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THE ATARI JAGUAR

ATARI JAGUAR

Size: 9.5" x 10" x 2.5"

64 bit console based system

controllers with 12 key keypad 3 firing buttons and 8 directional joypad

Jaguars can be networked together

Released in the fall of 1993 the Atari Jaguar was originally manufactured by IBM at one of their plants in Charlotte, North Carolina. By 1994 units were also being made by Comptronix in Colorado Springs. The Jaguar is often considered the world's first 64 bit gaming machine. Some consider it a 32 bit machine based on its CPU, but to most developers and personnel related to the project the system is a 64 bit machine based on its speed of processing data and its multiprocessor and coprocessor support mechanisms. When released the machine was light years ahead of anything even remotely on the horizon in the console gaming market. Im 1999 Atari Corp's new owners Hasbro made the Jaguar an open gaming platform in essence allowing anyone to develop games for it without worry of violating any of the many patents the system has on its cartridge based technology or game based technologies. Hobbyists, non profit organizations, and even some companies continue to make games for this system.

Unique Capablities

System architecture design allowed for up to 32 Jaguars to be networked together

The two controller ports could be potentially expanded to support dozens of controllers

Com-lynx input output built into the system allowing for interface with the Atari Lynx. It is rumored that Atari considered using the Lynx is an interactive controller for the Jaguar.

Games could contain an EPROM(erasable programmable read only memory) chip to save games to. This is much more high tech than the current save it to a battery routine used by other console makers.

Unique Info

Atari Jaguar technology was licensed for two coin operated games by Time Warner Interactive (Atari Games Corp). The games were the popular shooting game Area 51 and Maximum Force another shooting game.

Several games including NBA James: Tournment Editon, and White Men Can't Jump, allow for two Jaguars to be networked together to allow for 4 player games. One on one networked games were possible with Doom on the Jaguar.

See the Atari Jaguar FAQ at http://www.digiserve.com/eescape/atari/FAQ_-_Jaguar for more info on this machine.

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