Atari 5200

Atari 5200
	Atari 5200 and one of its controllers
Manufacturer	Atari, Inc.
Type	Home video game console
Generation	Second
Release date	NA: November 1982;
Discontinued	May 21, 1984
Units sold	1 million
Media	ROM cartridge
CPU	MOS 6502C @ 1.79 MHz
Memory	16 KB RAM
Controller input	Joystick ; Trak-Ball
Predecessor	Atari 2600
Successor	Atari 7800

The Atari 5200 SuperSystem or simply Atari 5200 is a home video game console introduced in 1982 by Atari, Inc. as a higher-end complement for the popular Atari Video Computer System.^[2] The VCS was renamed to the Atari 2600 at the time of the 5200's launch.^[3] Created to compete with Mattel's Intellivision, the 5200 wound up a direct competitor of ColecoVision shortly after its release.^[4] While the Coleco system shipped with the first home version of Nintendo's Donkey Kong, the 5200 included the 1978 arcade game Super Breakout which had already appeared on the Atari 8-bit computers and Atari VCS in 1979 and 1981 respectively.

The CPU and the graphics and sound hardware are almost identical to that of the Atari 8-bit computers, although software is not directly compatible between the two systems. The 5200's controllers have an analog joystick and a numeric keypad along with start, pause, and reset buttons. The 360-degree non-centering joystick was touted as offering more control than the eight-way Atari CX40 joystick of the 2600, but was a focal point for criticism.

On May 21, 1984, during a press conference at which the Atari 7800 was introduced, company executives revealed that the 5200 had been discontinued after less than two years on the market.^[5] Total sales of the 5200 were reportedly in excess of 1 million units,^[1] far short of its predecessor's sales of over 30 million.

^ ^a ^b Schrage, Michael (May 22, 1984). "Atari Introduces Game In Attempt for Survival". Washington Post. p. C3. The company has stopped producing its 5200 SuperSystem games player, more than 1 million of which were sold.
^ "The Atari 5200 will be available in October". The Milwaukee Sentinel. September 1, 1982. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
^ Barton, Matt; Loguidice, Bill (February 28, 2008). "A History of Gaming Platforms: Atari 2600 Video Computer System/VCS". Gamasutra. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
^ G4TV's Icons season 2 episode 1 "Atari"
^ Sanger, David E. (May 22, 1984). "Atari Video Game Unit Introduced". New York Times: 3 (Section D). Company officials disclosed for the first time yesterday that the 5200 is no longer in production, and Atari appears to be selling off its inventory.

[schrage1984-1] Schrage, Michael (May 22, 1984). "Atari Introduces Game In Attempt for Survival". Washington Post. p. C3. The company has stopped producing its 5200 SuperSystem games player, more than 1 million of which were sold.

[milwaukeesentinel-2] "The Atari 5200 will be available in October". The Milwaukee Sentinel. September 1, 1982. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2011.

[3] Barton, Matt; Loguidice, Bill (February 28, 2008). "A History of Gaming Platforms: Atari 2600 Video Computer System/VCS". Gamasutra. Retrieved September 11, 2018.

[4] G4TV's Icons season 2 episode 1 "Atari"

[5] Sanger, David E. (May 22, 1984). "Atari Video Game Unit Introduced". New York Times: 3 (Section D). Company officials disclosed for the first time yesterday that the 5200 is no longer in production, and Atari appears to be selling off its inventory.

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