The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, also called the Atari 5200, is a home video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari, Inc. It was created as a better version of the popular Atari Video Computer System (VCS), which was later renamed the Atari 2600 when the 5200 was launched. The 5200 was made to compete with Mattel's Intellivision. Soon after its release, it became a direct competitor of ColecoVision. While ColecoVision came with the first home version of Nintendo's Donkey Kong, the 5200 included the 1978 arcade game Super Breakout, which had already been released on earlier Atari systems.
The design of the 5200 is almost the same as that of the Atari 8-bit computers, but the software for these systems is not fully compatible. The 5200's controllers include an analog joystick, a numeric keypad, and buttons for start, pause, and reset. The 360-degree non-centering joystick was claimed to offer better control than the eight-way joystick used in the 2600, but many people criticized it.
On May 21, 1984, during a press conference where the Atari 7800 was introduced, company leaders announced that the 5200 had been stopped from being sold after less than two years on the market. It is reported that the system sold more than 1 million units in total.
History
After the Video Computer System was released in 1977, Atari started working on new hardware for its next video game consoles. In November 1978, Ray Kassar became Atari’s CEO, and the company focused more on developing home computers, such as the Atari 400 and 800.
Atari’s Consumer Division later worked on an upgrade to the Atari 2600, called "Super Stella" or the Atari 3200. The company planned a product line with three consoles: the 2600 for basic use, a modified Atari 400 for advanced features, and the 3200 in the middle. However, development of the 3200 slowed due to technical problems, and the plan was changed to focus on the modified Atari 400 instead.
In 1981, Atari’s Advanced Technology Group began working on a new console with the secret name "PAM," short for Personal Arcade Machine. Pete Gerrard led the project, and Rob Zdybel created the system’s operating system. Early versions of the system were also called the "Atari Video System X – Advanced Video Computer System."
In January 1982, Atari revealed the PAM project publicly at the Winter CES trade show in Las Vegas. The system was named "Supergame" and was expected to launch by Christmas 1982. At the Summer CES show in June 1982, Atari officially named the console the Atari 5200 and planned to release it in October. Features like a voice synthesis module, an Atari 2600 adapter, and a trackball controller were promised for later releases in 1983.
In October 1982, the Atari 5200 began selling in some major department stores for $269.95. The initial release was very limited, and the console became available nationwide in January 1983. Ten games were announced for the launch, with Atari planning to release 14 by the end of the year. However, only nine games were released in 1982, and one of the planned launch titles, Asteroids, was canceled.
By mid-1983, third-party companies like Imagic, Parker Brothers, and CBS Electronics began releasing games for the 5200. At the Summer CES show in June 1983, Atari lowered the price of the 5200 to $199 and introduced a new version with two controller ports and modified controllers. This version was released later that summer, along with a pack-in version of Pac-Man. The trackball controller and Atari 2600 adapter also launched that summer. However, the voice synthesis module, promised at launch, was never released.
Plans for a European release in 1983 were canceled in July 1983 due to poor sales in the United States.
The Atari 5200 did not sell well and only sold a small fraction of the units sold by its predecessor, the Atari 2600. Its problems were worsened by the video game crash of 1983. By early 1984, many companies stopped supporting the 5200. Atari itself released only four games for the system in 1984, ending with Choplifter in May. In May 1984, Atari announced it had stopped producing the 5200.
In July 1984, Atari Inc.’s consumer division was sold to Jack Tramiel, who renamed his company Atari Corporation. Atari Corp kept the rights to the 5200, but no further marketing or development for the console occurred after the sale. Parker Brothers and Activision continued to release games for the 5200 until the end of 1984. The last third-party game, Bounty Bob Strikes Back! by Big Five Software, was released in 1985. By 1986, Computer Entertainer magazine declared the 5200 had "gone to video game heaven."
In 1986, Atari Corp released three final games for the 5200: Ballblazer, Rescue on Fractalus!, and Gremlins. These games were part of licensing deals with Hollywood directors George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Production of these games began before Jack Tramiel’s acquisition of Atari Inc. However, these games received little marketing when they were released.
Hardware
The original version of the system, released in 1982, had four controller ports, more than most other consoles from that time. Each controller included an analog joystick, a numeric keypad, two fire buttons on each side, and three special keys labeled "Start," "Pause," and "Reset." The system also had a special box that automatically changed the TV signal from regular TV to the console’s video signal when the console was turned on. Earlier models, like the Atari 2600, required users to manually switch the signal using a separate adapter. The console’s power supply was also handled through this same unique RF adapter. A single cable connected the console to the adapter, which carried both electricity and the video signal.
