Editing Atari 5200 (section)

==Reception==

The Atari 5200 did not fare well commercially compared to its predecessor, the Atari 2600.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Moss | first = Stuart | title = The Entertainment Industry: An Introduction | publisher = CABI | year = 2007 | page = 158 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UiBDGdvlumwC&q=atari+5200+failed+console&pg=PA158 | isbn = 978-1-84593-551-1}}</ref> While it touted superior graphics to the 2600 and Mattel's [[Intellivision]], the system was initially incompatible with the 2600's expansive library of games, and some market analysts have speculated that this hurt its sales,<ref>{{Cite news | last = Mace | first = Scott | title = A New Atari Corp.: The House That Jack Tramiel Emptied | newspaper = [[InfoWorld]] | page = 52 | date = August 6, 1984 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HC8EAAAAMBAJ&q=atari+5200+failed&pg=PA52 | access-date = January 27, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=February 1997|title=Atari 7200|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/b/b2/EGM_US_091.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://retrocdn.net/images/b/b2/EGM_US_091.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|issue=91|page=97|quote=The 7800 was compatible with the 2600 (but not the 5200) which was the main reason why the 5200 didn't succeed.}}</ref> especially since an Atari 2600 cartridge adapter had been released for the [[Intellivision II]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/5200/cx55.html|title=Atari CX-55 2600 Cartridge Adapter for the Atari 5200 Supersystem|date=31 January 2018|website=Atari Museum|access-date=31 January 2018|archive-date=July 3, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040703205534/http://www.atarimuseum.com/videogames/consoles/5200/cx55.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> (A revised two-port model was released in 1983, along with a game adapter that allowed gamers to play all 2600 games.)<ref name="museum_cx55"/> This lack of new games was due in part to a lack of funding, with Atari continuing to develop most of its games for the saturated 2600 market.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Kent | first = Steven | author-link = Steven L. Kent | title = [[The Ultimate History of Video Games]] | publisher = [[Prima Publishing]] | year = 2001 | page = 230 | isbn = 0-7615-3643-4}}</ref>

Many of the 5200's games appeared simply as updated versions of 2600 titles, which failed to excite consumers.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Staff | first = New York Times | title = The New York Times Guide To Essential Knowledge: A Desk Reference for the Curious Mind | publisher = [[Macmillan Publishers]] | year = 2007 | location = New York | page = 472 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-BIGv9vIoqcC&q=atari+5200+failed&pg=PA472 | isbn = 978-0-312-37659-8}}</ref> Its pack-in game, ''[[Super Breakout]]'', was criticized for not doing enough to demonstrate the system's capabilities.{{r|ahl1983spring}} This gave the ColecoVision a significant advantage as its pack-in, ''[[Donkey Kong (1981 video game)|Donkey Kong]]'', delivered a more authentic arcade experience than any previous game cartridge.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Kent | first = Steven | author-link = Steven L. Kent | title = The Ultimate History of Video Games | publisher = [[Prima Publishing]] | year = 2001 | page = 209 | isbn = 0-7615-3643-4}}</ref> In its list of the top 25 game consoles of all time, [[IGN]] claimed that the main reason for the 5200's market failure was the technological superiority of its competitor,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/23.html |title=Atari 5200 is number 23 |website=IGN |access-date=January 12, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101203105717/http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/23.html| archive-date= December 3, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> while other sources maintain that the two consoles are roughly equivalent in power.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.atarihq.com/5200/cv52/ |title=Colecovision vs Atari 5200 Hardware Comparison |publisher=AtariHQ.com |access-date=January 12, 2011}}</ref>

The 5200 received much criticism for the "sloppy" design of its non-centering analog controllers.<ref>{{Cite news | last = Hubner | first = John | title = What Went Wrong At Atari | newspaper = [[InfoWorld]] | page = 148 | date = December 5, 1983 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6C8EAAAAMBAJ&q=atari+5200+review&pg=PA148 | access-date = January 27, 2011}}</ref> Anderson described the controllers as "absolutely atrocious".{{r|anderson198403}}

David H. Ahl of ''[[Creative Computing|Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games]]'' said in 1983 that the "Atari 5200 is, dare I say it, Atari's answer to Intellivision, Colecovision, and the [[Bally Astrocade|Astrocade]]", describing the console as a "true mass market" version of the Atari 8-bit computers despite the software incompatibility. He criticized the joystick's imprecise control but said that "it is at least as good as many other controllers", and wondered why ''Super Breakout'' was the pack-in game when it did not use the 5200's improved graphics.<ref name=ahl1983spring>{{Cite magazine |last=Ahl |first=David H. |author-link=David H. Ahl |date=Spring 1983 |title=Atari 5200 Advanced Game System |url=http://www.atarimagazines.com/cva/v1n1/atari5200.php |magazine=Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games |page=46}}</ref>