Manufacturer | Atari, Inc. |
---|---|
Type | Home video game console |
Generation | Second |
Release date |
|
Discontinued | May 21, 1984 |
Units sold | 1 million[1] |
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.
The company has stopped producing its 5200 SuperSystem games player, more than 1 million of which were sold.
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.