Atari 5200 Review

[@AtariCentral]

Another important note is that when you pair the 5200 with the Track Ball you truly get Arcade experience at home. Try Playing Centipede, Missile Command, Tempest etc and you will see what the 5200 was capable off.

[@repete1974]

I also recommend investing in the bohoki adapter from Atari Age. This allows you to use alternate 15 pin controllers to replace the 5200 controllers

[@tkamen01]

I've always assumed the reason for the 5200's joystick being both analog and non-centering was that Atari wanted to replace the 2600's joystick _and_ non-centering paddle controllers with a single controller (while also throwing an Intellivision number pad into the mix). Certainly Super Breakout plays better with the 5200 stick than with a self-centering digital stick. The 5200 controller similarly performs well in place of a trackball. Unfortunately, as a regular joystick in games that require tight digital controls like Pacman, its non-centering characteristic makes it frustrating to play.

[@ReplayRetro]

I'm not so sure, i think the rubber boot was a cheap attempt at centering the stick but it didn't work very well compared to using springs.

[@Spitefire6]

Always a good day when a new Replay Retro review comes out!

[@ReplayRetro]

Very good of you to say, hope you enjoyed it

[@djconvoy]

Nice to see a new episode. Thanks for sticking up for the 5200 (my first games console). It does get tiresome to hear about the power supply and controllers when people write this machine off... it's 2018. If you go get a 5200, try to source one with the external power brick, and look into the controller alternatives, such as a Masterplay clone which will let you use pretty much anything with a din-9 socket. Also, as shown, many games do benefit from the weird controls... but yeah, it's not so hot for games that require tight, precise control like Pac-man. It's a underrated console, for sure, and worth getting into (maybe not worth importing, tho', what with must be gigantic shipping costs).

[@ReplayRetro]

you know by now i like to stick up for the systems that get unfairly treated. the power and switch box thing was a very clever attempt by Atari to add a feature which later became standard so it doesn't deserve the criticism it gets, the controller is flawed, but not by design, its flawed by implementation, i really like the 5200 and want more games for it really

[@paulk7772]

Since it was repeated so often, correction: it's not 'digital' buttons but DIRECTIONAL. That's what the D stands for in D-pad.

[@Cristasphoto]

I found a Atari 5200 Supersystem console with box, manuals, three controllers in beyond great condition for free sitting under a bench next to a local game shop cause apparently the game shop would not buy it due to them not having any way to truly test it. I took it home and lo and behold she lives. I'm beyond happy right now.

[@matthewlane518]

Ohh you lucky bastard!!😜

[@michaelwolfe9496]

Always a pleasure watching your videos. I'm glad someone on KZbin stands up for these underrated systems. I really love that Deadpool belt buckle as well.

[@ReplayRetro]

Thanks, I try to be fair if nothing else, some stuff deserves the bashing it gets, other stuff people are a little too harsh with so I stick up for those underdogs a little

[@joshcopeland]

About the controller: we just got a digital 2600 controller for games like pac-man and the 5200 controller was good for games like pole position or breakout.

[@Nestalgba92023]

And others like Centipede (much, Much easier with controllers) and Missle Command too.

[@coachcarter2555]

Finally! A new episode!

[@ReplayRetro]

i hope it was worth the wait

[@LGP82]

Long time no see. Great video. Worth the wait :)

[@ReplayRetro]

thanks, glad you enjoyed it

[@LGP82]

2 bad the algorithm prefers more of the same and faster. Good edited stuff (like our Channels) will never make it unless you get a whole team behind you. :(

[@TuxxToys]

5200 had some great games like best version of defender and ,misslecommand at the time. Counterstrike (think thats the name) will be on Atari classics vol 3 and was a cool (non arcade) game

[@luvmenow33]

Once again I have to say , I had Vanguard and it was a great game and believe me. If you play with it for a week , by the end of the seventh day you will be centering the stick with no problems and without even thinking about it. It will no longer be an issue at all. Once that happens you will really feel the full control and as correctly said in the video , that level of control was revolutionary!

[@antoniovaldez8943]

I never had any problems with the controls of the 5200. The controls as a kid was better than the 2600, intellivision, and colecovision. What was not good was the reliability of the controllers. The flex and gold dot upgrades have fixed that issue.

[@MrTBoneSF]

The size thing- you essentially nailed it when you mentioned the CD-i. It was meant to look-like and blend in with high end stereo equipment sitting on shelf or on a nice table instead of looking like a toy that you'd leave on the floor. And note the console has just a single button on a sleek surface- Atari was Apple long before Apple was. In fact, Steve Jobs worked for Atari and Apple used to have to buy its 6502 processors from Atari because Jobs couldn't get credit and the head of Atari liked Jobs and was willing to buy the chips using Atari's discount and pass them along to Jobs.

