Once upon a time....

[82-T/A]

Any of you guys here actually have the 5200 "back in the day"?

 

I was reading some of the posts on here and it reminded me of the time when my parents bought one.

 

I couldn't have been more than like 5 or 6. I think it was like 1985 or something. We already had a regular 2600 (which fried, and then my mom later bought a Jr for $50 to replace it).

 

My brother got the 5200 for Christmas... I was soo excited. We hooked it up and tried to play PacMan when we realized that the controller was busted. Pac Man would only turn right and up. Then he stopped turning up and would only go right, until finally he wouldn't move at all.. no matter how many times we reset it.

 

I was sooo bummed. My parents packaged it back up and returned it, and they never got a new one.

 

 

I didn't get one until the day I found one at the $wap $hop in like 1997.

 

:

[jetset]

Any of you guys here actually have the 5200 "back in the day"?

 

I was reading some of the posts on here and it reminded me of the time when my parents bought one.

 

I couldn't have been more than like 5 or 6. I think it was like 1985 or something. We already had a regular 2600 (which fried, and then my mom later bought a Jr for $50 to replace it).

 

My brother got the 5200 for Christmas... I was soo excited. We hooked it up and tried to play PacMan when we realized that the controller was busted. Pac Man would only turn right and up. Then he stopped turning up and would only go right, until finally he wouldn't move at all.. no matter how many times we reset it.

 

I was sooo bummed. My parents packaged it back up and returned it, and they never got a new one.

 

 

I didn't get one until the day I found one at the $wap $hop in like 1997.

 

:

 

I'm sure a great deal of people here did! I remember practicially everyone I knew got a 5200, mostly to see how much better the arcade ports would be. The pack in sucked (Super Breakout), but the first few games I bought were Centipede, Pacman and Galaxian (I *think*) Mostly every penny I got for birthdays, paper route, etc fed my habit.

The controllers weren't a problem for about 6 months, but only the fire buttons. The stick itself was never a problem. That's the first I've ever heard of the sticks coming brand new broken. It is a bummer your parents chose not to just exchange the system. You missed out on the best system there was available at the time! I still had my original unit until about a year ago...I fried the power supply tinkering with it.

Some of my commons though are the originals I bought back in the day.

[NE146]

Any of you guys here actually have the 5200 "back in the day"?

 

Yeah of course I had it back in the day.. my mom paid like 250 bucks! . Pretty much most everything I have as far as consoles go, were bought in their time. I rarely "retrobuy" as I'm not really a collector. I just play games and never let 'em go

 

My experience was sort of the same as yours in that it was a present for my brother. We didn't mind the controllers but we too had very many break on us. My mom kept on buying us controllers and we kept on breaking them to the point we ended up with about six new 5200 controllers.. none of which had a working "start" button. So we bought a Wico stick (couldn't find the keypad) and realized it needed the start button on a regular stick as well. So there were many years that passed where I couldn't even play much of the 5200 titles I had Later on I fixed that though.

[JB]

I rarely "retrobuy" as I'm not really a collector. I just play games and never let 'em go

I'm like that. But I buy whatever games I stumble across that catch my interest, so I've picked up a fair bit of used systems over the years.

[NE146]

I'm like that. But I buy whatever games I stumble across that catch my interest, so I've picked up a fair bit of used systems over the years.

 

hmmm... actually yeah I'm like that too.. if I stumble upon it, more than likely I WILL buy it. As I think about it, I have definitely gotten a good amount of things (usually games) over the years. I guess I should've said I rarely "look" to retrobuy, but when I come on it, I definitely do it.

[spacecadet]

I was actually pretty anti-Atari at the time the 5200 was released. I mean it was similar to the Xbox/GameCube/PS2 thing that's going on now, you had people who were pretty adamant about supporting one console or another. I had an Intellivision and one of my friends had a Colecovision and the Colecovision was what I really wanted. The Atari VCS was actually the first programmable system I'd played but even as a kid I felt like they were milking that machine for way too long, then when the 5200 came out I just thought it was too big, I knew about the controllers, and the games were all just rehashes of 2600 games. I figured the company was just washed up. The Colecovision had great graphics and had some lesser-known arcade games that I'd never played before, plus obviously the best version of Donkey Kong available at that time.

