A 5200 convert

[Lendorien]

The 5200 never really interested me. It always seemed like the bastard child of Atari and everything I heard about it was pretty negative. Terrible controllers, gigantic system, power cord and Av cable route through the same place, etc.

 

Well, I have one now, courtesy of Goodwill. It's a 2 port system. I got it with 7 games and two controllers with the AC adapter for about 34 dollars. I've picked up two more in the past couple weeks to make it nine.

 

Blue Print

Centipede

Gorf

Pac Man

Pole Position

Real Sports Baseball

Real Sports Football

Super Breakout

Qix

 

So anyway, I've put the system through its paces and below are my impressions.

 

The 5200 has long been portrayed as a bad system with so many failings that it was eventually pulled from the market. There is some truth to the complaints, but I have to admit that I'm fairly impressed by it.

 

The 5200 2 port version takes care of the power cord issue by routing AV and power through separate ports. Like others, the 4 port versions dual system would make me nervous on my LCD TV. I'm glad I got the 2 port version. It is freaking huge though. I mean, it's bigger than my PS3. Honestly, was such a big footprint that necessary, or was this a legacy of taking the computer and making it a console?

 

The controllers are definitely innovative for the time. I love the start and pause buttons. The Pause button is a wonderful feature and it boggles the mind that the 7800 threw out this feature. It was a masterful feature that was way ahead of its time. it took Nintendo before it became standard. I personally love being able to pause centipede on the controller. Sure the 7800 can pause too, but you have to get up of the couch to do it.

 

In terms of the controller's control, well, I lucked out. My controllers were both in excellent condition. The eraser trick actually worked just fine to clean off the contacts and the carbon dots seem to be still in good shape. Regardless, I'm rather surprised at how much I actually like the controllers despite the lack of self centering. On some games, this appears to be a bit of a problem. On others, it works out quite well. In terms of ergonomics, it's not awful, but the main button placement would have been better placed at the thumb than the forefinger. I guess this depends on the game.

 

The games I own are a mixed bag. I don't care for sports games and Gorf and Blueprint are both pretty lousy games. Qix is quirky and the 5200 controller seems to work pretty well with it. Centipede is ok on the system, but I do prefer the 7800 version. Pole position is pretty cool with the sound effects allowed by the better sound capabilities. As for Pac Man, well, this is where the controller is an unpleasant thing. the lack of self centering makes control sluggish. It takes getting used to and it creates a higher learning curve for such a familiar game.

 

Graphics are a nice surprise. I was shocked to see how nice Pac Man looked. Wow. This thing had some graphics chops.

 

The controller is one of its shortcomings, that and the size, but overall, it looks like a system that had some power.

 

Bottom line, I'm one of the converted now. While the 5200 will never be one of my favorites, I now know it's not as bad a system as I was led to believe.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Nice write up and good to see an honest view,got my 5200 package coming form eightnit with Trackball, games and a Gold Refurb controller from BEST ELECTRONICS, having NEVER touched a 5200 let alone own one I am really excited to be getting it. Your post is timely for me, seems a lot of 5200 interests lately.

[OldAtarian]

The problem with the controllers was that a lot of the technology that went into them was either still fairly new or had not yet been used in that way before, so there were going to be problems. I don't know how much play testing they actually did or how rigorous their testing methods were, but in light of the fact that there were reports of broken controllers from very early on, the testing was obviously inadequate. It wasn't like a year or two had passed before the first reports started coming in, at least then you could give Atari somewhat of a pass for having tested them thoroughly enough but it was almost from day one that the controllers started breaking and it wasn't just a few isolated incidents. That would be cause for a class action lawsuit today. How Atari managed to avoid one back then is beyond me.

[TheLunarFox]

I also happened across my 5200 by chance. It was $20 at a local thrift shop. Someone had either loved the one I got a lot because it was very well taken care of and still in the box or they didn't love it at all, but I've been pretty satisfied with it myself. So far my favorite game has been Gyruss. Highly addictive and the music is great.

