Jacob Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I just recieved my pair of 5200 command control joysticks in the mail (from an e-bay auction) I had to construct my own y -cable, however, & that was quite a challenge in and of itself. Once I got those puppies cleaned up & the y-cable wired correctly I was pleasantly thrilled, Although my grand anticipation for the "holy grail" of 5200 collectors was not what I hoped for. The sticks are good but not much better than my original 5200 sticks after a good cleaning & some aluminum foil over all the contact points. I might have been expecting too much after hearing about the wico's for so long. Oh well, still a great find ($23.50 for the pair), I'm not complaining at all. Just wondering if my feelings are common or am I being too hard on the Wico?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRetroGamer Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 <erroneous post deleted> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
video game addict Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 He's talking about the original Atari sticks not Wicos Rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I just liked it because my sticks kept breaking and I needed something at least SOMEWHAT more reliable. It sure did need a Start button though (I could never find the keypad). Because when I was a kid even the WICO was useless if I couldn't start a game! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
video game addict Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I just liked it because my sticks kept breaking and I needed something at least SOMEWHAT more reliable. It sure did need a Start button though (I could never find the keypad). Because when I was a kid even the WICO was useless if I couldn't start a game! Yeah that part still sucks as the start/pause/resets are so hard to get working on the originals sometimes. That's why the Wico keypads are so cool! No original sticks are needed, besides the fact there's no additional movement coming from the unused joystick. Sometimes hard to keep the other stick to stay centered, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRetroGamer Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 He's talking about the original Atari sticks not Wicos Rich. Yes, I see now! Had to read it twice before I got it. My bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacob Posted March 9, 2004 Author Share Posted March 9, 2004 Sorry , I was a little unclear - when I first got my 5200 (about 2 years ago) it came with a set of stock atari sticks - those are the ones I cleaned up & fitted some aluminum foil dots over all the carbon dots with double stick tape with. I did all this after giving up on ever finding a set of wico's now that i have a set, I find that they are only marginally better than my "souped up" atari sticks. By the way - I have still an extra set of atari controllers if any one is interested with revision 7 circuits inside When the original sticks are lovingly cared for & maintained I guess they are pretty darn good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 That's why the Wico keypads are so cool! Dude tell me about it. The Wico keypad was in plain view in all the brochures and magazines I had.. but I could NEVER find it for sale anywhere!! Granted I didn't have that much of a selection outside of sears and JCPenny catalogs as well as magazine ads.. but believe you me, had I found the keypad available for any price, I would've had my mom order it for me pronto so I could play my 5200! As such, all I could ever find was the joystick. Oddly enough I think to this day and age it was only very very recently I first saw a wico keypad on ebay in a lot. But then again I haven't exactly been looking for one for a good number of years now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 That's why the Wico keypads are so cool! Dude tell me about it. The Wico keypad was in plain view in all the brochures and magazines I had.. but I could NEVER find it for sale anywhere!! Granted I didn't have that much of a selection outside of sears and JCPenny catalogs as well as magazine ads.. but believe you me, had I found the keypad available for any price, I would've had my mom order it for me pronto so I could play my 5200! As such, all I could ever find was the joystick. Oddly enough I think to this day and age it was only very very recently I first saw a wico keypad on ebay in a lot. But then again I haven't exactly been looking for one for a good number of years now I am sure VGA would gladly let you have one of his six Wico keypads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
video game addict Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I like the originals, but that's because I grew up on them. It was only recently I started buying the 3rd party ones. The Comp Pro gets alot of props for being a worthier stick. It's usually prefered over the Wicos I believe, altough there is no keypad for it, so it needs the original stick to operate. My first couple Wicos didn't impress me much either, but I have one now that I love, and I also use a keypad, so no stock stick in tandem. There's always the Masterplay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
video game addict Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I am sure VGA would gladly let you have one of his six Wico keypads. My Precious~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrRetroGamer Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 There's always the Masterplay. True. Been there....done that. For me I gotta say that the StarCon gets the most play time now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Mitch Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I am sure VGA would gladly let you have one of his six Wico keypads. My Precious~ Man, you've got even more than me! I only have 4 Wico sticks plus two keypads. Mitch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPUWIZ Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 My Precious~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted March 9, 2004 Share Posted March 9, 2004 I only got 1 wico stick. The same one I got in 1982 I'd be willing to buy one keypad... but it doesn't look like the precious will let him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnice Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 I just recently got a Wico stick, and posted in another thread about a problem with one of my locks becoming unlocked after being pushed a bit forcefully in the up direction. Since then, I attempted the fix (thanks to whoever told me) by adjusting the center piece on the lock, and now the lock doesn't come unlocked anymore. The problem NOW is that the stick doesn't center very well after being pressed up. It gets about halfway back to the center. All other directions center perfectly except for the up position. Is the spring bad, or just the lock? Any other ideas on how to fix it? Or, if someone's willing to try fixing it for me at a low price, please PM me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sku_u Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 I am sure VGA would gladly let you have one of his six Wico keypads. My Precious~ When are you going back to the Shire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad2600 Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 A Wico keypad would compliment my 5200 Wico stick for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerG Posted March 10, 2004 Share Posted March 10, 2004 I love the Wico keypad; it is sturdy and looks good. However, the Wico sticks never really felt right. They are so loose and in my mind not a major improvement over the stock stick at all (except that they center!). I sold all the Wicos I had. The Starcon is always hooked up to my 5200 and I couldn't ask for a better controller (heavy and solid). I'm sure the Redemption device with any number of Atar 2600 sticks would also be a nice alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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