Atari 5200

 Home > Browse Our Collection > Games Consoles > Atari > Atari 5200
 

The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, commonly known as the Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in November 1982 by Atari Inc. as a higher end complementary console 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.

Containing technology from the Atari 400/800 computer,  the Atari 5200 was certainly a step up in capability from the 2600. It is also massive in size, so large in fact that it can hold both its controllers in a rear compartment. 

These controllers are a severe Achilles heel, as Atari decided to build a turning paddle controller into the design, making it very awkward to use. It also fails to self-centre properly, so movements often drift during play. The spongy fire buttons do not help.

The Atari 5200 suffered because of it, despite the system having a very nice sized library of games released. Its incompatibility with the 2600 proved to be a serious mistake, and before an adaptor and redesign could help boost sales, the American video game crash destroyed the market, and took Atari out of the console game until the Atari 7800 was released two years later.


Generation: Second generation
Media ROM cartridge
CPU MOS 6502C @ 1.79 MHz
Controller input Joystick
Trak-Ball

Our model has a serial number of 0164472 SV-452

Manufacturer: Atari
Date: 1982

Atari 5200 Manuals:

Item Manufacturer Date
Control Data 6000 Series Computer Systems Control Data Corporation 1966
Bulletin Applications Development Control Data Corporation Sep 1966

Magazines RELATED to Atari 5200 in our Library

Item Manufacturer Date
Antic - The Atari Resource May 1983 May 1983
Personal Computer World - December 1990 1 Dec 1990

Other Systems Related To Atari 5200:

Item Manufacturer Date
Atari 800 with Programmer Kit Atari Inc 1st January 1979
Atari 400 with Aftermarket Keyboard Atari November 1979
Atari 800 Atari November 1979
Atari 400 Atari November 1979
Centipede Arcade Cabinet Atari 1980
Atari 1200XL Atari 1982
Atari 800XL Atari 1983
Atari 600XL Atari June 1983
Atari 520 STFM Atari 1985
Atari 65XE Atari 1985
Atari 520ST (boxed) + External hard drive + software Atari 1985
Atari 520 STM Atari 1st January 1985
Atari 1040 STE Atari 1986
Atari 520 STM Atari 12th September 1986
Atari Mega ST 2 Atari 1987
Atari ST Mega 1040 Tower Power Atari 1988
Atari 1040STFM Atari 1989
Atari 1040STFM (David Arnold) Atari 1989
Atari 520 STE Atari 1989
Atari 1040STF Atari 1989
Atari Portfolio Atari 1989
Atari Stacy 2 Atari 9th December 1989
Atari Mega 4 Atari 1990
Atari TT030 Atari 1990
Atari Falcon Atari 1990
Atari Mega/STE Atari 1991

This exhibit has a reference ID of CH28823. Please quote this reference ID in any communication with the Centre for Computing History.

 
Atari 5200

  Games Archive   [9]

Click on the Image(s) For Detail


User Submitted Articles


Add Your Article >>>

Help support the museum by buying from the museum shop

View all items

Founding Sponsors
redgate Google ARM Real VNC Microsoft Research
Heritage Lottery Funded
Heritage Lottery Fund
Accredited Museum