The Story of the Atari XE Game System, Video Game Console or Computer? - Video Game Retrospective

In 1984, a Atari released the Atari XE Game System. A member of Atari’s 8-bit line of home computers the XEGS shares the same internal specs as the Atari 65e home computer. The major difference is that the Atari XEGS was sold to consumers as a game console that could be upgraded into a full computer in an attempt to defeat Nintendo’s dominance of the North American video game market. While it would fail at that goal the XEGS is still a legendary system know for it’s great library of games and a very unique look. Join us as we explore all of Atari history!
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[@OldAussieAds]

I remember being so psyched to get this computer that I looked at it's brochure and the 9 screenshots it showed for hours at a time, before finally getting one at Christmas of that year. I wish things got me that excited in my adult life.

[@toddhanley6982]

Same here, U.S. tho, Christmas '88

[@RagShop1]

I just got a 65 XE console, not the XEGS but it played all of the same game cartridges.

[@MattyIcecubes]

I remember doing that with the Sears catalog lol

[@Killbot856]

I asked for a Nintendo, my dad got me the Atari XE instead, saying it was better. This delayed my first hand experience with Mario and Duck Hunt by years, but gave me a chance to learn BASIC and fool my brother I to thinking I had changed his grades (we didn’t even have a modem). Great memories.

[@kenwheeler3637]

The XEGS has that unique late 80's early 90's aesthetic to it. I'm a big fan of the Atari 8-bit line of computers in general.

[@MaxAbramson3]

Straight out of Robocop 1.

[@werpu12]

Loved the XL Line design of things most, this is a design which would even work today! Started with a 400 btw. programming on it was a pain (one of the worst keyboards ever made) but oh man this machine as being my first coputer, was magical!

[@rfichokeofdestiny]

I think it looks badass. I can’t imagine anybody calling it ugly. Especially when you compare it to an IBM PC of the time.

[@eng3d]

Not ugly but it looks plastic and cheap

[@User0000000000000004]

Looks like the NES Advantage controller, all 45 degrees and stuff.

[@troyzilla]

I believe Tramiel's 8 bit Atari computers were called the 65XE and the 130XE, not the 65e and 130e

[@daviniarobbins9298]

I had a 65XE. Poor man's computer. If you had money you bought a Commodore 64 or even a Spectrum. There was more choice of games for those machines than Atari back in the day here in the UK. I hated my 65XE. By that I don't mean the computer was crap just that there wasn't that many games ported to the platform.

[@AFourEyedGeek]

@@daviniarobbins9298 Spectrum was the poor man's computer, that is why it was so popular in the UK at the time. Commodore 64 and Atari 65XE were proper computers,it's just that no one made any software for the 65XE.

[@JeffSmith03]

Yep, I definately upgraded from my first (800XL) to a 130XE because of having so much RAM. Then bought a Sam's book and upgraded it with 256K more RAM than that... Later I got a secondhand 65XE and was surprised some of my cartridges don't run on it (needed at least 64K). By the time I got the XEGS for my collection I didn't even care that I have a hard time getting all the pins to work on the keyboard cable since my 130XE+ is better. Well now I have to watch for the new 130 E or 65 E on eBay I bet those will sell for a million.

[@pauldaniel9199]

@@daviniarobbins9298 Wow, you are not very informed. You clearly weren't looking in the right places for games as I had an Atari 8-bit computer since 1983 and there were no shortage of games. Calling it a poor man's computer speaks more to your perspective and why you didn't just buy a C64 instead is odd. The Atari 8-bit had almost double the clock speed of the competitors at the time and ran non game applications better than Commodore.

[@Zoyx]

For comparison, I purchased my XEGS with a light gun and keyboard with 12 games for $67 US... back in 2009 off of eBay.

[@geraldford6409]

Scored my XEGS around 2000 in the ebay early days. Nice retro gaming piece. Big issue was XEGS was released too late. Home computing had moved on to 16 or 32 bit (Amiga/Atari ST/PC 286 or 386) by 87-88 in the US, though elsewhere 8 bit machines still sold well due to cost. Even elsewhere, buyers would rather opt for the "real deal" ie C64 or Atari 8 bit computer plusfloppy disk drive, which was the big cost at he time. A lot of overseas markets relied on the cassette through the 80s. If the XEGS had been released by Christmas 83 or 84, it would have been a bigger hit as a home computer/game combo. But even by late 83 and certainly 84, the C64 was price reduced and gobble dup by US consumers, and had outstanding video and sound capabilities (for the timeframe and price) with a large game library and home computing apps. The Atari 8 bit computers were price reduced to match by 84-85, so releasing the XEGS in 87 (!?) when the Atari ST was lowering its price every few months, plus the explosion of low cost IBM clones and parts with 12-16Mhz 8086/286 chips, plus lower cost EGA/VGA cards, pretty much made this relase a head scratcher even at the time. I worked at a mom & pop computer store that did good business selling Commodore & Atari 8 and 16 bit machines 1985-1990, while doing my undergrad at U of MIch Engineering school. So I lived it ;)

[@brrebrresen1367]

bought mine in 1996 when i was 11 years old, gave 50 NOK (like $5.5 US) for it from a friend with keyboard, zapper and 5 XEGS games and 4 more XE games since he had gotten an PlayStation for christmas. things was a bit cheaper back then

[@CarbonatedLithium]

The look of the XEGS buttons were inspired by the very popular pastel colors of the 'Miami Vice' era. It matched the XE computer line up. I personally think that it would have been more successful looking the like 2600 Junior and 7800 game systems. The XE can be considered as a variant model to the 600xl/800xl/65xe, 130xe, 800xe and to a lesser extent the 1200xl which were based on the 400/800 computers. The XE cartridges that used 64k would not work on the 400/800 models, but some of them did.

