8-bit Wars: Atari vs. Commodore VIC-20

"The Friendly Computer"

8-bit Wars is a series where I compare other 8-bit systems to Atari’s 8-bit computers. I’m an Atari guy, so there’s bound to be some bias. Please comment should you disagree with my comparisons.

The Atari 8-bit computers started shipping in Fall 1979. The entry-level model, the Atari 400, cost $549. The Commodore VIC-20 was released in 1981 at a price of $299 and was Commodore’s first computer with color graphics, as previously they only had the monochrome, all-in-one PET computers. So how did the Commodore VIC-20 compare to the Atari 8-bits?

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