Atari Game Console / Microcomputer - Dismantled for reference and curiosity
Released in 1987 to try and win back some of Nintendo's game market share the XEGS was largely a re-boxed Atari 65XE computer. The 65XE was essentially a rehashed Atari 800XL (minus the BPI connectivity) meaning the XEGS was compatible with almost all of Atari's huge catalogue of previous 8-bit software.
This was so much the case that a lot of software released for the XEGS was simply the older console software rebadged for the XEGS. In some cases even the same packaging was reused with updated labels stuck on to indicate it was for the shiny, new console you have, not the 'apparently' superseded computer you used to have.
The XEGS functioned natively as a stand alone game console with an optional keyboard that brought it up to an entry level computer / sophisticated game machine standard. It was shipped in standard and deluxe releases with the standard only offering the addition of a single joystick and the latter a light gun and keyboard; see separate pages on this site. The XEGS came with two utilities, 'XEGS Manager' that let you set some of the console's features and a 'spray paint' program for checking the Light Gun.
Both the light gun and keyboard could be purchased separately for those more budget conscious customers.
Due to its lineage the XEGS was not only compatible with most of Atari's 8-bit software, many legacy peripherals such as tape drives, printers, etc. could also be used.
Regardless of a huge, if aging software library and peripheral selection, poor marketing and limited new software titles saw sales of the XEGS perform poorly. The consumer market was deciding between buying a modern games machine or a more serious computer and the XEGS wasn't perceived as either.