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

Atari Corp's XE line cosmetically resembled the ST line even though they were part of the Atari 8-bit line. The only aesthetic differences were they had the labeling in "red" for the XE while the ST used "blue", much as Atari Inc had earlier done to distinguish the label coding for the 2600 and 5200. Tramiel's Atari Corp had abandoned the rather Bang & Olafsson (sic) design aesthetic of the Atari 600XL/800XL/1200XL/1400XL/1450XLD and the 2600jr/5200/7800 for their computer lines.

[@glennshoemake4200]

I had an Atari 600xl and later Atari 800xl and really enjoyed those systems for the time, from early to late 80s. The metal cartridges they used were super high quality compared to the plastic cartridges that the 2600 used. Games were as close to the arcade as possible for its time. Some great memories growing up and playing these games.

[@brostenen]

I never owned any Atari product. Except for Atari branded Playstation games. However I used a C64 and other Commodore machines through the entire 1980's. As far as I know, then looking at 8bit machines, then Atari have the best video signal and Commodore had the best sound. Sprites and so on is a totally different story, as all machines have strength's and disadvantages.

[@originalfred66]

If Atari had released the XE game system instead of the 5200, they probably would have a big success. The games were all ready to go, and the ability to upgrade to a computer would have been a big selling point. However, they should have added a 2nd button to the joystick that would duplicate the space bar. Also, a pause button should have been added to the console to duplicate the P key.

[@fragalot]

When the 5200 came out, Atari was still owned by Warner Brothers. When the XE came out was right after the Atari ST came out, so the XE line was just a cosmetic change to the 8bit PCs, and Jack Trammel was already running the company.

[@feenix219]

I came here to say the same thing - this should have just been the 5200.

[@RagShop1]

The XEGS came out nearly 5 years after the 5200 and it was part of a major refresh of the 8 bit computer line. When the 5200 debuted, the 400 and 800 were the 8 bit computers and they'd remain so until the 1984 intro of the failed 1200XL.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

@@RagShop1 1200XL came out in early 1983, and then that fall the 600XL and 800XL were released. However, they also intended to release the 1400XL (which would've been the 1200XL's successor), 800XLD and 1450XLD, with the 800XLD and 1450XLD having all of the respective specs of the 800XL and 1400XL along with a built-in disk drive. But the 1983 video game crash, together with Atari's own meager financial outlook caused by the failure of the 2600 E.T. game, caused the 1400XL, 800XLD and 1450XLD to all be scrapped from their release timetable.

[@RagShop1]

@@ClassicTVMan1981X Thanks for the correction on the 1200XL.

[@omegaman1409]

Damn you showing systems I used to own. My mother bought me the xe back in the late 1980s. I had no other use for it than the included flight simulator with its paper maps. I was forever in love with the genre. I don’t know what I did with the unit later on.

[@deesplayworldtv]

Same exact story here. Flight simulator lol

[@timothypeters7160]

Great video...please don't stop...do the turbografx...thanks

[@daishi5571]

The XEGS I have was used as a building wide TV display (multiple tv's all over the building) with messages with a custom ROM Cart. Saved from being dumped when my wife brought it home as the onsite tech knew I was also a tech so offered it rather than just get dumped.

[@Salsuero]

A friend of mine had one of these when we were kids. I borrowed it from him and wrote code on it. But my friend didn't own a floppy drive. So I wasn't able to save anything. I had to write all my code down on paper! And of course, I had to leave the power on permanently because I didn't want to keep typing in my code every time I started it up. He eventually asked for it back and it was a sad day for me. It was the first computer I was able to code on at home before we got our first computer... a shiny PC-compatible 286 with 1 MB of RAM and 86 MB hard drive! A 1 MB stick of RAM cost $100 at the time. It wasn't cheap, but it was an impressive upgrade at the time.

[@daviniarobbins9298]

Did you not have a cassette recorder? XC12 I think it was called. I know it didn't come as standard with the XE.

[@Salsuero]

@@daviniarobbins9298 No... it wasn't mine and he only had it for games.

[@TimePilot2084]

Dude, I love that story.

[@Salsuero]

@@TimePilot2084 Thanks! Glad it brought you some joy. :-)

[@ryanmckenzie7149]

I remember seeing this machine at Lionel play world when I was a kid. It looked really neat. I asked the guy at the counter why it had no games (quick note: Lionel kept games behind a always staffed counter. Kind of like Toy's R us, but without the ticket system.) And he told me "because, nobody makes any".

[@michaelstoliker971]

It's an Atari 65XE repackaged as a game system. And yes, it was the 65XE and 130XE, not 65E and 130E. That's why the XEGS. It's an XE Game System. Also, why wouldn't you include modern homebrew games as they are completely compatible with the other 8-bit systems (except the 5200). You can use all the Atari peripherals, including modern devices that include IDE interfaces, and USB. There are cartridges and internal upgrades that allow megabtyes of memory and gigabytes of storage. Every game ever written for the Atari can fit on an IDE flash card, or be stored on a PC and accessed through an SIO to USB adapter. That includes modern homebrews.

[@KonElKent]

As an avid Atari fan; the XEGS is the current crown jewel of my collection. I love the variety of games available, but also admire its versatility as a computer system (I can program BASIC still though, so your mileage may vary).

[@KJohansson]

These where cheap as chips a few years ago, and now they are highly sought after collectibles. :P

[@brostenen]

More like 10 years ago. That is 1/8'th of a human life, generally speaking. But then again, fair enough if that is a few years.

[@brostenen]

@Karl Burnett Why do you ask if I am a robot? I seem to not make any connection to anything, that would give me an answer, to why you ask that!

[@brostenen]

@Karl Burnett I do not like green bannanas. They taste of nothing.

