Atari 800

If the 400 was the entry ticket, the Atari 800 was the full experience: the flagship of Atari's 8-bit line, with a proper full-travel keyboard, room for expansion and a reassuringly solid, almost industrial build. This was the model for people who wanted to take the machine seriously.

Under the lid sat the same clever custom hardware that made the whole range sing, and in the 800 it had space to show off. Smooth scrolling, vivid colour and rich sound gave its games and demos a polish that many competitors simply couldn't match. Plenty of enthusiasts will argue, to this day, that the Atari 8-bits were the most capable home computers of their generation, and the 800 is usually the machine they point at.

Time and price competition eventually moved the market on, but the 800 left a deep impression. It is remembered as a machine that felt built to last and aimed a little higher than the rest, a quietly confident piece of engineering from Atari at its best.