My Atari 5200 came in the mail! Barely...

[Seethransom]

Hello all!

 

Good news, and bad news.

 

I got a beat up package split down the side! The letter carrier said he checked his truck, and nothing "rolled" out. Not his fault, so I thanked him, and set the way too big "box" down for some unboxing. I carefully opened the carton, Whew! Smells like a wet basement! It was dirty. I'd be embarrassed to sell this to someone. I sell on eBay (since '02), and nothing left me without being cleaned up (unless the value is in the patina). It is a matter of customer service, and self reflection. If I got this at a yard sale, that's different. Sorry, had to vent.

 

Inside were poorly wrapped items. I'm not being critical being an online seller, but I know how to pack. This was lazy, and careless. Amazon is not a flea market... Inside the Aftermarket joysticks ended up to be some very nice 2600 sticks. I took it in stride, as I do want an 2600/7800.

 

The unit controller bay door was chipped. Missing one Joystick. NO POWER SUPPLY! Happy the AV switch was there. everything else wrapped in popped bubble wrap. I can see this stuff bouncing about for the who trip. Facepalm.

 

Luckily, I found a power supply that works in my "Radio Shack Box". I got it all together. I go to turn it on, and Pac-Man starts right up! Thank you! Time to get into the controllers...

 

One worked right out of the box. Very usable. The others had seen better days. I worked it out for a few hours. I have 2 controllers that work very decently. Excellent for Space Dungeon.

 

Overall, I am happy. Everything worked out. I only paid $36. I am going to talk to the seller, and perhaps that split at least in half. This is the only time I've ordered something on the net, and it has not worked out to my satisfaction. I'm not doing poorly overall.

 

My friend Dan, who was skeptical of how much fun this "old jank" machine can be. We stayed up all night with the three games I was lucky enough to find. Pac-Man, Qix, and Space Dungeon (with coupler).

 

I have newer consoles, but these are the first pieces in my "collection".

 

Thanks for listening.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Seethransom

[AtariBrian]

And thats why you buy from the AA market instead of ebay

Edited August 7, 2013 by AtariBrian

[MAC-42]

Goodness, Seethransom, that's pretty terrible. At least it worked, I guess. Have you been able to get it cleaned up satisfactorily? Sounds like yours is a 4-port, correct? It would have been a real pain in the posterior had that switchbox not been there.

 

Mine arrived recently as you know. Paid $41 total on eBay for it, which came with three sticks, a coupler, and three common games. The thing was in pretty nice shape. Needs a little embedded dust cleaned out of it in places, but that's hardly the worst thing in the world. The worst parts were the broken boot on one of the sticks--which was clear in the picture--and the mucked up front sticker on the Pac-Man cart--again, no surprise there. I think my power cable has a break inside, so that's a small detail. And, as I mentioned to you in the status updates, two of the three sticks don't work. (Not entirely unexpected, so I wasn't disappointed. Gonna buy new flexies for them, which should bring them back to life.) The most amazing thing of all was how well the stuff was packed. Each piece was packed so well and then fitted to the next one in such a way that they could have survived the Apocalypse, Ragnarok, and a disappointing match at Wembley Stadium. It took me a half hour to unpack, I kid you not. Oddly, that was perhaps the most gratifying part of this whole thing. A bit like archaeology, maybe.

 

Anyway. Good to hear that your baby is at least alive. And it was good to hear that you've corrected your friend there as to its fun factor. My six-year-old daughter loves the thing, as does my wife. Her family didn't have a lot of money growing up and, besides, didn't believe in video games; all these old machines I have are all new for her, so she really enjoys them.

 

PS, I think AtariBrian is, in the main, correct. I took a small gamble with mine that the inability to start games described in the auction wasn't internal and it paid off. If I weren't a gambling man caught in a moment of whimsey, however, the Marketplace would have been the better way to go.

[shadow460]

$36 ain't bad for a 5200, but there's still no excuse for poor packaging. The last one I sold was power modded and in good condition with plenty of common games. It went north of $100.

 

How much were you charged for shipping?