[@Studtacular78]

I had one when I was a youngins,,it stayed brand-new because I never knew how to use the thing, it was boring...

[@brostenen]

@Karl Burnett Dude... You are talking trash. If it is a joke it is not even funny. There is no logic in what you say. So basically, you caught me on what?

[@Ratt2004]

I had one growing up. Parent's got it one Christmas when I was like 4, only remember playing it a few times though. Kept it in a dresser drawer for over a decade before the family tossed it out when we moved. I had bug hunt, pac man, donkey kong, and there was another game too, a flight game I want to say.

[@bubbythebear6891]

According to the advertisement, the XE came with Flight Simulator 2, so that's probably what you're thinking of.

[@IntoTheVerticalBlank]

An awesome little system. I used to hate the way it looks, but love it now.

[@eriks3260]

I had one many years ago. I regret sellling it. It was very nice. I had a lot of great games !!!!

[@urboboy]

They are not that expensive. Time to go get one and a muticart.

[@sethtanner1]

Enjoying “the story of “ series hope there’s more to come!

[@GORF_EMPIRE]

I'm glad I got one on the cheap decades back. Solidly built and I love the Atari 8 bit line. The games are among the best ever. Still have mine with the light gun and keyboard. tons of games too.

[@SftyDncr13]

I had this system when I was younger. I remember playing bug hunt and the flight simulator. Games were already hard to find and using it as a computer when ten years old was impossible. I believe it had basic, or some derivation. There were no manuals or easy to follow directions on how to program.

[@retrovisions_]

Xegs would be my favorite of the atari 8 bit computer line. My favorite game by far is blue max. Collecting carts for this system is a thrill and also frustrating due to the prices and difficulty to find them. Many cheaper titles but some fun titles can get pricy. I love collecting for this system but has taken me 23 years to a collection to be proud of.

[@JeffSmith03]

Actually the 130XE has more RAM even before I added another 256K so it's my fav. Actually I don't like how much the XEGS has problems, like my keyboard quit working because of so many conductors in that cable to work about

[@kranibal]

Really interesting videos!!! Thank you!!

[@batteriesrequired9401]

I got one of these in 88 or 89... absolutely loved it. Only problem was that all the games advertised on the rear of the box were never available were I lived in the uk. Had to buy a second hand cassette player and loads of game cassettes.

[@cnfuzz]

By 1988 we had switched for 2 years to 16bit , i had amiga 500 and Atari st then , my 8 bit stuf left untouched ,that was yesterdays tech in 1988

[@DEF50703]

Bought an XEGS about 5yrs ago. Really cool Computer/Console hybrid.

[@randybradley4151]

We had a dedicated retail store just for this console/computer. I would always walk slower to the bus stop so we would miss the bus and I then could go into the store to look around. My mother never caught on.

[@PeBoVision]

Favourite games: - Star Raiders... remains a technical marvel from the era. The most immersive space shooter of the 80's. - Caverns of Mars... one of the first 8bit Atari games I ever played, and one I continue to go back to. - Jumpman... not an Atari exclusive but one of the greatest platformers ever created. Undeniable 2D influence over later 3D plaformers. - Lode Runner... Because it's Lode Runner - Miner 2049er... another non-exclusive (released for every computer and console) but still a great game that XE folks can play. - Temple of Apshai Trilogy... It's no Tunnels of Doom (TI-99/4A) but it is Atari's first RPG. - Captain Beeble... Rarely mentioned, and probably bargain binned shortly after release, this is a must play Atari exclusive. Everything that makes video games fun...Imaginative critters, item to collect, HUGE moving objects, and a no-second-to-spare timer. HIGHLY recommended for any XL/XE owners.

[@momoismaili9564]

So, I used to have one of those. It was actually difficult to find games for that, but the one I found was really good. I had great fun, but then I got a Sega master System

[@shaynestephens]

I had (not all at once) an Atari 400, 800, 600XL, 130XE, 520ST and Mega 2 ST. My favorite game was Star Raiders.

[@jerzeyguy71]

I am 50 and the Atari was one of my families intro to games( Telstar the first game console and the TRS-80 computer) and I never heard of this version ever.. wow.. I love the design of it, but the button colors have an issue with me..

[@TimePilot2084]

See? The damnable button colors ruin an otherwise kind-of pleasing design.

[@summer20105707]

XEGS is beautiful. Bright pastel colors just screams 90's

[@arfanmedni7294]

70s tech repackaged

[@datacipher]

It’s ok, but I still love the black and silver phase of the XL and 5200.

[@antoinesvirtualbasement]

I remember my mom got me this back in the day, my first computer.

[@RetroUnlim]

I got this, unboxed without the joystick (inc keyboard and gun) for 20 ukp at a local car boot sale 😀 Excellent video!

[@rdans1997]

I had an atari 65XE. I remember making my first program using atari basic. I should have stuck with programming, but the internet and PC's were not very common in households at the time.

