Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!ihlpe!kimes
From: kimes@ihlpe.ATT.COM (Kit Kimes)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.8bit
Subject: Re: XE Game System
Summary: sales in Chicago
Keywords: Your area too? XE Game Machine, New Software
Message-ID: <2532@ihlpe.ATT.COM>
Date: 26 Jan 88 14:11:56 GMT
References: <5688@eecae.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois
Lines: 57

In article <5688@eecae.UUCP>, conklin@eecae.UUCP (Terry Conklin) writes:
> 
> If you could, I would appreciate it if you could call your local
> retailer and find out how they are doing in your area. If sales of the
> new machine are good generally (and not just here) I am seriously 
> considering taking time out to develop a new game (which had been 20%
> developed some time ago, but stopped due to a shrinking Atari market at
> the time.)
> 
> Please post replies to the net. Any sales news/numbers from Atari would
> be appreciated as well.
> 
I have been following the situation here in the Western Suburbs of Chicago
and have found the status about the sames.  Our Toys R Us, Kay Bee Toys
and Child's World all sold out their supply of XE game machines.  Some
of them had a pretty good supply, too.

The only down note is that software is very scarce.  All the games they
had before Christmas were older games such as Tennis, Ms Pac Man, etc
and these were going for $19.95 to $24.95.  Since Christmas, I have seen
two new games, One-On-One and Archon.  What I find positive about this
is that they are marketed by Atari, even though they were developed by a
third party company.  This is an absolute MUST.  Third party companies
are not going to support a system that isn't even supported by the company
that developed it.   One example is Radio Shack's Color Computer III.
This is a relative new system with even less hardware on the market than
Atari computers but I just got the new RS sale flyer.  Guess what?  In
the software section for the CoCo 3 is Shanghai and Microscopic Mission,
two games I would like to see for the Atari 8bit (Shanghai is supposed to
be released for the ST, it looks like a fun game).  They also have
Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego, which I have been waiting to come
out for the 8bit Atari.  The point is, these games are marketed by RS
and sold through their stores.  Activision and Broderbund have little
invested other than some time.  Atari needs to take this approach a little
more than they have in the past.  Even if it is just for games that are
going to be released on cartridge, they need to do it.

One other comment on the XE game machine.  Few disk drives were sold here
because none of the stores I have visited have ever received any.  The
manager of the Kay Bee Toys told me that many people had ask him where
they could get them and he ask me as a member of the local Atari users
group.  The sad truth is, I couldn't send him to any place within 20
miles of here.  Our users group is inviting new owners of the XE game
machine to our club meetings to see how they can get the most out of
their machines but until they can buy a disk drive, there isn't much we
can do for them.  We made up flyers and the manager of the Kay Bee Toy
store has been giving them to buyers of the XE-SGS and to anyone who
asks about more information on disk drives, etc.  We hope to get several
new members and help out confused owners in the process.  Other groups
might try something similar in your area.  Try offering three months
free membership or free software for joining, etc.  The response might
be better than you expect.


					Kit Kimes  
					AT&T--Information Systems Labs
					...ihnp4!ihlpe!kimes