Atari 5200 - Internal Differences Between The 5200 and The 400/800

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:

    “We all run on two clocks. One is the outside clock, which ticks away our decades and brings us ceaselessly to the dry season. The other is the inside clock, where you are your own timekeeper and determine your own chronology, your own internal weather and your own rate of living. Sometimes the inner clock runs itself out long before the outer one, and you see a dead man going through the motions of living.”
    —Max Lerner (b. 1902)

    “I don’t know what immutable differences exist between men and women apart from differences in their genitals; perhaps there are some other unchangeable differences; probably there are a number of irrelevant differences. But it is clear that until social expectations for men and women are equal, until we provide equal respect for both men and women, our answers to this question will simply reflect our prejudices.”
    —Naomi Weisstein (b. 1939)