XE-Game System

[Mister VCS]

I just wanna know why Atari Corp. released

the so-called XE-game-system after the

5200 and 7800. Was there a market for 3

nearly indentical game systems?

Why re-realeased Atari in 1986 games for

the dead 5200 system?

[Ze_ro]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mister VCS:

I just wanna know why Atari Corp. released the so-called XE-game-system after the 5200 and 7800. Was there a market for 3 nearly indentical game systems?

---

 

Well, I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that the XE will play cartridges intended for the Atari 8-bit computers. I'm not sure of the computer abilities of the XE... it has a keyboard and all, but since it's intended as a gaming system, I'm not sure if it has the I/O ports (and chips?) that would be used for disk drives and such.

 

As for marketing 3 systems at the same time, all I have to say is that Atari's marketing hasn't exactly earned them any medals or anything. Commodore did almost the same thing when it released the Commodore 64GS (Which was basically a C-64 without a keyboard or disk drive ports... but it still had joystick ports and a cartridge slot, and was cartridge compatible with the C-64)... I'm not sure wether both ideas came from the Tramiels or not.

 

--Zero

[ratfink]

The XE wasn't really similar to the 5200 and 7800. Not sure what you mean by similar. Maybe you just mean it's more advanced than the 2600?

 

They released to take advantage of the large number of cartridges released for it's 8-bit computers -- and there are plenty. Most of them are great games if you ask me and I'm surprised they're not more collectible.

 

I have an XE and I honestly can't remember what the keyboard is for. Came with a lightgun too.

[Ze_ro]

quote:

---

Originally posted by atari70s:

the 7800 well im not quite sure why they released this system at the time they pre released it in 1984 (5000 units) why they held up i dont know. it wasadvanced for 1984. but it was advanced compare to teh 2600 and was to go againist NES/Famicom units.

---

 

Well, the reason the 7800 was stopped was because of the Tramiels. They came to Atari and decided to scrap console systems and focus on computers. Eventually, they realized that Nintendo was making a large fortune in the market they abandoned, so they re-released the 7800. But by then it was too late, and it was already "cool" to have a Nintendo. I wonder how history would have been different if they had released the 7800 as soon as they could have... perhaps they could have kept Nintendo out of North America altogether.

 

--Zero

[atari70s]

Why all 3?

 

the 5200 was mainly a game system with better graphics that was its claim to fame . Any one who wanted the best garphics out there went for thsi system.

 

the 7800 well im not quite sure why they released this system at the time they pre released it in 1984 (5000 units) why they held up i dont know. it wasadvanced for 1984. but it was advanced compare to teh 2600 and was to go againist NES/Famicom units.

 

XEGS ok heres the info about this unit This was just a bad advertising mistake tehy released it as videogame system but it was a very good computer ahead of its time even now . ( with the garphics it had that can be run off the TV it was a great unit)if they went with the computer part of the advertising instead of the games it might of made it. but thats the purposed of the xegs in the begining for a computer/gaming system. It was a mistake within atari with this i think this was the final fatal mistake in atari

 

correct me if you disagree