Atari Falcon

Atari Falcon030

The Atari Falcon030
Type	Personal computer
Release date	1992; 25 years ago (1992)
Discontinued	1993 (1993)
Operating system	TOS/MultiTOS
CPU	Motorola 68030 @ 16 MHz Motorola 56001 @ 32 MHz
Memory	1 ~ 14 Megabytes

The Atari Falcon030 Computer System is a personal computer released by Atari Corporation in 1992. Codenamed Sparrow, the machine is based on a Motorola 68030 main CPU, and had a Motorola 56000 digital signal processor, a feature which distinguished it from most other microcomputers of the era. The Falcon was Atari's final computer product.

The Falcon was released in late 1992 and subsequently cancelled in late 1993 as Atari Corp restructured itself to focus completely on the release and support of its newest product, the Atari Jaguar video game console. The Falcon sold in relatively small numbers, chiefly to hobbyists.

Atari Corp. created a number of prototypes of the Falcon040 (based on the more capable fully pipelined, integrated-FPU, Motorola 68040, and using a "microbox" case), but canceled it. The microbox case resembled the later Sony PlayStation 2, right down to the ability to run it vertically or horizontally. It is even referenced in the PS2 patent applications.

Shortly after release Atari Corp. bundled the MultiTOS Operating system in addition to TOS. TOS remained in ROM, and MultiTOS was supplied on floppy disk and could be installed to boot from hard disk.

In 1995, the music company C-Lab bought the rights to the Falcon hardware design and began producing their own versions. The Falcon Mk I was a direct continuation of Atari Corp.'s Falcon030 with TOS 4.04. The Falcon Mk II addressed a number of shortcomings in the original design, making it more suitable to use in a recording studio (these were unofficially termed 'Cubase modifications') such as accepting Line-level audio in without the need for a pre-amp or mixer. The Falcon Mk X was mounted in a 19" 1U rack case, with external keyboard and space for internal SCSI hard disk drives.