[@EmberwolfXR]

There’s nothing better when you find a channel out of the blue and you watch a video and you’re like damn that’s good and then you end up binge watching the whole freaking channel

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

The XE Game System was released in 1987. It was never meant to "beat Nintendo". It was meant to appeal to families who wanted a newer game system - replacing their "old" 2600, Intellivision, or Colecovision - that was also a computer since so many parents were convinced their kids needed a computer to become successful adults. It was the retailers who told Atari at the time that they didn't want to carry the 65XE - you totally failed to include the "X" in their names - computer but would carry a computer that was also a game system. Similarly, the Atari 8-bit computer line needed new users and 3rd Party software publishers were abandoning the platform over alleged "rampant piracy" amongst Atari 8-bit users [never mind that the Commodore 64's piracy rate amongst its user base dwarfed what was amongst the Atari 8-bit community] so with those two challenges nipping at them, Atari Corp brought out the XE Game System and shifted a lot of games over to the cartridge format which was slightly harder to pirate back then than disk-based games. You claim Atari didn't bring out a specific disk drive for the XE Game System yet the XF551 disk drive was meant for all Atari XE computers which included the XE Game System. You state the Atari ST needed to be a success before the XE computers could be released yet the 65XE and 130XE were released in 1985 first before the Atari 520ST made it to store shelves later that year. You mention the XE Game System was packed with "Bug Hunt", which it was, but it also had "Missile Command" built in. You claim the XE Game System was targeted at the NES when it wasn't; the 7800 was. You claim it was meant to break Nintendo's lock on the market when it wasn't and the 7800 was released in early 1986 which was before Nintendo had a de facto monopoly on the industry. What Nintendo had was 3rd Party Developers locked into exclusive agreements which kept their titles from appearing on the Atari 7800 and later the Sega Master System for 2 years after debuting on the NES and then Nintendo would still try to intimidate them by shorting their cartridge orders - since every licensed cartridge for the NES had to be manufactured at a profit by Nintendo right out the door - if their titles appeared elsewhere. The only way around that with the XE Game System was for those 3rd Party companies to release their titles on disk/cartridge/cassette for the "Atari 8-bit computers" with a wink if they were interested and were also willing to possibly provoke Nintendo while also releasing them for other computers like the IBM PC, Atari ST, Amiga, Commodore 64/128, Apple Mac, and/or the Apple II. Those 3rd Party Developers couldn't do that with the 7800 since it was a game system and didn't have a computer platform to fall back upon. The 7800 was originally intended to be released for Christmas 1984 but was delayed by Warner's sale of Atari Consumer to Jack Tramiel while also getting into a massive dispute with its designer, GCC, over royalties and other matters which weren't settled until August 1985; it had nothing to do with Nintendo. You act like it was bewildering why Atari Corp would market the 2600, 7800, and XE Game System all at once when it was clear that the 2600 was for the low end for budget consumers, the 7800 for the advanced gamers, and the XE Game System again appealing to parents who wanted a computer and a game system for their kids. The joystick and keyboard ports on the XE Game System aren't weird or inconvenient; them being angular - similar to the design on the earlier 1200XL - is a better design than having them stick out straight from the sides of the case and then the cables bending for actual use. Sticking them on the front of the console would've interfered with the keyboard. And the CX40 joystick wasn't released with the 2600 VCS in 1977. They are cost reduced updates to the original CX10 joystick from 1977 which were the 2600's original pack-in joysticks. The CX40 was released in 1979. Also of note, Commodore basically had bankrupted MOS by refusing to pay them for the 6502s they had received in 1976 and then bought out the company to gain control of it and cancel Commodore's debt. MOS had approached Atari to save them from Commodore but Warner said "no" and Atari settled on ordering 50k 6507s from MOS in exchange for a perpetual license to the 6502 and the right to have it - and the supporting chipset - manufactured for them by other companies such as Synertek and Rockwell. Commodore took over MOS so Jack Tramiel could have a vertically integrated company so chip companies couldn't drive them into near bankruptcy like TI had nearly done to Commodore during the earlier pocket calculator war earlier in the 1970s that TI had won. The Commodore 64 price war in the early 1980s that drove TI and others out of the home computer industry was due to Jack Tramiel's goal of getting revenge on TI.

[@geraldford6409]

Great corrective commentary, spot on for those of us 80s tech geeks who lived through it. Yes, the XE 8 bits hit the streets before the ST. However, in the defense of the video host, Atari's marketing and business planning from 1985 onwards were highly troublesome. Too much overlap and redundancy among the XE computers, XEGS, 2600, 7800, whith just the same games across them all. While the 2600 Jr was an interesting low cost option for frugal buyers just wanting to play games, by the late 80's, most home buyers in the US wanted a computer of some type, especially something compatible with their "Computers at work", which were most likely IBM PC's or compatibles. Even if they couldn't afford an IBM or workable clone (Clones were notoriously incompatible or low quality through the 80s, taking off and achieving widespread compatibility in the 90s), the perception was that any computer would be better than none "for the kids" as you point out, and at minimum for word processing and basic data tasks, while playing games was a bonus on all computers. The initial plan for the ST was that it be the serious/business oriented computer, and through 1987 or so, Atari kept to this idea- the first consumer priced laser printer for the ST, emphasis on desktop publishing capabilities, the 1040ST with 1MB for under $1K, the MegaST, the MegaSTe, pro musicians and the ST for MIDI/music,etc. But by 1988 or so, STs were showing up at Toys R Us! This degraded their perception as "professional", though in hindsight it probably didn't make a big difference given the progress of Microsoft/DOS/Windows and the PC x86 world, plus the down marketing of the Amiga 500 through similar chains, etc. By 1991-92, considering anything other than an x86 (or maybe a Mac) was the only wise choice. I was very anti x86 through the entire 80s, doing only the 68000 machines (Mac/ST/Amiga). But I finally relented and assembled my first 286 from parts purchased out of Computer Shopper by 1991 or so

[@TheJeremyHolloway]

@@geraldford6409 Valid points but the Atari 520ST, the SF354 disc drive, and the SC1224 color monitor were all sold at Toys R Us before Christmas in 1985. They were later pulled as Atari Corp expanded the ST dealer network after the 1040STf was released and garnered attention over its revolutionary price.

