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| Manufacturer | Atari Inc. |
|---|---|
| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | Second generation |
| Retail availability | November 1982 (United States) |
| Discontinued | 1984 |
| Media | ROM cartridge |
| CPU | MOS 6502C @ 1.79 MHz |
| Controller input | Joystick Trak-Ball |
| Predecessor | Atari 2600 |
| Successor | Atari 7800 |
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, or simply the Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc. as a replacement for the popular Atari 2600. The 5200 was created to compete with the Intellivision, but wound up more directly competing with the ColecoVision shortly after its release.
The 5200 was based on Atari Inc.'s existing 400/800 computers and the internal hardware was almost identical, although software was not directly compatible between the two systems. A number of design flaws had a serious impact on usability, and the system is generally considered to have performed poorly on the market.
Contents |
The system's Atari 400-based origins made for a powerful, proven design which Atari Inc. could quickly bring to market.
In its prototype stage, the Atari 5200 was originally called the "Atari Video System X - Advanced Video Computer System", and was codenamed "Pam" after a female employee at Atari Inc. It is also rumored that PAM actually stood for "Personal Arcade Machine", as the majority of games for the system ended up being arcade conversions. Actual working Atari Video System X machines, whose hardware is 100% identical to the Atari 5200 do exist, but they are extremely rare.[1]
The initial 1982 release of the system featured four controller ports, where nearly all other systems of the day had only two ports. The 5200 also featured a revolutionary new controller with an analog joystick, numeric keypad, two fire buttons on both sides of the controller and game function keys for Start, Pause, and Reset. The 5200 also featured the innovation of the first automatic TV switchbox, allowing it to automatically switch from regular TV viewing to the game system signal when the system was activated. Previous RF adapters required the user to slide a switch on the adapter by hand. This unique RF box was also where the power supply connected in a unique dual power/television signal setup similar to the RCA Studio II's. A single cable coming out of the 5200 plugged into the switch box and was used for both electricity and the television signal.
The 1983 revision of the Atari 5200 has two controller ports instead of four, and a change back to the more conventional separate power supply and standard non-autoswitching RF switch. It also has changes in the cartridge port address lines to allow for the Atari 2600 adapter released that year. While the adapter was only made to work on the two-port version, modifications can be made to the four-port to make it line-compatible. In fact, towards the end of the four-port model's production run, there were a limited number of consoles produced which included these modifications. These consoles can be identified by an asterisk in their serial number.
The controller prototypes used in the electrical development lab used a yoke and gimbal mechanism that came from an RC airplane controller kit. This simple design gave very nice smooth linear control and was highly reliable. The production controllers were quite different and a great disappointment to the electrical and software development teams. The design of the analog joystick, which used a weak rubber boot rather than springs to provide centering, proved to be ungainly and unreliable. They ultimately alienated consumers and quickly became the Achilles' heel of the system due to their combination of an overly complex mechanical design with a very low-cost internal flex circuit system.[citation needed] Another major flaw of the controllers was that the design did not translate into a linear acceleration from the center through the arc of the stick travel. This made control awkward. The controller also had a tendency to lock up. Fixing the lock up required the mechanics to be very loose fitting which gave the controller generally a sloppy feel. The controllers did, however, include a pause button, a novelty at the time that would become standard on almost all future game systems. Various third party replacement joysticks were also released, including those made by Wico.
Atari Inc. released the Pro-Line Trak-Ball controller for the system, which was used primarily for gaming titles such as Centipede or Defender. A paddle controller[2] and an updated self-centering version of the original controller[3] were also in development, but never made it to market.
The primary controller was ranked the 10th worst video game controller by IGN editor Craig Harris.[4]
Although the Atari 5200's internal design was extensively based on that of the 400/800 home computers, the differences were sufficient that games designed for one would not run directly on the other.
One of the most obvious differences was the 5200's lack of a keyboard. However, there were several others:
Atari Corp.'s later XE Games System revisited the idea of a console based on the 400/800 hardware. However, as this was essentially just a 65XE computer with a detachable keyboard, it was able to run most of the home computer titles directly.
The Atari 5200 suffered from its software incompatibility with the Atari 2600, although an adapter was later released in 1983 along with the revision allowing it to play all Atari 2600 games, using the more reliable controllers native to that system.
Another problem was the lack of attention that Atari Inc. gave to the console; most of its resources went to the already oversaturated Atari 2600. It faced an uphill battle competing with the ColecoVision's head start and a faltering video game market.
