Return of the Falcon: Wizztronics rebuilds an Atari legend

Wizztronics, a US-based electronics company with roots in retro computing, is working on a modern rebuild of the legendary Atari Falcon computer. Their mission? To bring the spirit of the 90s powerhouse back to life with fresh hardware. For those unfamiliar, the Atari Falcon030 was one of Atari Corporation’s final and most powerful home computers. Released in 1992, the Falcon was built around a Motorola 68030 CPU running at 16 MHz, and came with 2 to 14MB of RAM, digital signal processing (DSP) capabilities, and advanced audio and video hardware for its time. Although it was ahead of its era in multimedia, it was unfortunately released during a period of internal turmoil at Atari—and with the rise of Windows PCs and Macs, the Falcon was discontinued only a year later in 1993. To this day, original Falcons are rare and expensive. “The entire team at Wizztronics is dedicated to getting this project done,” reads their official statement. But reviving a 30-year-old computer isn’t without its challenges. Currently, the team is knee-deep in the complex process of rerouting their custom-designed printed circuit boards (PCBs) after running into both software and human errors in earlier revisions. Prototyping is always an iterative process, but the sheer scale of this project makes each hiccup more time-consuming. Complicating matters further is the cost of manufacturing. Early quotes for assembling a single board hit $1,000 per unit, far beyond the budget of a passion project. It’s clear that this isn’t just a small project—it’s a labor of love. Wizztronics isn’t simply trying to replicate the Falcon; they’re breathing new life into a platform that could have revolutionized home computing had it survived the 90s. Whether this rebuild becomes a full production model or simply a limited run for enthusiasts remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: this is the most promising effort yet to restore the Atari Falcon to its rightful place in computing history.

New source: Wizztronics

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