Looking to buy a 5200, Have many questions

[atariksi]

Atariksi: What would the price be?

 

How about $30 + shipping with working A5200 stock controller, Pac-man, Star Raiders (since I have plenty of those)? And guaranteed to work and no rust.

 

I also have a couple of A5200 cases if someone wants them. It looks like the internal case is 4-port then that plastic strip on the top covers two of the ports.

[NoahsMyBro]

 

Yeah, AC power adapter is included. Forgot about that. I don't use MSN, but I usually trust people around here.

 

 

That is grate to here. I have wonderful opportunity for you. yes. I am suffering trouble with my banks in Nigeria, and maybe you can help me with such occasion. If you can help me out I will split the large quantity of dollars with you.

 

It is good to be trusting of people.

[zylon]

 

Yeah, AC power adapter is included. Forgot about that. I don't use MSN, but I usually trust people around here.

 

 

That is grate to here. I have wonderful opportunity for you. yes. I am suffering trouble with my banks in Nigeria, and maybe you can help me with such occasion. If you can help me out I will split the large quantity of dollars with you.

 

It is good to be trusting of people.

[Divya16]

 

Yeah, AC power adapter is included. Forgot about that. I don't use MSN, but I usually trust people around here.

 

 

That is grate to here. I have wonderful opportunity for you. yes. I am suffering trouble with my banks in Nigeria, and maybe you can help me with such occasion. If you can help me out I will split the large quantity of dollars with you.

 

It is good to be trusting of people.

 

It's a bad world out there, but I doubt people will come into AtariAge to try to rip off people of an Atari 5200. I did a trade recently with someone I never knew before and it worked out great.

 

Oh, as far as Nigeria-letter "scams", as long as you get the percentage up front then mine as well scam them at their own game.

[OldAtarian]

 

Yeah, AC power adapter is included. Forgot about that. I don't use MSN, but I usually trust people around here.

 

 

That is grate to here. I have wonderful opportunity for you. yes. I am suffering trouble with my banks in Nigeria, and maybe you can help me with such occasion. If you can help me out I will split the large quantity of dollars with you.

 

It is good to be trusting of people.

 

 

NO SHIPPING OUTSDE THE US! HOW MANY TIMES DO YOU PEOPLE HAVE TO BE TOLD!

[WERY]

Yeah, AC power adapter is included. Forgot about that. I don't use MSN, but I usually trust people around here

 

Sounds good. Then I can modify the console's powerinput right away and plug it in I shall stick in touch and hope to deal with you soon

[atariksi]

 

Yeah, AC power adapter is included. Forgot about that. I don't use MSN, but I usually trust people around here.

 

 

That is grate to here. I have wonderful opportunity for you. yes. I am suffering trouble with my banks in Nigeria, and maybe you can help me with such occasion. If you can help me out I will split the large quantity of dollars with you.

 

It is good to be trusting of people.

 

Is Nigeria PAL or NTSC?

[WERY]

They might even be secam

[atariksi]

They might even be secam

 

Well, PAL sounds like a friendly term whereas SECAM sounds like SCAM.

[Hydro Thunder]

Happy update!

 

Thanks to Zylon's help, I am now the proud owner of a fine, _working_ 5200! And first impression, from playing it for a couple of days, is that I really love it. The controllers definitely take getting used to, but I really do like them. I love the sound effects, I keep the 5200 in mind in its place between the 2600 and 7800 when comparing and it sounds great!

 

I've got Pac-Man, Moon Patrol, Miner 2049er, the Dreadnaught Factor, Centipede and Space Invaders. I've got to say I love this port of Space Invaders. I'd seen a negative review somewhere (probably thevideogamecritic.net, not sure), but I think it's fantastic. And I don't care that the invaders come in from the side instead of the traditional way, it's more interesting. As are the designs of the invaders. Sure, it's missing a firing sound effect and that's a letdown, but as a whole it's a great port of Space Invaders. Go 5200!

 

Now if only I could get used to the analog controllers a bit better; I love Miner 2049er to pieces, but the control accuracy is light a damned tightrope walk and I've barely gotten to the third stage. I also love the port of Moon Patrol, but have trouble differentiating in a pinch between the jump and fire buttons since they're both so close together and so mushy. But that's okay, the music is fantastic and I'm sure with practice the controls will come around.

 

Hooray 5200 - I'm glad I took the plunge!

[Ransom]

I'm glad you like the 5200 now that you've experienced it. It's a unique system, and there will be games that work better with the analog controllers and games that work worse with them. The jumping games (Miner 2049er, Kangaroo) are tough with the analog controls. But then other games like Pole Position are better with them because they take advantage of the analog joystick.

