My personal little Atari 5200 appreciation thread, rediscovering my collection.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Warning massive Atari 5200 appreciation post ! ?

Just more sorting, organizing my collection. Having recently put together my little retro gaming corner well, I think I definitely need to make some time and add some 5200 playtime and appreciation. Found all my 5200 related items in a couple boxes and it’s not a bad little collection I think?

 
I had gotten a decent sized lot consisting of the console and games probably 10 years or so ago. Later, one of the first things of course was getting an early Atarimax USB flash cart as I figured that would cover me for other games I might want to play. HOWEVER, looking through it just now I got to say, overall it’s not to bad a collection of original carts? Definitely some titles like Vanguard I would have wanted anyways and I look forward to replaying some of these and see how some like Star Wars arcade compare to other versions? Really, as far as original cart collections I forgot that this is one of my better ones until I pulled it all out of storage ?
Also shown a variety of manuals, some catalogs and such, controller overlays, some are doubles and I thought that was all of them but as I was sorting through I noticed many carts already have an original overlay tucked in the back of them. I am quite pleased with the overall condition especially of the 5200 still having the plastic on the silver label and specially the back storage cover is intact. It’s an original 4 port with the odd power passthrough RF box as well, I have two original power supplies but see one has heat shrink wrap near the end of the connector so I will stick with the other one. I do know it is compatible with the 2600 add on as well as all 5200 games because it had the fix applied. At some point since it never came with a controller I got one of the original 5200 controllers from BEST ELECTRONICS with the gold contacts inside and a member on here, was creating his own db9 pc controller adapter that allows me to plug in both an original controller and PC CONTROLLER SIMULTANEOUSLY, it’s not pretty but better than anything I could put together, I recall it working fine back when I originally tested it. Pretty sure I picked up the Gravis pc joystick back during my thrift shop days and though we’ll, this is the one to go with my 5200 ?
So there is my massive post on it, sorry for the novel but I been building up to it and had to find time to put everything together take the pictures as well as have the motivation which comes and goes so easily these days. ??

 

I know many hate on the 5200 but back when it initially came out I could not afford replacing or adding to my 2600, I knew only one person who had one in their home but it belonged to his step dad and so we were not allowed to play it, weird ? I recall seeing commercials and thinking wow it looked so much better then my faithful old 2600 ? Lookin forward to reexperiencing the 5200 for all it's faults and seeing how games like Star Wars Arcade compare to other versions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by OldSchoolRetroGamer

[+-^CrossBow^-]

NM I didn't have my glasses on to see it more clearly. It does have textured plastic on both the controller cover and front. But still I wonder if it has Atari INC or Atari Corp on the label? Either way, it is a later made 4-port unit and that explains why it already has the VCS adapter fix applied to it. They later redesigned the 4-port board to be VCS compatible without the bodging required but that was during the Atari Corp timeframe I believe.

 

 

 

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

Thanks again -^CrossBow^- ?? great info. 

 

 

For anyone else wondering here is the label - 

 

 

 

Oh and I forgot I totally have the Roller Controller also in good shape. Oh I need to find time to start making videos again. ?

[+Cafeman]

20 minutes ago, OldSchoolRetroGamer said:

the Roller Controller

Trak-Ball !

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

2 hours ago, Cafeman said:

Trak-Ball !

Hah yes of course, I am looking right at it across the room however I been up for like 24+ hours, must have been thinking of my Colecovision.......?‍♂️?

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by OldSchoolRetroGamer

[BIGHMW]

.....and if I'm right telling by the asterisk next to the serial number (followed by a 3-digit code) you have a 4-port that CAN (and has been factory-modified to) accept the 2600 adapter as well, so you should be all set after that.

[BIGHMW]

.....and for that sweet CX53 Trak-Ball here's a suggestion to make it last a lifetime.

 

Years ago, I (as well as most of us) discovered Best Electronics and their Best Lifetime Gold 5200 sticks and circuit/button repair kits, in which are a godsend (I highly suggest you pick a couple of them up, they are great!), I even bought a pair of Best Lifetime gold repair kits for when I restored my CX53 Trak-Ball, those same keypads (and the start/pause/reset cluster) on the Best Lifetime gold repair kits work well with the Trak-Ball, considering the circuitry on the CX53 keypads and start/pause/reset cluster are already gold contacts. And since my ball is a bit yellow (well she IS 40 years old) I plan to get a parts CX80 2600 Trak-Ball and use the ball from it instead. THEN she'll look as sweet as she performs since cleaning and restoring her.

[OldSchoolRetroGamer]

On 10/22/2021 at 1:04 PM, BIGHMW said:

.....and for that sweet CX53 Trak-Ball here's a suggestion to make it last a lifetime.

 

Years ago, I (as well as most of us) discovered Best Electronics and their Best Lifetime Gold 5200 sticks and circuit/button repair kits, in which are a godsend (I highly suggest you pick a couple of them up, they are great!), I even bought a pair of Best Lifetime gold repair kits for when I restored my CX53 Trak-Ball, those same keypads (and the start/pause/reset cluster) on the Best Lifetime gold repair kits work well with the Trak-Ball, considering the circuitry on the CX53 keypads and start/pause/reset cluster are already gold contacts. And since my ball is a bit yellow (well she IS 40 years old) I plan to get a parts CX80 2600 Trak-Ball and use the ball from it instead. THEN she'll look as sweet as she performs since cleaning and restoring her.

My one controller is one from best with the gold contacts inside, knowing I had no controller I thought it was the best option to order at the time. Also yes my 5200 works with my 2600 adapter just fine. Funny though, I have two of those, one even modded to work as it's own standalone 2600 console with it's own power supply and Composite and even S-video output, yet it STILL functions as normal if I plug it into my 5200 which kind of defeats the purpose but I am not complaining. ?

[XLurker]

On 10/22/2021 at 9:35 AM, OldSchoolRetroGamer said:

Hah yes of course, I am looking right at it across the room however I been up for like 24+ hours, must have been thinking of my Colecovision.......?‍♂️?

 

Sleep deprivation can be not a good thing....

[XLurker]

What is this strange Atari 5200 siren's call that many of us have experienced. I was a Colecovision guy in 1982 and never gave the Atari 5200 a sideways glance. Boy was I wrong. Here I am in 2021 with this total infatuation with the Atari 5200.

Edited October 25, 2021 by XLurker

[Keatah]

1 hour ago, XLurker said:

What is this strange Atari 5200 siren's call that many of us have experienced.

Not sure what all that is. But I've observed it more and more in recent times. For certain it's a nice looking angular console, with design cues refreshingly different from rounded surfaces. It would be at home in Syd Mead's works. The sharp definition. Sparkle. Gleam. It's all there. Retro futurism!

 

Well.. In the old days I had a 400/800 setup, so I didn't get into the 5200 as much as I suspect I'd have if it was my only way to play the 8-bit games.

[edladdin]

Great to see so much love for Big Sexy!  

 

I loved my original 4 port that I got when I was a teenager and I love her replacements today.  I can still remember clearly the first time I booted Pac-Man, which was my pack-in.  I was just blown away by how arcade perfect it looked, only a few years after the disappointment of the 2600 version.  

 

Today my usual go-to's are Dreadnaught Factor, Pengo, Popeye, and Space Dungeon.  And then more Dreadnaught Factor, because I can get in some long grooves on that game.  Also Galaxian with the CX-53 Trak-Ball.    So great!