SPACE 2

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ SPACE 2 / SPACE - Library 2 - Volume 1.iso / magazi~1 / 454 / articles / atarinew.asc < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1989-11-11 | 10.8 KB | 187 lines

******************************************************************************* * STatus Disk Magazine * * Issue 1, Volume 1 * * * * NOTE: This issue is to be copied freely by Atari ST users. We at STatus * * strictly prohibit anyone selling this issue as part of a Shareware or PD * * collection. * * * * STatus Disk Magazine * * Suite 299 * * 4431 Lehigh Road * * College Park, MD 20740 * * * * STatus Disk Magazine (c) 1989, is a COMMERCIAL effort. * ******************************************************************************* New Atari Hardware: The Next Generation? As I write this a LOT has been happening out in Sunnyvale. Since this is our premiere issue, I want to state that this section on new product announcements refuses to "gloss" over the topic of vaporware, nor do we plan to endorse any products. I will attempt to simply "state the facts" with nothing "inferred" or "submitted" by me for your approval. Many ST publications right now enjoy mixing and matching the release of new product information with an attitude of either blind Atari loyalism or hell-bent Atari bashing. I do not intend to let that occur in this particular column. Now for the news: Atari has shown the 68030 Atari in Germany at an Atari- specific show in Dusseldorf. Reports coming in from there from both attendees who have posted their findings and from official Atari releases that have been made public show that so far, all of the specs have not yet been confirmed, and the release date is set, apparently in stone, as being "by the end of 1989". Sig Hartmann, who is VP at Atari Corp. in Sunnyvale has even stated that should the 68030 machine not appear in the U.S.A. on time, he would be leaving Atari, so there is apparently more than a little enthusiasm about this new machine in the higher echelons of Atari Corp. The specifics so far indicate that the machine will be based around a 16mhz 68030 chip, like the Macintosh SE/30. From information posted by Atari representatives on UseNet, the new 68030TT can apparently run as much as ten times faster than the current generation of STs, but on average, will yield a speed increase by a factor between 3 - 5 (which means, it'll go 3 - 5x faster than a stock ST/Mega). Official Atari Corp. literature claims the new machine won't be using a BLiTTer like the MEGA ST or STE to speed up graphics routines, but specifications on exactly what type of chipset it uses is sketchy at best, so we will report on that information when it becomes available. The TT is also touted as having full ST hardware compatibility, and the hardware registers will be in the usual locations so that programs written for the ST specific chipset should work on the 68030 machine providing it uses either the current ST chipset or a specially "reverse engineered" chipset that is 100% compatible with the original design. The new machine will have enhanced graphics capabilities that border on the SuperVGA PCs and clones, while also providing a new sound chip that is described as a "stereo 8-bit PCM sound chip", with the number of channels being programmable. As it stands now, the sound chip sounds a bit like the information released back in 1987 about a potential enhancement to the ST called the AMY sound chip that was discussed in ST magazines at the time. The graphics support the following modes: 1280x960 monochrome 640x480 w/16 colors from a palette of 4096 colors. 640x400 w/2 colors from a palette of 4096 colors. [this is no longer just monochrome, but a new mode that truly gives two selectable colors.] 640x200 w/4 colors, from a palette of 4096 colors. 320x480 w/256 colors from a palette of 4096 colors. 320x200 w/16 colors from a palette of 4096 colors. Initial information from both the conferences on GEnie and from the press releases state that the ST native graphics modes are fully supported (320x200x16,640x200x4, and 640x400 mono) and that a new video chip is used for the 640x480x16 and 320x480x256 color displays. Also, since the STE and the JRI ST4096C board use the same technology the TT is using to remain ST compatibility, it sounds plausible that the "JRI technique" is also in use in the 68030 box, at least for the ST-based modes. The machine shown in Dusseldorf had three Vme Bus slots, which are a Motorola standard, and were used in Vaxes as well as some Sun workstations. Atari has already stated that should users want to enhance the capability of the 68030TT, they should be able to use VME expansions to do so, but there is no word on whether any modification is needed or if the system will recognize the expansions under GEM. The machine also has a new high speed chip to handle communications as well, which should allow for the usage of high speed hardware, such as 19.2k baud modems and other interesting hardware products. Atari also added new 15 - pin analog joystick/mouse connectors to it to complement the current 9 - pin connectors. Whether these connectors will be able to accept controllers used by another system, or if they are based on the controller ports on the old Atari 5200 game system is unknown. Some of this technology in the new 68030 machine will also be used in its "little brother", the Atari 1040STE. So far, it has been confirmed that the machine has identical capability to the current STs, and is 68000 based, but includes graphics identical to a ST4096C enhanced ST, as well as the new digital sound chip used in the 68030TT. The prices on the new machines has yet to be confirmed, however it is expected that the 68030 Atari as well as the new 1040STE should be seen at Atari shows, and possibly, at the WAACE AtariFest '89 in Fairfax, VA. As it stands now, the release date for the 1040STE is currently not set to a specific time, but Atari has firmly stated it will be releasing the 68030TT by the end of 1989. Another interesting development in the Atari ST/Mega community that will add a needed dimension is the release of TOS 1.4 to the userbase. Right now, some dealers are having trouble getting it, but for the most part, it appears the ROMs *ARE* out. The suggested list price is $99.95 for the ROMs, not including installation. Contact your local authorized dealer for further details. In addition to the aforementioned products, the ST line should also be welcoming the addition of the STacy laptop, which is slated for a late-1989 release. The STacy laptop will have a 640x400 LCD display, which has been reputed to be backlit, although the model shown at earlier shows was NOT. In fact, a review of the STacy in Atari Explorer mentions that it is not backlit at the time of the review, and mentioned no plans to make it so, but apparently Atari has reconsidered, and gone ahead with plans to backlight the LCD display. The STacy will not have the STE's or TT's enhanced chipset, but will have a MEGA-style buss connector (which is female, while the one inside the MEGA STs is male... this will require some alteration for expansions to be ported from one to the other), and will run all current ST software. It also has all standard ST ports, including the Centronics, monitor, RS-232, MIDI, and joystick/mouse ports. It will come in a base configuration for $1500 with a double sided drive. So far, Atari claims the STacy will run for about 4 hours straight on battery power. (NOTE: The STacy laptop is reportedly shipping in Europe. This was discovered after this article had acutally been written.) Surpassing even the STacy in portability is the new Atari Portfolio, which is a 4.77mhz IBM PC compatible that is "slightly smaller than a videotape" according the Atari Corp. Apparently, as we write this, the Portfolio is nearing shipping and Atari has established an 800 number to recieve orders for the new machine. It comes with a 40x2 display and should be in high demand judging from the response Atari has been recieving. (NOTE: The Portfolio is OUT! This too was discovered at a local Atari dealer [L&Y Electronics in Woodbridge] one week before this issue was to be released at the WAACE AtariFest '89!) Finally, saving what many may term "the best" for last, Atari finally introduced the ATW in America. Apparently the decision to do so was done immediately before SIGRAPH (an annual show in Boston that features the best of the video and computer graphics industry), and the ATW was formally shown at SIGRAPH doing true 16.8 million color graphics (using 32 bit planes) and apparently getting a bit of attention. It is not known yet whether the ATW will be configured as an add-on for existing MEGA STs or if it will be a completely new machine that has a built-in ST as the "front-end" terminal. However, no solid pricing or information on the availability of this new wunderkind has been formally announced, so no release date is known.