Atari 8-bit emulators
| |
| Developer | Atari, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Type | Home computer |
| Release date | 1979 |
| Discontinued | 1992 |
| Successor | ST |
| Emulated | ✓ |
- For emulators that run on the Atari 8-bit, see Emulators on Atari 8-bit.
Atari 8-bit is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari in 1979 and manufactured until 1992. It includes the Atari 400, 800, XL, XE and the home video game console version Atari XEGS. Due to the hardware similarity, most Atari 8-bit emulators can also emulate the Atari 5200.
Emulators
| Name | Platform(s) | Latest version | Models | libretro | Accuracy | License | Active | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC / x86 | ||||||||
| Atari800 |    
|
7.2.0 | 400, 800, XL, XE | ✓ | Cycle | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Altirra |
|
4.40 | 400, 800, XL, XE, XEGS | ✗ | Cycle | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Atari++ |
|
1.85 | 400, 800, XL, XE | ✗ | Cycle | TPL (Copyleft) | ✓ | ✓ |
| MAME |
|
0.289 | Good: 400, 800 Basic: XL, XE XEGS |
✓ | ? | GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause |
✓ | ~ |
| Pantheon |
|
16.458 | 800, XE | ✗ | Mid | Proprietary | ✓ | ~ |
| Atari800Win-PLus |
|
4.1 | 400, 800, XL, XE, XEGS | ✗ | ? | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | ✗ | ✗ |
| Rainbow |
|
2.2.0 (Windows) 1.6.1 (macOS) |
400, 800, XL, XE | ✗ | ? | Proprietary | ~[1] | TBD |
| Fujisan |
|
v1.4.0 | 400, 800, XL, XE, XEGS | ✗ | ? | MIT | ✓ | TBD |
| Consoles | ||||||||
| XEGS-DS | 
|
git | 400, 800, XL, XE, XEGS | ✗ | Mid | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | ✓ | ✓ |
| WiiXL | 
|
git | 400, 800, XL, XE | ✗ | Mid | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Atari800DC | 
|
0.78 | 400, 800, XL, XE | ✗ | Mid | GPLv2 (Copyleft) | ✗ | ✓ |
| PokeyDS |
|
January 18, 2009 | 400, 800, XL, XE | ✗ | Low | Proprietary | ✗ | ✗ |
Enhancements
| Name | Atari800 | Altirra | Atari++ | MAME | Pantheon | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Models
The Atari 400 was released in November 1979 and retailed for $549.95 ($2441 in 2026). It had a 6502 CPU at 1.79 MHz and was originally intended to have 4 KBs of RAM but due to falling DRAM prices this was bumped up to 8 KB to match the 800 model. It had multiple graphics modes supporting both character and bitmap backgrounds up to 320x192 with 2-5 colors per line from a palette of 128, with an additional 4 colors available for sprites. In 1982 the Atari 400 was upgrade to use the GTIA chip which enabled an additional three graphics modes with 80x192 resolution
The Atari 800 was also released in November of '79 alongside the Atari 400. It retailed for $999.95 ($4439 in 2026) with a 6502 CPU at 1.8 MHz and 8 KBs of RAM, which could be expanded up to 48kb. It had the same graphics modes as the Atari 400 and was updated to use the GTIA in 1982 as well.
The Atari 1200XL was released in March of '83 and retailed for $899.99 ($2911 in 2026) with a 6502C CPU at 1.79 MHz. It had 64 KBs of RAM, and updated BASIC which added graphics modes which had previously required machine code.
The Atari 600 XL was released in January of '83 and retailed for $199.99 ($647 in 2026) with the 6502C CPU at 1.79 MHz with 16 KBs of RAM.
The Atari 800 XL was released in January of '83 alongside the Atari 600 XL and had the same CPU as the 600 XL but with 64 KBs of RAM.
| |
| Emulated | ✓ |
|---|---|
The Atari XE Video Game System (XEGS) was based on Atari's 8-bit 65XE computer and was released in the Fall of '87. It retailed for $159 ($451 in 2026) and had a 6502C CPU at 1.79 MHz with 64 KBs of RAM. The operating system for most of the XEGS units is called the XE ROM revision C. That specification is the same as any other Atari computer (i.e., 800/XL/XE) that had that ROM, which is usually why no separate software was needed to emulate this console's hardware. The XEGS is backward compatible with the Atari 8-bit computer software library. The console could be turned into a computer with its specially designed keyboard and, while in computer mode, use most of the peripherals released for Atari's 8-bit computer line.
There are no XEGS-exclusive games; instead, they all run on the older machines (with enough memory) or the XE/XL line.
Emulators
- Main article: Atari_8-bit#Emulators
Resources
External Links
- C:\RETRO ROO> Atari XEGS Reboot, Part 1: 8-bit Nostalgia (October 7, 2016. David K. Sutton.)
- 60 Best Atari 8-bit games (Apr 30, 2010. By zubiaks2.)
- Atari 8 bit Vs. Arcade - Part 1 (Published on Jul 29, 2016. Laird's Lair.)
- 20 Games That Defined the Atari XEGS (May 17, 2012. By applemctom.)
- ↑ Only the macOS version is still active.