Atari Jaguar (1993)

Marketed as a 64 bits system (with a slogan “do the math” suggesting more processor power than his competitors), this console system marks the final line for Atari as console hardware developer.

Features

CPU: Motorola 68000 13.295 MHz
Co-Processors: TOM: 32 bit RISC CPU, 64 bit RISC POP (Programmable Object Processor), 64 bit RISC Blitter; JERRY: 32 bit RISC DSP
RAM: 2 MB DRAM
VRAM: Shared with system RAM (All processors have direct access to RAM)
ROM: 128 KB
Graphic Modes: 720 x 576 max.
Colors: 16.7 Millions
Sound: 2 DAC's, 16 bit stereo (Varying number of channels depending on software)
I/O Ports: 2 controller ports, RF out, Video edge connector (A/V output), Cartridge/Expansion port, DSP port
Controllers: 8-way d-pad, 15 buttons + Option + Pause
Media: Cartridge (6 MB max.)

Usage

MESS requires a “cartridge” (cart) device for jaguar run. The cart dump can be in .j64 or .rom formats.

Also notice that a “quickload” (quik) feature is present, for files in one of the following supported formats: .abs, .bin, .cof, .jag and .prg files.

Known Issues

The emulation of this system is Preliminary.

The Jaguar was the last game system to be marketed by Atari Corporation. In fact, the hardware was originally designed by Flare Technology, a company formed by Martin Brennan and John Mathieson. They claimed that they could not only make a console far superior to the Sega MegaDrive or the SNES, but also be cost-effective. Impressed by their previous work on the Konix Multisystem, Atari persuaded them to close Flare and, with funding provided by Atari, to create a new company to develop their ideas. The new company started to design two brand new consoles for Atari: one was a 32-bit architecture (codenamed “Panther”), and the other was a 64-bit system (codenamed “Jaguar”). However, work on the Jaguar design progressed faster than expected, and Atari canceled the Panther project to focus on the more promising 64-bit technology.

The Jaguar was released in the US in 1993, using the marketing slogan “Do the Math”, claiming superiority over competing 16-bit systems. Initially, the system sold well, substantially outselling the highly hyped and publicized 3DO, which was also released during the holiday season of 1993. However, due to the presence of several dismal launch title, Jaguar was accompanied by the perception of having poor games. Things improved with the release of Jeff Minter's “Tempest 2000”, and other successful games like “Doom”, “Wolfenstein 3D” and “Alien vs. Predator”.

By the end of 1995, after the entrance of the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn, the Jaguar's destiny seemed decided and nothing changed with the aggressive marketing campaign claiming Jaguar to be the only 64-bit console on the market (despite the only 64-bit CPUs being graphical co-processors).

Over the short life of the console, several add-on peripherals were announced. Yet only the Atari Jaguar CD drive and the JagLink (a simple two-console networking device) reached retail shelves. The voice modem and VR headset (with infrared head-tracking), existed in prototype form, but were never commercialized.

Production of the Jaguar stopped after Atari merged with JT Storage.

After the Atari Corporation properties were bought out by Hasbro Interactive in the late 1990s, Hasbro released the encryption coding to the Jaguar, finally opening the doors for homebrew development. Several game companies, including Telegames, ScatoLOGIC, and Songbird Productions, have not only released previously unfinished materials from the Jaguar's past, but also several brand new titles to satisfy the system's cult following.

(info based on Wikipedia)