- XG-1
The XG-1 is the
light gun that came bundled with theAtari XEGS . Released in1987 , the XEGS, which stands for "XE Game System", was anAtari 65XE computer reworked cosmetically to give the appearance of a game console. The light gun was bundled to compete with theNintendo Entertainment System . The XEGS came with one light gun game, called "Bug Hunt". The XG-1 is compatible with theAtari 7800 video game console . And since the Atari 7800 is backwards compatible, the XG-1 also works on theAtari 2600 . Atari eventually released four games on the 7800 that used the gun: Alien Brigade, Barnyard Blaster, Crossbow, and Meltdown.The XG-1 is simply a specialized
light pen . Light pen support was built into the earliest Atari computers, but it never really caught on. In fact, all lightgun games for the XEGS could be played with the light pen and vice versa. Many users complained of horrible accuracy of the device, especially when compared to theNES Zapper . Some XEGS users preferred to rewire theSega Master System Light Phaser for use.Accuracy
The Atari 400/800 Hardware Technical Reference recommends a "calibration procedure" each time the light pen is used, so that the software can compensate for this offset. A calibration procedure would improve the accuracy of the light gun. But both Bug Hunt and Barnyard Blaster for the XEGS both have "hard-coded" values, different ones in fact. While Bug Hunt appears to shoot slightly to the left, Barnyard Blaster seems to shoot slightly to the right. The Y readings for the gun are more predictable, equal to half the number of the currently displayed scan line.
The gun won't return reliable readings at all if the intensity of the display is too low. That's why the screens for Atari light gun games may be brighter than usual. The game screen will momentarily flash white whenever the trigger is pressed in either Bug Hunt or Barnyard Blaster. While the screen is all white, the software reads the gun position and provides the most accurate values.
Games designed for the XG-1
*Alien Brigade (7800)
*Bug Hunt (XEGS)
*Barnyard Blaster (7800/XEGS)
*Crossbow (7800/XEGS)
*Crime Buster (XEGS)
*Meltdown (7800)
*Operation Blood disk (XEGS)
*Operation Blood II - Special Forces (XEGS)
*Gangsterville (XEGS)
*Sentinel (2600/7800)
*Shooting Gallery (2600, unreleased)External links
* [http://www.atarimagazines.com/v7n8/xg1light.html How to use the XG-1 and a joystick simultaneously in the XEGS]
* [http://www.atarihq.com/atcomp/xegs.html Atari XEGS Information] – Matthew Ratcliff
* [http://www.faqs.org/faqs/atari-8-bit/faq/ The Atari 8-Bit FAQ]
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