19 replies to this topic

[boxpressed]

I've got some 5200 controllers that I need to test fully. The fire buttons and the start, pause, and reset buttons I can test. I have about 16 games but no overlays. Is there an easy way to test the number buttons? Thanks!

[bohoki]

i use missile command to test directions

i use galaxian to test the buttons as each number is instantly starts the level

i use dig dug to test the buttons top and bottom

but that's just me as crazy as it sounds sometimes while testing something i get caught up in a game and play it for a while
post your list and i can work with it

some games are finicy about thir directional triggering values i notice popeye and gyruss want higher resistance to trigger down and right than most games

[Nuclear Pacman]

Star Raiders uses every button.

[jetset]

Defender is your best best to check all the buttons. Bottom fire is your laser, top fire is your smart bomb, and any of the keypad buttons activates hyperspace.

[boxpressed]

Wish I had Galaxian, Defender, or Star Raiders.

I've got Jungle Hunt, Q*Bert, Popeye, Gyruss, Frogger, Mario Bros., RealSports Football, Vanguard, Pengo, Moon Patrol, Missile Command, Joust, Pac-Man, Pole Position, Soccer, Centipede, and Space Dungeon.

[FujiSkunk]

Frogger can be used to test the 2, 4, 6 and 8 buttons, in addition to the bottom row. Switch the game to play with keypad control.

Almost off topic, I have extra Defender and Star Raiders carts, and I believe I have extra Galaxian carts as well, if you'd like to make a deal.

Edited by FujiSkunk, Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:55 AM.

[jetset]

boxpressed, on Mon Sep 26, 2011 8:13 AM, said:

Wish I had Galaxian, Defender, or Star Raiders. I've got Jungle Hunt, Q*Bert, Popeye, Gyruss, Frogger, Mario Bros., RealSports Football, Vanguard, Pengo, Moon Patrol, Missile Command, Joust, Pac-Man, Pole Position, Soccer, Centipede, and Space Dungeon.

Maybe one of the sports games...check the manual(s) online. I know for sure Realsports baseball makes use of all of them, maybe football and/or soccer does as well.

[boxpressed]

Thanks for the additional suggestions -- I'll be sure to try them.

@FujiSkunk: I appreciate the offer. Right now I'm on the fence about whether to abandon the 5200 as a platform, so I'm not actively collecting for it. I think my interest in the 5200 is an index to my level of masochism. I know that these things are a PIA, from the crappy controllers to the funky RF switch, to the colossal size, to the freaking RF shield whose removal I gave up on because life is too short. Yet I'm still intrigued by it. Buying an untested controller and finding it to work or bringing it back from the dead compares to doing the same for a console -- it's part of the fun of collecting. But I think that Space Dungeon with dual controllers isn't a compelling enough reason to stick with the system when I have a perfectly good XEGS that will play over 90% of the same games with better controllers.

[FujiSkunk]

No argument, the 5200 is a beast, both in size and in personality. And yes, it may just be a revamped Atari 800 with needlessly complexified interfaces, but, I still believe taming the beast is a worthy pursuit. You've got games like Missile Command and Star Raiders that actually benefit from the analog controls and extra buttons, games like Centipede and Dig Dug that were reprogrammed and improved for the 5200, and games like Kangaroo and Vanguard which didn't even see a true release for the 8-bit line (at least not officially).

Two good 5200 painkillers are the 2-port model, which has a separate port for the power supply and so doesn't require the funky combination RF modulator and power adapter; and a digital controller adapter, for games that don't really need analog control. I use a Redemption, an adapter that AtariAge used to sell, for playing 5200 games with a Sega Genesis controller. There was also a model for use with the Atari 7800 controller, but sadly AtariAge doesn't sell them any more. Redemptions and other such adapters can still turn up for sale now and then.

Edited by FujiSkunk, Mon Sep 26, 2011 2:39 PM.

[jetset]

One other thought...as you can tell by the replies, not many 5200 games fully utilize the keypad, so in the rare event yours doesn't work it'll only affect a few games. And by rare I mean to say that those hardly ever break. The fire buttons are notorious for breaking, and to a very small degree the start/pause/reset buttons. I've had many many controllers over the years (I have eight currently) and never have experienced the keypad buttons not working....just a thought for you.

[Official Ninja]

Missile Command can test every button except the 2nd fire buttons. Berzerk is good for testing fire buttons as button 1 or 2 fires your laser.

About the 5200 as a platform, I think the opposite of what I see most people say. I don't pay much mind to the A8 platform because no matter how I search I find the best games to be on the 5200 already. I'm including all the most recent ports from the A8 of course. I choose my 5200 with an AtariMax SD cart every time over my A8. Then again I have spent years collecting all the important control options for the system. Good condition stock sticks, wico sticks/keypads, Masterplay interfaces, trak-balls.......

[boxpressed]

I should be covered with all of the game suggestions above, thanks! Honestly, I started this thread because I was thinking about selling all my 5200 stuff and being done with the 5200. But I probably won't abandon the 5200 and didn't know that Centipede and Dig Dug that were improved from the A8 version. So far, I've got two 4-port models (one working, one not), three fully-working controllers and two semi-working controllers, and all those loose games. (My only boxed game is Space Dungeon .) So, I've got to decide whether I want to pump more $$$ into the 5200 by looking for a 2-port model and a Masterplay interface (heard too many iffy stories about the Wico, although I might get a Competition Pro). I guess I'm in no hurry and will wait for good deals.

