Thinking outside the box on the 5200.

[Omega-TI]

Okay, for new stuff the Atari 5200 has the "AtariMAX" cartridge and the "Masterplay Clone", cool, bit is that all there is in the new hardware department?

 

In thinking outside the box, I've been wondering if this platform could be 'tweaked' and turned into the next great 'hackers platform'.

I think I've read somewhere that the 5200 is just a stripped down Atari 800, so that got me wondering...

 

A) Would there be anyway to interface a wireless USB keyboard to get around what i think were alterations in the keyboard routines?

 

B) Would it be possible to EASILY add extra memory.

 

C) Would there be anyway to interface a Raspberry Pi to function like disk drives and to run Atari 800 software?

 

There is PLENTY of room inside the 5200... and plenty more in the joystick storage area, if anything could be pulled off, it would make nice "Retro Stealth Computer" and give it a large program base to play with.

 

I'm guessing there would have to be two modes of operation, but I'd gladly start dropping more money into it if it had greater growth potential.

[+DrVenkman]

Well, it’s more like 400 than an 800 (only 16K of RAM), and the 2K OS is as barebones as it can get. The basic hardware is good though. But for the work involved for someone to design a good cheap hack to increase the capabilities, and then for a user to install it, it’s probably easier to buy a cheap XL machine and install a U1MB board and any other number of add-ons and hacks to let you play large, complicated colorful games (see, eg, YOOMP!, Atari Blast, Space Harrier, the new Time Pilot ...)