I got an Atari 5200 instead of a Colecovision...

[SpaceDice2010]

When I was a kid. Anyone else had the same problem? I mean I grew up on the Atari 2600 and always wanted a Colecovision but when the 5200 came out I wanted that and got it instead. Damn branding! I was branded an Atari boy even though I knew the CV was way better. Man did those joysticks ever kill me.

[nightglider1]

I got a PS2 instead of an Xbox because of the Sony branding. I had a PlayStation, and the backward compatibility sealed the deal for me. I have since abandoned Sony and moved to the Xbox 360.

[akator]

I had a CV when I was 13 in 1983. It was awesome, and still is.

 

Back then, my hardcore gamer friends would come over to play CV. They were always talking about the 5200, even though no one had one.

 

These days I have both and love them both, even with the controller issues of both systems. Both are awesome, and I can't imagine not having either one.

[jetset]

Yep. I had that problem. It was what I wanted, and I'm still glad to this day I did.

[SpaceDice2010]

Space Dungeon on the 5200 is one of my favorite games. It actually made the controllers make sense. Also loved Countermeasuer. Would love to see those two games on CV.

[Charlie_]

When I was a kid. Anyone else had the same problem? I mean I grew up on the Atari 2600 and always wanted a Colecovision but when the 5200 came out I wanted that and got it instead. Damn branding! I was branded an Atari boy even though I knew the CV was way better. Man did those joysticks ever kill me.

 

CV is not "way better". Some would say the the 5200 is. Fact is they are both great game consoles.

Especially all these years later, collecting, playing and maintaining these systems is great fun.

Each system having a certain charm to it.

 

My parents didn't get my any console after the 2600. I was given a TI-99/4A with hunt the wumpus!

I did have a friend with a Coleco and a friend with a 5200. We played both a lot. A little more 5200 but both were great fun in the day.

[BydoEmpire]

I had neither back in the day (2600 & Inty for me), but I've had both for many years now and favor the 5200 by a wide margin. And by far I prefer the stock 5200 controllers to the stock CV controllers (although the CV's Super Action Controllers are very good). There are still plenty of games on each platform making it worth owning. I think it's a "grass is greener" thing - the "other" console always holds some mystery and unattainable fun factor. What you already have is a known quantity for better or worse. Back in the day the "Super Breakout" pack-in certainly didn't help the 5200.

[jetset]

When I was a kid. Anyone else had the same problem? I mean I grew up on the Atari 2600 and always wanted a Colecovision but when the 5200 came out I wanted that and got it instead. Damn branding! I was branded an Atari boy even though I knew the CV was way better. Man did those joysticks ever kill me.

 

CV is not "way better". Some would say the the 5200 is.

I would be in that camp! I still contend that had the 5200 released ANY other pack in game than Super Breakout the systems fortunes would have been 100% better. Or imagine if Atari were able to have ported their 8-bit computer line version of Donkey Kong (speaking of "way better") as the pack in. Wow!

[NIAD]

Guess this is really an apples and oranges issue and a lot depends on what system you had back in the day... the system you grew up with and have a sentimental attachment too if you weren't lucky enough to have both.

 

I had a ColecoVision and than later an ADAM (which I helped run a user's group for up 'til 1994) so I have a very strong affinity towards anything Coleco related. In fact, in order to get the ColecoVision back in 1982, I had to sell my Atari 2600 and about 40 games per my father and I agreed to this in a heart beat. This was mainly because, even at the age of 13-14, I really started to dislike Atari and their strong-arm way of doing business, suing everyone in site and putting out so many disappointing titles (need I bring up the initial Pac-Man release... I almost threw-up!) when the capability was there to produce more faithful representations. I still remember hanging out at MusicLand and playing the ColecoVision and Atari 5200 side by side and never could figure out why anyone would want the 5200 over the CV... when the Vectrex hit the stores that was also another system I spent hours playing at MusicLand and always wanted as well. Also, when you compare the largest majority of games that were released for both systems, the CV version usually is better in my opinion and it's pretty funny the the CV version of Galaxian and Centipede by AtariSoft are far superior to their 5200 counterparts.

