racerx77 Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Just wondering.. we've seen 2600 games in all kinds of collections (atari anniversary, etc.) even some (though poorly done) 7800 games in a collection. Why is the 5200 ignored? Surely there are people that would go for a collection of those games. On another note, I've tried some emulators for the 5200, and can't get any of them to work. If someone could walk through what I am supposed to do, step by step (I'm not really computer literate) I would appreciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Room 34 Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 No one remembers the 5200 except collectors. No one really remembers the 7800 either; I have no idea why Atari did the Flashback (I) the way they did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmpddytim Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Probably because most 5200 games are available on many other systems. Are there any 5200 exclusives? -Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ntavio Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Qix was 5200 only back in '83. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Space Dungeon still is. But are there any Atari-owned exclusives? We know Star Raiders is infinitely superior on 5200, and many other multi-platform games are far better on the Big Sexy, but it's not marketable over the 2600 versions to Joe Average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegamezmaster Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Wasn't Countermeasure Atari 5200 only also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Wasn't Countermeasure Atari 5200 only also? Indeed it was. So that's at least one Atari-owned title that didn't appear in any form, or even in name only, on anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagFan422 Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 i don't think it would matter to me, i still prefer to play games on the original hardware instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic George 2K3 Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Miner 2049er TV Games? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 The 5200 has this public perception of being a complete failure... every post you read on the system outside of among those who really knew and enjoyed the console think that it was the end of Atari. You also get into the analog joystick thing. Kind of hard to do an anthology that would work right without specific hardware to duplicate the joysticks. You would either need to limit it to games that work excellent with a digital stick, or somehow accomodate thumbstick nubs and d-pads and... either way, it is going to be a chore. For emulation, use Kat5200... http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?s...t&p=1101376 It is the BEST 5200 emulator out there. First off, it is SPECIFICALLY 5200, not an 8-bit general emulator... second, it has a great GUI and is easy to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 The 5200 has this public perception of being a complete failure... every post you read on the system outside of among those who really knew and enjoyed the console think that it was the end of Atari. You also get into the analog joystick thing. Kind of hard to do an anthology that would work right without specific hardware to duplicate the joysticks. You would either need to limit it to games that work excellent with a digital stick, or somehow accomodate thumbstick nubs and d-pads and... either way, it is going to be a chore. I don't think it would be much of an issue for a software collection. Everything but PCs comes with analog controls, and most PC gamepads have thumbsticks too. A thumbstick is basically identical to a 5200 stick. 2 pots, converted into 1-byte range values(though they're converted at the gamepad in modern controllers, and at POKEY in the 5200). The big issue is the range of motion is only square on the PC side. But that only really hurts Missile Command. And IMO, with the arcade version a regular feature of basically every Atari collection released since Hasbro's first Arcade Classics package, it's a non-issue. The plethora of buttons hurts Star Raiders, but aside from that, it's hard to find a game that uses more than 2 keypad buttons. Granted, Star Raiders IS the main reason to do the compilation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 I guess. I mean, for me, the reason that I had to go with authentic hardware and not just emulation, the primary reason, anyhow, is simply because I can't abide by playing these games with d-pads or tiny little thumb-pads. I just find that unless you're using the original controller, it doesn't *feel* authentic, regardless of what your eyes and ears tell you. Really, this is a complaint you'll hear a lot of arcade purists make about MAME, and to a certain extent, it is true. But a good arcade control panel goes a LONG way to overcoming that obstacle. With a compilation for a console or PC, though... The only way I could see it pleasing me is if it came with a USB converted 5200 stick. That would be cool, and I'd probably pay $60 for a title like that. But I doubt many other people outside of our little community would... and that becomes the catch-22. How many people outside of our little community would be interested in a 5200 compilation, anyhow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 (edited) I guess. I mean, for me, the reason that I had to go with authentic hardware and not just emulation, the primary reason, anyhow, is simply because I can't abide by playing these games with d-pads or tiny little thumb-pads. I just find that unless you're using the original controller, it doesn't *feel* authentic, regardless of what your eyes and ears tell you. I'm fairly generous. As long as it isn't hurting playability, it's all right. ... Of course, gamepads and thumbsticks DO hurt playability. I do far better with a stick. The only way I could see it pleasing me is if it came with a USB converted 5200 stick. That would be cool, and I'd probably pay $60 for a title like