The official name of the game system is not XEGS

[DracIsBack]

As some of you know, I hate acronyms.

 

My new pet peeve, though, is acronyms invading Wikipedia. Today, I read the new XE Game System article (which I appreciated seeing BTW). It was great except for one glaring thing ... it was entered into Wikipedia as "XEGS".

 

Time to rant:

 

This system was not called the XEGS. It was called the XE Game System or XE Video Game System.

 

Look at the front of the box??? Is XEGS anywhere on it? Anywhere????

 

</rant off>

 

[+Guitarman]

No different than the Nintendo Entertainment System being commonly known as the NES. I think XEGS and XEGM became widely used because it was easier to advertise. By the way, XEGM (XE Game Machine) was for the unit that was sold without the keyboard and gun, for those who don't know.

 

I do agree though, acronyms can sometimes be very annoying.

[4Ks]

The reason it is abbreviated as XEGS is because no one wants to call the the Atari XL-Expanded Video Game System.

[DracIsBack]

No different than the Nintendo Entertainment System being commonly known as the NES.

 

Agree. The issue here is that the title of the article for NES is 'Nintendo Entertainment System' and the first description defines the acronym: 'The Nintendo Entertainment System (abbreviated to NES or Nintendo)"

 

With the XE, the title of the article was entered as XEGS.

 

 

 

I think XEGS and XEGM became widely used because it was easier to advertise.

I actually don't remember Atari ever using XEGS anywhere, though they did intermittantly switch between "Game System" and "Video Game System".

[+Guitarman]

I actually don't remember Atari ever using XEGS anywhere, though they did intermittantly switch between "Game System" and "Video Game System".

 

Sorry, I meant distributors and retail. I don't think Atari ever used the acronym.

[DracIsBack]

Sorry, I meant distributors and retail. I don't think Atari ever used the acronym.

 

How long was the keyboardless unit distributed for? I don't remember ever seeing it anywhere.

[spookt]

It was definitely available over here. I remember seeing it in a number of places.

[+Guitarman]

I think it's true that in the US we saw the full XEGS. I do know the gun was sold separately to use on existing 8 bit hardware.

 

 

In Europe and UK, I think these were what was available. It was all separate. ***Notice it is not called the XE Game System

 

 

 

And.....Check this out!!! A 65XE based XE Game System. Looks to be Eur/UK also.

 

[Kr0tki]

Hello guys, check out a similar discussion we've had in the past.

[lbaeza]

And.....Check this out!!! A 65XE based XE Game System. Looks to be Eur/UK also.

 

 

Hi

 

This system was for sale here in Chile, Southamerica.

 

Regards

[Rex Dart]

No different than the Nintendo Entertainment System being commonly known as the NES. I think XEGS and XEGM became widely used because it was easier to advertise. By the way, XEGM (XE Game Machine) was for the unit that was sold without the keyboard and gun, for those who don't know.

 

I do agree though, acronyms can sometimes be very annoying.

 

 

Well, it is sort of different than the NES. They've dropped the word "Video" from the acronym. That'd be like calling the Nintendo Entertainment System the "NS". Similarly annoying to me are the people who call the original playstation "PSX" when there's no X in the name at all.

[Almost Rice]

Similarly annoying to me are the people who call the original playstation "PSX" when there's no X in the name at all.

 

This annoyed me badly. I had no idea it was the Playstation and thought it was short for a Japanese version of the Playstation that we were not getting.

[psquare75]

I recall gaming mags referring to PS1 as PSX.

[Marius]

A bit offtopic...

 

Do you know ANYBODY -not being an atari user before- who bought this system?

 

I bought it because i wanted it for my collection. I already was an atari minded person.

 

I have a few of them now. And I have to say: I love the looks of the system very much, but I do not use them.

 

So I was wondering: where there people back in the late 80's who bought this thing as their (first) game computer...

[Almost Rice]

So I was wondering: where there people back in the late 80's who bought this thing as their (first) game computer...

 

My brother and I had 2 800xl and could not justify the expense for a XEGS. Once, My brother got us a light gun and we had no need for a XEGS. I only got mine recently in the past 6 years. They have lots of room for internal expansion, but have the odd rom setup and no PBI.

[Rex Dart]

Do you know ANYBODY -not being an atari user before- who bought this system?

So I was wondering: where there people back in the late 80's who bought this thing as their (first) game computer...

 

I remember back in the mid eighties, my cousins had one. I had no idea you could play video games at home until that point, and I remember pestering my parents for one until they got us an NES a few years later. I don't believe my cousins had owned any previous Atari systems.