Atari 800
Shares rank 14 of 16 home computers by recommenders
People recommend it as a home computer that felt personal and capable in childhood, and some preferred it to the Commodore 64. Critics say Atari used a cheaper build approach.
People recommend it as a home computer that felt personal and capable in childhood, and some preferred it to the Commodore 64. Critics say Atari used a cheaper build approach.
7 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 71%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 2.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Personal computer loved in childhood
“If I hadn't been able to sit down at my Atari 800 computer with 48 KB ram, as I pleased after school everyday since the second grade”
Comment from 25 Mar 2026 in “GrapheneOS refuses to comply with new age verification laws for operating system” “having my own personal computer was incredible”
Comment from 10 May 2026 in “The Atari 800 – By Paul Lefebvre” Preferred over Commodore 64
“which I thought was way cooler than the C64”
Comment from 12 Jul 2026 in “Atari ST Advertising – By Paul Lefebvre” “Atari 800 > Commodore 64.”
Comment from 29 May 2026 in “Micromania: The Whole Truth about Home Computers (1984)”
Other home computers people recommend
The four most recommended other home computers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commodore 64 | 121 | 18 | 87% | 12 | 41 yrs18 owners | Approved |
| Commodore Amiga | 60 | 14 | 81% | 11 | — | Approved |
| ZX Spectrum | 31 | 8 | 79% | 10 | — | Approved |
| TI-99/4A | 26 | 8 | 76% | 6 | — | Approved |
| Atari 800This page | 5 | 2 | 71% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“which I thought was way cooler than the C64”
“The 800 itself didnt have any failures”
“Atari I think really had a cheaper build mentality”
“Atari 800 > Commodore 64.”
“having my own personal computer was incredible”
“If I hadn't been able to sit down at my Atari 800 computer with 48 KB ram, as I pleased after school everyday since the second grade”
“The old FCC Standards kneecapped Atari.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.