 

But now that I have more games, I do see what people are talking about with the fire buttons. Still, I'm okay with the controllers. I wouldn't say they were good or give them glowing reviews, but it does add another challenge to playing games (or a good excuse as to why I stink so bad at many games). Recently, I let a younger friend play the 5200 and the look he gave the controllers was priceless. After using them for a bit, he was ready to go back to his homework.

[akator]

Agreed, the 5200 is pretty awesome. Sure, the controllers can be unreliable, but just refurb them yourself or with help from Best. I like my 2 port much more than I expected, and can't wait to get it set back up.

[doctorclu]

Agreed, the 5200 is pretty awesome. Sure, the controllers can be unreliable, but just refurb them yourself or with help from Best. I like my 2 port much more than I expected, and can't wait to get it set back up.

 

The controllers are interesting but awlful. I have several solutions that allow the 5200 to use 2600/7800 controllers and there is even a Sega Genesis mod. With that the 5200 is playable and fun, without those solutions, it is a curiousity.

[tz101]

Bohoki sells a PC-5200 controller adapter cable for $10. Well worth it. Almost all older 15 pin PC controllers work well. I have an arcade stick that is top notch with the 5200.

 

That is my shameless plug for Bohoki's controller adapter...

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Bohoki sells a PC-5200 controller adapter cable for $10. Well worth it. Almost all older 15 pin PC controllers work well. I have an arcade stick that is top notch with the 5200.

 

That is my shameless plug for Bohoki's controller adapter...

 

sounds interesting BUT what about keypad buttons, pause, start etc? How are these all mapped to the PC controller?

[bohoki]

Bohoki sells a PC-5200 controller adapter cable for $10. Well worth it. Almost all older 15 pin PC controllers work well. I have an arcade stick that is top notch with the 5200.

 

That is my shameless plug for Bohoki's controller adapter...

 

sounds interesting BUT what about keypad buttons, pause, start etc? How are these all mapped to the PC controller?

 

i thank tz for the shout

 

 

on my gen 3 i just use a pass through that you have to plug a 5200 controller in for the pause,reset and keypad(becuase i provide a start button

 

 

on my gen 3.5 i used a plug to use a touchpad or kidscontroller or the basic keypad but it required unscrewing screws and cutting a resistor (too much skill technical still required for end user so i abandoned)

 

then my rev 5 i said what the hell and made buttons for each button but its kind of ugly

its very complex and probably not soldered to the best of my ability so its not for sale

 

check my post

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/169301-more-pc-joys-adapted-to-5200/

 

 

out of those my favorite 2 are the lower right white one and the upper middle suncom fx2000

 

i also made a custom for someone that has individual buttons for #,* and pause

 

i just glue everything up with a hot glue gun

Edited October 9, 2010 by bohoki

[Dr Manhattan]

Bohoki, are your controller adapters still available?

[bohoki]

Bohoki, are your controller adapters still available?

 

i prefer selling them with a joystick because the ones i have are tested by me and work some 15 pin gameport joysticks dont work as well as a person would like

 

but sure i'll sell one for $10 (i like to know the stick that you will use as i am trying to make a list of known working and incompatable)

 

i do it as a public service and want one in the hands of anybody with a pc joystick and 5200

 

ive sold close to 40 of them to people all over the usa

 

my first one took me like an hour to build

 

it still takes me about 20 minutes to assemble one most of the time it is the wire stripping it is exactly 34 strips two 8 wire cables both sides plus the outer shield strips both cables each end

 

if you have any skill with a soldering iron i cannot encourage you enough to built one yourself its pretty easy

 

the parts list is just

 

2 sections of 8 conductor (i use eithernet wire)

2 capacitors .22uf often marked 224 on them

2 female 15 pin connectors

1 15 pin male

1 push button

 

hot glue gun and sticks

soldering iron and solder

Edited October 9, 2010 by bohoki

[OldAtarian]

Bohoki sells a PC-5200 controller adapter cable for $10. Well worth it. Almost all older 15 pin PC controllers work well. I have an arcade stick that is top notch with the 5200.