A later version of the Atari 5200, released in 1983, had fewer controller ports and used a standard power supply and RF adapter without automatic switching. This version also changed the cartridge port to work with the Atari 2600 adapter, which was released the same year. While the adapter was only designed for the 1983 model, some original consoles could be modified to work with it. A few original consoles produced near the end of their production run had these modifications, which can be identified by an asterisk in their serial numbers.
At one point, Atari planned a smaller, cheaper version of the 5200 called the "Atari 5100" or "Atari 5200 Jr." This version removed the console’s controller storage bin. However, only a few prototypes were made before the project was canceled.
Technical details of the system include:
– CPU: SALLY (custom MOS Technology 6502) running at 1.79 MHz
– Graphics chips: ANTIC and GTIA
– Support hardware: 3 custom VLSI chips
– Screen resolution: 14 modes, including six text modes and eight graphics modes with varying pixel counts and colors
– Color palette: 128 or 256 colors depending on settings
– Colors on screen: 2 to 16 colors per line, with up to 23 colors per line using special features
– Sprites: Four 8-pixel-wide and four 2-pixel-wide sprites, each up to 128 or 256 pixels tall
– Scrolling: Horizontal and vertical scrolling with different levels of detail
– Sound: 4-channel sound through the POKEY chip, which also handled keyboard input and timing
– RAM: 16 KB
– ROM: 2 KB for system startup and 32 KB for game cartridges
– Dimensions: 13 inches (width) × 15 inches (height) × 4.25 inches (depth)
Early controller prototypes used a mechanism from a remote-controlled airplane’s controller. The analog joystick used a weak rubber boot instead of springs, making it unreliable. The design also did not provide smooth movement from the center to the edges of the stick’s range. However, the controllers had a pause button, a unique feature at the time. Third-party replacement joysticks, like those from Wico, were later released.
Atari also released the Pro-Line Trak-Ball controller for games like Centipede and Missile Command. A paddle controller and an updated version of the original controller were planned but never released.
Games included plastic card overlays that fit over the keypad. These cards showed which keys controlled specific actions, like changing the view or adjusting speed.
The primary controller was criticized by some reviewers, who called it one of the worst video game controllers. The non-centering joysticks made some games difficult to play.
In 1983, David H. Ahl compared the Atari 5200 to a "400 computer in disguise" because its internal design was similar to Atari 8-bit computers. Both used the ANTIC, POKEY, and GTIA chips, but software for one could not run on the other. However, source code could be adapted for use on both systems.
Key differences between the Atari 5200 and the Atari 8-bit computers include:
– A simpler 2 KB operating system instead of the 10 KB version on computers
– Some hardware registers are located at different memory addresses
– Some registers have slightly different functions
– Analog joysticks are treated as paddle inputs, requiring different handling
– No SIO port
– An unused expansion port on the console
In 1987, Atari released the XE Game System, which was based on the 65XE computer and included a detachable keyboard. Unlike the 5200, it could run home computer games directly.
Reception
The Atari 5200 did not sell as well as its earlier model, the Atari 2600. It had better graphics than the 2600 and Mattel's Intellivision, but it could not play many of the 2600's popular games. Some experts believe this limited its sales, especially because a cartridge adapter for the Intellivision II allowed it to play 2600 games. IGN listed the Atari 5200 among the top 25 game consoles of all time and said its failure was mainly because its main competitor, the ColecoVision, had better technology. However, other sources say the two consoles had similar hardware capabilities.
Many games for the 5200 were just updated versions of 2600 games, which did not interest buyers. This lack of new games happened partly because Atari focused most of its development efforts on the already popular 2600. The 5200's included game, Super Breakout, was criticized for not showing the system's strengths. This gave the ColecoVision an advantage, as its included game, Donkey Kong, provided a more realistic arcade experience than previous cartridges.
The 5200 faced criticism for its poorly designed analog controllers, which did not center properly. Anderson called the controllers "absolutely atrocious." In 1983, David H. Ahl of Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games said the Atari 5200 was Atari's response to the Intellivision, ColecoVision, and Astrocade. He described it as a mass-market version of Atari 8-bit computers, despite software incompatibility. He noted the joystick's poor precision but said it was at least as good as other controllers. He questioned why Super Breakout was the included game, as it did not use the 5200's improved graphics.
Because the system was not successful, a PAL version was canceled. However, a few prototypes of this model still exist.
Popular culture
The 1984 movie Cloak & Dagger includes an Atari 5200 game cartridge with the same name. The arcade version of the game appears in the film. However, the Atari 5200 version was being made but was never finished. At first, the game was called Agent X. Later, the movie makers and Atari discovered each other's projects and agreed to work together. This partnership was part of a trend in the 1980s, where movies often included video games as important parts of their stories, and video games were also created based on those same movies. Examples include the film Tron and its related video games for the Intellivision and other systems, as well as The Last Starfighter.