Atari 5200

The Atari 5200 SuperSystem (more commonly known simply as the Atari 5200) is a video game console released in 1982 by Atari, Inc.. It is the successor to the popular Atari 2600 and featured greatly improved graphics and sound capabilities designed to compete with the Intellivision (although it ended up competing more directly with the ColecoVision).

The internal hardware is based on Atari's 8 bit line of home computers and features very similar graphics and sounds capabilities (although software is not directly compatible due to some minor differences). The console design was fairly large with storage bins for two controllers located at the back. The 5200 used a completely redesigned joystick which included a numeric keypad, multiple fire buttons, and start/pause/reset buttons leaving only a power button located on the console itself. The Atari 5200 was not compatible with the Atari 2600 initially, a missing feature which may have hurt sales (Atari did eventually release a cartridge adapter so 2600 games and joysticks could be used with the 5200, however it was likely too late). Initial models of the Atari 5200 featured 4 joystick ports, while later models reduced this to only 2 joystick ports; some games supported up to 4 players, and while the game worked on later Atari 5200 models the game only only supported 4 players on the early models with the additional ports.