[@geraldford6409]

@@TheJeremyHolloway The ST may have come and gone and come back from the TRU/Children's Palace's of the 80's. I think Atari then decided to make the MEgaST/STe/TT the "Computer Store" pro versions, and the 520STfm the mass market TRU/Monkey Wards version. I recall seeing the Amiga's (500 maybe others) at Wards around 1990, but not sure about the ST elsewhere. The ST did well here in SE MIchigan at Mom & Pop Computer stores (some had more than one location, ie a local chain), where they could upsell customers with printer bundles & software, swap out aftermarket monitors or joysticks, and provide a little training and after sell follow-up, often resulting in repeat and add on sales. SOme Mom & POps only did COmmodore, some only Atari, some both, and most moved on to PC Clones by 1990.

[@MarkMcDaniel]

I liked my Atari XE as a child, it had Missile Command built onto the motherboard. I just had to hold the power button down while powering up to launch that ROM.

[@vhm14u2c]

Back when it was on shelves @ hills stores, I didn’t dig the pastel color buttons. I already had an 800xl so was just something I took a brief look at when it was selling. No one I know bought one.

[@ashcan6]

I have said many times that Atari was a mess because they just had too many damn systems that were not compatible…some games worked on two systems, some on one…as a child, I remember getting games that I couldn’t play on multiple holiday occasions. I would rip open the paper only to see an awesome title that my XE wouldn’t play. It was confusing for parents, and heartbreaking for kids. Nintendo slammed them off the face of the earth by having one really solid system…the platform was stable and normally would not crash, and all NES games worked on your machine, period. The fact that the NES was apparently a dream for animators to program for is just a nice side note.

[@MuziekMetMeesterMarius]

This is actually a pretty cool video. Very interesting background information. I did not understand why you call the 65xe and 130xe "65e" and "130e" ... but perhaps that is a language thing? I am a real atari 8bit fan. My most favourite type is the 800XL. I had this one in my youth, and I have it today (I am 45 now). I also have the XEGS, but I do prefer my 800xl although they are almost equal. I must say I agree with you about the aesthetics. It's so hard to decide. On one side I really like the looks of this machine. The colourful buttons and the "console" itself... it's for a person who is a real fan of the Atari 8bit system a very unique and great phenomenon. But on the other side... it's such a strange box. And the buttons did not even respond that well (especially the on/off button). Also the keyboard was by far the worst type of XE keyboards ever created with a mushy feel. There also do exist some 800XE and 65XE computers with that mushy type of keyboard, but for some reasons the type used in the XEGS keyboard feels even worse than those on the 800XE and 65XE. (800XE is 65XE with ECI connector, If I am correctly informed only sold in Europe; first in Germany and later in the Atari renaissance of the early 90's in Eastern Europe; mainly Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia (in that time)). For me atari 8bit is part of my life, and I love everything about it. And this video is just amazing. I love the fact that the creator of the movie is also honest and critical. That's completely fine. The game library for the atari 8bit line is awesome. And the fact that this XEGS was launched, also meant a re-release of some pretty cool games, that were previously only released as disk or tape game. So even for the die-hard atari 8bit fan, the release of the XEGS meant something cool.

[@Gamevet]

It's kind of funny that the ad had an Atari XE with the case looking yellow. It was already aged by then.

[@mazthespaz1]

the ST was typically sold in smaller computer stores and the XE's and old game systems could be found at big stores like Sears

[@ressljs]

I heard a slightly different motivation for Atari to make the XEGS. They had a warehouse full of components, already paid for, to build 65XE computers. Also, a large stock of games. Problem was, the sales of the 65XE and 130XE were in rapid decline. The XEGS was more about clearing their warehouses and saving them from another massive burial of unsold stock than it was thinking this archaic computer could catch the NES. But with all things Atari, it's hard to tell fact from fiction.

[@Mnpctech_Giveaway_PC_Mods]

I never heard of this and I owned all Atari consoles up to Jaguar.

[@Rightsomehandsome]

Yeah that help button is pretty funny. Should have been labeled HELP!

[@JaminWarrenPMS]

I think it looks awesome! The buttons remind me of Easter though. Butt that's not a bad thing.

[@PianoMan-hx3ev]

Okay, the gray joystick sold me.

[@publicprofilename4273]

The XE sold 25000 units, every single unit produced. I had one in 87. The thing I did most was either Wing Commander I think it was called, and running programs. It served to inspire me to go on to become a programmer and web builder.

[@ressljs]

Looking back, I really wish I (or my parents, since I was still a kid) would have gotten a computer in the early/mid 80s. I probably would have gotten into programming and become quite the tech-nerd. In reality, I didn't get a computer until the late 90s, and no longer being a kid, didn't really have the time to spend learning programming. Not claiming my parents ruined my life by not getting me a computer when I was young, but since I did go into a technical field, my lack of computer know-how has been somewhat of an issue. I often get comments from my younger coworkers, "You could fix that by just writing some code... Oh yeah, sorry."

[@publicprofilename4273]

@@ressljs yeah man. I remember my first REAL PC. A Packard Bell 386sx. Had a 16mghz processor with a 4mghz "turbo" button lol. 100 MB HDD. and I think 8 MB of RAM. a 5.25 floppy and a 3.5 floppy. I was the first geek on my street with a new fangle little floppy drive. They weren't even floppy lol. I ran my WWIV bulletin board service, called The tea room of despair. It was run off of my 1200 baud rate modem. Only at night, so my parents wouldn't bitch about not being able to use the phone or ever getting phone calls during the day lmao

[@publicprofilename4273]

@@ressljs but the XE was what started it all. It was really a great system. I had flight simulator on that thing. Granite had the graphics prowess of a Texas instruments TI-84 lol but you could get the chest and it was still fun.

[@publicprofilename4273]

@@ressljs on a side note, that computer cost me $600. And the salesman promised us it was the last PC we would ever need period lmmfao

[@UserUser-oy8ch]

it looks like a make up vanity mirror with buttons that control the brightness settings my mom had in the 80's anyone else see those things?