 

Thankfully, through emulation, I have been able to play through the entire library of 5200 games and there are some really good ones, but as a whole I would have to still place the CV at the top of the heap of third-generation consoles. Probably what I am not taking into account are the games that were only available on a particular system and therefore someone would want a particular system because their favorite game(s) were only available on that system.

[tz101]

I had a VCS from the get-go, and nothing else until NES hit big in 1986. I longed for both a Colecovision and 5200, but we were just too plain poor to afford either.

 

Fast forward to today, and I have them all, Colecovision, 5200, 7800, you name it. IMHO 5200 and Colecovision are pretty much evenly matched, even down to their thumbstick controllers. The game libraries on each are both full of nicely done arcade translations, along with a few not-so-good ones, but overall, I would not be disappointed at your parents for the decision.

 

It was a win-win situation when 5200 and Colecovision went head to head.

[Koopa64]

I'd get both of them, but I have the room for them. Not to mention 5200s and Colecovisions are practically non-existent up here.

[Lord Thag]

Yeah, I don't think the CV is 'way better' than the 5200 either. They are both excellent machines, and the libraries for each have different strengths. The 5200 has a smaller library, but a higher percentage of good games in it's library.

 

The 5200 has a lot of excellent ports of popular arcade games, and a few awesome exclusives (Space Dungeon), while the CV is the king of obscure, second tier Arcade ports like Frenzy, Space Fury, Turbo etc.

 

The 5200 is easier to collect, but the CV has a lot of really awesome, rare stuff if you track it down. In particular, the CV Spectravideo and Xonox stuff is pretty damned fun.

 

All in all, I have enjoyed collecting both consoles over the years, and I would rank them about equal. The 5200 gets grief for it's controllers, but while the CV ones may be more reliable, I think they actually are worse, at least from and 'hand cramp' perspective. Both benefit from owning a Wico

[Vic George 2K3]

I would have wanted either system, but it was the promise of Atarisoft games for the ColecoVision that made me and my family choose the ColecoVision. Hardly any regrets except that Pac-Man never came out for the ColecoVision until years later. Oh well...I have an Atari 7800 now and Pac-Man Collection for the system.

 

I mostly bought Nintendo systems, though I have bought Sega systems (Genesis, Sega CD, Game Gear), a Sony system (PlayStation 2), and currently a Microsoft system (Xbox 360 Slim).

[Murph74]

IMHO 5200 and Colecovision are pretty much evenly matched, even down to their thumbstick controllers.

 

I still don't get why people think the ColecoVision is a thumbstick controller... it's meant to be pinched on the outside of the disc, much like you would a joystick ball.

 

If you tried to play the Colecovision as a thumbstick driven system, I totally get why you wouldn't like it!

[+RangerG]

My two favorite systems are the 5200 and the Colecovision. Together they showcase the golden age of pre-NES console gaming.

[rhindlethereddragon]

I had neither back in the day (2600 & Inty for me), but I've had both for many years now and favor the 5200 by a wide margin. And by far I prefer the stock 5200 controllers to the stock CV controllers (although the CV's Super Action Controllers are very good). There are still plenty of games on each platform making it worth owning. I think it's a "grass is greener" thing - the "other" console always holds some mystery and unattainable fun factor. What you already have is a known quantity for better or worse. Back in the day the "Super Breakout" pack-in certainly didn't help the 5200.

 

I've tried to collect / maintain a 5200 over the years, but it just doesn't seem to be worth it, the controllers are always bad or go bad, my A/C plugs into the A/V port...............

 

besides, if you have an Atari 800 computer, what's the point then, REALLY?

