Editing Atari Stacy (section)

== History ==

The Stacy was developed as a global project, with design work carried out at Atari's Sunnyvale headquarters and Cambridge (UK) facility. Final PCB layouts were produced by Atari in Japan, where the first units were manufactured. Later production took place in Taiwan. The distinctive sculptured charcoal-grey case was designed by Ira Velinsky, Atari's chief Industrial Designer.

When Atari showed prototypes of the Stacy at the 1989 Hannover CeBIT fair and COMDEX, responses exceeded expectations. Atari CEO Jack Tramiel estimated initial demand at 5,000 units per month, with factory capacity of 35,000 units per month at the Taiwan facility. Despite this, supply frequently lagged behind demand following the US launch.

The Stacy was originally designed to operate on 12 standard C-cell batteries for portable use. However, Atari discovered that the machine consumed batteries far too quickly — especially problematic given that rechargeable NiCd cells of the era supplied insufficient voltage compared to fresh alkalines. Atari's solution was pragmatic: they simply glued the battery compartment lid shut on production units, making the Stacy AC-only in practice. An optional NiCd battery pack was listed but rarely available.

The Stacy was discontinued around 1991, replaced by the much smaller and lighter [[Atari ST Book]].