HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY/BIRTHDAY BIG SEXY!!! The Atari 5200 SuperSystem turns 40 years young this past month!!!

[rayik]

On 2/8/2023 at 8:38 AM, zzip said:

The conventional wisdom was you don't give away your best game as a pack-in,  the pack-in game is just a starter to give you something to do with the system.   People will pay for the good titles.

 

 

Yes.  Except for CV, that was the rule BITD.  Console purchase gave you something to immediately play the game.  Desired games have to be purchased.

[jerseystyle]

1 hour ago, rayik said:

 

Yes.  Except for CV, that was the rule BITD.  Console purchase gave you something to immediately play the game.  Desired games have to be purchased.

TBH, the only system that nailed the perfect pack in game was the Wii. Wiisports was the perfect game yo showcase the system, but there were still quality titles. Maybe the NES with SMB/Duck hunt also.

[BIGHMW]

1 hour ago, jerseystyle said:

TBH, the only system that nailed the perfect pack in game was the Wii. Wiisports was the perfect game yo showcase the system, but there were still quality titles. Maybe the NES with SMB/Duck hunt also.

Well, to some small (but yet too little too late small) consolation, Atari DID try and include a built-in ROM of Missile Command with the XEGS (along with Flight Simulator II and Bug Hunt) to present a hit from their glorious past, but yes, Nintendo destroyed them by a country mile with Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt. Maybe if Atari still made their CX22 or CX80 trak-balls back then and if Missile Command was TB-compatible maybe it would've sold a few more thousand units or so.

 

Besides, Missile Command, despite it being only 7 years old at the time of the XEGS' release (1987) had sort-of aged by then, SMB was one of the hottest titles in the arcade so it made perfect sense for Nintendo to include it.

 

BTW, and FYI, the XEGS built-in port of Missile Command is not trak-ball compatible by any means, I tested it against the original A8 cartridge port so I should know.

 

Yes, both the NES and the XEGS had target games, and both included light guns in package. I would love to see someone put up Bug Hunt vs. Duck Hunt on a YouTube video someday, who knows, maybe that person just be ME on a future video or even another YouTube channel someday  

Edited February 20, 2023 by BIGHMW

[Jetboot Jack]

Missile Command on A8 - CTRL-T for trackball mode - at least on my copy...

 

sTeVE

[BIGHMW]

3 hours ago, Jetboot Jack said:

Missile Command on A8 - CTRL-T for trackball mode - at least on my copy...

 

sTeVE

I already know, but, as I said the built-in port of Missile Command on the XEGS DOES NOT work with a trak-ball.

[Jetboot Jack]

You know what - even with an XEGS I have always played the cart 😛

 

sTeVE

Edited February 23, 2023 by Jetboot Jack

[CommodoreDecker]

On 11/16/2022 at 10:30 PM, Lynxpro said:

Atari Inc. advertised the 5200 heavily until early 1984. Atari advertised everything heavily until then. If you were watching broadcast television in the States, you certainly could not miss Alan Alda pimping Atari computers and accessories in prime time like a pimp with a blimp.

 

Like this?

 

 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2023 by CommodoreDecker

[+MrFish]

Interestingly, I was contacted by someone during this last summer who did a commented disassembly of Super Breakout for the Atari 8-bit Computers. He was wondering if I'd be interested in adding the files he'd worked on to my website. I didn't get around to adding them until now. So, if anyone is interested in the game's internal structure, you can find out about it here:

Serious Computerist - Super Breakout Commented Disassembly.