<s>
The	O
Atari	O
XE	O
Video	O
Game	O
System	O
(	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
XEGS	I-General_Concept
)	O
is	O
an	O
industrial	O
redesign	O
of	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
65XE	I-Device
home	O
computer	O
and	O
the	O
final	O
model	O
in	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
in	O
1987	O
and	O
marketed	O
as	O
a	O
home	B-Device
video	I-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
alongside	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
,	O
Sega	O
's	O
Master	O
System	O
,	O
and	O
Atari	O
's	O
own	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
existing	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Atari	O
packaged	O
the	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
as	O
a	O
basic	O
set	O
consisting	O
of	O
only	O
the	O
console	O
and	O
joystick	O
,	O
and	O
as	O
a	O
deluxe	O
set	O
consisting	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
keyboard	O
,	O
CX40	B-Device
joystick	I-Device
,	O
and	O
XG-1	B-Device
light	I-Device
gun	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
release	O
was	O
backed	O
by	O
new	O
games	O
,	O
including	O
Barnyard	O
Blaster	O
and	O
Bug	O
Hunt	O
,	O
plus	O
cartridge	B-Protocol
ports	O
of	O
older	O
games	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Fight	B-Application
Night	I-Application
(	O
Accolade	O
,	O
1985	O
)	O
,	O
Lode	B-Application
Runner	I-Application
(	O
Broderbund	O
,	O
1983	O
)	O
,	O
Necromancer	B-Application
(	O
Synapse	O
Software	O
,	O
1982	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Ballblazer	B-Application
(	O
Lucasfilm	O
Games	O
,	O
1985	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
was	O
dropped	O
in	O
1992	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
rest	O
of	O
the	O
8-bit	O
computer	O
line	O
,	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1984	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
crash	O
of	O
1983	O
when	O
Atari	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
had	O
great	O
financial	O
difficulties	O
as	O
a	O
division	O
of	O
Warner	O
Communications	O
,	O
John	O
J	O
.	O
Anderson	O
of	O
Creative	B-General_Concept
Computing	I-General_Concept
stated	O
that	O
Atari	O
should	O
have	O
released	O
a	O
video	B-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
in	O
1981	O
based	O
on	O
its	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
family	I-Device
and	O
compatible	O
with	O
that	O
software	O
library	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
instead	O
released	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
5200	I-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
8-bit	O
computers	O
but	O
is	O
incompatible	O
with	O
their	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Jack	O
Tramiel	O
purchased	O
the	O
company	O
,	O
Atari	O
Corporation	O
re-released	O
two	O
game	O
consoles	O
in	O
1986	O
:	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
had	O
previously	O
been	O
released	O
in	O
a	O
brief	O
test	O
run	O
in	O
1984	O
;	O
and	O
a	O
lower	O
cost	O
redesign	O
of	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Matthew	O
Ratcliff	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
been	O
contributing	O
editor	O
for	O
Antic	B-General_Concept
magazine	O
,	O
recalled	O
that	O
"	O
Atari	O
executives	O
asked	O
the	O
heads	O
of	O
several	O
major	O
toy	O
store	O
chains	O
which	O
product	O
they	O
'd	O
rather	O
sellthe	O
powerful	O
65XE	B-Device
home	O
computer	O
for	O
about	O
,	O
or	O
a	O
fancy	O
new	O
game	O
system	O
for	O
about	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
1987	O
,	O
Atari	O
's	O
Director	O
of	O
Communications	O
,	O
Neil	O
Harris	O
,	O
updated	O
the	O
online	O
Atari	O
community	O
by	O
outlining	O
this	O
plan	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
was	O
intended	O
to	O
further	O
the	O
8-bit	O
line	O
by	O
providing	O
mass-merchants	O
with	O
a	O
device	O
that	O
was	O
more	O
appealing	O
to	O
their	O
markets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
is	O
a	O
repackaged	O
Atari	B-Device
65XE	I-Device
home	O
computer	O
,	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
existing	O
range	O
of	O
Atari	B-Application
8-bit	I-Application
computer	I-Application
software	I-Application
and	O
peripherals	B-Device
,	O
and	O
thus	O
can	O
function	O
as	O
a	O
home	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
a	O
more	O
premium	O
,	O
it	O
co-existed	O
with	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
and	O
remodeled	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
was	O
occasionally	O
featured	O
alongside	O
those	O
systems	O
in	O
Atari	O
print	O
ads	O
and	O
television	O
commercials	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
shipped	O
with	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
version	O
of	O
Missile	B-Application
Command	I-Application
built	O
in	O
,	O
Flight	O
Simulator	O
II	O
bundled	O
with	O
the	O
keyboard	O
component	O
,	O
and	O
Bug	O
Hunt	O
which	O
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
light	O
gun	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
earlier	O
8-bit	O
software	O
,	O
many	O
games	O
released	O
under	O
the	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
banner	O
are	O
simply	O
older	O
games	O
rebadged	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
done	O
to	O
the	O
extent	O
that	O
some	O
games	O
were	O
shipped	O
in	O
the	O
old	O
Atari	O
400/800	O
packaging	O
,	O
bearing	O
only	O
a	O
new	O
sticker	O
to	O
indicate	O
that	O
they	O
are	O
also	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
was	O
released	O
in	O
a	O
basic	O
set	O
and	O
a	O
deluxe	O
set	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
basic	O
set	O
includes	O
only	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
standard	O
CX40	B-Device
joystick	I-Device
with	O
a	O
grey	O
base	O
to	O
match	O
the	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
rather	O
than	O
its	O
original	O
black	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
deluxe	O
set	O
consists	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
the	O
CX40	B-Device
joystick	I-Device
,	O
a	O
keyboard	O
which	O
enables	O
home	O
computer	O
functionality	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
XG-1	B-Device
light	I-Device
gun	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
the	O
first	O
light	O
gun	O
produced	O
by	O
Atari	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
is	O
also	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
7800	I-General_Concept
and	O
Atari	B-General_Concept
2600	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
system	O
can	O
use	O
Atari	B-Device
8-bit	I-Device
computer	I-Device
peripherals	I-Device
,	O
such	O
as	O
disk	O
drives	O
,	O
modems	O
,	O
and	O
printers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
may	O
not	O
seem	O
like	O
such	O
a	O
hot	O
idea	O
to	O
serious	O
Atari	O
computer	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
you	O
'd	O
probably	O
have	O
no	O
compunction	O
about	O
buying	O
a	O
great	O
video	O
game	O
system	O
,	O
the	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
,	O
as	O
a	O
new	O
addition	O
to	O
the	O
family	O
entertainment	O
center.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1988	O
,	O
he	O
wrote	O
in	O
Antic	B-General_Concept
magazine	O
that	O
,	O
to	O
switch	O
between	O
light	O
gun	O
and	O
joystick	O
games	O
,	O
active	O
XEGS	B-General_Concept
gamers	O
are	O
frustrated	O
by	O
the	O
need	O
to	O
continually	O
re-plug	O
their	O
devices	O
and	O
power	O
cycle	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
lack	O
of	O
autodetection	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
complicated	O
by	O
its	O
awkwardly	O
downward	O
slanting	O
ports	O
.	O
</s>
