Television Interface Adaptor

The Television Interface Adaptor (TIA) is the custom computer chip that, along with a variant of the MOS Technology 6502, is the heart of the 1977 Atari Video Computer System game console. The TIA generates the screen display, sound effects, and reads the controllers. At the time the Atari VCS was designed, even small amounts of RAM were expensive. The chip was designed around not having a frame buffer, instead requiring detailed programming to create even a simple display.

Television Interface Adaptor

The Television Interface Adaptor (TIA) is the custom computer chip that, along with a variant of the MOS Technology 6502, is the heart of the 1977 Atari Video Computer System game console. The TIA generates the screen display, sound effects, and reads the controllers. At the time the Atari VCS was designed, even small amounts of RAM were expensive. The chip was designed around not having a frame buffer, instead requiring detailed programming to create even a simple display.