Generic light pen support was built into the Atari 8-bit home computers since its 1979 launch.

The Atari 400/800 Hardware Technical Reference recommends a calibration procedure each time a light pen is used, so that the software can compensate for this offset for maximal accuracy.

[6] In December 1988, he said that, to switch between light gun and joystick games, active XEGS gamers are frustrated by the need to continually re-plug their devices and power cycle the system, due to the system's lack of autodetection, which is complicated by its awkwardly downward slanting ports.

He said "Barnyard Blaster and Bug Hunt could have been just a bit smarter" by including the simple routine that the magazine was forced to write and publish as a workaround.

[2] The 2014 book Vintage Game Consoles also criticized its accuracy compared to Nintendo and Sega, but says it became collectible as Atari's only light gun.