[@TimePilot2084]

Duuuuu-UUUUUde! You nailed it. I couldn't quite place the connection its appearance made in my brain with something else, but THAT'S totally it. Well done!

[@lucifersatoshi]

My favorite 8bit game of all time has to be Star Raiders on the 5200.

[@stratfender89]

Your Atari content is straight fire.

[@joeminpa6705]

LOL, "Take the 65E computer and put it into a new ....aaaaaaaa.... Let's say ........ INTERESTING CASE" Love the pastel buttons. there was just something about the '80s and pastels. Really miss that. Also liked the DO IT! DO IT! at the end.

[@jamesfrankiewicz5768]

I was a kid at the time in their primary marketing demographic, I thought the idea of the XE looked awesome and was a really rad* idea. Did I know anyone who had one when it was on the market? No. Have I ever played one? No. Have I ever seen one in the wild? No, not even in a store display case (not our the local Toys 'R' Us was carrying it at the time). * throwback slang to capture the spirit of the time

[@retror.d.1630]

Great review. I’m in my 40’s and never even heard of this Atari system.

[@waltberger7885]

Same here. I remember they went into computers instead of gaming systems... until the Jaguar ?

[@petewillson205]

@@waltberger7885 yeah Atari split in 84, computer/home (2600/5200/7800), Trammell got that, arcade stayed with Warner. Trammell was head of commodore 8bit computers, similar to what was to become the XE. Atari kept their focus on the computer world because post video game crash, the mkt looked to be low priced computers. Atari spent nothing on development of another home game system till early 90s that lead to them missing the 16 bit world of the early 90s, they had a hand-held (lynx) that they didn't develope just distributed. By the time they jumped back into home mkt, with Jaguar, they truely had no idea how to get it in homes, distribution was to low, for their 94 launch, they never had enough to get to Europe (a country where their name wasn't mud), then they took 2 years to get more than 8 games out, they didn't understand how important video game magazines were, and they had no clue the price of mkt had sky rocketed, along with the need for triple AAA titles that had to be available day 1. Sony figured all this out and stopped Atari out of existence destroyed 3d0, cdi, neo geo, then killed Sega by the time ps2 had arrived.

[@tangreen7267]

This guy is pretty cool. Great video.

[@Dark.Shingo]

My dad gave me this years ago when everyone had a NES. I was excited because it also was a computer and had very nice looking games. I spent a whole afternoon typing a long program that said "pink monster moves across the screen". After hours of typing and fixing typos, I was ready to run it... and it was underwhelming. That was the last time I tried any program on it.

[@claytonbouldin9381]

My first computer was an Atari 65XE and loved it. I sitll have my Star Raiders game and Pac-Man game too.

[@JamesPotts]

The word you're searching for is "striking." Its looks are striking.

[@wallacelang1374]

I still have my Atari 400 and my Atari 800XL which I actually use both to this very day. I had considered getting the Atari XE Game System but I couldn't find it in any of my local hometown electronics stores. I did get myself a Nintendo NES so that I could play light gun game like Duck Hunt, but if my Atari 800XL could play light gun games using the XEGS light gun than I would get its light gun at least.

[@jbanks979]

Aside from the insane idea of selling essentially a 1979 computer in a new box to compete with what was your NES competitor at the time in the 7800- It only highlighted the flaws in both systems. The graphics on the 7800 were somewhat improved, but the XE sound was superior due to the baffling decision to include only the 2600 sound chip on board of the 7800. It’s hard to argue “invest in our next gen systems” when they’re both so ultimately half assed

[@petewillson205]

It is insane but, it sold up alot of old stock they had laying around, they were somehow masters of catalog sales, as it costed them little, and catalog customers are not as savvy customers. Atari was able to somehow make huge profits, basically riding on the coattails of nes, being very popular, since they didn't have to advertise, they just went with we are cheaper to buy games...

[@plawson8577]

For the last time, the Crash occurred in the Spring of 1984. NOT 1983.

I had this baby. When my father bought it, the shopper told him this was better than Nintendo and it would make me learn programming in Basic. Even so, while I was disapointed for not having a NES, I loved this console. Now, I am a Computer Engineer LOL

[@andromedaone3640]

Mini of this would be nice, it's the funkiest console ever, i didn't expect to see this cool machine ever again👍

[@ashcan6]

It was my first game system, so of course, I loved it. (I later learned that mom had bought and returned an NES to get me this instead…we all know how that turned out in the end). My love was short lived, because my particular machine was a lemon. I should have exchanged it, but I kept returning the cartridges and blaming them when they froze or would not play at all. Did anyone else have this problem with the XE, or just me? I remember that it really didn’t like “Donkey Kong, JR.”. It would t even play the entire first stage without completely freezing and glitching out. “One on One- Dr. J. versus Larry Byrd” would play sometimes, and “Moon Patrol” wouldn’t even load…😢

[@brostenen]

When looking at computer history. Jack have done more than Jobs would ever do. Jack is like 10 times bigger than Jobs.

[@sunnohh]

Not really but sorta kinda except for idk the last 3/4 of Jobs career, id compare Jack more to like Clive Sinclair or lol Alan Sugar

[@brostenen]

@@sunnohh You forget the fact, that all Jobs was able to do in life, was to think visions and sell. Jobs did not invent or create anything.

[@TimePilot2084]

@@brostenen Here, as opposed to above, where you deny the hilarity of your exchange with another user, I completely agree with you. However, you still must admit to the fact that without Mr. Jobs, many things we now enjoy wouldn't have been possible. He served an important purpose, but was not the technological whiz he seemed to occasionally suggest in lectures.