[@MrTBoneSF]

Also, the combined video and power cable was another thing Jobs used in the NeXT cube. When Jobs introduced the Cube to the press, he proudly touted this "new, innovative" feature that the monitor used a single cable for power and video that plugged into the computer and kept everything as neat and tidy as possible. Gee, where do you think he got the idea of a sleek, black computer device with cord management to please someone with OCD.

[@ReplayRetro]

yeah the CD-i had so many variants to allow it to fit into whatever setup people needed it to fit, it wasn't a console as such, more a technology that could be added to other products, a bit like Nuon would try to do later. As for Steve Jobs, yeah you often see elements of Atari in the products he played a part in, he was very much a style over substance guy when it came to hardware

[@ChadQuick270W]

Great review! I still have my original 4 port Atari 5200 and it works just fine. I’m lucky to have a trackball as well as a Wico controller. I admit the original 5200 controllers were bad for many games and they just didn’t hold up. I’ve had mine repaired many times. I got my original Atari 5200 for Christmas 1982 and still have a lot of fun with it. Pitfall II, Miner 2049er, and Bounty Bob Strikes Back are superb games unique to the system.

[@mrmojorisin8752]

Those games aren’t unique to the 5200. But Countermeasure was. Space Dungeon.

[@grimmah1978]

UUoooaaaoooh..mygod! Classic! Good to see you back with another great review Matt!

[@ReplayRetro]

Glad you enjoyed it Grimmah

[@repete1974]

Anyone who gives a positive review to the 5200 deserves an automatic subscribe, like, and share

[@ReplayRetro]

Thanks for the kind words, glad you enjoyed it

[@freefly82]

Very good review mate!

[@ReplayRetro]

cheers, glad you enjoyed it

[@JRthepyroguy]

I had the second wave of the 5200. The power plug into the unit.

[@bmkretrogaming7634]

Nice review! Will be including a recommendation, and a link to your video on my channel's video introducing Atari 5200 gaming to the channel Friday.

[@alkohallick2901]

"It's a great controller, It's just so hard to use." Wouldn't that make it a BAD controller??

[@jonniefast]

thanks for showing how to hook it up lol my 5200 arrives this weekend 💖

[@Lightblue2222]

How did it turn out? Did the controller cooperate? I'd like to get one too since I'm a giant fan of 2600 and 7800, and I've never had a 5200.

[@jonniefast]

@@Lightblue2222 ok so the 5200 survived shipping & all 4 included controllers worked ! even the trackball - a few have less responsive firebuttons but overall its a blast someone even ported millipede (atariage)

[@Lightblue2222]

@@jonniefast awesome!

[@AtariCentral]

Also there are some games that actually play better with the analogue controllers versus the digital joysticks. Such as Missile Command, Dreadnought Factor, Rescue on Fractalus, Star Raiders etc. Also some of the 5200 versions were better than the 8 bit counterparts like Qix, Berzerk , Dig Dug , Defender , etc.

[@ReplayRetro]

Thanks for all your great input, i totally agree with you on everything you've said, i'd like to try the toher controller options including the track ball and i'd also like to try some of the more impressive games, but it's a case of not being able to afford to import any more stuff right now to be honest, thanks for watching and i'm glad you enjoyed the show

[@dominicperez3777]

12:26 Wait... is that what that compartment’s used for? 0.0 It’s for the controls?

[@ararattempest-lingua]

welcome back Matt! and well, that "spark" joke, it was just the fault of AVGN lol, he spread the words for it and reviewers began to... you know. xD

[@ReplayRetro]

Yeah unfortunately everyone seems to enjoy just copying everything AVGN does, James is really good at what he does but there's a reason AVGN is a character rather than just being him, people forget that

[@ararattempest-lingua]

yep, just like some people did memes on everything even not the truth at all. the real and the false, there's a boundary.

[@Lightblue2222]

Hmm.. set it up before you plug it in. Who woulda thought?

[@Diepzeevis]

Finally, a new video! Stoked!

[@ReplayRetro]

hope you enjoyed it!

[@Diepzeevis]

ReplayRetro totally, very informative and well put together as always!

[@ReplayRetro]

Thanks, very kind of you to say so

[@AdamCoate]

Somehow there's an Adventure Vision in the background that has not been reviewed yet.

