Atari 7800 EP El Paso Made in USA?

[Sonaru]

Were any Atari 7800's with an EP serial ever made in El Paso Texas or the USA? I asked somebody on eBay that was selling an EP systems that was made in Taiwan and he said that every EP systems he found always said made in Taiwan. 

[Sonaru]

His serial was really low at 001270 and to the right it says EP-264. Yet says Taiwan instead of U. S. A. 

 

While on this topic, does anyone know the differences between the EP units and the AT84 units seeing how both were manufactured in the same year of 1984?

[Sonaru]

Ok so I found out with someone I was messaging that the EP serial designation was because it was intended for the El Paso test launch. The AT84 units were made later that year for the nation wide launch (which didn't happen til 1986). I verified that all Atari 7800 systems were only made in Taiwan and some few last production systems made in China. 

[ApolloBoy]

Atari had an assembly plant in El Paso, I don't think they ever intended to do a test market there. Atari shut down the plant in 1984 almost immediately after the Tramiel switchover, so it's possible they shipped off unfinished consoles and other inventory to Taiwan.

Edited March 16, 2023 by ApolloBoy

[Sonaru]

I don't remember where but I remember seeing a console with a serial number somewhere in the low 200s that was still made in Taiwan. I think it's safe to assume that all of production took place overseas