kyle Posted March 28, 2002 Share Posted March 28, 2002 Ok what should i know about the 5200? Ive never played one but love my 7800 and 2600 so now i want the 5200. I keep reading about a 2 port 5200 and a 4 port. I know the 2 port uses a normal RF swich like you get a radio shack. The 4 port has its on R/F swich wich is harder to come by sep for places like best. I also understand that about 3 games wont work on the 2 port. So which should i get the 4 port or the 2 port? Are the games as fun as they look on screenshots? Also whats the deal with the 5200 jouystick i hear they mess up alot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmctm1sw Posted March 28, 2002 Share Posted March 28, 2002 I have both the 2 port and 4 port but I don't play either much. I hate the joysticks! I think the games are Pitfall and Mountain King. I just saw a thread somewhere here about that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmctm1sw Posted March 28, 2002 Share Posted March 28, 2002 BTW, I'd solve your problem this way. I'd buy neither. Get a Atari 400/800 computer. The games are similar and you can use Atari 2600 joysticks (on the 400 I'm sure, since I own one). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted March 28, 2002 Share Posted March 28, 2002 Well to answer the question more...both the 2 port and the 4 port are pysically the same size. But yes, the 4 port does use a different RF switch box that is only for the 4 port models. However, I have had the luck of winning several on Yahoo and Ebay which were claimed untested...and only one didn't work. So I have spares. If you want full compatibility of the 5200 library...then get a 4 port unit. If you want less hassles and want support for the VCS adapter as well..then you need to get a 2 port. But yes, Mountain King, Krazy Shootout, and Pitfall! only appear to work on 4 port units...or 2 port units with a 4 port bios chip stuck in them. As for the Joysticks. The biggest problem with them is the buttons and not the stick itself. However, there are several methods to keeping a 5200 joystick in good shape. The joysticks are not self centering which does make games like Pac-Man and others difficult to play. But then the Analog control of them does make other games great to play such as Fractalus and others... As for getting the 400/800 over the 5200. This depends...I have an 800xl myself and do like the fact that I can use standard 2600 joysticks in the thing. But some of the games are different between the 400/800 and the 5200. However, with a 400/800 you also can open yourself up to the whole Atari 8-bit line of software which makes the library of games the largest for the 400/800 over the 5200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian M Posted March 28, 2002 Share Posted March 28, 2002 quote: Originally posted by KBeXpress: Ok what should i know about the 5200? Ive never played one but love my 7800 and 2600 so now i want the 5200. I keep reading about a 2 port 5200 and a 4 port. I know the 2 port uses a normal RF swich like you get a radio shack. The 4 port has its on R/F swich wich is harder to come by sep for places like best. I also understand that about 3 games wont work on the 2 port. So which should i get the 4 port or the 2 port? Are the games as fun as they look on screenshots? Also whats the deal with the 5200 jouystick i hear they mess up alot? I am a proud owner of a 2 port 5200 console with 2 working controllers, WICO stick, trackball, and VCS adapter. I got this in a trade for my Jag stuff. Was it a good deal? DEFINITELY YES! Are the games as fun as they look on the screen? Again, yes they are! I LOVE Pac-Man and all the other classics. They have the addictive quality of 2600 games, but with better and more colorful graphics and sound. The controllers are a hateful item and the one thing that I really believe hurt the otherwise awesome 5200 games. You do get better at it with some practice, but the non-centering nature of the sticks is definitely a hard habit to master since you have to consciously remember to re-center the stick. Regardless of what people say, I still find the WICO stick a little unwieldy to use, even with the "centering" mode on. There's just far too much joystick "travel" involved (ie: there's alot of distance involved when moving the stick). The Trackball is awesome though...I highly recommend you get that as the games that use it are totally arcade-like! I too have heard/read that the 5200 joysticks break alot, alothough the ones I have are good so far. I think it may be because of the non-centering nature of the stick...it really gets moved around a lot which puts a strain on the flex circuits and boot ring. The WICO stick definitely seems a lot more rugged (it's very PC-like), so it may be worth it to get one. I find the stock 5200 controllers to be very uncomfortable because of the unergonomic way in that you hold them and where the fire buttons are located. I think you should go with the 2 port system. While you may be locked out of playing 3 games, I think the 2 ports are easier to maintain and you don't have to worry about the proprietary switchbox. Joystick issue aside, I would say go for it. If you don't feel like learning the ins and outs of the 5200 controllers, I would suggest you save yourself some stress and go with a 7800 which has digital controllers and 2600 compatibility built-in. Another warning...the 5200 is a HUGE console! Were talking about as big as a laser disc player, and factor in the very short controller cords, you better have a convenient place for this monster of a console. (yes, the controller cords are extrememly SHORT!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fmctm1sw Posted March 29, 2002 Share Posted March 29, 2002 If you want full compatibility of the 5200 library...then get a 4 port unit. If you want less hassles and want support for the VCS adapter as well.. Great call, I forgot about the VCS adapter. I must have jammed that poor thing into my 4 port about 100 times before I gave up. I read here that it was incompatible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonlightKnight Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 So which games aren't compatible with the 2 port? I have both and was trying to decide if I wanted get rid of one or to keep both. That is if I can get my hands on some working joysticks. Out of five I only have one good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+-^CrossBow^- Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 As we said earlier...Only Mountain King, and Pitfall! that I am aware of are the only ones that aren't compatible with the 2 port units. Since you have both units...you could always swap out the bios rom from your 4 port with the 2 port and that way you have a 2 port that is fully compatible with all the games and the VCS adapter. As for working controllers...I haven't any spares...but I don't find the 5200 sticks impossible to repair. Just time consuming is all. What are the probs you have with your sticks and maybe one or eight of us here will have some ideas on how to go about fixing them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian M Posted April 4, 2002 Share Posted April 4, 2002 quote: Originally posted by MoonlightKnight: So which games aren't compatible with the 2 port? I have both and was trying to decide if I wanted get rid of one or to keep both. That is if I can get my hands on some working joysticks. Out of five I only have one good one. Hmmm...how much are you willing to pay for some good working controllers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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