 

Anyway, I'm glad you're having fun. It's one of my favorite systems.

[Charlie_]

Happy update!

 

Thanks to Zylon's help, I am now the proud owner of a fine, _working_ 5200! And first impression, from playing it for a couple of days, is that I really love it. The controllers definitely take getting used to, but I really do like them. I love the sound effects, I keep the 5200 in mind in its place between the 2600 and 7800 when comparing and it sounds great!

 

I've got Pac-Man, Moon Patrol, Miner 2049er, the Dreadnaught Factor, Centipede and Space Invaders. I've got to say I love this port of Space Invaders. I'd seen a negative review somewhere (probably thevideogamecritic.net, not sure), but I think it's fantastic. And I don't care that the invaders come in from the side instead of the traditional way, it's more interesting. As are the designs of the invaders. Sure, it's missing a firing sound effect and that's a letdown, but as a whole it's a great port of Space Invaders. Go 5200!

 

Now if only I could get used to the analog controllers a bit better; I love Miner 2049er to pieces, but the control accuracy is light a damned tightrope walk and I've barely gotten to the third stage. I also love the port of Moon Patrol, but have trouble differentiating in a pinch between the jump and fire buttons since they're both so close together and so mushy. But that's okay, the music is fantastic and I'm sure with practice the controls will come around.

 

Hooray 5200 - I'm glad I took the plunge!

 

Fantastic. Give Popeye a try. I find the analog controller works great in this game. The way you can go up or down the ladders/stairs by holding the diagonal is super easy and makes this port of the game lots of fun. Also Adventure II from the AA store here.

[WERY]

Curious Sofa: I'm glad it worked out well for you

I will soon have my own system and I hope it works just fine when I'm done with the mods I will perform on it

[Dr Manhattan]

Greetings everyone! Well I have acquired a cherry, mint condition 2-switch Atari 5200. Its so pristine it even smells new. Its like Dr Who brought it to me directly from the 1980s in his time machine. lol! (Long story short, I FREAKING LOVE IT!) I'm so excited about my new console that I plan on posting a separate topic full of pics. But before I do that I just wanted to thank everyone who helped me along this journey. I really could not have done this without your help. I am deeply in your debt.

 

I also have another question. This time its about 5200 Multicarts. I need some advice on which multi cart is best for me.

 

I've been doing some research and I've run into a problem. Although the Atari-Max 5200 cart seems like the best option, at least on paper, I'm actually leaning towards the pre-made carts. Here's my reasoning. Those pre-made carts contain a lot of homebrew and other rare games that I can't seem to find in any complete rom set for the 5200. Weird, rare, obscure and homebrew stuff is very important to me. (especially because I will eventually purchase all of the commercially produced 5200 games.)

 

So now I don't know which cart to buy. Obviously the Atari Max cart is great because you can add new software. Unfortunately that doesn't help me much because I really like the homebrew scene and I would probably buy all new games anyway. (Going to buy Adventure II and Sinistar this week.)

 

I hate being so indecisive. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

[ApolloBoy]

The Atarimax cart might be better in case more complete versions of certain protos are found, and when people put out new A8 hacks and the like.

[atariksi]

So now I don't know which cart to buy. Obviously the Atari Max cart is great because you can add new software. Unfortunately that doesn't help me much because I really like the homebrew scene and I would probably buy all new games anyway. (Going to buy Adventure II and Sinistar this week.)

 

I hate being so indecisive. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

 

I just use normal cartridges. My daughter loves Joust on the Atari 5200. She has fun plugging in/out cartridges. I'm not sure how easy it is with Multicart to switch games as I never had one.

[Charlie_]

So now I don't know which cart to buy. Obviously the Atari Max cart is great because you can add new software. Unfortunately that doesn't help me much because I really like the homebrew scene and I would probably buy all new games anyway. (Going to buy Adventure II and Sinistar this week.)

 

I'd say get the atarimax usb cart. Its all you need.

 

Plus when / if new homebrew or conversions come out you can add it to the cart.

If it is not released as a rom you can always just buy that cart.

 

I also want to add this: With a menu driven a multicart like the atarimax usb, you will play more games than you would if you have individual carts. Something about scrolling through the games, you see all them listed and because its presented there to your eyes you consider playing games that you would have not even been thinking about. Thus you do more game playing.

 

Sinistar rom has not been released yet. Albert said he was releasing it soon in a thread about the game, so lets keep hoping!

