[2] It utilized digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs), and was a paraphonic synth with a single filter shared between its eight voices.

[3] Each DCO offers sawtooth and square waveforms, which are mixed together with a white noise generator before being sent to a voltage-controlled filter (VCF).

In 1984, Korg introduced the EX-800, a keyboardless, rack-mountable version of the Poly-800, which included limited MIDI System Exclusive (SysEx) capability.

[8] In 1986, Korg introduced the Poly-800 II, an updated version that swapped the original's chorus effect for a digital delay with adjustable modulation, as well as a new colour scheme.

[10] At the time of its release, critics were not impressed with the Poly-800's single VCF, its very basic settings, including parameters with as few as four steps that would typically be adjusted smoothly with knobs, and its somewhat restricted sound abilities.

However, these aspects did not significantly detract from its popularity among users; the synthesizer became renowned for its distinctive joystick, optional reverse-color keyboard and strap pegs, allowing it to be played as a keytar.