 

That is my shameless plug for Bohoki's controller adapter...

 

sounds interesting BUT what about keypad buttons, pause, start etc? How are these all mapped to the PC controller?

 

i thank tz for the shout

 

 

on my gen 3 i just use a pass through that you have to plug a 5200 controller in for the pause,reset and keypad(becuase i provide a start button

 

 

on my gen 3.5 i used a plug to use a touchpad or kidscontroller or the basic keypad but it required unscrewing screws and cutting a resistor (too much skill technical still required for end user so i abandoned)

 

then my rev 5 i said what the hell and made buttons for each button but its kind of ugly

its very complex and probably not soldered to the best of my ability so its not for sale

 

check my post

 

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic/169301-more-pc-joys-adapted-to-5200/

 

 

out of those my favorite 2 are the lower right white one and the upper middle suncom fx2000

 

i also made a custom for someone that has individual buttons for #,* and pause

 

i just glue everything up with a hot glue gun

 

Wouldn't it be easier to adapt a Jaguar controller? It has all the buttons. A Colecovision controller might even be an option.

Edited October 9, 2010 by OldAtarian

[Brian R.]

I honestly have no idea why the size of the system registers as an "issue" or "problem" for the 5200.

 

And besides requiring a "unique" switchbox, I don't see why the four-port power supply/AV setup is an issue either. Also don't see why it would be a problem for an LCD TV any more than a two-port 5200 or any other classic game system.

 

Seems for people born after 1990, making claims on places like YouTube that the four-port switchbox was a fire hazard has become popular. Although I'm not aware of and haven't heard of it actually ever having been a fire hazard.

 

The size of the system and the AV/power setup on the four-port are actually related - they have to do with reducing clutter. A good chunk of the system's size is due to the controller bay on the back. That, and the single cord for AV and power combined with an automatic switchbox were for the same reason - to reduce clutter, make things neater and easier to use.

 

The only real issue is the controller.

[tz101]

Wouldn't it be easier to adapt a Jaguar controller? It has all the buttons. A Colecovision controller might even be an option.

 

Jag controller would be boss, but no one seems to offer any schematics on how to do it, so for now the answer is "no". Hopefully, someone like Bohoki will try this in the near future.

[bohoki]

Wouldn't it be easier to adapt a Jaguar controller? It has all the buttons. A Colecovision controller might even be an option.

 

Jag controller would be boss, but no one seems to offer any schematics on how to do it, so for now the answer is "no". Hopefully, someone like Bohoki will try this in the near future.

 

a jag controller could be wired up to use the redemption 2600 adapter because the d pad is wired just like an atari 2600 controller

 

but my main goal is to have a controller that is 100% compatable with all games and that means i need analogness in order to do starwars,misilecommand,gorf,kaboom,superbreakout and have a 2 speed ship in galaxian not be skiding all the time in pole position and flying slightly slower than full speed in river raid cause i like timing my shot to the bridge with a tank across it

 

 

here's the skinny on jag controllers

you need an active circuit to do the converting and its just to much work for such little interest its like commming up with the worlds best wagon wheel polish sure i'd sell a couple gallons to the amish then thats it

 

but i could wire up an adapter that would use the jag numpad along with a pc joystick and it would make left be pause,right be start and down be reset the plug i'm pretty sure is just the 15 pin high density one from computer monitors

Edited October 10, 2010 by bohoki

[OldAtarian]

I honestly have no idea why the size of the system registers as an "issue" or "problem" for the 5200.

 

And besides requiring a "unique" switchbox, I don't see why the four-port power supply/AV setup is an issue either. Also don't see why it would be a problem for an LCD TV any more than a two-port 5200 or any other classic game system.

