History of Atari 8-Bit Computers @ Gamasutra !

[Bryan]

I still think my 9 color suggestion is at least a number based on hardware specs. Think of it this way: C64 games are typically more colorful than A8 games because the C64 allows all 16 on the screen with no real effort. Well, a spec of 9 colors reflects the disadvantage the A8 has from being 3 years older in design. I would say,

 

"The Atari 400/800/XL/XE could display 9 colors out of a palette of 128, but since the registers could be reprogrammed as the screen was being drawn, it was common to see programs displaying many more. Later, Atari added the GTIA modes which could display up to 16 colors from a palette of 256."

[potatohead]

mos6507: Agreed completely. I do however think it conveys the core feel of the machine. Truth is, it's possible to coax 640x200 out of the thing, if you do monochrome and color cycling tricks. There is also the C64 type 320 mode, where pixel colors are independent, where Atari is just different luma.

 

Probably best to tell the tale with a few more screenies, like what was done with the VCS. Jay Miner chipsets seem to exhibit this software element where overall display capability improves over time. Hard to talk about that, and unless that's part of the article, just flat out saying 160x192 gets it done.

 

I think it's hard to capture this about the machines, without getting into the weeds, and I'm quite sure that's not the intent.