[jetset]

I had neither back in the day (2600 & Inty for me), but I've had both for many years now and favor the 5200 by a wide margin. And by far I prefer the stock 5200 controllers to the stock CV controllers (although the CV's Super Action Controllers are very good). There are still plenty of games on each platform making it worth owning. I think it's a "grass is greener" thing - the "other" console always holds some mystery and unattainable fun factor. What you already have is a known quantity for better or worse. Back in the day the "Super Breakout" pack-in certainly didn't help the 5200.

 

I've tried to collect / maintain a 5200 over the years, but it just doesn't seem to be worth it, the controllers are always bad or go bad, my A/C plugs into the A/V port...............

 

besides, if you have an Atari 800 computer, what's the point then, REALLY?

 

If you have a modern PC with an emulator what's the point of owning any classic system?

(geez that 5200/800 comparison is old)

Edited April 18, 2011 by jetset

[ozma wars]

no problem in Italy

5200 never arrived here

phew, we were so lucky !!!

[VectorGamer]

 

If you have a modern PC with an emulator what's the point of owning any classic system?

 

 

Nostalgia.

 

What's more fun at a classic gaming party: setting up a bunch of computers running emulation or providing the classic gaming hardware and carts for people to play on?

 

People that attend my parties want to stick a cartridge in and use that black Atari joystick with the red fire button because "that's what we had when I was a kid."

 

Not to mention those MAME cabinets some people setup using a Tempest cabinet with a coffee table of a control panel equipped with 17 buttons, four joysticks, two trackballs and four spinners.

[Charlie_]

You must have missed the " " in his post...

 

I think the point is there are many ways to play classic Atari games. You can play most of the 5200 games (if not all) on an 800XL. It is not the same though. The controller for one.... then there is the fact that the 5200 is a console. I can throw it on the floor with a USB or SD cart have 127+ games available in a second.

Sit back on a coach with my feet up..... The a8 i can do the same, but i need a sio2pc cable running to a PC.... or a disk drive with a bunch of compilation disks.... or a full collection of carts (i have no interest in a8 carts I always though a computer using carts might well be a console. I always liked disk games, meaning games that took advantage of the disks storage and capacity) .....

 

Not the same. For most of us I think a console and a computer are used and setup in very different ways...

 

All that being said, there are games I love to play more on the a8 and some games I like more on the 5200.

Edited April 18, 2011 by Official Ninja

[VectorGamer]

You must have missed the " " in his post...

 

 

No, I think I just misinterpreted it...

 

In any event, emulating on a PC sucks balls...

[NE146]

When I was a kid. Anyone else had the same problem? I mean I grew up on the Atari 2600 and always wanted a Colecovision but when the 5200 came out I wanted that and got it instead. Damn branding! I was branded an Atari boy even though I knew the CV was way better. Man did those joysticks ever kill me.

 

Yeah that was me pretty much. I had a 5200 but also really wanted the Colecovision. Being a kid of course, my mom only made me get one. I remember reading all the "5200 vs. Colecovision" articles in the magazines and always hoped it would be for the 5200 to "win" but of course that was because it was the one I had And heck, I was 12 or something. It was all good though, eventually I borrowed a Colecovision from my pals at school (in exchange for a 5200) so we all got to play a lot of the games just fine during that time.

 

If there's one way that whole situation affected me.. was when I grew up and had money it made me ALWAYS get every console that was out. So in college I had to get both the SMS & NES. Then later the Genny/SNES/TG16. This continues to this day. I never want to be deprived of another console like I was in the 5200 vs. Colecovision days

 

In any event, emulating on a PC sucks balls...

 

Not necessarily.. you just have to view it with the proper expectations of what it is.. and then it's great. What's great is on this site (as opposed to Gamefaqs, etc.) the majority of people here have original hardware so they know the deal already and no explanations of how the original hardware is better is necessary. That being said, there's no way I wouldn't have every single 5200/2600 ROM for play on my computer or console (xbox) emulator for play whenever I felt like it. Why limit yourself?

Edited April 18, 2011 by NE146

[Jess Ragan]

I think you made the right choice. The stock controllers for the Atari 5200 were an annoyance, but hey, nobody who owned a Dreamcast used its pack-in joypads for long either.

