Taskmaster99 Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Ok.....here is the deal. I have a few 2600's and 2 7800's. I have quite a collection of games. An offer was put on the table for me for a 2 port 5200 with 2 joysticks(working as of now) and a few games. I dont want to say the price. I am just asking for your opinions. Should i buy one....or should i spend the money for games on the 2600 and 7800 and just leave it be. I have never owned a 5200 so I dont know if Im missing anything that would make people say "You gotta have it!!!!!!". Thanks for your time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jboypacman Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Ok.....here is the deal. I have a few 2600's and 2 7800's. I have quite a collection of games. An offer was put on the table for me for a 2 port 5200 with 2 joysticks(working as of now) and a few games. I dont want to say the price. I am just asking for your opinions. Should i buy one....or should i spend the money for games on the 2600 and 7800 and just leave it be. I have never owned a 5200 so I dont know if Im missing anything that would make people say "You gotta have it!!!!!!". Thanks for your time. Personally i would go with a Atari 800XL or XEGS because you can get every game that is on the 5200 plus more and you will not have to worry about those 5200 controllers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tz101 Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 5200's are unique in their own way. Probably most of the games were either ported to 2600 or 7800, but the 5200 is still a very worthwhile system to own. Games for it are relatively inexpensive and can regularly be found in the wild around my area. Some good games are Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Pengo, Zaxxon, and Space Dungeon. I hope you end up getting the 5200. Extra 2600 and 7800 games can always be bought later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+thanatos Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 I bought one last year, because as a kid it was the 'dream system' that I never got to have. I'm perfectly happy with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bohoki Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 I bought one last year, because as a kid it was the 'dream system' that I never got to have. I'm perfectly happy with it. i love and hate my 5200 with all the advancements in controller technology ive come into lately its been a real fun experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 In general, I love mine. The games I like, I really like. The games I don't like, I really don't like. It's kind of like owning a classic car. Sure there are ones that'll drive better or go faster but not quite the same way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Ok.....here is the deal. I have a few 2600's and 2 7800's. I have quite a collection of games. An offer was put on the table for me for a 2 port 5200 with 2 joysticks(working as of now) and a few games. I dont want to say the price. I am just asking for your opinions. Should i buy one....or should i spend the money for games on the 2600 and 7800 and just leave it be. I have never owned a 5200 so I dont know if Im missing anything that would make people say "You gotta have it!!!!!!". Thanks for your time. Personally i would go with a Atari 800XL or XEGS because you can get every game that is on the 5200 plus more and you will not have to worry about those 5200 controllers. +1. Same great games, no joystick issues and you don't need to put an addition on your house to store it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 I love my 800XL (and other A8's) but I also love my 5200. It's true that the vast majority of the experience can be obtained with an A8, but the 5200 controllers are an experience of their own (that many, including myself, love, so don't let all the naysayers put you off... come to your own opinion), the Trak-Ball is fantastic, and the analog controls on the 5200 can be a good thing for some games. If you have the money and space for it, I would pick up a 5200 with good controllers, a Trak-Ball, and a multicart, but if any of these things are an issue, then I agree, just get an A8 computer and it's not the end of the world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 I love my 800XL (and other A8's) but I also love my 5200. It's true that the vast majority of the experience can be obtained with an A8, but the 5200 controllers are an experience of their own (that many, including myself, love, so don't let all the naysayers put you off... come to your own opinion), the Trak-Ball is fantastic, and the analog controls on the 5200 can be a good thing for some games. If you have the money and space for it, I would pick up a 5200 with good controllers, a Trak-Ball, and a multicart, but if any of these things are an issue, then I agree, just get an A8 computer and it's not the end of the world. That pretty much sums up my opinion at this point. I've had an A8 and an extensive collection of games and peripherals for it since the early 80s. Absolutely love that stuff. Had a 5200 before that, but only for a few months. Had one in the 90s, but didn't play it much. But a year or so ago, I decided to get one again because I wanted to play