chip	O
(	O
Peripheral	B-General_Concept
Interface	I-General_Concept
Adapter	I-General_Concept
,	O
6520	O
)	O
commands	O
and	O
IRQs	O
,	O
plus	O
controlling	O
the	O
4	O
joystick	O
movements	O
on	O
400	O
,	O
800	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
RAM	B-Architecture
banks	O
or	O
ROM	B-Device
(	O
OS/BASIC/Self	O
-test	O
)	O
enables	O
for	O
XL/XE	O
lines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
provides	O
timers	O
,	O
a	O
random	O
number	O
generator	O
for	O
generating	O
acoustic	O
noise	O
and	O
random	O
numbers	O
,	O
and	O
maskable	B-Application
interrupts	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
POKEY	B-Device
has	O
four	O
semi-independent	O
audio	O
channels	O
,	O
each	O
with	O
its	O
own	O
frequency	O
,	O
noise	O
and	O
volume	O
control	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
8-bit	O
channel	O
has	O
its	O
own	O
audio	O
control	O
register	B-General_Concept
which	O
select	O
the	O
noise	O
content	O
and	O
volume	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
name	O
POKEY	B-Device
comes	O
from	O
the	O
words	O
"	O
POtentiometer	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
KEYboard	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
two	O
of	O
the	O
I/O	O
devices	O
that	O
POKEY	B-Device
interfaces	O
with	O
(	O
the	O
potentiometer	O
is	O
the	O
mechanism	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
paddle	B-Device
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
POKEY	B-Device
chip	O
—	O
and	O
its	O
dual	O
-	O
and	O
quad-core	O
versions	O
—	O
was	O
used	O
in	O
many	O
Atari	O
coin-op	O
arcade	O
machines	O
of	O
the	O
1980s	O
,	O
including	O
Centipede	B-Application
and	O
Millipede	B-Application
,	O
Missile	B-Application
Command	I-Application
,	O
Asteroids	B-Application
Deluxe	I-Application
,	O
Major	B-Application
Havoc	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Return	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Jedi	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
400	O
has	O
a	O
membrane	B-Device
keyboard	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
800	O
has	O
full-travel	O
keys	O
,	O
two	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
ports	O
,	O
and	O
monitor	O
output	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
PAL	B-Language
versions	O
have	O
the	O
6502C	O
processor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
1200XL	B-Device
(	O
1983	O
)	O
–	O
new	O
aluminum	O
and	O
smoked	O
plastic	O
case	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Includes	O
64KB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
two	O
joystick	B-Protocol
ports	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
Help	O
key	O
,	O
and	O
four	O
function	O
keys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
600XL	B-Device
and	O
800XL	B-Device
(	O
1983	O
)	O
–	O
the	O
600XL	B-Device
has	O
16KB	O
of	O
memory	O
and	O
PAL	B-Language
versions	O
have	O
a	O
monitor	O
port	O
The	O
800XL	B-Device
has	O
64KB	O
and	O
monitor	O
output	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
have	O
built-in	O
BASIC	O
and	O
a	O
Parallel	B-Device
Bus	I-Device
Interface	I-Device
(	O
PBI	O
)	O
expansion	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
produced	O
PAL	B-Language
units	O
contain	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
FREDDIE	I-Device
chip	O
and	O
Atari	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
revision	O
C	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
65XE	B-Device
and	O
130XE	B-Device
(	O
1985	O
)	O
–	O
the	O
130XE	B-Device
has	O
128KB	O
of	O
bank-switched	B-General_Concept
RAM	B-Architecture
and	O
an	O
Enhanced	B-Device
Cartridge	I-Device
Interface	I-Device
(	O
ECI	O
)	O
instead	O
of	O
a	O
PBI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
revisions	O
of	O
the	O
65XE	B-Device
have	O
no	O
ECI	O
or	O
PBI	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
later	O
ones	O
contain	O
the	O
ECI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
65XE	B-Device
was	O
relabelled	O
as	O
800XE	B-Device
in	O
Eastern	O
European	O
markets	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
mostly	O
sold	O
in	O
East	O
Germany	O
,	O
Poland	O
and	O
Czechoslovakia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
XE	O
Game	O
System	O
(	O
1987	O
)	O
–	O
a	O
65XE	B-Device
styled	O
as	O
a	O
game	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
keyboard	O
it	O
operates	O
just	O
like	O
other	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
computer	I-Device
models	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Production	O
timeline	O
dates	O
retrieved	O
from	O
Atari	B-Device
8-Bit	I-Device
Computers	I-Device
F.A.Q.	O
,	O
and	O
Chronology	O
of	O
Personal	O
Computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
1400XL	O
–	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
1200XL	B-Device
but	O
with	O
a	O
PBI	O
,	O
FREDDIE	O
chip	O
,	O
built-in	O
modem	B-Application
and	O
a	O
Votrax	B-Application
SC-01	O
speech	B-Application
synthesis	I-Application
chip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
