Computers by Atari

Atari, founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, was a trailblazer in arcade gaming and home entertainment. It revolutionized the video game industry with Pong, the first commercially successful arcade game, and then dominated the living room with the Atari 2600 console in 1977. However, Atari was more than just games — it became a significant player in personal computing during the early 1980s with machines like the Atari 400 and 800, followed by the 16-bit Atari ST series.

Split and sold multiple times, Atari’s consumer division eventually focused on the ST line, which gained popularity among musicians, artists, and game developers for its built-in MIDI ports and high-resolution graphics. Despite producing innovative machines like the Atari Falcon and the Jaguar console, the company couldn’t keep pace with the competition. Still, the name Atari remains iconic — synonymous with both the birth of gaming and a distinctive branch of the home computing tree.

People associated with Atari

Joe Decuir Hardware Designer, Hardware Engineer 1975-1979

Jay Miner Hardware Designer, Hardware Engineer 1970s

Shiraz Shivji Project Lead 1984-1986

Jack Tramiel Founder 1984-1996

Leonard Tramiel Software Developer 1984-1996

Sam Tramiel CEO 1984-1996