Internal Differences Between The 5200 and The 400/800
Although the Atari 5200's internal design was extensively based on that of the 400/800 home computers, the differences were sufficient that games designed for one would not run directly on the other.
One of the most obvious differences was the 5200's lack of a keyboard. However, there were several others:
- The 400/800's 10 KB operating system was replaced with a simpler 2 KB BIOS, of which 1 KB is the built-in character set.
- A number of important registers, such as those of the GTIA and POKEY chips appear at different memory locations.
- The purpose of some registers changed slightly on the 5200.
- The 5200's analog joysticks appeared as pairs of paddles to the hardware, which required different input handling to the traditional digital joystick input on the 400/800.
Atari Corp.'s later XE Games System revisited the idea of a console based on the 400/800 hardware. However, as this was essentially just a 65XE computer with a detachable keyboard, it was able to run most of the home computer titles directly.
Read more about this topic: Atari 5200
Famous quotes containing the words internal and/or differences:
“I have been amazed by the Anglo-Saxon’s lack of curiosity about the internal lives and emotions of the Negroes, and for that matter, any non-Anglo-Saxon peoples within our borders, above the class of unskilled labor.”
—Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960)
“The extent to which a parent is able to see a child’s world through that child’s eyes depends very much on the parent’s ability to appreciate the differences between herself and her child and to respect those differences. Your own children need you to accept them for who they are, not who you would like them to be.”
—Lawrence Balter (20th century)