1600XL	O
–	O
codenamed	O
Shakti	O
,	O
this	O
was	O
dual-processor	O
system	O
with	O
6502	B-General_Concept
and	O
80186	B-Device
processors	O
and	O
two	O
built-in	O
5¼″	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drives	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
65XEM	O
–	O
65XE	B-Device
with	O
AMY	O
sound	O
synthesis	O
chip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
65XEP	O
–	O
"	O
portable	O
"	O
65XE	B-Device
with	O
3.5	B-Device
"	I-Device
disk	O
drive	O
,	O
5	O
"	O
green	O
CRT	B-Device
and	O
battery	O
pack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
lifetime	O
of	O
the	O
8-bit	O
series	O
,	O
Atari	O
released	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
peripherals	O
including	O
cassette	B-Device
tape	I-Device
drives	O
,	O
5.25-inch	O
floppy	B-Device
drives	I-Device
,	O
printers	O
,	O
modems	B-Application
,	O
a	O
touch	O
tablet	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
80-column	O
display	O
module	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
's	O
peripherals	O
use	O
the	O
proprietary	O
Atari	B-Architecture
SIO	I-Architecture
port	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
them	O
to	O
be	O
daisy	O
chained	O
together	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	B-Architecture
SIO	I-Architecture
devices	O
use	O
an	O
early	O
form	O
of	O
plug-n-play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cartridge	B-Protocol
software	O
was	O
so	O
rare	O
at	O
first	O
that	O
InfoWorld	O
joked	O
in	O
1980	O
that	O
Atari	O
owners	O
might	O
have	O
considered	O
turning	O
the	O
slot	O
"	O
into	O
a	O
fancy	O
ashtray	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
magazine	O
advised	O
them	O
to	O
"	O
clear	O
out	O
those	O
cobwebs	O
"	O
for	O
Atari	O
's	O
Star	B-Application
Raiders	I-Application
,	O
which	O
became	O
the	O
platform	O
's	O
killer	O
app	O
,	O
akin	O
to	O
VisiCalc	B-Application
for	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
in	O
its	O
ability	O
to	O
persuade	O
customers	O
to	O
buy	O
the	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
graphics	O
superior	O
to	O
those	O
of	O
the	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
and	O
Atari	O
's	O
home-oriented	O
marketing	O
,	O
games	O
dominated	O
its	O
software	O
library	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
computers	I-Device
come	O
with	O
an	O
operating	O
system	O
built	O
into	O
the	O
ROM	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
responded	O
with	O
the	O
Translator	O
Disk	O
,	O
a	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
which	O
loads	O
the	O
older	O
400	O
and	O
800	O
Rev	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
XL/XE	O
models	O
that	O
followed	O
the	O
1200XL	B-Device
also	O
have	O
the	O
Atari	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
ROM	B-Device
built-in	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
disabled	O
at	O
startup	O
by	O
holding	O
down	O
the	O
silver	O
OPTION	O
key	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
standard	O
Atari	O
OS	O
only	O
contained	O
very	O
low-level	O
routines	O
for	O
accessing	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
drives	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
extra	O
layer	O
,	O
a	O
disk	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
,	O
was	O
required	O
to	O
assist	O
in	O
organizing	O
file	O
system-level	O
disk	O
access	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
known	O
as	O
Atari	B-Operating_System
DOS	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
like	O
most	O
home	O
computer	O
DOSes	O
of	O
the	O
era	O
,	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
booted	O
from	O
floppy	B-Device
disk	I-Device
at	O
every	O
power-on	O
or	O
reset	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	B-Operating_System
DOS	I-Operating_System
was	O
entirely	O
menu-driven	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
chip	O
allows	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
Playfield	O
modes	O
and	O
widths	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
original	O
Atari	O
Operating	O
System	O
included	O
with	O
the	O
Atari	O
800/400	O
computers	O
provides	O
easy	O
access	O
to	O
a	O
limited	O
subset	O
of	O
these	O
graphics	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
are	O
exposed	O
to	O
users	O
through	O
Atari	B-Language
BASIC	I-Language
via	O
the	O
"	O
GRAPHICS	O
"	O
command	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
some	O
other	O
languages	O
,	O
via	O
similar	O
system	O
calls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
later	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
OS	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
XL/XE	O
computers	O
added	O
support	O
for	O
most	O
of	O
these	O
"	O
missing	O
"	O
graphics	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
text	O
modes	O
support	O
soft	O
,	O
redefineable	O
character	B-General_Concept
sets	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
has	O
four	O
different	O
methods	O
of	O
glyph	O
rendering	O
related	O
to	O
