| Company | Atari, Inc. |
| Product | Atari 400 |
| Cost | $550 w/8K RAM (nonexpandable) |
| Graphics Resolution | 40h × 24v to 320h × 192v (6 graphics modes) |
| Indirect Dot Resolution | N.A. |
| Number of Colors | 2 colors in highest resolution |
| 4 colors in lowest resolution | |
| 8 levels of luminance (brightness) | |
| Number of Graphics Characters | In text mode works like the PET, giving 30 keyboard-accessible fixed graphics characters. These may be used in PRINT statements in BASIC. |
| Graphics Statements | GRAPHICS X; PLOT X, Y; DRAWTO W, Z; COLOR X; SETCOLOR X. |
| Comments | The Atari computers (see the Atari 800 on next page) are sort of a mixture of the best of the Apple II, PET 2001, and the TI-99/4. The Atari's graphics statements in BASIC allow vector line drawing, but no “shape” graphic statements exist, as found in the Apple II's high-resolution package.* Color control is quite nice, allowing up to four colors at the same time and eight brightness levels for each color! Sound control and paddle manipulation on the Atari are superb. Like TI, Atari offers plug-in ROM cartridges for languages, such as BASIC, and for application programs. Some game application programs provide incredible three-dimensional motion, but the user is locked out from using this feature at this time. Like TI, Atari doesn't believe most educators are, or want to be, programmers. Hence there is a trade-off against providing advanced graphics features and for providing things complete, perfected, and totally debugged end-user application programs in ROM packs. |
| Code | 1, 2 |
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