Editing Atari 65XEP

{{Infobox computer
| name         = Atari 65XEP
| image        = 
| caption      = 
| manufacturer = Atari Corporation
| type         = Portable Home Computer (prototype)
| release date = Never released (announced 1985)
| discontinued = Cancelled
| price        = N/A (prototype only)
| cpu          = MOS Technology 6502C @ 1.79 MHz (NTSC) / 1.77 MHz (PAL)
| memory       = 64 KB RAM, 24 KB ROM (16 KB OS, 8 KB BASIC)
| storage      = Built-in 3.5" floppy disk drive
| display      = Built-in 5" green phosphor CRT monitor; 320×192 pixels maximum, 16 colours with 16 intensity levels (ANTIC/GTIA)
| sound        = POKEY: 4 voices, 3.5 octaves
| dimensions   = Luggable form factor (larger than standard 65XE)
| weight       = Unknown (significantly heavier than standard 65XE due to CRT and drive)
| os           = Atari XE OS, Atari BASIC Revision C
| predecessor  = [[Atari 65XE]]
| successor    = None (cancelled)
| model        = 65XEP
}}

The '''Atari 65XEP''' (XE Portable) was an unreleased portable version of the [[Atari 65XE]] that integrated a 5-inch green phosphor CRT monitor, a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, and a battery pack into a single transportable unit with a detachable keyboard. Announced alongside the standard 65XE and [[Atari 65XEM|65XEM]] at the 1985 Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the 65XEP never progressed beyond the prototype stage.

== Background ==

The 65XEP was conceived as Atari's answer to portable computers like the Commodore SX-64, which had successfully combined a Commodore 64 with a built-in monitor and disk drive in a luggable form factor. The concept of a self-contained portable Atari 8-bit system would have appealed to users who wanted to transport their computer between locations without assembling multiple components.

== Design ==

The 65XEP adopted a "luggable" design common to portable computers of the mid-1980s:

* ''Built-in display:'' 5-inch green phosphor CRT — providing a monochrome display in the unit itself, with the standard composite video output available for connection to an external colour monitor or television
* ''Built-in storage:'' 3.5-inch floppy disk drive — a departure from the 5.25" drives used by most Atari 8-bit peripherals, and a more compact choice suitable for a portable form factor
* ''Battery pack:'' Integrated battery for portable operation, though battery life specifications were never published
* ''Detachable keyboard:'' The keyboard could be separated from the main unit, possibly serving as a cover for the screen during transport

The unit would have been significantly larger and heavier than the standard 65XE due to the integrated CRT and drive mechanism.

== Specifications ==

The 65XEP shared the core architecture of the standard 65XE:

* ''Processor:'' MOS Technology 6502C at 1.79 MHz (NTSC) / 1.77 MHz (PAL)
* ''RAM:'' 64 KB
* ''ROM:'' 24 KB (16 KB OS, 8 KB Atari BASIC Revision C)
* ''Co-processors:'' ANTIC (video/display lists), GTIA (colour/sprites), POKEY (sound/I/O)
* ''Display:'' Built-in 5" green CRT; external composite video output for colour display
* ''Storage:'' Built-in 3.5" floppy disk drive
* ''Sound:'' POKEY — 4 voices, 3.5 octaves
* ''I/O:'' SIO serial bus, 2 joystick ports, cartridge port, composite video output
* ''Power:'' Internal battery pack and external power supply

== Cancellation ==

Like the [[Atari 65XEM]], the 65XEP was a victim of Atari Corporation's rapid shift in focus from 8-bit computers to the 16-bit [[Atari 520ST|Atari ST]] line during 1985. With limited engineering resources being redirected to the ST family, development of specialised 8-bit variants was abandoned. The portable computer market segment was not revisited by Atari until the [[Atari Stacy]] (a portable ST) in 1989 and the [[Atari Portfolio]] palmtop in 1989.

== Surviving Prototypes ==

Very few 65XEP prototypes are known to exist. Those that survive are extremely rare collectors' items, with most information about the machine coming from CES demonstrations and Atari's internal documentation.

== See Also ==
* [[Atari 65XE]]
* [[Atari 65XEM]]
* [[Atari 130XE]]
* [[Atari Stacy]]
* [[Atari Portfolio]]

== References ==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_8-bit_family Atari 8-bit computers] — Wikipedia
* [https://forums.atariage.com/topic/26540-portable-xe-proto/ Portable XE?! PROTO?] — AtariAge Forums
* [https://sites.google.com/site/jamesskingdom/Home/computers-exposed/atari-microcomputers Atari Microcomputers] — James S' Kingdom

{{Navbox-AtariVintageComputers}}
[[Category:Atari Systems]]