[Seethransom]

Goodness, Seethransom, that's pretty terrible. At least it worked, I guess. Have you been able to get it cleaned up satisfactorily? Sounds like yours is a 4-port, correct? It would have been a real pain in the posterior had that switchbox not been there.

 

@Mac I was peeved! If I sold you the Atari, it would have come well packed too. Perhaps not to the extent you received, but close. I am happy now. I did get in touch with the seller. She is refunding me half. So, I feel everything is fair now. She is not a showpiece, but worth $15. I only have one booted controler.Thinking of sticking a spring in it's place on the other.

 

@Atari Brian, I'm learning. I have my foot in the door now. I overestimated Amazon. It all turned out ok, and I feel I can give the seller a fair feedback.

 

@Shadow, I think it was $8.00. About right for parcel in the same zone.

 

Thanks for your replies. Will be looking at what peeps have for sale.

Edited August 7, 2013 by Seethransom

[Illtiger1]

I also had a not so great experience in buying my 5200 off of ebay at the beginning of this summer. Luckily, after a few emails, the seller only charged me for the shipping. In the end, I think you got a pretty good deal getting that stuff for only $15.

[sqoon]

You got one of the better games on the system, Space Dungeon, and with the coupler, nice. Hope you and your friend spent some time on this one.

 

Welcome to the 5200. IMO, the best machine Atari ever released. Years of fun ahead...

[Seethransom]

Thanks Tiger!

 

$15 is a great deal. I can get it to look pretty good again. Plus, I can leave good feedback too. I think the loss they took will teach them to use better materials. I'm happy you got everything worked out too.

 

My Bill Me Later account increased me. In a moment of weakness I ordered an Atarimax. I should absorb my purchase with a couple of things I have to eBay.

 

One of the things I actually bought to keep, an F15E Hawk PC flight stick. If converted, I thought of games like Star Raiders for this. the self center springs are killer! Alas, I'm a lefty. It will make someone happy.

 

I did find an original digital only PSX controller. I have no idea what I am doing, but I want to convert it over to DB-15. This will be my first project like this.

[boxpressed]

Good move with the Atarimax! My multicart has made my 5200 experience so much better.

 

I like to take risks with cheap 5200 lots too. The consoles themselves are usually working. Out of the eight or nine that I've bought, only two had problems (and one of those was described as not working). I think most of the rest were described as untested.

[Seethransom]

You got one of the better games on the system, Space Dungeon, and with the coupler, nice. Hope you and your friend spent some time on this one.

 

Welcome to the 5200. IMO, the best machine Atari ever released. Years of fun ahead...

 

Thank you! This is not my first 5200, I had one as a kid. It is a fine machine! Space Dungeon is why I bought this console. It was my favorite. My Dad, Sister, and I could play for hours. I got a steal for a CIB copy of SD on eBay. There is no way around the coupler (save PS2 controller mod). Dan loved this one, little better than Qix. I used to play it on the PSP, on a Taito disc. Just not the same. Now that the tech has come far, I can play on a 50 inch screen!

 

I too think this machine was wayyyy underrated. I used to go to the arcade a few times a week for a few years, and my 5200 had the best ports of the games I was most interested in (the Conversions will round out my favorites). Back as a kid, I had no idea it was a spin off of a computer. I just loved it. I was gentle enough with our second set of joysticks, that they lasted quite awhile. I would clean them regularly. The games were so good, I forgave the controllers.

 

 

 

The 5200 is my favorite console. Then Dreamcast, 2600, NES, GBA, and PSP. I do love my Xperia Play too.

Mark

[Seethransom]

Good move with the Atarimax! My multicart has made my 5200 experience so much better.

 

I'll save money in the long run. The 5200 was built well. You can go through 20 controllers before the box dies!

[MAC-42]

I too think this machine was wayyyy underrated.

 

Yup, learning this with each play. I'm on my first 5200 here, and it really is quite something. I grew up with a 2600 and 7800 and had the time of my little life with them. And I really never wanted a 5200 when I got back into buying these old systems again--thought my XEGS would cover me for 8-bit gaming. Glad that the whim to buy it came over me, because it's...different somehow. Really good stuff.