the trak-ball games with a real trak-ball, 2-button games with two buttons, and analog joystick games with an analog joystick. So I researched it and got only those games. Just the ones that benefit from what the 5200 brings to the table. (Well, along with the exclusives, even though I had Glenn's hacks for the A8.) I bought every one CIB so that I had everything I needed -- including the instructions and overlays. I also made sure I got a brand new trak-ball and gold controller from BEST Electronics. Finally, I bought the diagnostics cart and loopback board so that I could make sure my 5200 was properly tuned as far as reading the pots and so on. (Turns out the diagnostic cart found out I had a bad chip in my shiny 5200; so I replaced that as well.) So, by the time I played my first 5200 game, I'd spent what is, for me, a ton of money. But...I didn't run into any of the problems people talk about. The controllers worked great. The system was very responsive. All the games had something interesting about them even for an old A8 hand like me, and they were all made with the analog controller and/or Trak-Ball in mind so I wasn't fighting with those. In short, this time around, it's been a complete pleasure to have my 5200 and I've enjoyed every minute of my gaming time with it. It's become one of my favorite systems, and I've greatly expanded my library of 5200 titles. I even enjoy playing games like Pac-Man on it now. So my conclusion is that the 5200 is an expensive but rewarding system to have. It's like an Italian sports car: expensive to buy and to maintain, but what a pleasure to drive! But they're not for everyone. Buying a broken down Maserati and letting it rust in the front yard isn't likely to be a rewarding experience. Buying a new Maserati and then not having the money and/or skill to maintain it will also bring you grief. But if you can buy a nice one and maintain it properly, you're likely to be a very happy owner. Same for the 5200, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 I'd agree with Mirage's sentiments. If you already have an A8 computer and you end up purchasing a 5200, you may end up feeling there's a bit of redundancy in your collections. The 5200 is such a big and bulky machine... hope you have the space for it all! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taskmaster99 Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share Posted February 15, 2010 I appreciate everybody's replies. It helps alot with my decision. Now when you all say big and bulky.....does this mean that i would have to put away my Neo Geo to make room for this???? cuz that aint happening......lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirage Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 I appreciate everybody's replies. It helps alot with my decision. Now when you all say big and bulky.....does this mean that i would have to put away my Neo Geo to make room for this???? cuz that aint happening......lol. Between the main console, the fairly large Trak-Ball and your two controllers that you won't feel like coaxing into the holder on the console area all the time, it takes up quite a bit of space. Moreso than any other common system I can think of. I also agree with Ransom's thoughts on expense. Getting into the 5200 isn't as cheap as just picking up some random 2600. It's more of a commitment. A commitment that can have payoffs, but still... getting all the stuff you need, maintaining it (especially the controllers)... not exactly a casual affair. Count on those "good" controllers going bad at some point, probably sooner than later, so you'll either have maintenance costs or replacement costs, your choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cebus Capucinis Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Blech! Just buy an 8bit computer with AtariMax 8MBit Flash Cart! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimo Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 I agree with the XL/XE/XEGS suggestion. I spent a LOT of money getting a 5200 +games+ s-video mod to the UK as they were never sold here. Hardly ever used it for several reasons. It takes up so much space, the controllers take a lot of getting used to even if they work. The XL has so many more games available Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetset Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Definitely worth getting. Some absolutely GREAT arcade ports and many of which are very common and therefore cheap. Don't let the bad vibes about the controllers turn you off. If you can get a working pair, they're great. They may take a bit of getting used to, but they're one of my favorite classic-era controllers. Though it's true you can get the same or more for your $$ with an 800, many of the games are crappy with having to use the keyboard as your 2nd controller. Defender is pretty horrid having to reach for the space bar to smart bomb, and the other keys for hyperspace. Centipede is MUCH better with the tack-ball than the stiff 2600 sticks. But, it's an acquired taste really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zylon Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Hmm, I used to just use my toe for the spacebar. 