At one point during the 5200's lifespan, Atari Inc. planned on developing a smaller cost-reduced version of the Atari 5200, which would have gotten rid of the controller storage bin. Code-named the "Atari 5100" (a.k.a. "Atari 5200 Jr."), only a few fully-working prototype Atari 5100s were made before the project was canceled.[6]
On May 21, 1984, during a press conference at which the Atari 7800 was introduced, company executives revealed that the 5200 had been discontinued.[7] Total sales of the 5200 were reportedly in excess of 1 million units.[8]
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| Atari 5200 | |
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| Manufacturer | Atari |
| Active | 1982—1984 |
| Total Games | 88 (38 present) |
| ← Atari 2600 | Atari 7800 → |
The Atari 5200 was introduced by Atari in 1982 as a replacement for the famous Atari 2600. It was mostly created to compete with Mattel's new Intellivision and with the ColecoVision shortly after its release. It can be argued that the 5200 was technologically superior and more cost efficient than both of its competitors, but a number of design flaws halted the system's success, leading many to the conclusion that the 5200 was a failure.
In its prototype stage, the Atari 5200 was originally called the "Atari Video System X (Advanced Video Computer System)", and was codenamed "Pam" after a female employee at Atari (many other Atari systems follow this naming system too).
The 5200 was basically an Atari 400 computer without a keyboard. This made for a powerful design that Atari quickly brought to the market. Besides its flaws, the system featured a number of innovations, such as the first automatic TV switch, which allowed it to automatically switch from regular TV viewing to the game system signal when the system was activated.
The initial system release featured four controller ports, which no other competitor had at the time. The 5200 also featured a revolutionary new controller design with an analogue joystick, numeric keypad, two firing buttons on the sides of the controller, and game function keys for Start, Select, and Reset. The unusual design of the joystick, however, proved to be unreliable, turning off many users (the joystick used a very weak rubber boot to provide centering instead of usual springs).
Another problem with the system was its software incompatibility with the Atari 2600, although an adapter was released in 1983 which allowed the 5200 to play all Atari 2600 games, using the more reliable and native 2600 controllers. Atari also gave the 5200 little attention as they focused more on the Atari 2600's popularity. The already rising controller problems, economy issues, and competition from the ColecoVision eventually led to the system's demise during the video game crash of 1983.
The following 38 pages are in this category, out of 38 total.
BCDFG |
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| Atari 5200 | |
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| Manufacturer | Atari |
| Type | Console |
| Release Date | November 1982 (NA) |
| Media | Cartridge |
| Save Format | None |
| Input Options | 4 Atari 5200 Controllers |
| Special Features | Cartridge Input Power Switch RF Output Power Output |
| Units Sold | |
| Top Selling Game | |
| Variants | Atari 5200 2 Port |
| Competitor(s) | Intellivision ColecoVision Vectrex |
| Predecessor | Atari 2600 |
| Successor | Atari 7800 |
The Atari 5200 was Atari's attempted follow up to the Atari 2600. It was released in 1982, and featured a design similar to Atari's own 8 Bit line of computers. Atari also attempted to improve the controllers by making them analog, meaning the longer players held the joystick in one direction the faster the character the player was controlling moved. The controller also featured 360 degrees of movement (a step up from the 2600's 8 directions) and a first in the industry - a pause button. Unfortunately, the controllers had some problems. For one, they were not self-centering, meaning players had to manually move the joystick back to the center each time they wanted their character to stop. Another problem was that these controllers were considered very frail and easily broke. Atari also chose not to release exclusive "must have" games early in the consoles life, opting instead to bring out a bunch of updated 2600 titles (eventually Atari would reverse this decision, but it was too late in the system's life to make enough of a difference). One final thing that turned consumers off the console was that the console was not backwards compatible with Atari 2600 games at launch; an adapter was later released.
Contents |
 Atari 5200 |
 Atari 5200 Box |
 Atari 5200 Controller |
 Atari 5200 Trackball Controller Ad |
All Game Guide's Atari 5200 entry
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This article is a stub. You can help by adding to it.
Stubs are articles that writers have begun work on, but are not yet complete enough to be considered finished articles. |
| Manufacturer | Atari Inc. |
|---|---|
| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | Second generation |
| Retail availability | November 1982 (United States) |
| Media | ROM cartridge |
| CPU | MOS 6502C @ 1.79 MHz |
| Controller input |
Joystick Trak-Ball |
| Predecessor | Atari 2600 |
| Successor | Atari 7800 |
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, or simply the Atari 5200, was a video game console which came out in 1982. It was made by Atari Inc. and was supposed to replace the popular Atari 2600. Atari wanted the 5200 to compete with the Intellivision, but it competed more closely with the ColecoVision.
The 5200 was based on Atari Inc.'s 400/800 computers. Even though the internal hardware was almost identical, the software was not. Design mistakes meant that the 5200 had problems with its use. These problems made it a poor seller.
Contents |
The game's Atari 400-based design made for a design which Atari Inc. could quickly build and sell.
