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The Atari Falcon030 debuted in late 1992 as the ultimate entry within the firm’s long-running line of non-public computer systems. Powered by Motorola’s 68030 processor, it was a technologically superior system for its time, that includes 16-bit/32-bit structure, a built-in DSP (Digital Sign Processor), and enhanced multimedia capabilities.
Nonetheless, on account of inner company struggles and the aggressive PC market of the early Nineties, the Falcon030 was short-lived – discontinued by the tip of 1993 throughout a serious restructuring part at Atari.
Regardless of the transient market presence of the Falcon030, Atari had bold plans to evolve the platform. Engineers have been already prototyping a successor, the Falcon040, which was designed to include the extra highly effective Motorola 68040 processor.
Some of the intriguing elements of this next-generation mannequin was its supposed housing: a compact, vertical-oriented case referred to internally because the “MicroBox.”
The MicroBox chassis was a daring design transfer, particularly in an period dominated by horizontal desktop instances. Smooth, minimalistic, and constructed for vertical placement, it stood out as a forward-thinking piece of commercial design – one which was finally shelved together with the Falcon040 challenge when Atari exited the pc market.
Nonetheless, the MicroBox design didn’t disappear fully. Years later, when Sony launched the PlayStation 2 in 2000, observers famous a placing similarity between its case and the unreleased Atari prototype.
The resemblance wasn’t unintended. The design of Atari’s MicroBox was referenced within the PlayStation 2’s official industrial design patent (U.S. Patent D450,318 S), which incorporates seven photographs that carefully match the form and aesthetic of the PS2, describing the “decorative design” that Sony borrowed from Atari. The likeness is exceptional.
The design was both acquired or licensed by Sony, making the PS2 not only a gaming revolution but additionally a direct heir of an Atari legacy that by no means absolutely materialized.
This sudden design lineage is a captivating footnote in tech historical past. The PlayStation 2 went on to turn out to be the best-selling online game console of all time, and in doing so, carried ahead a bit of design DNA from an organization whose personal fortunes had lengthy since light.
