EDITORIAL
ATARI NEWSLETTER AND LOTS OF GAMES?
By Lee Pappas
Newsletter and magazine? Yes. ANALOG is really a magazine, however to get this acronym to work we needed a word for the letter 'N' I have heard all types of responses to the name of our publication usually a slight snicker. But what's in a name anyway, and our name is something most ATARI owners will come to respect, I hope. With this first issue, a gap has been filled in the world of ATARI computing. While the 400 and 800 have been available for over a year now, we have noticed no 'core' or central information service to help those who need it, outside of scattered user groups and frequent calls to ATARI. What we hope to accomplish will bring you more enjoyment out of your ATARI system.
The question right now is how technical should ANALOG be? The questionnaire is vital for the answer; please fill it out and at the same time, take a chance to win a 16K memory module or new game. Copies of the results will be sent to ATARI and other ATARI computer related companies, to give them an idea where the median of ATARI owners lie. judging from many letters received so far, many of you need more help than the BASIC Reference manual and other publications have so far supplied.
The ATARI computers are fast becoming recognized as more than a games machine. The computing power of the 400/800 extends far beyond 'Star Raiders' and through this magazine we'll show you just how far. The ATARI is also the 'hot' computer of the eighties: at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this January - three questions frequently asked at the information booth were "where's the best restaurant, which way to the rest rooms, and where's the ATARI booth?" Sales in late December picked up so well, parts of the country were on an allocation program - ATARI fell behind with the increased demand for the computers, certainly a good sign!
Included in this magazine is a column (hopefully a regular one), 'LISTEN', which is aimed specifically for owners of the Music Composer cartridge, 'Printout From ATARI...' will provide you with the latest news direct from ATARI. Other publications may print the news first - but none will be as accurate as ANALOG. We will print no information that isn't confirmed by ATARI or other marketer. Many of the 400/800 owners also own the ATARI Video Computer System, so we will also have a regular column on the VCS and new cartridges for use in it.
NOT REALLY "LOTS OF GAMES"
One opinion ANALOG will try to change, is the idea of many, that the ATARI is just an advanced computer game. The color TRS-80 is a joke in comparison to even the 400. The APPLE 11 is archaic in technology next to the 800, and any other micro on the market just can't match the ATARI's built-in computing power. Many computer stores won't carry the 400 or 800. . . "there just isn't any software available, well we receive software and new products at an almost daily basis at the ANALOG office, so much that we have a difficult time reviewing it all. I am very impressed with the amount of really good software available in just a year's time. The 'In The Spotlight' column will highlight the companies which we feel provide good software at above average service. ATARI will not be included in this, but reviews on their products will be included - and we won't be afraid to voice any doubt, on products they produce, that we feel we are not up to ATARI's own standard of quality.
Feedback from you is something we look forward to. I feel most ATARI owners would like to hear what other users around the country are doing, and comments are certainly welcome concerning ANALOG. We encourage you to contribute to this magazine; many of you have mentioned this in your letters already. The only regrets we at ANALOG have, is that we ourselves wish we received ANALOG rather than print it, so we too could look forward to being surprised when the next issue arrived!
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ATARI
In 1972, Nolan Bushnell founded the ATARI company in his garage. While trying to discover what a television could be used for, when not being viewed for network programming, Mr. Bushnell created PONG, the first video/arcade game. ATARI has since become the largest video/entertainment company in the home and arcade markets.
The ATARI company, in 1976, was sold to Warner Communications for 28 million dollars. Now a complex exceeding 14 buildings, ATARI's headquarters and production facilities are located in Sunnyvale, California. (about 20 minutes south of San Francisco).
The name ATARI comes from a term used in an ancient Chinese game. "Atari" was used as a warning when a player was about to capture one or more of his opponents pieces. "Atari" was allied to another term in the game: "katsuro". So just imagine, you might have been the owner of a KATSURO game system, or a KATSURO 400/800 computer.