A Look At: The Atari 5200 Super System

[@marklechman2225]

For people whose first console was a 2600, the 5200 was a massive upgrade. I often hear people describe the graphics as “slightly” better but I would argue that going from a 2600 to a 5200 was a bigger leap than going from an NES to an SNES, not to mention the far superior sound capabilities of the 5200 over the 2600. It was expensive, sure - I only knew one kid who had one and his folks were loaded - but I wanted one so badly just based on those graphics alone. Yes it had many of the same games as the 2600, but now you could play those games properly as the 5200 could better live up to the arcade experience, which frankly, was the holy grail at the time. It’s all about perspective.

[@drsax2]

Spot on. My first was a VCS (2600) and was SOOOO excited to get a 5200. I loved everything about it, even though I knew it still wasn't as good as the arcade.

[@datacipher]

Absolutely. The leap was massive. A buddy got his 5200 a few months before me (we had to go to the US to get ours from Canada!). All the kids gathered and were blown away by pac man and defender, the 2 games he had. From the title screens on, the sound… graphics… even intermissions in pac man. Truly it felt like we finally had the arcade at home. There is no comparison with the 2600.

[@stephens4175]

got the Atari 5200 as a Christmas gift back when they were discounted in the early 80s, it died on me in the early 2000s, about a year and a half ago I rebought one and have taken it out of my storage unit recently, and dam those controllers, I'm on my way to getting one of those interfaces or wico controllers, don't care that they are over a hundred bucks, these games need it. love the games and have been building my collection, as I love the system and I am in my 50s so it makes sense that I relate to original video game technology. great video man, you killed it!

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Really cool that it lasted all those years for you. Glad you found another one. And yep, those freakn' controllers. 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks brother for watching and sharing!!!

[@thrasher3222]

I got an Atari 5200 as a HS Graduation present. It was great, I must have been really lucky because my controllers both worked the whole time I had it. Looking back I probably shouldn't have thrown it in the trash wit my original NES *beats head against wall*. On the upside I still have my Atari 7800.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Wow. A 5200 with working controllers and it got trashed.. ah man.. But who knew these consoles would be worth what they are today. So I have a story like that. I pawned my entire NES collection of like 150 games, and the NES system for a down payment on a car in 1994.. So I feel you pain bro. The car is long gone, but I could still have that collection of games, never had that many NES again. The 7800 is a good system to collect for because it has a smaller game library, and most games are found relatively cheap. Thanks for watching and commenting...

[@datacipher]

Mine did too, and last time I tried it 10 years ago they still worked though the fire buttons didn’t work for the first couple minutes lol.

[@klm82006]

Atari 5200 was head of it time with pause, reset, and start on controller. I had the 5200 in early 80s with about 20 games I sold my 2600 to buy the 5200

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Nice, just like a car. Traded it in for a new model.. lol Thanks for sharing and watching!

[@cryptocsguy9282]

@kev's channel Do you think in hindsight that selling your 2600 + games was worth it to get the 5200?

[@GisherJohn24]

Was also the main issue with the system. Worst controller I can ever remember. My controller broke after about 2 months. Start button broke. Next controller I had, the fire buttons broke . I bet we went thru 20 controllers. Not making it BC compatible in the beginning was the main reason it died so fast. Price didn’t help either.

[@darrellknight9473]

There's actually a guy on the bay that repairs those 5200 joysticks, and makes them better than stock that's for sure. 5200 controller cleaning and repair service.

[@Greg_Huff]

Welcome back brother! Thanks for this look back. I've never played or even knew anyone with a 5200.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Thanks man... I knew one person way back in the early 90's , image that, that had one. He had it until he bought himself a PlayStation in like 96' or so.. What an upgrade!! LOL

[@Greg_Huff]

@@RetrogamerGenX haha talk about a jump!

[@jeenkzk5919]

The model you show off is the one we had. My parents bought it when the price came down. I had to use a fork to get the buttons to work when the buttons broke off. I remember my dad being mad when he found out that they discontinued it. I remember we found our last game at Toys R Us around 87. (Galaxian). But what game we could find we played the HELL out of! Though the controllers had problems, you could still clock someone with it!

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Yep the controllers are a nightmare. Someone should clock the guy that designed these things with one.. 🤣🤣🤣Thanks for watching!!!

[@jeenkzk5919]

@@RetrogamerGenX I guess you have to fail in the first place. If not them, other companies saw these mistakes and eventually fixed them.

[@JohnHenrySheridan]

Great vid! Thanks for the info and knowledge !

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Thanks for watching and dropping a comment!!

[@RobbieStrike]

I had all the systems behind you except for the 5200, Never had it but had the Atari XE you had next to it. Looks the same as mine with the yellowed space bar. And find the games look the same on the Atari 8 bit computer line. So I have collected them instead of the 5200. The funny thing is I saw a add for it in a Comic book in the later 80's early 90's and never heard of the 5200 or saw one in a store. We got a Atari 2600 the Christmas of 85 by that time games were cheep being liquidated in stores. So we had stacks of them! We did not get a NES until 88 or 89. Here in Canada we were always a few years behind!