[@TuxedoEarth]

I've been watching some of your videos for a while, but this video here made me a subscriber. Other reviewers just did that spark thing for clicks on their vid.

[@1sibbo]

the thing is massive, great vid mate

[@ReplayRetro]

It's insane! Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed it

[@Lightblue2222]

Wow never heard of the 5200 jr! Just looked it up, also known as the 5100. Very cool! Thx

[@nicko5945]

Yeah, another new video and of my favorite console!!

[@ReplayRetro]

hope it was worth waiting for and i did your favorite console justice

[@nicko5945]

ReplayRetro You did an excellent job as always! The biggest reason why I and many others love your reviews so much is because you are very objective in your opinions and we sincerely appreciate that. I am so tired of all the other channels out there where for example you have a self proclaimed Nintendo guy reviewing a Sega game or console and they just trash it because it doesn’t have a Nintendo badge on it. Keep up the great work!!

[@ReplayRetro]

thanks, that really means a great deal to me

[@johneygd]

So basically both competitors did cancle each other out this caused the videogame crash of 1983.

[@Lachlant1984]

What are the AC Adaptor specifications? That AC Adaptor is massive.

[@alkohallick2901]

Microphones, microphones, microphones...

[@Adamchevy]

Great Episode! Ive always loved the Atari 5200. It was a great system for the time, and really an inspiration for the Xbox. I really enjoyed this review! Really!! I think its the classiest console of the pre crash era.

[@ReplayRetro]

Not sure about the Xbox inspiration but yeah i do think it was an interesting machine with way more potential than we ever say from it, thanks for watching

[@ConsoleShockOfficial]

Did you have any issues getting your 5200 to work in the UK? Thinking of getting one myself from the US, I have a modern TV that accepts analog RF and a stepdown transformer for the power so I think I should be all set?

[@Jkoziol72577]

The Atari 5200 with the controller so advanced that don't even work half the time and it will not self-center on its own

[@Mr.madmight266]

Hi, i've been watching your videos from a long time belive it or not, and i would like to know what is your opinion about the new Atari VCS that's being currently developed? also yeah, that 5200 controller is crap beyond belief, and the only real issue with the 5200.

[@ReplayRetro]

Thanks for watching, glad you enjoy the show. As for the new "VCS" i think its pointless in every way, its basically an Atari branded "Ouya" designed to trick gullible people out of their money

[@TheThatEthanGuy]

My thoughts exactly. I guess hoping for an ACTUAL new console would be asking too much from them.

[@Mr.madmight266]

ReplayRetro Hahaha well yeah since they're Atari but only in name sadly. careful though cause when you speak about them negatively, they actually dare to call you out for it like they did with a couple of KZbinrs that exposed them. **sigh** i wish the Atari brand was in better hands.

[@Mr.madmight266]

TheThatEthanGuy Hey, nice Fireman icon.i think they might be able to succeed if they make the console fairly cheap at least.

[@ceruleancenturion]

ReplayRetro in ten years do you think the ouya will be retro enough for this channel?

[@luvmenow33]

The controllers did break way to easily but other then that , IMO they get a very bad rap. They were not hard to use once you got used to centering the stick before moving in the next direction. They were a bit of a paid for games like pacman but once you got the hang of it , you would just center the stick automatically via muscle memory and go about your next move. The buttons were good for righties or lefties which was sweet and it had a totally friggin awesome trackball controller that was unique at that time and made games like Centipede , Missile Command and Breakout playable at home and tons of fun. Also the 5200 games were by FAR the BEST arcade to hone ports out there no question unless you had a computer. Atari 5200 gets an undeserved bad wrap due to the faulty controllers that were easily fixable. Go grab a 5200 & see if you can go back to 2600 cause you won't want to at all.

[@davidcady6315]

Listening to the sound of gameplay was pretty much disturbed by the commentaries - the same way these got rendered almost inaudible by the console's output.. May I suggest turning the console's volume down by some 50%?

[@ConsoleShockOfficial]

I really want a 5200! Arent they a pain to get in the UK and also to get woking on a modern UK TV? Great video btw!

[@thepumpkingking8339]

24:22 on the right hand side. Thr last 4/5 horizontal line's is this an artifact of the capture card or is this the system doing this. Curiosity ..

[@ReplayRetro]

i'm not entirely sure to be honest, it could be a glitch, or it could be a product of capture, i did see it during play but it didn't bother me, it could even be related to the AV mod installed on the console

[@Blunko_McSqwuntley]

i thought the 5200 was only sold here in Canada and the US or did you import it?