[kamakazi]

How can that be? It was supposed to be their intent to release the 2600 adapter all along. Why would they make a model that it doesn't work with it? That would be suicide for them to release the 2600 adapter then have a large part of their customer base not be able to use it.

 

I really don't think it was as the 5200 was to replace the 2600 with the understanding that the 2600 was, to Atari's eyes, reaching the end of it's production life. It might have been assumed that 2600 owners would be mostly likely to buy the 5200 and since both would be in a single home I don't think Atari seen the point in creating the adapter to begin with. Frankly, I wouldn't want to play 2600 games on a 5200...leave that for a real 2600 or a 7800.

 

Now...to rebuild your 5200 controllers, be sure you remove the bevel first then remove the three screws. Doing so before, in some experiences, may cause the two halves to come apart under pressure. I don't know how many controllers I've taken apart that someone who didn't know what they were doing before put the controller back together without making sure everything was where it was supposed to be. This created a pressure on both halves. Just as a precaution, because you never know who did what to these controllers, make sure to remove the bevel first.

 

Since my last post, I picked up 4 additional controllers along with another 4-port (no * in serial number). Only one of the controllers works and it's the one with a high boot made in Mexico. The one made in USA was heavily abused and the other two are unmarked. The unmarked controller both had blue flex circuits. These appear to not be an exact match for earlier controller models. For some reason, all the pegs to help line up the flex circuit don't match the blue flex circuit and the function section gets kinked by the upper shells.

 

I also noticed the fire button differences. The orange buttons seem to be the better buttons while the more red buttons are very soft, try to come out of their holder, and don't fit all models. It's too obvious that Atari was attempting to solve the joystick issues...but it makes it a task to match the right parts to the right shells.

 

I also found this...

 

5200 Tech Documents

 

 

There are many schematics, the full 5200 Field Manual, Entire Schematics, and a way to convert original 4-ports so it can use the VCS adapter. There are docs to other consoles here as well.

[kamakazi]

Greetings everyone! Well I have acquired a cherry, mint condition 2-switch Atari 5200. Its so pristine it even smells new. Its like Dr Who brought it to me directly from the 1980s in his time machine. lol! (Long story short, I FREAKING LOVE IT!) I'm so excited about my new console that I plan on posting a separate topic full of pics. But before I do that I just wanted to thank everyone who helped me along this journey. I really could not have done this without your help. I am deeply in your debt.

 

I also have another question. This time its about 5200 Multicarts. I need some advice on which multi cart is best for me.

 

I've been doing some research and I've run into a problem. Although the Atari-Max 5200 cart seems like the best option, at least on paper, I'm actually leaning towards the pre-made carts. Here's my reasoning. Those pre-made carts contain a lot of homebrew and other rare games that I can't seem to find in any complete rom set for the 5200. Weird, rare, obscure and homebrew stuff is very important to me. (especially because I will eventually purchase all of the commercially produced 5200 games.)

 

So now I don't know which cart to buy. Obviously the Atari Max cart is great because you can add new software. Unfortunately that doesn't help me much because I really like the homebrew scene and I would probably buy all new games anyway. (Going to buy Adventure II and Sinistar this week.)

 

I hate being so indecisive. Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

 

 

Congrats! Another 5200 owner!! I get indecisive as well when comes to buy stuff for my 5200. At the moment, I'm concentrating more on the original games before attempting to add homebrews. I'm also wanting to start creating my own games for the 5200. I believe the multicarts would be a huge help in testing code on a real 5200. I managed to track down all but 7 of the 5200 game library. Those 7 I found on ebay but cost more than I spent on the second 5200 setup. Some are hitting over $100 per cart. They are CIB/NIB but still rather high.

 

 

[WERY]

Yeah this controller issue is a bit tricky. Has anyone tried with the Neo-Geo AES arcadestick?

 

I just became an owner of a 5200 and will start looking for parts to modify it tomorrow. Its kinda exciting

[kamakazi]

Happy update!

 

Thanks to Zylon's help, I am now the proud owner of a fine, _working_ 5200! And first impression, from playing it for a couple of days, is that I really love it. The controllers definitely take getting used to, but I really do like them. I love the sound effects, I keep the 5200 in mind in its place between the 2600 and 7800 when comparing and it sounds great!

 

I've got Pac-Man, Moon Patrol, Miner 2049er, the Dreadnaught Factor, Centipede and Space Invaders. I've got to say I love this port of Space Invaders. I'd seen a negative review somewhere (probably thevideogamecritic.net, not sure), but I think it's fantastic. And I don't care that the invaders come in from the side instead of the traditional way, it's more interesting. As are the designs of the invaders. Sure, it's missing a firing sound effect and that's a letdown, but as a whole it's a great port of Space Invaders. Go 5200!

