Atari 5200

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Atari 5200
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Atari 5200
Manufacturer Atari
Type stationary game console
generation 2nd generation of consoles
publication
United StatesUnited States 1982
Main processor 6502C ("SALLY")
Graphics processor GTIA
Storage media Modules
Controller Analog joystick CX-52

Trackball CX-53

predecessor Atari 2600
successor Atari 7800

The Atari 5200 was a stationary game console of the second console generation from 1982 and should replace its successful predecessor Atari 2600 and stand up to competing consoles such as the Intellivision from Mattel .

Technically, the console is connected to the home computer by Atari virtually identical, only the joystick connectors, and the module port were incompatible. Inside the device work a 6502C CPU (custom design of the MOS 6502) and the well-known custom chips ANTIC and POKEY, and like newer Atari home computers, the GTIA is available.

However, not very many games were released for the new device, partly because the video game industry crashed in 1983 and the 5200 was discontinued. The games that were available were of excellent quality, but most of them corresponded exactly to the home computer version, only a few were significantly better. Some of these titles were consequently - u. a. by "Glenn the 5200 Man" - ported to home computers and distributed illegally.

The double incompatibility with both the 2600 and the Atari 400/800 prevented many 2600 owners from switching to the new model. Newcomers also had other consoles to choose from, such as the ColecoVision or Intellivision . There were also problems with the console's controllers, most of which did not work when shipped or broke after a short while. For these reasons, the sales success of the 5200 was relatively low. In Europe it did not even appear on the market.

Technical specifications

Processor: 6502C ("SALLY"), 1.79 MHz
Random Access Memory (RAM): 16 KB
Module size: up to 32 KB
Color palette: 256 colors, 8 or 16 can be displayed at the same time
Graphics chip: GTIA
Resolution: 320 × 200
Sprites: 4 + 4
Sound chip: POKEY
Sound channels: 4th
Publishing year: 1982 - both versions only available in the US and Canada
Number of games: 107

Games

Atari itself released 69 official games for the Atari 5200. Most of them are well-known Atari arcade games, most of which also appeared on the Atari 2600. However, many games use the larger color palette here. There are also games from third-party manufacturers and homebrew games.

Web links

Commons : Atari 5200  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files