Thommy D-2 Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 I am sick of people who know nothing about the 5200, and who have NEVER OWENED ONE, bitching about it!!! Let me list and clear up the most common grippes about the 5200: (In a whiny young 17 year old voice) 5200 hater- "But the controllers suck and they break all the time." Me- "shut up! They are far superior to the 2600. They feature; 360 degree analog motion, two separate fire buttons, full integrated keypad, PAUSE start and reset buttons and they are fully symmetrical so they can easily be used by right or left handed people. ALSO, I HAVE THE SAME 2 WORKING CONTROLLERS THAT I BOUGHT WITH THE SYSTEM (with my dad at kiddy city- ah the memories) IN 1983. And I have played on them every day since then. Oh what was that? You weren’t even born then? I didn’t think so. And so what if they don’t center? (Even though they kind of do) Unless you have hooves instead of hands like a damn horse they are pretty easy to master. I bet a Goddamn chimp could use them!" 5200 hater- "But it's too big!!! Whaaaa!" Me- "STOP WHINING!" So F-ING what? It’s big! Who cares? You gonna shove it up your ass of something? It looks damn sexy on my coffee table. And the only thing that makes it really big is the controller holder in the back. If Atari didn’t include that wonderful feature IT WOULDNT BE MUCH BIGGER THAN A 6-SWITCH WOODY! So get over it." 5200 hater- “ The games aren’t much better than the 2600 versions and graphically the 5200 isn’t much better either. Sniff” Me- You gotta be F**CKING kidding me! One hyphenated word: PAC-MAN. Joust, Star Raiders, Missile command and many other titles have vast graphical and game play improvements over they’re 2600 versions. And yeah sure there might be a game or two that we prefer on the 2600 because of nostalgia reasons (Defender in my case) but that is an individual preference. In either case the 5200 is far superior in graphics. You want a spectacle of graphics and sound? Get a copy of ‘Rescue on Fractalus’ I nearly pissed my 8 year old pants the first time I plugged that cart in. 5200 hater- “Ok, maybe I don’t know what I am talking about, maybe I should try and get a hold of a 5200 and some good titles, I grew up on a playstation and I am a little whiny pimply bitch. I’m sorry.” Me- “Its ok. Get a hold of your self and a 5200 you wont regret it.” 5200 hater- Anyways I am sick of typing but if you have anymore pissy complaints about my big hottie ‘PAM’ I will be more than content to respond in full to your ignorant hearsay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Sauron Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 I really hate crapping on the 5200, as it really wasn't a bad system, or at least near as bad as many people say. However, it really does have some problems; some which are nitpicky, and some which are totally legit. Let me elaborate: * The controllers suck. Period. End of story. They are among the most god-awful joysticks ever made, which is saying alot. Games like Pac-Man are rendered virtually unplayable, especially when the controller is in need of it's monthly maintenance. Only good points are that they do work well for games like Star Raiders and Defender. * The console's footprint is too large. This really is just a nitpick, but it can be a valid one. What's cool, though, is that you can actually store the joysticks in it. * Game selection isn't that great. Sure, there's some really stellar games on it, but honestly, I don't feel the game selection really held up that well in comparison to the Colecovision. The god-awful joysticks just made it even worse. Like I said, I really hate nitpicking on the 5200. I really wanted to like it, but ultimately I really just can't get over the controllers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zloch Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 Hi Thommy D-2, I haven't played a 5200 since 1983 so I don't think I qualify as a 17 year old whiny, pimply bitch but I do recall the controllers not being all that great. I remember having a hard time playing Pac-Man, but I remember Space Invaders playing fine. I remember just DROOLING over the graphics when I first saw them. To me, Pac-Man was INCREDIBLE! As far a people whining over the size of the console, I wonder what they thought of Xbox. Now THAT is massive. You can kill a man with an Xbox. I'm getting a 5200 next week off of ebay, so I'm looking forward to discovering thos system all over again! Take care, Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad2600 Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 Perhaps the 5200's saving grace would be the Wico controllers and other 3rd party controllers. Without the Wico controller, most games would be rendered impossible to play. Luckily for me, I have 2 working joysticks that I haven't used much since I got the 5200..except to hook one joystick up the Y adaptor for the Wico. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vectrex-Atari Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 I dont see why some people are against the size of it. It fits nicely in my gamming cabinet with my other systems. I dont think its as big as people make it out to be. I am also fine with the controllers. The stock REV. 9 Joysticks I have are flawless for the past 6 months or so. I do have a Wico stick, But in havent used it at all much. I feel the Wico is worse with most of the 5200 library (except Super Cobra and a few others). I think what kills the joy of the stock joystick is the early REV. 7 joystick with its different Potentiometers. I have manage to make it to the "key" level of Pacman with a stock REV. 9 joystick. Try that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldunko Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 I personally love the large size of the 5200. Not all teenagers are impressed by small shiny objects, some of us love the belmonths of yesteryear... Personally I think it adds character to the system by making it massive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceCold Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 The controller argument is, well, no longer valid. Send me $25 and I can give you an adapter to use any 15 pin(gameport/joystick port on pc's) PC