[@brostenen]

@@TimePilot2084 Yes. He served a job at making other people do what he wanted. The point I wanted to make, is that jobs did not invent the actual stuff. He sure did take credit for it. The heroes of the computer revolution, are all the engineers. That is the point I want to make. Very few people that were not engineers, are heroes as well. That includes Tramiel, as he did the right thing of selling to the masses and not the classes.

[@alexxbaudwhyn7572]

Bought one on eBay 20+ years ago Nice retro gaming and retro computing collectible. Atari was all over the map post 1985, with too many redundant products in the 8 bit space. One could argue the ho.e computer arena was moving to 16 bit post 1985, but the reality is for most people in north America 85-92, 8 bit computers and pcs were fine, whether 8086 or 6502. While I went all in on the Atari ST fall 85 through 1990, transitioning to 286+ post 1990, the Atari 8 bit xl/xe line and c64/128 plus 8086 clones and Apple II and clones are where most homes went in that period. Once 386sx/486 were cost reduced circa 94-95, it was over for anything other than x86 in north America. But for that 85-92 period, Atari should have omitted the 7800 and concentrated on the Xe computers and xegs, all on the low end, with the st line for the high end. Instead, consumers who bought into the 5200 felt abandoned, then ripped off as Atari double, triple, quad dipped with the functionally identical xegs, xe computer line and 7800. Yes, the 7800 had some interesting new graphics tech over the 5200/8bit xe, but actually worse sound, with basically the same tired late 70s, early 80s arcade ports Then Atari milked the 2600 into the 90s with the 2600jr instead of innovating faster on the ST, TT, Jaguar, etc.

[@blackterminal]

These are cool with their detached keyboard. Its like a hybrid of many devices and its cool for that.

[@js3599]

I got an Atari XE for, probably, my 8th birthday. I liked it, but I pretty much forgot about it when I got an NES for Christmas about 6 months later, I never got any games for the Atari, other then the ones I got with the system. Bug Hunt, Flight Simulator, Pole Position, plus Missile Command was built in, possibly a couple of others I don't remember now. I ended up with much more NES games, because every time I got money for a new video game, I went with the system I actually played, not the one gathering dust on the shelf. My XE got waterlogged when our basement flooded when I was a teenager, which by that time, good luck finding a replacement, and why get another shelf dust collector that I only used for MAYBE a couple of hours a year anyway? Especially when those couple of hours weren't even necessarily consecutive. That experience still sucked. I mourned by playing NES games. All in all, I do have good memories of my XE, mostly playing Pole Position with my brothers, but I only played it sporadically growing up, as opposed to pretty much constantly with my NES, I was the only one I knew that had, or had even heard of an XE, while pretty much everyone I knew had an NES. Of course, as time went on, technology advanced, and people moved on to SNES and such, making the XE farther from thought, But It still, even to this day, has a special place in my heart, even if only for nostalgia purposes.

[@daviniarobbins9298]

I got one off eBay about 15 years ago when I still had a crt tv set. I could never get the light gun to work when playing Bughunt. Sometimes it would work other times not. I would be firing the gun at the tv being pretty sure I was aiming it right and nothing happened. I even had the gun touching the screen virtually and nothing. Pretty sure the gun was not faulty. I gave up on it. When you add in budget cassette games there are probably thousands to choose from if you don't mind waiting 30 minutes to play them and don't mind the odd loading error. Mastertronic £1.99 and £2.99 games were fun.

[@daviniarobbins9298]

Speaking of the light gun why bother with R&D and then only release a couple of games for it? Seems like a waste of time and money. Was Atari trying to keep up with the Jones'?

[@jasonblalock4429]

5:03 Say what you will about the console design itself (and I share your confusion), but that is easily one of the coolest light guns ever released. Looks straight out of Buck Rogers or some 80s anime. That said, I disagree about the controller/keyboard ports. That's very clever design, given that they couldn't have the ports in front because then it couldn't dock with the keyboard. The angle means the cords stay underneath the upper rim, and are partially hidden, as well as ensuring that the wires weren't compressed if the console was up against a wall or beside another device. Aside from the practical concerns, this would have given it a sleeker look in operation, compared to most other consoles or TV-based computers of the time.

[@Bearcade]

Cool video

[@gregryan7761]

I saw one of these Atari GS in a thrift store going for 10 bucks not long ago. I declined to buy it as it was fairly yellowed and some keys were missing from the keyboard, but otherwise functioned. I have my 130XE and it suffices for my 8 bit needs. Now I kind of regret not picking it up. I hope however got it does it justice and fully restores it.

[@cessnaace]

The 7800 had several light gun games, but no light gun. The XEGS light gun works with the 7800, so maybe they figured that base was covered, although I don't know if the XEGS light gun was ever sold separately.

[@alexxbaudwhyn7572]

Yes it was, around the USA at least. And yes, Atari intended 7800 owners to buy the xegs light gun if needed.

[@cessnaace]

@@alexxbaudwhyn7572 Thanks for the info.

[@musclesmouse]

Atari under Tramiel had so much leftover 2600, 7800, and XEGS game inventory left from Warner days. That is why it was trying push all of them. Nothing for them to lose. They got free profit by selling this inventory.

[@Barcrest]

I didnt realise it came after the ST. I guess the ST was still expensive at that point. I do remember seeing the 2600 for sale well after it should have been and wondering why and i was a kid back then.

[@WDCallahan]

As far as sales numbers for the XE, I had two of them. So.. at least two. I wanted an ST, but this was better than nothing. I wrote soooooooo many BASIC programs. PS: Ballblazer is best game.