 

It took me a while to finally come around to Atari, and I did "retrobuy" a 5200. I got an amazing deal on mine in the late 90's; I bought it from a friend so he wasn't interested in profit, just wanted to clean out his closet I guess. It's a boxed system, with the plastic still on the metal faceplate (he said he played it only a few times), perfect controllers, cosmetically perfect all around, with two Wico sticks in addition and two Y-cables. I also got I think 11 games (10 of which still work). All for 10 bucks. Of course, this was sort of before the retro craze started in earnest so I didn't really think I was getting a steal at the time, just a good deal from a friend; nowadays I almost feel bad about it. The same package would probably fetch at least $100 on ebay these days.

 

I think it's a really good system now, though I haven't bought many games for it or played it a lot since I've bought it. I still don't really regret not having one in the early 80's, though - the game library is still a bit skimpy (which makes it nice to collect for now). And of course I'd probably never even touch my controllers - I tested them out and they both work perfectly, but no way I'm actually gonna risk busting those things by actually using them on a regular basis.

[SteveW]

I usually just bought consoles when they were on the market at the time. I never had a 5200. I went straight from the 2600 to a TI Home Computer, and didn't get another console until the NES and 7800 came out.

 

In the last year, i've really been hitting the thrift stores and picking up all those consoles I wasn't lucky enough to get when I was younger. I finally have a working 5200, with functioning joysticks, a Vectrex, a TRS-80 CoCo, an Atari Video Music, an Odyssey2, a CD-i, a NeoGeo Pocket Color, a Saturn, and an N64. The very beginning of the year wasn't all that good for retro shopping, but once I found the Vectrex and got my resolve to really canvas all the thrifts in town, my collection started snowballing.

[Laner]

I desperately wanted a 5200 for Christmas in 82, but like most parents, my folks didn't see the need for a new console and new games when we had a perfectly acceptable 2600. Nor did I know of anyone else who had one. Most of my friends (as well as I) went from the 2600 to the Commodore 64 or an NES.

[+Cafeman]

The 5200 was red-hot exciting to me and my friends. I sold my 2600 & carts to a neighbor to raise money towards the Supersystem. I played Pac-Man (the pack-in when I bought it) and Q*bert like forever, then got Vanguard, Joust, and Defender. Borrowed lots of games from the 'rich friend who gets everything' too, I remember Berzerk's speech was technically incredible and Jungle Hunt was a lot of fun, too.

 

I did grow tired of it & ditched the system, but ended up getting it back in the year 2000 and fell in love with the 5200 all over again.

[krazy_kamino]

I wasn't even ALIVE when the 5200 was out.

Though i did have a 5200 for about a week. I quickly replaced it with an atari xe computer.

[82-T/A]

I really like hte 5200.... the games seem to just have more depth.. I can't explain it.

 

Maybe it's because the system itself is soo massive, but I just get the feeling that there is more horsepower behind the system. Even though I know the 7800 is still better in terms of performance and such, the 5200 just has this thing about it...

 

I totally retro-buy. Any time I have some spare cash that I don't need for bills, I'll buy a system or some games off eBay or whatever. My goal is to have one of every system and as many games as I can find!! hahah..

 

My parents weren't really thrilled about us having video games when I was younger. I was hyper active, and had ADD, and I guess my mom heard something somewhere that said video games are causing children to rott their brains. So around the time I was 7 or so, she stopped buying games. Which is probably the reason why she didn't get a replacement 5200 for the one she returned.

 

I bought the 8-bit NES with my own money when I could afford it (a year after it came out I believe). My parents told me I couldn't have it, and my dad of course said... if you want it, save up and buy it yourself. I guess they assumed that would never happen. So I mowed lawns, did odd jobs around the neighborhood and saved up as much money as I could. I rode my bike to Toys R Us and bought it (half of my money was in pennys, nickles, and dimes). $174 was what I paid (still remember).

 

I brought it home on my bike (Action Set) and my parents were furious... haha.. (bought it on a Saturday). But.. they let me keep it.. hah.

[JB]

I wasn't even ALIVE when the 5200 was out.

Though i did have a 5200 for about a week. I quickly replaced it with an atari xe computer.

BOO! HISS!

