Atari 8-bit computers

Atari 400 and 800 Atari's home computer division launched this pair in 1979 with custom chips that left rivals looking plain: ANTIC and CTIA (later GTIA) for graphics and POKEY for four channels of sound. The design team included Jay Miner, who went on to help design the Amiga 1000, so these machines are an early chapter of that story. The two models suit different owners. The 400 has a wipe-clean, pressure-sensitive keyboard built to survive children and a single cartridge port, while the 800 adds a proper typewriter-style keyboard and two cartridge sockets. If you plan to type, the 800 is the one to hunt down.