Atari 65XEP

Atari 65XEP
Specifications
Manufacturer	Atari Corporation
Type	Portable Home Computer (prototype)
Released	Never released (announced 1985)
Discontinued	Cancelled
Intro 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 / Firmware	Atari XE OS, Atari BASIC Revision C
Predecessor	Atari 65XE
Successor	None (cancelled)
Model no.	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 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 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.

References

Atari 8-bit computers — Wikipedia
Portable XE?! PROTO? — AtariAge Forums
Atari Microcomputers — James S' Kingdom