[@harrypothead42024]

Nothing looks aesthetically like the XE-GS as much as they first season of Star Trek the Next Generation

[@casualslax]

Great vid but your statement that the Xbox 360 was sold at profit is inaccurate. Microsoft lost between $125-$150 per console. It was a cutting edge piece of kit for 2005 and had hardware features (like unified shaders) that wouldn't show up in PC GPUs until a few months later. The 3 core PowerPC CPU was also fairly new and costly at the time. Just a slight correction in an otherwise fantastic review of a classic piece of gaming history. Keep on rockin' ✌🏾

[@lazarushernandez5827]

I'm going to assume the Red Ring of Death also cost them some money.

[@casualslax]

@@lazarushernandez5827 They set aside a billion dollars to cover it so yeah, I agree lol

[@jamiedoublin6241]

I actually think it looks way better than the Nintendo entertainment system, which was a pretty ugly machine

[@TheShospitali]

I remember when these where in the Sears Christmas Wishbooks & Sears Catalogs. I think Atari's Downfall at the time they wasn't in Wal-Mart or Kmart Stores. You had to go to Kaybee Toys, Circus World Toys, Toys R Us, or Sears to find Atari stuff in the late 80's. Wal-Mart & Kmart in the late 80's making to much off of Sega & NES to market Atari Stuff.

[@nickpalance3622]

Oh, that CX-40 joystick wasn't the 1977 launch edition (heavy sixer) joystick. That would be the CX-10. Wasn't that mentioned in the 2600 video you did?

[@bubbles581]

I remember seeing photos of this with those giant-sweet-tart looking buttons and imaginging that this was the most powerful game system possible...

[@nathanielbolden5053]

I had the XE with the gun and flight simulator!…I loved that thing although it would get kinda boring really quick!…but it was a beautiful design tho!…I’d love to add one to my console collection

[@GandaMelgao]

That huge button on the keyboard should be red, and instead of "help", it should read "Don't panic". 😁😁🤣🤣

[@jamiebible7837]

This is a decent review. I would have rated its appearance as 1/5 and 5/5 both as well. Unfortunately, not because other people love or hate it, but because I myself own one and can't decide if I love or hate the way it looks :P To answer the question of game system or computer, it's obviously a computer, being marketed as a game system. I don't see what's different about it from another XE, other than the marketing and accessories.

[@yay4this]

Greatest intro ever

[@geoffreyoltmans4356]

I suspect that Tramiel was just interested in unloading inventory of chips. It was dumb to release the XEGS since they already had a NES competitor. The Atari 7800. They were competing with themselves.

[@TimePilot2084]

The guy was super shrewd. I completely agree with you - that inventory was bugging the hell out of him and this was a convenient way to offload it and drop it off his bottom line. Probably typical of Tramiel.

[@plawson8577]

7800 had no chance. It was already outdated and old hat by ‘86.

[@geoffreyoltmans4356]

@@plawson8577 Yeah, but by 1984 it was pretty good. Certainly more capable than the GTIA/Antic chipset.

[@plawson8577]

@@geoffreyoltmans4356 Yes, in ‘84. By 1986, SEGA SG-1000 Mark III was already out in the States as Master System and that blew 7800 away 3 times over.

[@brianhebert6152]

I find it funny that the commercials called the NES a toy, yet the pastel buttons made the XEGS look like even more of a toy than both the "toaster" and top-loader NES models ever did. Still, the XEGS is probably what the 5200 should have been (classic Atari controller instead of a "trying-too-hard-to-be-like-Intellivision" controller that barely workerd, and compact size rather than ginormous VCR size)

[@InfectiousGroovePodcast]

It's funny how the simple things used to amuse us more. I had a bunch of different consoles growing up, but I always wanted an XE simply because of the slanted cartridge slot.

[@scooterahlers9666]

I had the NES & C-64 in the late 80's but will say that the XEGS was a GREAT value. It was backward compatible with all the Atari 400/800/XL carts and disks and was comparable to the c 64 and 7800 in graphics and hardware.

[@NewsmakersGames]

It's a shame Atari didn't really get any traction with it.

[@projectw.a.a.p.f.t.a.d7762]

I thank it looks cool as a gaming system for it's time.

[@IrishCarney]

8-Bit Guy surprisingly claims that the XEGS has the most complete library of classic arcade games, even more so than the NES.

[@cdoty]

It seems a little odd to complain about the system only supporting up to composite and the light gun only working on CRTs given that every system of that period had the same "limitations".

[@nickpalance3622]

"65e" you say? "130e"? Where do you get this stuff? Same place as 6502 being compatible with the 6800 as stated in the 2600 video? Did you not look at the picture of the XE computer that you showed at 3:52? As for the "Board Meeting" where Jack Tramiel quit, look at the video "Bil Herd and Leonard Tramiel at CommVEx v11 2015". I think this story has been retold elsewhere in another interview, but Leonard tells us that Jack quit at CES. Could he be telling lies? I choose to believe him and the argument over the use of the corporate jet. Probably never going to get everyone to agree on what happened, but what it really comes down to is who is the best and most reliable source(s)? Do the people in the board room even know what transpired between Jack and Irving previously?

[@CarbonatedLithium]

I noticed the 65 "E" and 130 'E" mistake as well. Not to mention, that they MAY have INTENDED to sell the XEGS without the keyboard as a 'core' video game system, but that never happened. Every XEGS came with a keyboard.

[@a120068020]

My mum and dad bought this from one of my friends who was selling it. I had the set with the keyboard and lightgun etc and

[@garciamario5436]

It looks so Far Ahead of it’s Time in the 80s I love it

[@GregsGameRoom]

Aesthetics aside the XEGS is what the 5200 should have been. It might have been more successful. Also… It was the 130XE and 65XE computers. Not sure where you got “130E” and “65E” from.

[@bobfromsoireegames4309]

This is an amazing video on a strange, but awesome system. Atari forever!