Hardware for the Atari 5200

This is the Atari 5200 controller. This controller was, unlike all other Atari-controllers, analog, i.e. you don't only have 8 controller-positions, but full 360 degrees of movement. For some unknown reasons the joystick isn't self-centering what makes games really difficult to play.
With this controllers, Atari invented the 'Pause', 'Start' and 'Reset' buttons on the top of the controller as well as the 12-button-keypad; this concept was re-used on the 'Jaguar'-controller about ten years later.
The 5200-controller suited both right-handed and left-handed people, because it has two fire-buttons on each side of the controller. These two fire-buttons have, depending on the game being used, different functions.

The Atari 5200 Trakball

This is the 5200 TV-switchbox. Unlike other switchboxes, it doesn't just switch between the television-program and the signal from the game-console; it is also meant to provide power to the 5200 system via the HF-cable: the 4-port 5200 doesn't have any power plug. This was changed with the second version of the 5200, which only had two controller-ports.

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