 

Seems for people born after 1990, making claims on places like YouTube that the four-port switchbox was a fire hazard has become popular. Although I'm not aware of and haven't heard of it actually ever having been a fire hazard.

 

The size of the system and the AV/power setup on the four-port are actually related - they have to do with reducing clutter. A good chunk of the system's size is due to the controller bay on the back. That, and the single cord for AV and power combined with an automatic switchbox were for the same reason - to reduce clutter, make things neater and easier to use.

 

The only real issue is the controller.

 

I hate those guys who do retro game reviews in blogs or on YT and the first thing they complain about, even before the rotten controllers, is how big it is. Well, duh! Of course it's big. It has a compartment for storing the controllers in when you're done playing. That's almost half the size of the unit by itself. Those same reviewers will praise the Colecovision or Intellivision for having built in controller storage yet slam the 5200 for having the same feature.

 

The only people who complain about the switchbox are those who bought a bare console and had to piece together all the parts they needed to get it to run. Those boxes are $40 by themselves, when you can get them.

 

Fire hazard? Please. We have a thing in this country called the UL listing that prevents things like that. The 5200 would never have been allowed on the market without one and would not have gotten one if it was a fire hazard. What's a fire hazard is when these idiots have 6 TV's and 6 game systems and other audio/video components plugged into a 2 outlet wall jack through the use of multiple power strips daisy chained together. So yeah, the lights are going to flicker and the outlet is going to start smoking when you have all that crap powered on at the same time.

Edited October 10, 2010 by OldAtarian

[doctorclu]

Complaints on the storage bit for the controllers: I liked how Angry Video Game Nerd used the stoage as a place to put a bottle of beer.

 

As for the fiire hazard of the four port A/V switch box... never heard that before, but perhaps I should know. I have been using the switch box with my Samsung LCD SyncMaster 150 MP and this has been working fine.

[tz101]

Those same reviewers will praise the Colecovision or Intellivision for having built in controller storage yet slam the 5200 for having the same feature.

 

The only people who complain about the switchbox are those who bought a bare console and had to piece together all the parts they needed to get it to run.

 

Agreed completely. I will also add that the main ones who complain about the controllers are people who have bought into the game forum hype. Having no experience with the stock 5200 controllers, most of these only spread the slander with no actual knowledge whatsoever.

[Lendorien]

I will also add that the main ones who complain about the controllers are people who have bought into the game forum hype. Having no experience with the stock 5200 controllers, most of these only spread the slander with no actual knowledge whatsoever.

 

I don't think that it's all slander honestly. I will admit that the stock controllers are not nearly as bad as I was led to believe. I like the design and it has some great features. The Keypad is, IMHO better than the INTV and the start and pause buttons are great ideas.

 

Now the controller fails in other places. My controllers work and do not have any issues, but that's because I took them apart and cleaned them. How many controllers from other systems do you have to do that with as a matter of course?

 

Then there's the fact that they're definitely flawed in comparison to other controllers. The control is sluggish because of the lack of self centering. The player ends up having to move the stick around a lot more than on other controllers, slowing reaction time. I'm not very good at games like Pac Man, but on the 5200 with stock controllers, the game gains a whole new level of difficulty because the controllers are so sluggish. Blue Print can be an exercise in frustration because of this and other games suffer as well. The controller's lack of self centering can be gotten used to, but it has a much higher learning curve in this regard than other controllers.

 

So yes, the 5200 controller is flawed. People who say so are not wrong.

 

Those same reviewers will praise the Colecovision or Intellivision for having built in controller storage yet slam the 5200 for having the same feature.

 

In terms of controller storage, I take issue with your comparison.

 

The CV and INTV both have controller storage that don't really add to the footprint of the console. The INTV controllers slide in above the main console itself. The CV is the same way. In the case of the 5200, they have this huge four inch overhang in the back just for the controllers. Neither the CV and INTV handle controller storage this way and thus have smaller footprints. So I think it's not fair to compare the two and use that as an excuse to say that people who have complaints about the 5200's size are full of water.