 

Now if only I could get used to the analog controllers a bit better; I love Miner 2049er to pieces, but the control accuracy is light a damned tightrope walk and I've barely gotten to the third stage. I also love the port of Moon Patrol, but have trouble differentiating in a pinch between the jump and fire buttons since they're both so close together and so mushy. But that's okay, the music is fantastic and I'm sure with practice the controls will come around.

 

Hooray 5200 - I'm glad I took the plunge!

 

I hear that Dreadnaught Factor is one of the better 5200 titles. I heard great reviews for the Space Dungeon, Berzerk, and Robotron 2084 games. I never have owned them for the 5200 though so I don't know. Those will be added with my next available gaming funds The controllers do take some getting used to. When playing Pac-Man, I've found that holding the joystick in the direction I want Paccy to go, until I want him to go another direction, helps. I mean hold it in that direction, don't let go! For games like Space Invaders when you want to move a little, it helps to never let go of the joystick and put it back in dead center manually. It just seems to work better that way for me. This is one machine where it's not about just learning the games, it's about mastering the controls as well. Master the 5200 controls and all other systems will be easier to play. The 5200 games do give a great challenge. My favs are Star Raiders and Qix. I like them all but those are my favorites. Welcome aboard the 5200 bandwagon!

 

 

 

[+madman]

Now...to rebuild your 5200 controllers, be sure you remove the bevel first then remove the three screws. Doing so before, in some experiences, may cause the two halves to come apart under pressure.

I've been removing the bezel after separating the halves. What are you using the remove the bezel from the outside without denting the plastic? Thanks.

[kamakazi]

Now...to rebuild your 5200 controllers, be sure you remove the bevel first then remove the three screws. Doing so before, in some experiences, may cause the two halves to come apart under pressure.

I've been removing the bezel after separating the halves. What are you using the remove the bezel from the outside without denting the plastic? Thanks.

 

If it's the angled bevel, I simply pry it off from the top and bottom parts with my bare fingers. This way I don't scratch the plastic. If it's the hard as "blank" square bezel, I gently tug the flex from underneath first. I know this might sound like I'm going against my previous saying of remove the bezel first...but with the square bezels, unless you want to really dent the thing up, remove both halves first (very gently) then from the underside of the top cover, use a small flathead screwdriver and pry off at the clamps holding it in place. If those fixing controllers are as picky about the looks as I am, buy the cheap jeweler's screwdrivers and some shrink tube. Use some of the shrink tube to give the tip of one of the screwdrivers a padded cover. This will help keep it from scratching any parts. If it's going to be used for prying 5200 controllers apart anyway it can be the dedicated 5200 tool Seriously though, I do use my forefinger and thumb to pry off the bezel if they are the angled edge model.

[Hydro Thunder]

 

I hear that Dreadnaught Factor is one of the better 5200 titles. I heard great reviews for the Space Dungeon, Berzerk, and Robotron 2084 games. I never have owned them for the 5200 though so I don't know. Those will be added with my next available gaming funds The controllers do take some getting used to. When playing Pac-Man, I've found that holding the joystick in the direction I want Paccy to go, until I want him to go another direction, helps. I mean hold it in that direction, don't let go! For games like Space Invaders when you want to move a little, it helps to never let go of the joystick and put it back in dead center manually. It just seems to work better that way for me. This is one machine where it's not about just learning the games, it's about mastering the controls as well. Master the 5200 controls and all other systems will be easier to play. The 5200 games do give a great challenge. My favs are Star Raiders and Qix. I like them all but those are my favorites. Welcome aboard the 5200 bandwagon!

 

 

The Dreadnaught Factor looked really good and interesting to me, and I don't mind admitting that it was a big part of the reason I delved into getting a 5200. These things rarely work out so well for me, but this one did, I just absolutely love it. The game kind of feels like Empire Strikes Back for the 2600, but obviously much better in terms of graphics, sound, control and objectives. The Dreadnaughts (clearly Star Destroyers...) change each level, and the action is fast and furious. Highly recommended to 5200 owners! The only downside - how absolutely _awful_ the back of the box is designed...

 

When I get some more $, Space Dungeon is high on my wish list, as is Wizard of Wor. I'm happy to be part of the bandwagon - thanks to all for the greetings, advice and help!

[zylon]

Dreadnaught Factor was one of the first titles I sought out when restarting my 5200 collection. I prefer this version(and the A8)'s vertical scrolling over the INTV's horizontal. It's also one of the few IMO, that benefit from the original controller.