[@ShamrockParticle]

I love how Vanguard used the Star Trek TNG theme 🤣

[@christians.7599]

I really enjoyed your review, Matt! I realise now that the Atari 5200 wasn't such a bad system at all. One question: What is the weight of this enormous console? (not that I want to put it onto my lap ;-)

[@ReplayRetro]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. i don't have anything to weight it with handy but it's not too bad really, the power supply weighs about as much as a collapsed star but the system itself (while certainly not lightweight) doesn't weigh as much as you might think

[@Sadarsa]

I owned a 5200, spent my childhood playing that thing, I absolutely loved it. Your complaints about the joystick controller are laughable to me. I suppose by today's standards the controller is horrific, but back then it was quite advanced.

[@Marc_Araujo]

...the original "joy-con drift."

[@wallacelang1374]

(1) Your video capture of the Atari 5200 in its NTSC region 1 format is fine. (2) PAC-MAN on the Atari 5200 contains the intermissions of the arcade game that the Atari 400/800 version lacks. (3) VANGUARD and GALAXIAN were both nearly perfect ports of the original arcade games. (4) The man who had originally designed the Atari 5200 joystick controllers had regretted that his intended modifications were never phased in upon initial release.

[@awwrelic]

Yeah, I'm looking at the gargantuan 5200 on my shelf, and the only thing I have that's nearly as big is the Magnavox Odyssey 2 on the same shelf....and that's with The Voice attached to it :) But I do think the Atari 5200 is a nice machine, hampered with the problematic controller (I have no problem with the switchbox). I first played a 5200 around 1983 when I was 21...my elder brother bought it and let me try it out at his place. So I was glad when I bought one in the last two-three years. But seriously Atari? Using a game (Super Breakout) that pretty much requires a spinner control as a pack-in for a system that didn't have one? Crazy, man. But I still pull it off the shelf every so often to play around with it.

[@ReplayRetro]

yeah the Odyssey 2 (or Videopac outside of the US) is similar in size, however that's because its more of a computer with a full keyboard, so i didn't include that for comparison. I think the choice of pack in was down to the style of Atari management at the time, they were money men, not creatives, all they saw was a bundled game and didn't see that they type of game mattered, so they went with a cheap one

[@mrmojorisin8752]

Properly refurbished 5200 controllers last a long, long time. As others have said, the innovative analog controls work fabulously with some games, like Defender, Soccer, Super Breakout. They ruin games like Pac-Man. For the latter, get an adapter that allows you to use standard 4-way controllers. The 5200 library is extremely strong-very little “shovelware.”

[@2199]

Controllers sucked. Didn't have enough games. But 7800 should've played 5200, like it did for the 2600

[@smokingunclefrank6037]

I like the wood grain more personally

[@nostalgicforthe70s18]

Its not forgotten and we celebrate the Atari 5200 on the Atari 5200 Podcast. Come on over and give it a listen theatari5200superpodcast.libsyn.com/episode-2-countermeasure-and-wizard-of-wor facebook.com/TheAtari5200Podcast/

[@ReplayRetro]

Well i mean for the average gamer and even the average retro enthusiast it definitely is forgotten but its nice to know there's still some love out there for the 5200, i'll check out your podcast when i get chance, thanks for watching

[@Lightblue2222]

I don't think the arcade Galaxian had analog control, which makes the 5200 version interesting!

[@travismcdowell8352]

I've been looking for one of these for awhile. The problem there to expensive or the controllers are broken. I suggest instead of getting one of these get a Atari 2600,7800 or a Colecovision. The Colecovision has a better library and it's more dependable👍

[@mrmojorisin8752]

No, CVs are not more dependable. Very buggy.

[@TweeterMan287]

You forgot to mention how bad the joystick is.

[@ReplayRetro]

oh yeah, you'd think i'd remember something as important as that ;)

[@flounder31]

The boot (which is fucked on yours) largely serves to center the analog stick. You should restore your sticks and retry.

[@jonniefast]

got a VERY cool adapter that allows me to Y-cable a 2600/sega controller instead of using (breaking) my existing controllers lol

[@Lightblue2222]

Excellent!

[@StevenMichaelYamnitz]

Let the best be Big.

[@small_ed]

Interesting analysis...