 

The only people who complain about the switchbox are those who bought a bare console and had to piece together all the parts they needed to get it to run.

 

The 4 port Ac adapter issue I have is the fact that the RF lines feed through the adapter. If the thing gets a short, you could end up blowing out your TV. I have no idea how common it is. Heck, it might never happen, but just the way it's set up is bound to make some people nervous for that reason alone especially since LCD, Plasma and LED TVs are a lot more sensitive than your old CRTs were.

Edited October 11, 2010 by Lendorien

[Charlie_]

In terms of controller storage, I take issue with your comparison.

 

The CV and INTV both have controller storage that don't really add to the footprint of the console. The INTV controllers slide in above the main console itself. The CV is the same way. In the case of the 5200, they have this huge four inch overhang in the back just for the controllers. Neither the CV and INTV handle controller storage this way and thus have smaller footprints. So I think it's not fair to compare the two and use that as an excuse to say that people who have complaints about the 5200's size are full of water.

 

If you open a coleco, the entire left side of the console in ONLY for controller storage. In fact it is a much higher percent of the console than the 5200.

 

Basically, under the coleco controllers is nothing.

[jetset]

I will also add that the main ones who complain about the controllers are people who have bought into the game forum hype. Having no experience with the stock 5200 controllers, most of these only spread the slander with no actual knowledge whatsoever.

 

I don't think that it's all slander honestly. I will admit that the stock controllers are not nearly as bad as I was led to believe. I like the design and it has some great features. The Keypad is, IMHO better than the INTV and the start and pause buttons are great ideas.

 

Now the controller fails in other places. My controllers work and do not have any issues, but that's because I took them apart and cleaned them. How many controllers from other systems do you have to do that with as a matter of course?

 

Then there's the fact that they're definitely flawed in comparison to other controllers. The control is sluggish because of the lack of self centering. The player ends up having to move the stick around a lot more than on other controllers, slowing reaction time. I'm not very good at games like Pac Man, but on the 5200 with stock controllers, the game gains a whole new level of difficulty because the controllers are so sluggish. Blue Print can be an exercise in frustration because of this and other games suffer as well. The controller's lack of self centering can be gotten used to, but it has a much higher learning curve in this regard than other controllers.

 

So yes, the 5200 controller is flawed. People who say so are not wrong.

 

 

It's purely opinion that the controllers are flawed. I don't find them sluggish in the least, and only on Frogger and Gorf do I see any issue with the non-self centering. PacMan is excellent with the 5200 controllers, certainly more comfortable than a stiff immobile stick like that of the 2600. Everyone is so quick to point out the arcade pacman used a self-centering stick, but they forget there is also a good deal of play in all directions that the 2600 type sticks lack.

As to the learning curve, most controllers require that. Look at the Coleco's sticks. A stubby knob, horribly positioned fire buttons (who the hell thought to put fire button #1 on the left side and Fire #2 on the opposite side?). And I'd certainly take the 5200 controllers over the intellivision controllers ANY day of the week (or the 7800 sticks o' pain for that matter as well!)

 

The only flaw in the design of the 5200 controllers is the flex circuit which gives way to the buttons, (specificially the fire buttons) wearing out. Beyond that if you're not a good enough gamer to adapt, practice a little and you'll do fine.

[mellis]

 

The CV and INTV both have controller storage that don't really add to the footprint of the console. The INTV controllers slide in above the main console itself. The CV is the same way. In the case of the 5200, they have this huge four inch overhang in the back just for the controllers. Neither the CV and INTV handle controller storage this way and thus have smaller footprints. So I think it's not fair to compare the two and use that as an excuse to say that people who have complaints about the 5200's size are full of water.