[82-T/A]

Is tthe XE computer the same thing as the XEGM?

[JB]

Is tthe XE computer the same thing as the XEGM?

Nope.

The XE computer line is an upgrade/redesign of the 400/800 and XL line.

 

The XEGS is (more or less) an XE computer rigged up to act like a game console.

And never should've been born, given how dated the hardware was at the time. Tramiel really expected to take on the NES with this thing?

[82-T/A]

I'd kinda agree, but didn't the XE have games like Ace of Aces and Microsoft Flight Simulator?

 

Trameil really had no idea what he was doing. Why was he so insistant on sticking with the computer line? Honestly, if everything had gone as it was supposed to (the 7800 had been released when it was), and the Jaguar had proper support to the 3rd party developers (rather than not paying them), then things might have been different. There might be a 128 bit system!

[spacecadet]

Trameil really had no idea what he was doing. Why was he so insistant on sticking with the computer line? Honestly, if everything had gone as it was supposed to (the 7800 had been released when it was), and the Jaguar had proper support to the 3rd party developers (rather than not paying them), then things might have been different. There might be a 128 bit system!

 

Well, there are lots of things that could have happened differently than they did, but them's the breaks. (The NES could have just as easily been an Atari product in the US, you know. And then what?)

 

As for why Tramiel focused on the computer business, I mean it's logical if you think about it... Atari got burned bad in the 1984 crash and they thought consoles were over. So did everybody else. Coleco, Mattel, all the smaller players, they all got out of the business. There were still consoles for sale in Japan but there was no thought that this meant anything to the US market. Then Nintendo decided they wanted to market the Famicom over here (approaching Atari to do it first), and the rest is history. But even as the NES gained steam, Atari just thought it was going to be a quick passing fad, not a true resurgence - and they were not alone in thinking this. Why do you think Nintendo had basically no competition from any US-based company during the first few years? It wasn't just Atari sitting on the sidelines. Their only competition here in the post-crash 8-bit era was from Sega, until Atari finally wised up and released the 7800. But by then it was too late...

 

I was never convinced the 7800 would ever have worked, though. I mean people wanted something new; that's why they bought the NES. Plus, the NES had Super Mario Brothers and Tetris. The 7800 would never have been able to compete with that, IMO, even if it had been released at the same time.

[82-T/A]

I was never convinced the 7800 would ever have worked, though.  I mean people wanted something new; that's why they bought the NES.  Plus, the NES had Super Mario Brothers and Tetris.  The 7800 would never have been able to compete with that, IMO, even if it had been released at the same time.

 

 

Yeah, I had heard that about the NES... that they came to Atari first.

 

The 7800 was certainly capable.... but... most of their games were more of the same. I think that was the biggest problem. Nintendo offered adventure games. Games similar to the Ultima series on the Nintendo (actually, they did offer those games for the NES too)... while Atari was still selling more of the HI-SCORE style games.

 

Take Dragon Warrior for example, sold like crazy on the Nintendo.. I bought it back in the day. Atari just didn't have anything like that. Same problem with the Jaguar I think.. they never really had any good RPG games. And not just RPG, but other styles of games too. What Atari did do, it did well.. (the high-score kinda games), but I think people wanted something different... and you just couldn't get those on the Atari systems.

[JB]

I'd kinda agree, but didn't the XE have games like Ace of Aces and Microsoft Flight Simulator?

Neither of which was an XEGS exclusive, correct?

 

 

Either way, the XEGS WAS a mistake.

 

There just wasn't room to compete with the NES using a chipset that was several years out of date.

The NES was signifigantly more powerful in the video arena(first thing people see), offering higher resolution and a (relatively) large number of multicolor sprites(even a lesser # of monochrome sprites would've been better than Atari's setup).

I grant that the Atari chipset could do some neat tricks that the NES couldn't do easily, if at all(check out the Famicom port of Ballblazer, if you want to cry), but for the most part the NES video hardware was just too much.

If they'd updated the design even midly, they could've stood a chance(of course, other things like advertising and such would've hindered them, but...).

 

Audio-wise, the A8 hardware fares a good bit better. The NES' big advantage, IMO, is a dedicated noise generator.

[82-T/A]

Either way, the XEGS WAS a mistake.  

