Max-T Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Sorry again to bother the group, and I do not mean to conflict with the thread of similar name, posted some hours earlier. As many have noticed, the controllers that come stock with the 5200 leave much to be desired. I know that there are just a hanful of 5200 games designed to work with the TrakBall. My question is: does any method exist to use the TrakBall on all 5200 games? Or does the system detect the diffence between the ball controller and the standard joystick? I don't yet own a 5200 trakball, this is why I'm asking. If the only games I can use it with are Missile Command and Centipede, then it is not worth the fifty bucks. But if I can use it for most 5200 games, it seems like a bargain. The TrakBall always seems to hae been constructed more robustly than the pack-in 5200 controllers. Again, thanks to everyone for your time. Max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Either the 5200 detects the trak ball or the trak ball sends different kinds of signals to the 5200. I think it's the latter, since games have to be programmed with the trak ball in mind. And if you think $50 is bad, you should have tried to get one while they were new. I have vivid memories of trying to get my mom to get me one back in 1983, only for her to balk at the $80 price tag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-T Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Thanks to Gabriel for your advice. I'll certainly take that into consideration before paying for a 5200 Trakball. I knew when I puchased the 5200 that the controllers might be lacking. And the 5200 trackballs I've seen on eBay have looked much more robust than the pack-in controllers. I guess I shouldn't bitch before I've really given the controllers a heavy work out. I suppose my question leaned more to the possiblity of using the 5200 trakball in games meant to be olayed with the Atari controllers. Is the 'ball a valid controller for most 5200 titles, or with it only work with the titles like Centipede and Millipede? Again, sorry for being the dumb s**t, and any advice is apreciated. Max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Well, no, the trak ball cannot be used as a general purpose replacement controller. It does not function at all for the vast majority of the games in the 5200 library. As already mentioned, it works best for Centipede and Missile Command. It works very well for Millipede too, even if the game hasn't been optimized for trak ball use. Of the other games it works with, it either boils down to a matter of taste, or you wonder why in hell someone at Atari thought the game would benefit from trak ball control. Pole Position is one that may or may not benefit from trak ball control depending on the player. Defender is definitely one where you wonder what someone was smoking when the subject of trak ball compatibility came up. Slightly off on a tangent, I find it odd that Star Wars Arcade supposedly doesn't support the trak ball. It seems like a perfect game to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRetroGamer Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 Think of the 5200 trakball as a nice extra accessory that you should get IF you really enjoy playing those few games that actually work well with it. If you think it's going to be a giant paperweight then use that money for something else. It's just like there are people who have built their own 5200 PADDLE controllers. There are not very many games that truly benefit from a real paddle, but if you enjoy Super Breakout, Kaboom and Pole Position your game would benefit from one of these (search some old messages and you should see some easy instructions on how to build one). Oh yeah, for Pole Position you would need to install a momentary push-button control on your paddle so that you could shift the gears from low to high. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-T Posted March 10, 2004 Author Share Posted March 10, 2004 Thanks to everyone for their comments. And I had never thought of this before someone else just mentioned it, but the trackball would make Star Wars: Arcade super sweet. I try to play the arcade version of Star Wars in MAME, and it is next to impossible to get the precise kind of control that the arcade machine's flight yoke gave. Maybe we'll get lucky and someone will make a homebrew hack that supports the trackball. Anyway, thanks guys. You've been a big help, as usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanBoris Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Either the 5200 detects the trak ball or the trak ball sends different kinds of signals to the 5200. I think it's the latter, since games have to be programmed with the trak ball in mind. The 5200 games can detect wheter a joystick or trackball is connected to the system. There is a signal that the system can send to the controller that basically disables it. In this state the value that is read back from the controller can be used to determine if it's a trackball or joystick. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voch Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Many Trak-Ball games seem to "recheck" which controller is present when Start is pressed (when you start a game is a good time to check, I guess). I refer you to Page 10 of the Missile Command manual and Page 9 of the Centipede manual for example (see the NOTE: section in the Trak-Ball sections). I recently discovered this when playing with my Trak-Ball for the first time. Voch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-T Posted March 10, 2004 Author Share Posted March 10, 2004 You guys are really smart. Which makes owning and buying new Atari stuff a lot easier for me. Even if i don't own many of the games that the trackball will work with, it still looks like part of a starship control panel. A most impressive piece of hardware. I think I shall purchase one since Missile Command and the 'pedes are some of my most favorite Atari home games. Does anyone happen to know a company that might be selling NIB examples? Or should i simply delve into eBay to find one? Again, thanks for all your help. Wish I could help for once instead of being a bandwidth leech. But you all hav been most helpful. I appreciate this. Max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRetroGamer Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 Does anyone happen to know a company that might be selling NIB examples? Or should i simply delve into eBay to find one?Max This guy always seems to list one quite frequently NIB - he must be sitting on a warehouse full of them. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...item=3083985105 The BIN price is a bit steep - you have to decide if it is worth it to get one that is in this condition with the box, or a used one from somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_ Posted March 11, 2004 Share Posted March 11, 2004 The Trak-Ball makes a good Start,Pause,Reset and key pad for use with a wico, or masterplay interface. -Chaz Quote 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
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.