 

 

What's being overlooked here is "design". In my opinion, the 5200 feels like it was lovingly crafted to be a Nice Thing, and I really like Nice Things. To my eye, this system is beautiful like no other game system.

 

The 5200 is a significant artifact in the history of video game consoles. It was designed and sold when Atari had the resources to take big, bold steps. They were sitting on a mountain of cash from the 2600's success, and with home video game consoles still being a relatively new market back then, they were unsure of what types of systems the market would bear. Could the 5200 bring in big margins at the high end of the market while the workhorse 2600 catered to the value-conscious consumer? Atari thought so, and so they went for it. As such, the 5200 is the best example of a spare-no-expense, this-is-serious-business game system as you will ever see. And if you're Atari and you're building an in-your-face, take-no-prisoners console, you might as well make it big and beautiful - which they did.

 

Nowadays the video game console market is mature, and its economics are well understood, as game companies have had decades to consider history's lessons. I doubt we'll ever see the likes of the 5200 again.

[Lendorien]

In terms of controller storage, I take issue with your comparison.

 

The CV and INTV both have controller storage that don't really add to the footprint of the console. The INTV controllers slide in above the main console itself. The CV is the same way. In the case of the 5200, they have this huge four inch overhang in the back just for the controllers. Neither the CV and INTV handle controller storage this way and thus have smaller footprints. So I think it's not fair to compare the two and use that as an excuse to say that people who have complaints about the 5200's size are full of water.

 

If you open a coleco, the entire left side of the console in ONLY for controller storage. In fact it is a much higher percent of the console than the 5200.

 

Basically, under the coleco controllers is nothing.

 

Be that as it may, the CV managed not to be as big as the 5200.

[OldAtarian]

 

The CV and INTV both have controller storage that don't really add to the footprint of the console. The INTV controllers slide in above the main console itself. The CV is the same way. In the case of the 5200, they have this huge four inch overhang in the back just for the controllers. Neither the CV and INTV handle controller storage this way and thus have smaller footprints. So I think it's not fair to compare the two and use that as an excuse to say that people who have complaints about the 5200's size are full of water.

 

 

What's being overlooked here is "design". In my opinion, the 5200 feels like it was lovingly crafted to be a Nice Thing, and I really like Nice Things. To my eye, this system is beautiful like no other game system.

 

The 5200 is a significant artifact in the history of video game consoles. It was designed and sold when Atari had the resources to take big, bold steps. They were sitting on a mountain of cash from the 2600's success, and with home video game consoles still being a relatively new market back then, they were unsure of what types of systems the market would bear. Could the 5200 bring in big margins at the high end of the market while the workhorse 2600 catered to the value-conscious consumer? Atari thought so, and so they went for it. As such, the 5200 is the best example of a spare-no-expense, this-is-serious-business game system as you will ever see. And if you're Atari and you're building an in-your-face, take-no-prisoners console, you might as well make it big and beautiful - which they did.

 

Nowadays the video game console market is mature, and its economics are well understood, as game companies have had decades to consider history's lessons. I doubt we'll ever see the likes of the 5200 again.

 

And as far as design goes, it was a design that Atari used again in the shape of the 7800 and the 2800/Sears Video Arcade II, though on a smaller scale. The slab on a pedestal look of those three machines is a whole lot better looking than the 2600 jr. or even the original 2600.

Edited October 11, 2010 by OldAtarian

[Brian R.]

I still fail to see what the physical size of the system has to do with whether it's "good" or not.

 

An extra inch here, or there, doesn't seem to be significant at all.

 

It's a sharp looking machine. For me, it's appearance is a big plus in its favor. I'd rather use a 5200 than a 400 computer.

 

The controller is another matter. Without my Wico, I doubt I'd use it much at all. Which would be a shame, because I love its version of Pac-Man.

 

P.S. I have a couple working 2600 juniors and think they're really neat little machines. But I just favor using my four-toggle woodgrain, because it's the one I had "back in the day."

Edited October 11, 2010 by Brian R.