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History of video games/Platforms/Atari XEGS

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  • The Atari XEGS with keyboard and XG-1 lightgun attached.
    The Atari XEGS with keyboard and XG-1 lightgun attached.

History

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The Atari XE Game System at the Helsinki Computer and Game Console Museum.

The Atari XEGS was released in 1987 at a cost of around $199.[1][2]

At launch the XEGS often sold out, attracting users who were intimidated by the 8-bit computes the XEGS was based on.[3] All 100,000 units manufactured at the time had sold during the US Christmas 1987 season.[4] However Nintendo and Sega were already vastly ahead in the market and were spending millions on marketing, while Atari only spent $300,000 on marketing the XEGS.[5]

Technology

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Compute

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The Atari XEGS is essentially an Atari 65XE computer.[2][1]

The XEGS uses the 8 bit Atari 6502c CPU, a custom version of the MOS Technology 6502 clocked at 1.79 MHz.[6]

The system has 64 kilobytes of RAM and 16 kilobytes of VRAM.[6]

Notable games

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See the List of Atari XEGS games on Wikipedia.

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  • XEGS Unit. From left to right buttons are labeled Power, Start, Select, Option, and Reset.
    XEGS Unit. From left to right buttons are labeled Power, Start, Select, Option, and Reset.
  • XEGS rear ports.
    XEGS rear ports.
  • XEGS Keyboard. A prominent help button sits on top of the unit.
    XEGS Keyboard. A prominent help button sits on top of the unit.
  • XG-1 lightgun.
    XG-1 lightgun.
  • Compatible Atari XE joystick.
    Compatible Atari XE joystick.

References

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Wikipedia has related information at Atari XEGS

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Atari XEGS

  1. ↑ a b "The Atari XEGS (XE Game System)". www.atarimuseum.com. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  2. ↑ a b "Retro Gaming : ​The Atari XE Game System". Retro Gaming Museum. Retrieved 29 October 2020. {{cite web}}: zero width space character in |title= at position 16 (help)
  3. ↑ "First Look Inside the XE Game System". www.atarimagazines.com. https://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n4/firstlook.html. Retrieved 29 October 2020. 
  4. ↑ "Antic Magazine Volume 7 Number 01 (Sixth Anniversary)". May 1988. https://archive.org/stream/1988-05-anticmagazine#page/n40/mode/1up. Retrieved 29 October 2020. 
  5. ↑ Schilling, Melissa A. (2003). "Technological Leapfrogging: LESSONS FROM THE U.S. VIDEO GAME CONSOLE INDUSTRY". California Management Review. 45 (3): 8. doi:10.2307/41166174. Retrieved 19 November 2020. {{cite journal}}: More than one of |pages= and |page= specified (help)
  6. ↑ a b "Home Page". Video Game Console Library. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
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