 

There just wasn't room to compete with the NES using a chipset that was several years out of date.

 

 

Audio-wise, the A8 hardware fares a good bit better. The NES' big advantage, IMO, is a dedicated noise generator.

 

 

Yeah, I guess your right. When did the 7800 first come out? It was before the NES, right? And then they pulled it back and re-released it 2-3 years later?

 

I have to admit though, I was always really impressed by BallBlazer on the 7800... the way the pod thingy or whatever it is could so smoothly fly clear across the playing field...

 

 

I honestly don't have very many 5200 games. My wife isn't really into gaming, so to be fair... I can't really put out a whole lot of systems.. if you know what I mean, we have the hand-held TV Games ones (she actually buys them), but a massive 5200 in front of our TV in the family room would be pretty... well.. obtrusive.

 

I may just have to buy another one though that I can play, so I don't have to use the ones I've got in the collection.

[JB]

Either way, the XEGS WAS a mistake.  

 

There just wasn't room to compete with the NES using a chipset that was several years out of date.

 

 

Audio-wise, the A8 hardware fares a good bit better. The NES' big advantage, IMO, is a dedicated noise generator.

 

 

Yeah, I guess your right. When did the 7800 first come out? It was before the NES, right? And then they pulled it back and re-released it 2-3 years later?

Yah. And the hardware is opposite of the XEGS. Vid chipset is equal, maybe a bit better(same generation, essentially, 7800 was originally designed same time as the FamiCom).

Sounds sucks, though. Yes, TIA CAN make nice noise, but it's not easy.

 

I have to admit though, I was always really impressed by BallBlazer on the 7800... the way the pod thingy or whatever it is could so smoothly fly clear across the playing field...

Yah. NES chipset sucks for 3D effects.

 

I honestly don't have very many 5200 games. My wife isn't really into gaming, so to be fair... I can't really put out a whole lot of systems..

 

if you know what I mean, we have the hand-held TV Games ones (she actually buys them), but a massive 5200 in front of our TV in the family room would be pretty... well.. obtrusive.

But it's so beautiful!

[Joystick Jedi]

Nope. I was mired in 2600 land.

 

I remember the commercials tho... I was so jealous of that version of Pac-Man.

 

I finally snagged a couple 5200's at the thrift shop probably 10 years later.

[dalton4life]

Nope. My mom had bought me a 2600 and then the 5200 came out the next year so she wasn't having it. My cousin had one and I was quite envious. I was 8 or 9 when the 5200 came out. I finally got my 1st 5200 a week ago and I am quite happy with it.

[Gabriel]

I got an Atari 5200 in the summer of 1983. There's a much longer story to it than just that, but that's the reader's digest version. I was the happiest little camper there was. I was even happy to play the atrocious Super Breakout pack-in.

 

At first, my friends laughed at my game system. After all, I only had Super Breakout while the kid down the street who had the Colecovision had Donkey Kong, Zaxxon, Donkey Kong Jr., and others. But, as the summer wore on, I got more and more games, like Qix, Defender, Star Raiders, Countermeasure... Their opinions of which system was better changed after they saw what the 5200 could really do.

 

As for the controllers, my first two which came with the system died quickly. Over time I bought 3 replacement sticks. The last one of them died sometime around 1990 after a particularly blistering game of Defender. So, there are certainly some reliability issues with the stock controllers. But, I don't know of anyone who has played with them longer than 5 minutes actually complaining about their responsiveness. Other than the reliability issue (which is major) they were fine controllers, and I wouldn't want to play the system without them.

[shep]

I rarely "retrobuy" as I'm not really a collector. I just play games and never let 'em go

I'm like that. But I buy whatever games I stumble across that catch my interest, so I've picked up a fair bit of used systems over the years.

 

Same here. I don't care if a game is sealed or whatever, I'm going to open it and play it!

[NovaXpress]

I had the Colecovision in Xmas 82 and the 5200 in spring 83. The funny thing about the systems is that Coleco had amazing launch titles, then dropped the ball. The 5200's launch titles were shit (plus I already had most of them on my 800) but in 83 Atari was putting out all the best stuff.

 

My 2600/o2-owning friends didn't give a shit about what games system they played as long as they got to play it.