It also had changes in the cartridge port to allow for the Atari 2600 adapter released that year. Atari changed back to the a simpler separate power supply and manual RF switch. The 1983 version of the Atari 5200 has two controller ports instead of four. A single cable coming out of the 5200 plugged into the switch box and was used for both electricity and the television signal. This RF box was also where the game's power supply connected in a unique dual power/television signal setup similar to the RCA Studio II's. Older game systems which attached to a television's antenna leads required the user to slide a switch on the adapter by hand. Another special thing was the first automatic TV switchbox. The 5200 also featured a very special new controller with an analog joystick, numeric keypad, two fire buttons on both sides of the controller and game function keys for Start, Pause, and Reset.

The first 1982 release had four controller ports, where nearly all other systems of the day had only two. Actual working Atari Video System X machines, whose hardware is 100% identical to the Atari 5200 do exist, but they are extremely rare. A rumor said that 'Pam' or 'PAM' actually stood for 'Personal Arcade Machine.' This was because most games for the system were based on existing arcade games. While it was being designed, the Atari 5200 called the 'Atari Video System X - Advanced Video Computer System.' Atari protected the design with a codename, 'Pam,' after a female employee at Atari. The game's Atari 400-based design made for a design which Atari Inc. Hardware Atari 5200 system with controller, game cartridges and packaging Design mistakes meant that the 5200 had problems with its use. Even though the internal hardware was almost identical, the code in the software was not.

The 5200 was based on Atari Inc.'s 400/800 computers. Atari wanted the 5200 to compete with the Intellivision, but it competed more closely with the ColecoVision. and was meant as a replacement to the popular Atari 2600. The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, or simply the Atari 5200, was a video game console which came out in 1982.

Getting the atari 5200 bios files