5200 is bigger than original Xbox if that helps for reference. I used to keep mine on top of the xbox and it overhung by a couple inches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atariksi Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Ok.....here is the deal. I have a few 2600's and 2 7800's. I have quite a collection of games. An offer was put on the table for me for a 2 port 5200 with 2 joysticks(working as of now) and a few games. I dont want to say the price. I am just asking for your opinions. Should i buy one....or should i spend the money for games on the 2600 and 7800 and just leave it be. I have never owned a 5200 so I dont know if Im missing anything that would make people say "You gotta have it!!!!!!". Thanks for your time. Since your original inquiry was regarding 2600 vs. 5200 vs. 7800, there's no reason to start comparing it with Atari 800/XL/XEGS again. I would definitely get a 5200 when comparing those three. A5200 has some unique hardware and games not present on 2600 or 7800. As far as comparing A800 controllers vs. A5200 controllers, yeah A800 wins hands down but that's not your inquiry. Defender is still better on A800 vs. A5200 because it uses one button DIGITAL joystick rather than two button ANALOG stick. Higher probability events should be assigned to the main button and lower probability events (like hyperspace and smartbombs) can be assigned to keyboard or other buttons that DON'T GET IN THE WAY or are EASY TO USE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taskmaster99 Posted February 21, 2010 Author Share Posted February 21, 2010 Well.....the decision has been made. I bought one. Atari2600.com has a bunch for sale on thier site now and went ahead and made the purchase. I feel good about it. Now its time to deal with joystick hell........lol. Thanks to all of you who replied and gave me a ton of information. I really appreciate it. Now i gotta go and find some Wico sticks just in case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetset Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 Well.....the decision has been made. I bought one. Atari2600.com has a bunch for sale on thier site now and went ahead and made the purchase. I feel good about it. Now its time to deal with joystick hell........lol. Thanks to all of you who replied and gave me a ton of information. I really appreciate it. Now i gotta go and find some Wico sticks just in case. Actually, I would suggest contacting user Prodos8. He makes a neat little adapter that works great! Don't sweat the controllers. Getcha some games where the controllers shine first. Centipede, Defender, Berzerk, Pole Position, Missile Command. And DEFINETLY get you a coupler and Robotron and Space Dungeon. Then you can "graduate" to games like PacMan, Mario Bros, Joust, Star Wars: Arcade. DO NOT get Frogger or Gorf until you get some practice in. Those take some getting used to! Oh, and a trackball for Centipede and Missile Command. Centipede alone make it worth the $$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahsMyBro Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Another one of the must-have games for the system, IMO, is Star Raiders. I think Star Raiders works very well with the analog sticks, and I find the keypad much more convenient than trying to find the right key to hit while playing on an 800, for example. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divya16 Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Oh, and a trackball for Centipede and Missile Command. Centipede alone make it worth the $$. I have an extra trackball for A5200. Perhaps, I should put it on ebay-- just feeling lazy so I thought I post something here instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ransom Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Another one of the must-have games for the system, IMO, is Star Raiders. I think Star Raiders works very well with the analog sticks, and I find the keypad much more convenient than trying to find the right key to hit while playing on an 800, for example. Agreed. I've played it on the A8 for decades, but I do prefer playing it on the 5200 now that I have one again. Aside from what you mentioned, there's also the minor bugfixes and feature improvements to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opeygon Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I bought one last year, because as a kid it was the 'dream system' that I never got to have. I'm perfectly happy with it. same here thanatos. took me 25 years to finally get one! i love my 5200 and will never part with it. it's just so damn cool to look at too. the controllers aren't as bad as most say, but you do have options for that. i have a masterplay interface device. lets me use 2600 controllers if i want. totally worth getting one of those but i would love to have an 800 too. i love those cartridges! so get the 5200, and sometime maybe you get an atari computer too. thats my plan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coyo5050 Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I really enjoy this system. I feel like it does the best job of reproducing the "classics" in the arcades when I was growing up. Yes the controllers are not the best but they are fine as long as they work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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