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Wow, you recognized the XEGS with just the yellowed space bar.. That's impressive man. As far as the 8-bit line, I only have the XEGS and the 600XL upgraded to 64kb. In 85' I was rocking the C64. Our Atari 2600 died by then. We got our NES, I want to say Christmas of 87'.

[@briancooper3067]

I found a guy making a attachment on eBay that plugs into the controller port and allows me to use the original controller just for the keypad/start and pause, but a regular 2600 or sega genesis controller and I love it now!

[@briancooper3067]

Oh, and I think I only paid like $30 each for that attachment!

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Yep I found it on Ebay.. Might have to give it a go. The only thing is I don't think it work with true analogue games like Pole Position.. I bet it kicks butt on games like pac man though. Have you tried it on any analogue games? I would think it would just go all the way to the left or right and not the smooth turns like with an analogue stick. The Atari 5200 would see a digital joystick at bit value 127 for center, 0 for right, and 255 for left. Where as the analogue stick would give you the bit values 0 to 255 as you move it. So it increases or decreases incrementally as you move the stick. I'm sure it's using some kind of micro controller to convert the digital signal to analog that the 5200 can read. Thanks for sharing, great to see things like this are being made..

[@RetrogamerGenX]

This.. www.ebay.com/itm/265310129765

[@imaxjunior6531]

Your perspective on retro reviews is very unique. You show or mention infos i've never heard of or seen before like the 5200jr, that blew me away. Great work.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Too bad they didn't release it. It was a nice looking slim version of the console.

[@cargoman7045]

Great video. Don't have the money to collect like I did before. Stella and my flashbacks are good for my retro fix. I wasn't even walking or talking when those systems came out yet I love them more than anything post NES. ✌️

[@RetrogamerGenX]

I find myself playing more of the gen2 - gen4 systems. I would have to agree. Those are what my old butt would consider retro games.. Anything gen 5 and up, they are retro for some folks, but to me they are still too new.. If that makes any sense.. LOL

[@BlankSpacePub]

I remember surplus Atari 5200s being sold at massive discounts in the early 1990s. I’m pretty sure they were being sold for around $50 or $60. Should have bought one and held onto it!

[@RetrogamerGenX]

They are worth a pretty penny these days. I found a Neo Geo with a few games back in like 01' or 02', at a garage sale. The guy wanted $20 bucks for it. I pasted on it, to buy some tools. So I know how you feel...

[@The_Real_DCT]

Yeah, that was old Jack Tremell who was liquidating all the old stock from Atari's warehouse to get some quick cash.

[@guyincogneto8979]

Still have mine in its original box. I always liked the controllers from an ergonomic pov. One thing to keep in mind: do not hit the on/off button repeatedly in a video game fit....it doesn't end well.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Cool you still have it. That sucks about the power thing. The 5200 didn't use a direct power switch. The power button was run through a 4030 or gate chip. If yours won't turn on, that's probably the issue.

[@guyincogneto8979]

No, it got fixed back in the day, but that was how I knocked it out in the first place. If memory serves, I ruined my Soccer cart by ripping it out while it was still on. Other than that, still working, last time I checked.😊

[@ArttuTheCat]

I wish, i could get myself 8-bit Atari consoles, such as Atari 2600, Atari 5200 and/or Atari 7800 or even Atari 800XL and also 16-bit Atari 520ST or 1040ST. I even have the Atari 2600 games on my PlayStation 2 in the compilations called ATARI ANTHOLOGY and ACTIVISION ANTHOLOGY. 😺👍🕹️🕹️

[@RetrogamerGenX]

I'd work my way up.. Get 2600 first, then the 7800, and on up. You'll see as you progress, the prices go up.. But the 2600 is a good place to start. Cheap and plenty of games and hardware out there for it.

[@ArttuTheCat]

@@RetrogamerGenX And it's amazing, that i still own the original Commodore 64 and Amiga 500 computers + games 😺👍🕹️🖱️🖥️⌨️💾.

[@gamedoutgamer]

I like your enjoyment and interest in the games. The joysticks were experimental and not a product worthy of selling. All they needed to do was add a 2nd button onto the same 9-pin 2600 joystick and that would have been great! Simple is better. The 800/XL/XE line is by far and away better in just about every way and the 5200 games have been ported over. Never used a 5200 though. Cheers

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Thanks, these retro consoles and computers are a big part of my life. You can probably say more then just a hobby at this point.. lol. How's the old acronym go? K.I.S.S. keep it simple stupid.. What Atari should of done with the controllers. I totally agree with you on that. Thanks for watching and commenting..

[@WaverBoy]

Slightly better graphics than the 2600? Nope. Much better graphics. Way better sound chip too. I played mine for many many hours. Still have it!

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Yeah it really was a consolized Atari 8 bit computer. The pokey chip was a great sound chip. Glad to see you still have one and play it. Love to hear that kind of thing. Thanks for watching and sharing!!