joystick or gamepad with the 5200. Or you can get a wico for pretty cheap. Or you can make your own pc adapter, etc. Yeah, the original controllers may not have held up too well, but there's tons of alternatives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad2600 Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 The controller argument is, well, no longer valid. Send me $25 and I can give you an adapter to use any 15 pin(gameport/joystick port on pc's) PC joystick or gamepad with the 5200. Or you can get a wico for pretty cheap. Or you can make your own pc adapter, etc. Yeah, the original controllers may not have held up too well, but there's tons of alternatives. Does this include standard PC controllers? I have seen several lying around a thrift that would be useful if I had the same kind of adaptor that you have. Maybe over time I'll pick one up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElectricTroy Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 Well, I still think Atari should have skipped the 5200. They should have jumped directly to the 7800: 1977 - 2600 VCS 1982 - 7800 ProSystem No 5200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phosphor Dot Fossils Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 If not for the 5200, we might not have some of the killer homebrews that we now have for this system. My 5200 is my main "homebrew machine." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Atari Posted May 26, 2003 Share Posted May 26, 2003 I never had a problem with the size until it came to storing the system. Other than that, it is big, but not too bad, and pretty cool looking. Very sleek. The controllers would be great if the stick self centered and they did something about those buttons, but it's not that horrible, actually pretty revolutionary. I like them more than that little disk the INTV has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegaManFan Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 Well, I still think Atari should have skipped the 5200. They should have jumped directly to the 7800. We all know what you think; so why waste your time posting in the 5200 forum at all. Amscray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad2600 Posted May 27, 2003 Share Posted May 27, 2003 Agreed, MMF! ElectricTroy has made his point..now it's time to go off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziggystar Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 If the games were properly programed, the controller is not that bad really! My new games work great on the 5200 controllers. It's as if Atari programmers were told, don't worry about compensating for the strange controller, we're replacing it. Or the programmers were just too lazy. As far as the large foot print, DANG! Look at the XBOX ! and the Xbox weighs a tons and still has no room to store your controllers. Which was neat. The 5200 is also elegant for it time. The 5200 was a good idea. And no, they should not have went right to the 7800, the 5200 was still a year or two early. It should of had other controllers sooner. The adapter sooner. IT was a crappy year for everyone except computers. The 5200 could have been the console that saved atari if they would have gotten on the ball. Ported more games, not changed so much to make it harder to port games. In fact, it should of run the same code as the 800 so companies could of just copied the game to a cart. but oh well! People make mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyranthraxus Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 The joystick is really the only valid problem with the system and a lot of it has to do with programming. Why didn't programmers & designers take advantage of the sticks? Its bulky but looks sleek. Games look and sound great apart from a few titles that don't look much better than the 2600 version. Overall I find this to be a very nice system and the joystick problem overrated. Pitfall 2 is the only game I own (out of 12 or so) that the non-centering joysticks infuriate me. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad2600 Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 I have working controllers and from my experience, they aren't too bad. Actually, they're better for some games than the Wico stick! I wish there were as many homebrews for the 5200 as the 2600. I know of Koffi and Irata's Quest and there are more that I haven't bothered to check into yet. If I EVER get some time, I'm going to sit down and try to learn how to program games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 The 5200 seems to be THE acrimonious subject lately (next to the Jag of course). Well, I just played the 5200 for the first time yesterday. I'm under no illusions that they will make a significant contribution to the debate, but here are my impressions. The joysticks...suck. It's no wonder the console received a cool reception and died quickly. IMO, had the sticks been on par with the 2600's, the console would have been wildly successful. With that one simple difference, I believe the 5200 would have developed a tremendous inertia...*insert hypothetical alternate Atari and video game future here* That said, the sticks aren't nearly as bad as I've been led to believe. I rated joystick performance for all twenty-six 5200 games I own. Here are the results: Neutral Defender RS Soccer Joust Jungle Hunt Pole Position Qix Dig Dug Countermeasure Significantly Hindered Play Pengo Popeye Vanguard Kangaroo Intolerable Robotron: 2084 Frogger Improved Gameplay Galaxian Missile Command*(see below) Game itself was so%*@#!