The Atari 400 & 800 computer systems which were released in 1979 were amazing machines. With graphics and sounds never before seen in home computers. The Atari 400 and 800 could share all of the same easy to plug in peripherals and the Atari 800 with its convenient removable top made upgrading its memory and operating system quick and easy.
By 1981 Atari's home computer division began looking into replacements for the aging 400/800 line of computers. Several types of systems were conceptualized and in the end it came down to two routes. One was called the A-300 project which involved a new series of Atari computers which would work as modules and plug together to form a complete computer system. The second was an evolution of the A-300 project that shed all of the expansion and modular design for a low profile, high tech computer system which became the Atari 1200XL Computer System.
Below you can click on the images of various concept sketches of what could have been a new line of Atari computers up to what became the Atari 1200 Computer.
Very special thanks to Regan Cheng, formerly of Atari's Industrial design group for the donation of these concept design sketches, and for his talented designs which gave the Atari 5200 and the Atari XL line of home computers such a unique and stylish look. Today he owns and operates his own design firm in California called Regan Cheng Design where he designs coin-op game cabinets, and provides industrial design services for the development of consumer products, medical products and instruments.