While it was being designed, the Atari 5200 called the "Atari Video System X - Advanced Video Computer System." Atari protected the design with a codename, "Pam," after a female employee at Atari. A rumor said that "Pam" or "PAM" actually stood for "Personal Arcade Machine." This was because most games for the system were based on existing arcade games. Actual working Atari Video System X machines, whose hardware is 100% identical to the Atari 5200 do exist, but they are extremely rare.[1]
The first 1982 release had four controller ports, where nearly all other systems of the day had only two. The 5200 also featured a very special new controller with an analog joystick, numeric keypad, two fire buttons on both sides of the controller and game function keys for Start, Pause, and Reset. Another special thing was the first automatic TV switchbox. Older game systems which attached to a television's antenna leads required the user to slide a switch on the adapter by hand. This RF box was also where the game's power supply connected in a unique dual power/television signal setup similar to the RCA Studio II's. A single cable coming out of the 5200 plugged into the switch box and was used for both electricity and the television signal.
The 1983 version of the Atari 5200 has two controller ports instead of four. Atari changed back to the a simpler separate power supply and manual RF switch. It also had changes in the cartridge port to allow for the Atari 2600 adapter released that year. While the adapter was only made to work on the two-port version, modifications can be made to the four-port to make it compatible. In fact, towards the end of the four-port model's production run, there were a limited number of consoles produced which included these modifications. These consoles can be identified by an asterisk in their serial number.
The prototypes used to design the controller's electrical systems used a so-called "yoke and gimbal" taken from a radio control system used to fly model airplanes. This simple design gave very nice control and was highly reliable. The actual controllers sold with the game were quite different and a great disappointment to the development teams. The design of the analog joystick, which used a weak rubber boot rather than springs to center the stick, proved to be hard to use and unreliable. Another major flaw of the controllers was that the design did not provide smooth control through the travel of the stick. This made controlling games awkward. The controllers did, however, include a pause button. This was a novelty at the time, but would become standard on almost all future game systems. Replacement joysticks were also released by other manufacturers.
Atari Inc. released the Pro-Line Trak-Ball controller for the system, which was used for titles such as Centipede or Defender. A paddle controller[2] and an updated self-centering version of the original controller[3] were also being worked on, but never made it to market.
The controller was ranked the 10th worst video game controller by IGN editor Craig Harris.[4]
Although the Atari 5200's insides were very much like that of the 400/800 home computers, the differences were enough so that games designed for one would not run directly on the other.
One of the most obvious differences was the 5200's lack of a keyboard. However, there were several others:
Atari Corp.'s later XE Games System revisited the idea of a console based on the 400/800 hardware. However, as this was essentially just a 65XE computer with a keyboard which could be removed, it was able to run most of the home computer titles directly.
The Atari 5200 could not run software for the still-popular Atari 2600. An adapter was later released in 1983 allowing it to play all Atari 2600 games, using the more reliable controllers from the 2600.
Another problem was the lack of attention that Atari Inc. gave to the console; most of its attention went to the older Atari 2600. It faced an uphill battle competing with the ColecoVision's head start and a video game market which was beginning to fade.
At one point, Atari Inc. planned on developing a smaller, less expensive version of the Atari 5200 which would have gotten rid of the controller storage bin. Code-named the "Atari 5100" (a.k.a. "Atari 5200 Jr."), only a few fully-working prototype Atari 5100s were made before the project was canceled.[6]
On May 21, 1984, during a press conference at which the Atari 7800 was introduced, company executives revealed that the 5200 had been discontinued.[7] Total sales of the 5200 were reportedly in excess of 1 million units.[8]
Note: These descriptions are very technical. They are meant to be understood by people with lots of computer experience.
   | Video System X - Atari Video System X (VSX) |
| | 5100/5200 Jr. - The Atari 5100 (5200jr) |
| | Atari 5200 Paddle Controller Prototypes - The Atari 5200 Paddle Controller |
| | Self Centering Joystick Prototypes - Atari 5200 Type-2 Self Centering Joystick |
| | Transporting Atari computer programs to the Atari 5200 - Transporting Atari 8bit games to Atari 5200 |
| | AtariAge – Comprehensive Atari 5200 Rarity Guide and information - AtariAge - Have You Played Atari Today? |
| | The Dot Eaters entry - The Dot Eaters - Home Video Game History |
| | The Atari 5200 FAQ - Atari 5200 Frequently Asked Questions - Table of Contents |
| | AtariAge – Comprehensive Atari 5200 database and information - AtariAge - Atari 5200 Rarity Guide Search |
| | The Atari Times 5200 Area - The Atari Times |
| | A review of the Atari 5200 by the Angry Video Game Nerd - ScrewAttack - Angry Video Game Nerd: Atari 5200 |
| | The Atari History Museum - The Atari 5200 Super System |
| | AtariAge - AtariAge - Have You Played Atari Today? |
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