that. Heck, I'd shell out for just the stick... But I doubt many other people outside of our little community would... and that becomes the catch-22. How many people outside of our little community would be interested in a 5200 compilation, anyhow? That's why they haven't done it. It's not marketable. ... Though they COULD just stuff the games in to fill the disk. I'm pretty sure that a lot of the stuff on the 80 Games compilation was thrown in just for the sake of raising the game count. Really, no one wanted Basic Programming or 2600 Star Raiders. Edited August 1, 2006 by JB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 Good points, all. And, by including 5200 titles, they would get incidental sales that they would otherwise not achieve. There IS a guy who sells a CX-52 to USB conversion. He'll basically convert any stick you send him to USB. I used to have the link, and it seems it was a lot more reasonable than $60. I'd be pretty interested in a Stella 5200 edition. I wonder why no one has done it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 Something in me won't let me sacrifice an existing controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 Heh. I had difficulty with it, but once you sacrifice your *first* and get something better for it, it becomes easier. But yeah, this is why I said a Stella 5200 version would be ideal. Something DA15 on one side and USB on the other... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NE146 Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 Isn't the Flashback 3 going to be Atari 8-bit? That's pretty much 5200 imho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZylonBane Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 Qix was 5200 only back in '83. No, there was also a 400/800 version. It sucked, but it was there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 (edited) Isn't the Flashback 3 going to be Atari 8-bit? That's pretty much 5200 imho. Yes, but it probably won't see the light of day. From what Curt said, there was also going to be a portable 2600 flashback: In the labs we have a newer version of the FB 2 (in this case we'll refer to it as the FB 2.5) with different selection of games and a microslot that is 2600 cart electrically compatible and the games come on a micro card instead of being onboard, that was the proposed design. FB 2 Portable - we designed a handheld 2.5" TFT LCD system, same games as the FB2 and we had started working on an FB3 based on the 800/5200 chipset. Edited August 1, 2006 by Lord Helmet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godzilla Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 super droo00000oooo000oooool. there 'was going to be' ? :~~~~~-( Wha happen????!?!?!? I know modern frenchtari is having some probs, but isn't the flashback one of the things that was successful, making mega bucks, etc. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 I've got a hunch Curt is going to pull it off, one way or another, and I certainly hope he is successful. The fact that he HASN'T been talking about it much, if at all, on the forums lately, I take as a real *positive* sign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted August 2, 2006 Share Posted August 2, 2006 super droo00000oooo000oooool. there 'was going to be' ? :~~~~~-( Wha happen????!?!?!? I know modern frenchtari is having some probs, but isn't the flashback one of the things that was successful, making mega bucks, etc. ? The item sold well, but it didn't make anyone "megabucks" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 super droo00000oooo000oooool. there 'was going to be' ? :~~~~~-( Wha happen????!?!?!? I know modern frenchtari is having some probs, but isn't the flashback one of the things that was successful, making mega bucks, etc. ? The item sold well, but it didn't make anyone "megabucks" Which is probably Atari's fault. It was the ONLY hard to find item during the last Christmas season, with no advertising and very little "buzz" outside of the retro community. If Atari had handled it right, it could have really been the "toy sensation" of the last Christmas season, and it MIGHT have made them megabucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 super droo00000oooo000oooool. there 'was going to be' ? :~~~~~-( Wha happen????!?!?!? I know modern frenchtari is having some probs, but isn't the flashback one of the things that was successful, making mega bucks, etc. ? The item sold well, but it didn't make anyone "megabucks" Which is probably Atari's fault. It was the ONLY hard to find item during the last Christmas season, with no advertising and very little "buzz" outside of the retro community. If Atari had handled it right, it could have really been the "toy sensation" of the last Christmas season, and it MIGHT have made them megabucks. It sold out last Christmas. Software is what would have made Atari lots of $$$ last year, but their games sucked. It costs way less to produce a dvd disk and ship it than it does a console. Real money is almost always in the software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted August 3, 2006 Share Posted August 3, 2006 Back to the 5200 .... here are the reasons I see: 1. It's kind of a "middle sister" system that doesn't have the original appeal of the 2600 nor the (relatively) advanced technology of the 7800. 2. The library is small to start with, and the number of exclusives is smaller still. Cool games like Vanguard, Pac-Man, and Berzerk aren't owned by Atari. It's essentially stuck for the same reason the Colecovision is: both were nice systems, but largely because of the 3rd party software and licenses on the consoles. 3. It's fugly. Even though there's not much inside, it's bigger than an XBOX. And the joysticks ... ugh, the goggles, they do nothing. Curt's silence on the Flashback 3 may well be a good sign that he's trying to work on something. I'm hopeful, but until then, life must go on. There's no shortage of decent Atari 8-bit emulators to play these games on in the meantime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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