the	O
text	O
modes	O
:	O
Normal	O
,	O
Descenders	O
,	O
Single	O
color	O
character	O
matrix	O
,	O
and	O
Multiple	O
colors	O
per	O
character	O
matrix	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
chip	O
uses	O
a	O
Display	O
List	O
and	O
other	O
settings	O
to	O
create	O
these	O
modes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Any	O
graphics	O
mode	O
in	O
the	O
default	O
CTIA/GTIA	B-General_Concept
color	O
interpretation	O
can	O
be	O
freely	O
mixed	O
without	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
intervention	O
by	O
changing	O
instructions	O
in	O
the	O
Display	O
List	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
actual	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
screen	O
geometry	O
is	O
not	O
fixed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
hardware	O
can	O
be	O
directed	O
to	O
display	O
a	O
narrow	O
Playfield	O
(	O
128	O
color	O
clocks/256	O
hi-res	O
pixels	O
wide	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
normal	O
width	O
Playfield	O
(	O
160	O
color	O
clocks/320	O
hi-res	O
pixels	O
wide	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
wide	O
,	O
overscan	O
Playfield	O
(	O
192	O
color	O
clocks/384	O
hi-res	O
pixels	O
wide	O
)	O
by	O
setting	O
a	O
register	B-General_Concept
value	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
operating	O
system	O
's	O
default	O
height	O
for	O
creating	O
graphics	O
modes	O
is	O
192	O
scan	B-Algorithm
lines	I-Algorithm
,	O
and	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
can	O
display	O
vertical	O
overscan	O
up	O
to	O
240	O
TV	O
scan	B-Algorithm
lines	I-Algorithm
tall	O
by	O
creating	O
a	O
custom	O
Display	O
List	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Display	O
List	O
capabilities	O
provide	O
horizontal	O
and	O
vertical	O
coarse	O
scrolling	O
requiring	O
minimal	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
direction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
the	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
hardware	O
supports	O
horizontal	O
and	O
vertical	O
fine	O
scrolling	O
—	O
shifting	O
the	O
display	O
of	O
screen	O
data	O
incrementally	O
by	O
single	O
pixels	O
(	O
color	O
clocks	O
)	O
horizontally	O
and	O
single	O
scan	B-Algorithm
lines	I-Algorithm
vertically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
CPU	B-General_Concept
clock	O
and	O
video	O
hardware	O
are	O
synchronized	O
to	O
one-half	O
the	O
NTSC	O
clock	O
frequency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
text	O
mode	O
OS	O
mode	O
Characters	O
(	O
or	O
bytes	O
)	O
per	O
mode	O
line	O
TV	O
scan	B-Algorithm
lines	I-Algorithm
per	O
mode	O
line	O
Colors	O
Colors	O
per	O
character	O
matrix	O
Characters	O
in	O
font	O
Matrix	O
pixel	O
size	O
(	O
color	O
clocks	O
×	O
scan	B-Algorithm
lines	I-Algorithm
)	O
Matrix	O
map	O
(	O
color	O
clocks	O
×	O
scan	B-Algorithm
lines	I-Algorithm
)	O
Matrix	O
map	O
(	O
pixels	O
×	O
pixels	O
)	O
Notes	O
2	O
0	O
32/40/48	O
8	O
1.5	O
1	O
128	O
1/2	O
×	O
1	O
4	O
×	O
8	O
8	O
×	O
8	O
High-res	O
pixels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lowercase	O
characters	O
are	O
displayed	O
2	O
scan	B-Algorithm
lines	I-Algorithm
lower	O
allowing	O
descenders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
5	O
13(XL OS )	O
32/40/48	O
16	O
5	O
4	O
128	O
1	O
×	O
2	O
4	O
×	O
16	O
4	O
×	O
8	O
Color	O
same	O
as	O
above	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
mode	O
4	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
7	O
2	O
16/20/24	O
16	O
5	O
1	O
64	O
1	O
×	O
2	O
8	O
×	O
16	O
8	O
×	O
8	O
Color	O
same	O
as	O
above	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
mode	O
6	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GTIA	B-General_Concept
modes	O
are	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
mode	O
F	O
displays	O
with	O
an	O
alternate	O
color	O
interpretation	O
option	O
enabled	O
via	O
a	O
GTIA	B-General_Concept
register	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
full	O
color	O
expression	O
of	O
these	O
GTIA	B-General_Concept
modes	O
can	O
be	O
engaged	O
in	O
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
text	O
modes	O
2	O
and	O
3	O
,	O
though	O
these	O
also	O
requires	O
a	O
custom	O
character	B-General_Concept
set	I-General_Concept
to	O
achieve	O
practical	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
colors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
ANTIC	B-General_Concept
map	O
mode	O
OS	O
mode	O
Pixels	O
per	O
mode	O
line	O
(	O
narrow/normal/wide	O
)	O
TV	O
scan	B-Algorithm
lines	I-Algorithm
per	O
mode	O
line	O
Bytes	O
per	O
mode	O
line	O
(	O
narrow/normal/wide	O
)	O
Colors	O
Color	O
clocks	O
per	O
pixel	O
Notes	O
F	O
9	O
64/80/96	O
1	O
32/40/48	O
16*	O
2	O
16	O
shades	O
of	O
the	O
background	O
color	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
F	O
11	O
64/80/96	O
1	O
32/40/48	O
16*	O
2	O
15	O
color	O
hues	O
all	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
luminance	O
specified	O
by	O
the	O
background	O
color	O
register	B-General_Concept
,	O
though	O
the	O
background	O
color	O
is	O
black	O
.	O
</s>
