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Got new system. Controllers can't be THIS BAD!


segasaturn

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Idk I just think the 5200 controller is a better fit in my hands. The main issue I have is that the joystick barely moves so it's hard to tell if your moving the joystick etc,. And in what direction. Idk like I said, it could be just me. I just wondered if anyone else felt the same way.

 

Neither controller is preferable out of the box. The 5200 controllers are much more advanced, so the learning curve is higher. The 7800 sticks, like the 5200's take a little practice is all. The 7800 sticks you can adapt to quicker, but are painful after long periods and ergonomically retarded for 2-button games (much like the Colecovision) Whoever the hell decided to put button #1 and #2 on opposite sides must not have been human, or at least one with (only) two hands. Best part about the 7800 is you can downgrade to the previous generations' controllers (2600) and play using those. The Euro pads are a huge improvement, but I prefer the stock sticks. There's just something about playing on original hardware with the original controllers.

 

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Euro pads are stock in europe. So the 7800 does have good controllers just not in North America.

Was the 5200 the only non-gobal console ever made by atari?

Proline cut the stick and attach ball I never tried cause I never want to damage my stock ones (collector item right?).. in this case its bad to have a long shaft due to the massive leverage flipping the controller out of your tiny hands.

Yes two button and any rapid fire with proline can not be done easily. But Ms. pac-man and lots of other games don't feel right with a pad. Atari to me is always best played with stick. Probably why they screwed a stick on the europads..kind of an identity crisis for atari..

Edited by Jinks
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Euro pads are stock in europe. So the 7800 does have good controllers just not in North America.

Was the 5200 the only non-gobal console ever made by atari?

Proline cut the stick and attach ball I never tried cause I never want to damage my stock ones (collector item right?).. in this case its bad to have a long shaft due to the massive leverage flipping the controller out of your tiny hands.

Yes two button and any rapid fire with proline can not be done easily. But Ms. pac-man and lots of other games don't feel right with a pad. Atari to me is always best played with stick. Probably why they screwed a stick on the europads..kind of an identity crisis for atari..

The ProLines made by TeleGames/Best Electronics have a rapid fire switch on them.

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Neither controller is preferable out of the box. The 5200 controllers are much more advanced, so the learning curve is higher. The 7800 sticks, like the 5200's take a little practice is all. The 7800 sticks you can adapt to quicker, but are painful after long periods and ergonomically retarded for 2-button games (much like the Colecovision) Whoever the hell decided to put button #1 and #2 on opposite sides must not have been human, or at least one with (only) two hands. Best part about the 7800 is you can downgrade to the previous generations' controllers (2600) and play using those. The Euro pads are a huge improvement, but I prefer the stock sticks. There's just something about playing on original hardware with the original controllers.

 

 

I agree the 5200 stock controllers were quite innovative and advanced for their time. But let's be honest....they were poorly implemented. Even the Atari engineers were not happy with managements' decision to release them as they were. The 5200 controllers COULD have been awesome IF:

 

- The joystick had a spring or coil to self-center it

- The flex circuit traces were nickel instead of cheap carbon traces (that tarnish & get dirty fast and make buttons unresponsive over time)

- Rubbery side buttons were improved/replaced with something else

 

I do find the 5200 controllers more comfy than the 7800 controllers and the joystick more responsive though.

 

 

As for the 7800 Proline controllers......

 

I am working on mine to improve em. I have ripped out the cheap foam at the bottom inside (it is used to help center the joystick and give it cushion/"spring") and replaced it with a real spring. I also tore off the old cellophane or tape off the circuit board to clean the metal "bubble" contacts and put new tape over them. MUCH better. They are much more responsive, but still need some work though. The overall design is still flawed I think. Joystick is quite tall, the controller part too long and skinny and the 'fire' buttons could be better, I think. I gotta tell ya though, that joystick is a BITCH to take apart and put back together though. I agree with Lynxpro that the Prolines are some durable joysticks!

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Y'know...the 5200 and 7800 controllers used to not bother me...but then I realized it was because I was primarily playing games that required little or no use of the fire buttons. Then a couple of weeks ago when I was playing Scramble on the 7800 and The Dreadnaught Factor on the 5200, my left hand got sore REALLY fast. (I'm right-handed, so I hold the controller in my left.) Having to press the buttons really took a toll on my palm...

 

So I sent one of my 7800 controllers to Yurkie (who I see just received it yesterday, according to USPS tracking :) ) for the ball mod, and I bought a Wico Command Controller off eBay yesterday for the 5200...Generally I don't believe in not playing games with the controller that shipped with the system -- mainly because you can skew your score (especially if you have a Vectrex joystick plugged in while you play The Activision Decathlon!) unfairly....but man, I can totally understand replacing the controllers now....especially after playing Pac-Man on the 5200...yikes. :(

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I agree with Gamecat that the 5200 controllers are more comfortable than the ProLines.

 

Atari Inc should've done a recall on the 5200 controllers and added a spring to them. That wouldn't have fixed the contact issue but the bad press back then was about the lack of self centering. That's what doomed the console for the most part. What a simple fix in the grand scheme of things. I guess management was too stubborn to admit their mistake. Great way to kill a company.

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