[@Sinn0100]

You know what blows my mind? This thing had a dual GPU setup. That has to be the first instance of that in a console. Despite that, I believe the Colecovision was a more versatile and powerful machine. Had I been a gamer at that time, that is what I would have gone for. I would like to see a size comparison between the Neo Geo AES and 5200. I have an AES but not a 5200. Addendum- I don't really have a dog in this fight as I didn't start gaming until 1986 with the Nes and Master System.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Well it kind of had a dual GPU setup. The antic chip took care of the display list and graphics mode while the ctia/gtia took care of the rest like adding color and controlling sprites. Honestly, I was a Commodore fan back in the day and I always thought that Atari would combine the chips but they never did. Commodore 64 had the Vic II. Yeah I remember back in those days. I wanted both the Atari 5200 and the ColecoVision and of course I didn't get either one. But if I had to choose now, I would probably choose the ColecoVision as well. Quite frankly, the Atari 5200 is an Atari 8-bit computer consoleized and is not compatible with any of the computer software or peripherals. Just seems like a money grab that Atari was doing at the time. They fixed it with the xegs as it was compatible with the 8-Bit software and peripherals.

[@frankschuler2867]

I don’t think I ever played the 5200! I can definitely see the advances between it and the 2600, though. And I keep thinking about trying one of those flashcarts. However, I honestly prefer to play off of the original carts if only for the full nostalgia experience. Nice overview! And finally a pacman port that actually looks like the arcade, right? Although I was never really bugged by the 2600 version.

[@RetrogamerGenX]

The actual games are great, basically Atari 8-bit computer games. But those controllers are the worst. But to answer your other comment, no, unfortunately the 5200 controllers are analogue, and the 2600 are digital. Also the 5200 is a DB15 connection and the 2600 is a DB9. But great Idea, the Colecovision does work with a 2600 controller in a pinch, but you wont have keypad. Thanks for watching and commenting..

[@aprules2]

Imagine how the world would have reacted if atari released the 5200 initially but with a 2600 style controller. It would have taken everyone else a decade to catch up.

[@akfreed6949]

I wish I could easily hookup a Jaguar controller to a 5200

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Right!!

[@jasonkoestner4630]

I’ve got a four port with av mod out wico stick games donkey Kong ported from the Atari 800 zaxxon 32k pack man the arcade game tempest 2000 rescue on fractus moon portal scramble

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Man, sounds like you got the hook up bro..👍👍👍 .. I really need to get a wico stick.. I have the Atarimax flash cart, love it. Only if I had functioning controllers.. One day.. One day 🤣🤣

[@chrismoore5731]

I know the video game market crashed in the early 80s but I think Atari died for a different reason. Atari kept making the SAME GAMES with better graphics. I like Ms. Pac Man just as much as the next arcade player but I'm not going to purchase a new system just to play the same re-hashed games. I think Atari would still be around today (like Sony and Microsoft) if they created more NEW content instead of rehashed content.

[@RyogaXvX]

Queue the scene of Denis Hopper from Waterworld.. xD

[@BBfanfun]

missed opportunity ! 5200 should have been keyboardless 800XL ! it would have survived the crash ; beating Mattel's Aquarius & Coleco's ADAM just ... needs REAL joysticks, good grief !~

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Yep those joysticks..Agh.. 🤣🤣

[@frankschuler2867]

Just thought about something…will the Coleco controllers plug into the 5200? Our old 2600 joysticks eventually broke, and we just plugged the Coleco controllers into it and they worked great.

[@datacipher]

Nope. The 5200 had way more pins and remember it was amazingly advanced - a 360 degree analog joystick. Not to mention you have start/stop/pause.

[@user-yr1uq1qe6y]

Are the controllers worse than Colecovision disc controllers?

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Well the disc controllers were for the intellivision but honestly I think they're better than the 5200 controllers. But honestly I have one good working one now that I refurbished and it's not a bad controller but definitely have to get used to the fact that it doesn't self-center.

[@user-yr1uq1qe6y]

@Retrogamer Gen X I always get Colecovision and Intellivision mixed up. Our family had the Sears VCS, and our neighbor had the Intellivision. I remember just hating the membrane keypad that was wearing out even way back then!

[@MotownBatman]

My older cousins had the Apple ][, Atari 5200 & Coleovision w/ Atari 2600 I legitimately never remember turning on the 5200 besides the weekend they first got it, I spent the weekend, I think we went and played Summer Games on the Apple ][ and gave up on the 5200

[@RetrogamerGenX]

Crazy to think you quit on the 5200 and went to the Apple of all things. I've heard story's of people that purchased the 5200 brand new and ended up returning it for a Colecovision because the controllers were so bad. Even when they were brand new. I still believe if Atari had released this system to be backward compatible (without an adapater) to the 2600 and if they released it with digital controlers, it would have been a huge success for them. But you know... Could of should of would of...

[@datacipher]

I had the apple 2e and 5200 and STILL have both. The only retro systems I kept. Love them both. The 5200 just blows the doors off the Apple for arcade games although I spent a lot do time gaming on the Apple after the 5200 was discontinued and because I got hundreds and hundreds of Apple games pirated. Plus the Apple had rpg and adventure games of course

[@1or2there]

they wer on2 somthng but i gues presumptus greed was alowd 2 intrfer . . .