S4:E5 Discovering the Atari 400, Star Raiders, Caverns Of Mars, Miner 2049er

The Atari 400 was a games machine masked as an entry-level computer computer.  When it was released in 1979, it could play Atari’s killer-app “Star Raiders” just as well as it’s more serious, older brother the Atari 800.   At the same time, the Atari 400 acted as a gateway for many kids to the world of programming.  In this episode we explore how we were first introduced to the Atari 400, the first few amazing games we played on it, and how it sparked dreams of being a computer programmer. The story in this episode was written and produced by Steve Fulton with music from Tony Longworth.

Show Notes

Gamasutra “Atari 1971-1977” :Gamasutra - The History of Atari: 1971-1977

Gamasutra “Atari 1978-1981” :Gamasutra - Atari: The Golden Years -- A History, 1978-1981

Antic Pix Ten - 10 great games (atarimagazines.com)

Miner 2049er History (archive.org)

An interview with Bill Hogue from 1983 - Atari 8-Bit Computers - AtariAge Forums

ANTIC The Atari 8-bit Podcast: ANTIC Interview 94 - Bill Hogue, Miner 2049er (libsyn.com)

Written,edited, Produced by Steve Fulton and Jeff Fulton

Branding by Daryl Litts

The song “Everything Changes But It All Stays The Same” by  Tony Longworth used by permission.