[Illtiger1]

I'm on my first 5200 as well. My father had the Intellivision and my cousins the VCS, but no one I knew had a 5200. I used to see that big 5200 box at Child World toy store and was in awe by it. I never ended up getting one. Instead, I got a Sears 2600, 7800, and shortly after an NES. When I started collecting a couple of years ago, I kept being drawn to the 5200, but the controller issues and what seemed to be a library of rehashed 2600 games kept me away. Finally, I decided I had to get one at the beginning of this summer and I love it.

[sqoon]

There is no way around the coupler (save PS2 controller mod).

 

Do you know of anyone who does this controller mod? There was a poster on here some time ago who worked on it as a project, but eventually faded away. I would think that it would have to have two separate cords coming out, one for controller port 1 and another for controller port 2. This is because games like Space Dungeon and Robotron 2084 require use of both those ports. I could also see a controller like this being useful on a true arcade conversion of Battlezone for 5200.

[Seethransom]

@ Mac and @Tiger,

 

The 5200 was often overlooked. I didn't know it existed until my parents gave it my Sister, and I. I remember the ads, but it seemed Coleco had more ads, rubbing in the fact they had the best Donkey Kong. Then a 2600 add-on.

 

To me, at 12 Atari was the name. Mainly for their graphical version of Adventure. I loved the text version at my Dad's job (Rogue too). If I was not on a computer, then I want to be on an Atari. I bet many of the people here have a similar story.

 

Many friends knocked the system to make their 2600/Intellivision/Coleco seem better. There was one friend with a Fairchild, so he got the most razzing, lol. Anyways, I never let it get me down. I was playing smarter. Today I know it is because of the computer division these games were such great ports.

 

I'm glad you two are loving your 5200's. The early 8-bit years really brought fixed the limits of the first gen, and really delivered the arcade titles with a higher level of accuracy. I love the 2600, but she had her limits.

[Seethransom]

Sqoon,

 

Is this what you are looking for? I posted this the other day. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/206027-custom-5200-controller/page__st__50?do=findComment&comment=2803066, The whole thread is excellent.

[Seethransom]

I have my 5200 all cleaned up now. It really got scuffed up a bit. I'm so happy it works. It smells much better now too.

 

As for the controller, I am pleasantly surprised. I have one booted controller with all buttons functional except, you guessed it, lower left! Start works like a dream, as does pause. I call that player one. Player two works well, but has no boot. Start needs help, as well as lower left. To me that is amazing. I cleaned them all up to get the best I can from them. Space dungeon works really well! No frustration, just fun.

 

Playing Qix I notice I hold the controller 90 degrees to the right. That way my index finger can man the lower right button, with my thumb at left top. Make me chuckle that the instinct still within me.

 

Part of the fun for me in the maintenance. Perhaps it is good I got a beat up one.

 

I cannot wait for my Atarimax! I might have to though, as I have an all weekend party I attend yearly. Like 20 of my closest friends ditching their kids Saturday and party. Sunday is for the kids to ( have a pool) party.

 

I'm glad I found this place! Cool people. Just like VW Bug people.

[sqoon]

^

No, there was a thread where the poster was actually working on the PS2 dual shock mod.

 

Something comes to mind, though: The 'analog' sticks on modern controllers from N64 through XB360 are not actually analog at all. Rather, they work on serial optical encoder technology. This makes me wonder if the PS2 dual shock or any other modern twin-stick controller is modifiable to work with 5200.

[Seethransom]

Left my Amazon feedback today. SInce there was no questions specific to my problem, I did not report it. I really feel the seller knows to do a better job next time. I did add how quick they are in their customer service, and they do fair business. No need to scar their record. Everyone screws up, how one handles it is their character.

 

At the same time, I am thrilled to have only paid $15 for the system. I should get a real power supply. I am using a Motorola cable MODEM supply. Less amps, but more volts. I forgot OHMs law...