^& awful I didn't care about the sticks Mario Bros. Moon Patrol Space Invaders Games that aren't good with ANY joystick Centipede Superbreakout Missile Command Games I couldn't play without instructions or another stick RS Baseball RS Football Wizard of Wor Space Dungeon Star Raiders Other than the sticks, I have no significant complaints about the 5200. It's a great system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 Intolerable Robotron: 2084 Frogger Robotron 2084 is better with 2 controllers and the dual controller holder which is a piece of plastic two controllers slide into. Frogger and Frogger II are a lot easier to play and more responsive if you play in keypad mode and use the keypad to move Frogger instead of the joystick and fire buttons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 Intolerable Robotron: 2084 Frogger Robotron 2084 is better with 2 controllers and the dual controller holder which is a piece of plastic two controllers slide into. Frogger and Frogger II are a lot easier to play and more responsive if you play in keypad mode and use the keypad to move Frogger instead of the joystick and fire buttons. Thank you for the tips. I didn't know Frogger could be played with the keypad and I'm used to playing Robotron with one stick on the 7800. I based my assessment of the 5200 version on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAZ Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 I am sick of people who know nothing about the 5200, and who have NEVER OWENED ONE, bitching about it!!! Let me list and clear up the most common grippes about the 5200: I agree with you 1000%! It is nice to see such a great fan of this wonderful machine. Fuck 7800! (even tho I'll be collecting that in good time being that it is Atari after all). It was my first and only Atari back in 1983. I feel I am perfectly qualified to give an opinion about stuff related to the 5200 considering all the trillions of hours I spent on the thing. In my recent collecting, I've paid the most respect to collecting for the Atari 5200. I got two "gold plated contacts" Atari 5200 stock controllers. They work awesomely. I got two Wico controllers. And I got the very awesome 5200 Trackball (which came brand new in the box). And I got all the games I used to have. Ok, my opinion of the controllers: When I used to have this machine for real, what did bug me was the fact that the rubber shoes would completely disintegrate over time of frequent playing. There was absolutely no rubber left on one of my controllers. But the controller was like an old shoe for me, and I could still play a mean game of Pac-Man. I used to routinely make it to the 6th key (when the ghosts turn blinking blue for the whole level). The 7th key which they would be normal, and then evey key after that they would be blinking blue! The gold contacts fix the other complaint about the buttons wearing out. I think that is due to the contacts "oxidizing" or something over time. Oh yeah, Space Invaders kicks ass so much I can't hardly even describe it. Never again will any system look and feel like this game did. In my "old age" those mushy fire buttons are gonna cause arthritis or something bad hehehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad2600 Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 The 5200 seems to be THE acrimonious subject lately (next to the Jag of course). Well, I just played the 5200 for the first time yesterday. I'm under no illusions that they will make a significant contribution to the debate, but here are my impressions. The joysticks...suck. It's no wonder the console received a cool reception and died quickly. IMO, had the sticks been on par with the 2600's, the console would have been wildly successful. With that one simple difference, I believe the 5200 would have developed a tremendous inertia...*insert hypothetical alternate Atari and video game future here* That said, the sticks aren't nearly as bad as I've been led to believe. I rated joystick performance for all twenty-six 5200 games I own. Here are the results: Neutral Defender RS Soccer Joust Jungle Hunt Pole Position Qix Dig Dug Countermeasure Significantly Hindered Play Pengo Popeye Vanguard Kangaroo Intolerable Robotron: 2084 Frogger Improved Gameplay Galaxian Missile Command*(see below) Game itself was so%*@#!^& awful I didn't care about the sticks Mario Bros. Moon Patrol Space Invaders Games that aren't good with ANY joystick Centipede Superbreakout Missile Command Games I couldn't play without instructions or another stick RS Baseball RS Football Wizard of Wor Space Dungeon Star Raiders Other than the sticks, I have no significant complaints about the 5200. It's a great system. Which game or games did I trade to you? Anyway, you got a good sized 5200 collection there. Are all games boxed or loose? I know that I traded you a boxed Super Breakout..right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 Which game or games did I trade to you? Are all games boxed or loose? I know that I traded you a boxed Super Breakout..right? I got Dig Dug and Super Breakout, both with manuals, from you. Plus a pile of other assorted 5200 manuals. I'm not to be trusted with things like boxes. Anyway, you got a good sized 5200 collection there. Thanks. And thanks to you and the other great traders I've dealt with on AA who helped, and continue to help, me build it. You guys are tops! BTW, the more I play the 5200, the more I love it. Galaxian just rocks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad2600 Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 I have 34 games myself but whenever I see a decently priced 5200 game on EBay..especially boxed...I try and bid. I just won Super Cobra CIB and it's on it's way to my doorstep! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 I have 34 games myself but whenever I see a decently priced 5200 game on EBay..especially boxed...I try and bid. I just won Super Cobra CIB and it's on it's way to my doorstep! I begining to feel the pull of ePay...I would really like to go 'all-in' on a 5200 collection...must resist...must pay bills... :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAZ Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 Interesting "phenenomon" comes up when buying on Ebay... Sometimes you see 100 Atari 2600 games selling for $100. But you can find some of those same games sometimes selling for like $6 each. That would be $600 for 100. So it is hard to weigh whether to buy a big load of games, because it would save money in the long run. And at the far extreme...every so often you see someone selling a gigantic warehouse full of classic gaming stuff. It costs like $7,000. If you were to buy it all individually, it would cost like $70,000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
AtariAge on Instagram
Watch us on YouTube
Chat on Discord
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.