A Polish engineer has successfully shrunk down a vintage Atari computer to fit on a postage stamp-sized module, re-creating the iconic 8-bit system using modern FPGA technology. Piotr “Osa” Ostapowicz’s “Atarino” faithfully replicates the classic Atari XL/XE architecture, running vintage software and maintaining compatibility with original peripherals.
Atarino features a single Lattice UP5K FPGA chip, housing a 6502C processor, ANTIC and GTIA graphics chips, and a POKEY sound chip. The system can operate at speeds of up to 31 MHz, outpacing the original hardware’s 1.79 MHz clock speed.
Ostapowicz’s innovation enhances the original design with new features such as improved memory handling and the addition of new instructions for the 6502 processor core. The project began over a decade ago and was publicly demonstrated in December 2023, marking a significant milestone in retro computing.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/06/polish-engineer-creates-postage-stamp-sized-1980s-atari-computer