 

I'm of the opinion that the Atari 5200 was the better console. There's something about the ColecoVision that's very off-putting to me. It was built with off the shelf components, and that limited its versatility. It can't scroll well, and its sixteen color palette pales in comparison to the 256 colors offered by Atari's system. Those sixteen colors aren't even GOOD ones, either... the saturation is turned way down, making them better suited to illustrating unpleasant bodily secretions than vibrant video game graphics.

 

Yeah, the ColecoVision had a higher resolution, but that only goes so far. I'd choose smooth gameplay over a higher pixel count any day of the week, and Atari 5200 games almost always offer a smoother, more arcade-like experience than their ColecoVision equivalents.

[jetset]

 

If you have a modern PC with an emulator what's the point of owning any classic system?

 

 

Nostalgia.

 

What's more fun at a classic gaming party: setting up a bunch of computers running emulation or providing the classic gaming hardware and carts for people to play on?

 

People that attend my parties want to stick a cartridge in and use that black Atari joystick with the red fire button because "that's what we had when I was a kid."

 

Not to mention those MAME cabinets some people setup using a Tempest cabinet with a coffee table of a control panel equipped with 17 buttons, four joysticks, two trackballs and four spinners.

 

You must have missed the " " in his post...

 

 

No, I think I just misinterpreted it...

 

In any event, emulating on a PC sucks balls...

 

You did. I was being sarcastic. I tire of the "the 5200 is WAY < than an 800" bit. Yes, the 800 has TONS more games with an sio2pc adapter. I get that.

It doesn't have a decent version of Centipede, and certainly doesn't have as great of a trackball controller to play it on. Same with Missile Command for that matter (same version I know, but not as good a trackball).

I'm not sure if both Robotron and Space Dungeon are playable on the 800, but not with anything near as good of a controller option as the 5200 sticks with the coupler. And speaking of controllers, there are those of us who PREFER some games with the 5200 stick. Granted not very many, but to me PacMan, Defender, Berzerk, and many others are better with digital control (I know, here we go again with THAT argument right?). Hell say what you want of the 5200 controllers, but Defender with one button? Really? Am I the only person who doesn't enjoy reaching for the keyboard to smart-bomb or escape using hyperspace? And if you prefer the 2600 style sticks, there are options on the 5200. No way to play using a 5200 stick on an 800 that I'm aware of. And there are a few other comparisons that lean in favor of owning a real 5200. Countermeasure and Realsports Baseball come to mind.

And, for those who continue to put the 5200 down because it's not compatible with 2600 games, it is with the adapter. No such beast for an 800.

Don't get me wrong. I have both, I play both, I love both. But, making the comparison that the 5200 is 100% inferior to the 800, to me is the same comparison I could make using an emulator on my PC to play 800 games. I could make the comparison, but it'd be a shitty one.

Edited April 18, 2011 by jetset

[JacobZu7zu7]

When I was a kid. Anyone else had the same problem? I mean I grew up on the Atari 2600 and always wanted a Colecovision but when the 5200 came out I wanted that and got it instead. Damn branding! I was branded an Atari boy even though I knew the CV was way better. Man did those joysticks ever kill me.

 

CV is not "way better". Some would say the the 5200 is. Fact is they are both great game consoles.

 

 

Well, I think he SpaceDice meant CV being better, back in the release time? factoring in the quality of the controllers. 5200's controllers were considered broken at the get go and it was killin' him.

 

Back in middle 80's when I was a little kid, I remember seeing 2 Colecovisions at two different friends houses. The games looked great, especially one of the pac-mans.

 

Years later in 2006, I decided on getting 5200 instead of CV. It looks a bit cooler to me overall, and was not expensive. Although as usual the untested controllers don't work... but I will be helped soon by AtariAge pals, this May or so!

 

From the games and quality of 5200 and CV, the consoles seem pretty evenly matched.