Atari 5200
The
Atari 5200 was a
video game console introduced in 1982 by
Atari as a replacement for the famous
Atari 2600. It was created to compete with the
Mattel Intellivision, but it also competed with the
Colecovision shortly after the 5200's release. In some ways, it was both technologically superior and more cost efficient than any console available at that time. However, a number of design flaws had a serious impact on usability, and the system is generally considered a failure.
Hardware
The Atari 5200 was in essence an
Atari 400 computer without a
keyboard. This made for a powerful, proven design which Atari could quickly bring to market. The system featured many innovations like 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).
The initial release of the system featured four controller ports, where all other systems of the day had only two ports. The system 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 infamous Atari 5200 controllers
The unusual design of the analog joystick, which used a weak rubber boot, rather than springs, to provide centering, proved to be ungainly and unreliable, alienating many consumers. The joysticks 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.
Why the console failed
The Atari 5200 also suffered from its software incompatibility with the
Atari 2600, though an adapter was later released in 1983 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 gave to the console; most of its resources went to the already over-saturated Atari 2600. While the 5200 did garner a strong cult following with its library of high quality games, it faced an uphill battle competing with the Colecovision's head start and a stuttering economy. But the question of which system was superior became moot. The CEOs of both companies became motivational speakers when the
game market crashed in 1983, killing off both systems in their prime.
Trivia
*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, as were many of their game consoles, i.e. "Stella" The Atari 2600 and "Coleen" the Atari 800 Computer. (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, albeit for the different name on the controllers and on the console) do exist, however they are VERY rare.
*At one point during the 5200's lifespan, Atari 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" (aka "Atari 5200 Jr."), only a few fully-working prototype Atari 5100s were made before the project was cancelled.[
1]
*The Atari 5200 was not sold or marketed in
Canada except supposedly by mail order in
Ontario, which may have strictly been from an American importer.
Image:A5200_PacMan.png|Pac-Man
Atari (1983)Image:A5200_Dig_Dug.png|Dig Dug
Atari (1983)Image:A5200_Jungle_Hunt.png|Jungle Hunt
Atari (1983)Image:A5200_RealSports_Baseball.png|RealSports Baseball
Atari (1983)Image:A5200_PitfallII.png|Pitfall II
Activision (1984)Image:A5200_Zaxxon.png|Zaxxon
Sega (1984)Image:A5200_Ballblazer.png|Ballblazer
Atari/Lucasfilm Games (1986)Image:A5200_Rescue_On_Fractalus.png|Rescue on Fractalus
Atari/Lucasfilm Games (1986)*Dual CPUs:
custom 6502C @ 1.79 MHz (NOT a 65c02) and
ANTIC.
*Support Hardware: 2 custom
VLSI chips.
*Maximum Screen Resolution: 320x192 resolution, 16 (out of 256) on-screen colors per scan line. Palette can be changed at every scan line using ANTIC display list interrupts, allowing all 256 colors to be displayed at once.
*Graphics: ANTIC and
GTIA *Sound: 4-channel sound via the
POKEY chip which also handles keyboard scanning, serial I/O, high resolution interrupt capable timers (single cycle accurate), and random number generation.
*RAM: 16KB
*ROM: 32KB ROM window for standard game cartridges, expandable using
bank switching techniques. 2KB onboard BIOS for system startup and interrupt routing.
*
List of Atari 5200 games*
Atari 8-bit family*
Atari 2600*
Atari 7800*
The Dot Eaters entry detailing the 5200 and its games
*
AtariAge – Comprehensive Atari 5200 Rarity Guide and information
