Atari ST
Released in 1985, the Atari ST is a family of computers designed to compete in the 16-bit era, more specifically, with the Commodore Amiga.
Atari ST Related Articles
System Overview
Pipping the Amiga 1000 launch by a month, the Atari ST was very much a personal statement by Jack Tramiel towards Commodore. Tramiel was forced out of the company he started (Commodore) in 1984. Employing a number of ex-Commodore engineers, the Atari ST was born.
Similar to the Amiga in that the Atari ST utilises a Motorola 68000 processor and has 512k of RAM as standard. The ST lacked the custom chipsets that the Amiga had, but one key feature was its key to a wider customer base.
The inclusion of MIDI in and out ports saw the Atari ST develop quickly into a system for musicians and studios. Along with software such as Cubase, the Atari ST became the standard for enthusiasts and professionals alike.
There are several variants of the Atari ST, including the STE, STM, STFM and the Falcon. All utilise the same core specification, but with enhanced CPUs, RAM capacity, onboard improvements, and expansion potential.
The Atari ST ultimately was a successful system, competing well with the Amiga. It is debatable which machine won the war (depending on who you talk to), but it is generally perceived that the Amiga is looked back at with higher regard and nostalgia.
A lifelong avid gamer and computing enthusiast, Matt has decades of Retro Gaming experience. Now over 40 years old, Matt now even considers himself retro, but fortunately, nobody has developed a Matt emulator (not yet at least!).