Was there an 8k PAL Atari 400/800?

[Malcohol]

Hi there.

 

I'm working on a game which I intend to work on the base model Atari 8-bit computers, i.e. those with 8k memory. (I got the constrained programming bug working on some entries for the yearly minigame compo.)

 

Can anyone confirm whether there was such a thing as an 8k PAL Atari 400 or 800?

 

I've inferred from what I've read that there must have been 8k NTSC versions of both computer, since NTSC versions were released first. Unfortunately, I can't make seem to find a definitive answer about PAL versions. The computers were sold released slightly later in Europe (1981?).

 

Thanks for any information or links,

 

Malcolm

[Rybags]

8K Pal - I doubt it.

 

8K NTSC - I think so, very early on. The naming convention was initially oriented towards 4K "400" 8K "800" but Ram prices allowed the release specs to be increased, so it became 8K 400, 16K 800.

 

Some early games such as Star Raiders were written to only use the first 8K of Ram. Of course, that's essentially equivalent to a tape/disk booted 16K Ram game, so isn't entirely constrained.

[firestorm]

I have Atari 800 PAL UK BK 006336 and it was with 16Kb RAM.

[Marius]

As far as I know there are only 48K Atari 800 Pal machines. I have never seen an Atari 400 PAL, and the only PAL atari 800's I have seen are 48K. But the only source is my own experience, so my information isn't very reliable.

[Grevle]

My first Atari was a Atari 400 Pal, back in 1982 or 1983 . it was 16k.

[Rybags]

At a late stage I think 800 came "from the factory" with 48K installed. Probably at some point near to the C64s release.

 

But the thing with the 800 is that dealers could build up their own machine spec by fitting extra Ram - it also happened with the 400 to a lesser extent.

[OBO]

If only I could find A 400 and 800 PAL... no such luck.

[Jetboot Jack]

I have both a 16K 400 and 16K 800 - both were bought in the UK and shipped with that RAM - the 400 or 800 were not available in the UK with 8K AFAIK as both were Ingersoll supplied units, so late 1981 - which was the first official PAL UK machines.

 

sTeVE

[oracle_jedi]

Maplin in Southend sold the Atari 400 with 8K throughout 1981.

 

An advert in Your Computer - June/July 1981 - shows a price of 295 UKP for the 8K console without a BASIC cartridge.

 

Maplin stated that these units were designed for the UK's TV system, so would have been PAL-I.

[Malcohol]

Hi again.

 

Thanks so much for all your help.

 

> Maplin in Southend sold the Atari 400 with 8K throughout 1981.

> An advert in Your Computer - June/July 1981 - shows a price of 295 UKP for the 8K console without a BASIC cartridge.

 

Fantastic dectective work, oracle_jedi! Here's a link to the ad.

 

Thanks again, everyone.

 

Malcolm

[Jetboot Jack]

oracle_jedi - did you manage to purchase an 8K 400?

 

I've not found a fellow UK Atari user who did so far.

 

I was not able to buy a UK machine until September (I think) 1981, supply seemed very constrained.

 

sTeVE

[oracle_jedi]

oracle_jedi - did you manage to purchase an 8K 400?

 

Alas no, my parents bought a VIC-20 instead. My first Atari was an 800XL in 1984 from Silica Shop.