[@AtariCentral]

Hello, thanks for this honest review versus the usually hit piece's that lazy You-tubers put out. What important to know is back then you had a few controller choices. The Masterplay that allowed you to play most games with an Atari 2600 joystick and the Wico Self Centering Analogue joystick. Today I play using either a 15 pin PC joystick or the Sega Genesis controllers thanks to the Masterplay Clone and the Bohoki PC to 5200 Adapters. In addition one of our buddies will be coming out with a mod kit that will finally bring self centering to your original Atari 5200 controllers

[@FlintG]

What is this a door or a fucking closet?! - AVGN

[@ReplayRetro]

i think years ago it was probably the AVGN video that made me want this thing, especially because at the time there were very few imported into this country so it felt very interesting

[@AtariCentral]

For video's about controller options please see Wired Up Retro KZbin Channel and for video game reviews please see the Glen Planamento You Tube Channel.

[@aurathedraak7909]

HE LIVES TO MAKE ANOTHER LEGIT VIDEO Also Hoi m8

[@ReplayRetro]

Hello birdy, hope you enjoyed it

[@aurathedraak7909]

ReplayRetro stop have a life and make more awesome videos. XD

[@ReplayRetro]

hahaha, sadly work consumes the bulk of my time

[@aurathedraak7909]

ReplayRetro true dat

[@zactizmgamez4589]

Don’t you use that console, pal. I heard that the Atari 5200 is failing console since the video game crash.

[@Riddlewire]

My Pioneer LaserActive laughs at your puny Atari 5200.

[@ReplayRetro]

Hahaha, i was tempted to mention the LaserActive . . . . HOWEVER if we're being honest all the console hardware is contained within the PACs and the machine itself is just a LaserDisc player, so its a 50/50 really, you could count it in which case it's probably the biggest console ever (unless you then also count the unreleased Halcyon) but i felt i wouldn't count either Jealous that you have one though, its a system i really want to get hold of

[@Riddlewire]

Well, by that logic, you have to remove the space occupied by the controller bay of the 5200. In which case, the Vectrex might be the last man standing in the Console Volume Wars. Since the whole of that device is necessary for gaming. Btw, my PL is just the shell :(

[@ReplayRetro]

But that controller bay is a non removable part of the console, my point is that the Pioneer CLD A-100 is a laser disc player and not a games console, 2 of the available PACs are not for playing games at all. The Sega and NEC PACs add game playing functionality to the machine so its sort of fuzzy ground really. Many systems have excess space just out of design aesthetics but that space IS part of the console and cannot simply be removed so whatever their dimensions are regardless of what that space is used for that is the size of the system. It's tricky because by itself the PAC is nothing, but you still can't say the CLD A-100 is a console, its a modular home entertainment system at best, a hybrid of some form

[@ootwii]

Ive always wanted a atari 5200..i know it stinks ..but it be neat too have ..

[@shaolin95]

LOL Intellivision advanced controller??? Anyone that says that NEVER played with one..it was one of the worst controllers ever made.

[@Creative_Welshman]

Microsoft says hold my beer * Releases the Duke

[@grimmah1978]

I dunno if the 95 means the year you were born, but yeah if so that would explain why you misunderstand the point Matt was making. Compare the intellivision controller to what was available at the time, and yes, it was advanced. It had more buttons, a "disc" type d-pad of sorts etc. Compare that to a paddle or a simple joystick, and yes it is advanced. if you dont like the controller that is up to you, but not liking and not being advanced is not the same thing.

[@ReplayRetro]

As grimmah has already explained it was Advanced for the time and far closer to what would become the standard controller later in the 16bit generation than the 2600 joystick. by our standards now its of course not advanced and looks like a side step on the road to modern controllers but that disc was an attempt at a Dpad, and that telephone keypad was because people weren't used to having to press buttons, but they knew a phone keypad so that felt natural to them, later this would evolve into more ergonomic button layouts once people got the hang of it. Don't forget, the simple controls of "computer space" were deemed to complex at the time

[@StevenMichaelYamnitz]

Pound for pound be best.

[@smokingunclefrank6037]

In comparison the Magnavox odyssey is almost as big

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Cool. Atari should never have been sold bu Nolan. Coolest logo, coolest name- Atari God bless, Proverbs 31

[@JohnSegerclucka]

The sound effects for Galaxian are hideous

[@StevenMichaelYamnitz]

Of course wiki it up.

[@nickligammari7773]

I have serial number 34520

[@StevenMichaelYamnitz]

Arcade port city.

[@seannimick1727]

I Loved this system, the graphics were unparalleled at the time. It put Intellivision to shame. BUT, that non centering joystick ruined it. I find it hard to think that a lack of a spring could ruin a company. But it did, and they never recovered.

[@iwanaGoFast2010]

This video was good until I didn’t get sparks. Booooo

[@ivanchavez7254]

No sabes jugar😒