[jetset]

boxpressed, on Tue Sep 27, 2011 8:44 AM, said:

I should be covered with all of the game suggestions above, thanks! Honestly, I started this thread because I was thinking about selling all my 5200 stuff and being done with the 5200. But I probably won't abandon the 5200 and didn't know that Centipede and Dig Dug that were improved from the A8 version. So far, I've got two 4-port models (one working, one not), three fully-working controllers and two semi-working controllers, and all those loose games. (My only boxed game is Space Dungeon .) So, I've got to decide whether I want to pump more $$$ into the 5200 by looking for a 2-port model and a Masterplay interface (heard too many iffy stories about the Wico, although I might get a Competition Pro). I guess I'm in no hurry and will wait for good deals.

There's PLENTY of reasons to have a 5200. Centipede alone is miles better, plus if you have the trackball it's damn close to having the actual arcade game (that goes for Missile command as well). Space Dungeon is the bomb with the controller coupler, but Robotron is far and away the best aracde at home game period (yes, IMO). I dont think Robotron is available on the A8, and the 7800 version is unplayable with only one controller. You also have countermeasure only available on the 5200 IIRC. Star Raiders and Defender are of course available on the A8 but the 5200 controllers are ten times better since you have the keypad right there...no fumbling for the keyboard or having to keep it on the floor and using your toes, Realsports Baseball is also a 5200 exclusive and it's one of the best baseball games of the time. I know there's a BUNCH of baseball games for the 800 line but I don't know of any of them near as good as RS.
DEFINITELY keep your 5200. Not saying it's better than the 800 overall, but there's plenty of reasons to have it, even IF you have an 800 or xegs.

[Nuclear Pacman]

One way to describe the 5200 is that it is a system for the Enthusiast. I think this is the best way to put it. It's an enthusiast system because you have to put alot of effort into getting the proper accessories and/or repairs to the hardware, so that you can enjoy the 5200 proper. To do this requires a bit of investment, and if a person isn't ready to throw down over $100 to acquire a digital controller, or a way to use one, plus a trak-ball, and repair dysfunctional stock controllers, then I'd say the 5200 isn't for that person.

I know after reading that it does seem like it's just easier to get an 8-bit computer. And, it certainly is if you're starting from scratch. But I do get some enjoyment from having this behemoth 5200 that I've had since I was a child, and it was a hand-me-down from my cousins since we couldn't afford such a luxury. I've had fun maintaining it, and acquiring better controllers to make the games really shine. To me, it's similar to someone keeping an old classic car in good working condition, I get a profound sense of satisfaction having a perfect running 5200 console with digital controls to play Pac-Man the right way, with precision. Yes, I could have taken the easy road and got an 8-bit, but I did things the hard way and kept the 5200 because of the enthusiast part of it all.

[boxpressed]

That's a good way to put it. I actually fear that I'm becoming a 5200 enthusiast. When I stopped and saw myself rubbing a pencil eraser over the fire button traces or gluing metal brads or tin foil to the carbon points, I wondered, "Why the hell am I doing this?" But I realized that maybe doing those things was more fun than playing the games.

[peedenmark7]

Your interest may be hampered some by the limited games you have.. Once you have a good functional controller ,be it a rebuilt cx52 , a wico or a comp pro, and establish the entire library,delve into the home brews ,protos & conversions, I believe you will find that you may not be able to live without it.

I know I began questioning the stupid money I was spending at the beginning of this year, and not seeing an immediate bang for the bucks spent.

Once I had the entire library and good working controllers of all brands, I began to enjoy what I had spent for.

The most fun I have ever had on ANY forum is in the 5200 high score club because it has FORCED me to play games I would otherwise pass over . I am extremely competitive, yet the game play stays friendly, which is very refreshing.

I am enamored with the 5200 more now than as a teenager.

[boxpressed]

Well, after picking up a NIB Masterplay (with second fire button) at a surprisingly low auction price ($67), I'm ready to dive into 5200 games. However, I'd still like to minimize redundancy with A8 carts for those games that are

(1) always better with digital controls and
(2) identical in content/graphics/sound.

For games of this type, I'm going to keep the A8 carts because they're smaller and my Masterplay might crap out someday. Centipede, Dig Dug, Star Raiders, Defender, Missile Command do not fit this category because of the reasons above, and those like Kangaroo, Robotron, and Space Dungeon were never officially released for A8. The ones below are the ones I own that I believe fit the two criteria above. Any reasons they don't belong on the list, or any others to add that are identical or better on the A8 (because of digital controls)?

Jungle Hunt
Q*Bert
Popeye
Gyruss
Frogger
Mario Bros.
Pengo
Moon Patrol
Joust
Pac-Man
Pole Position
Galaxian

Edited by boxpressed, Fri Nov 4, 2011 2:50 PM.

[Sonic R]

boxpressed, on Fri Nov 4, 2011 2:50 PM, said:

Pengo
Pole Position
Galaxian

for what it is worth, these three games can be played with the trak-ball controller… it may enhance or offer a different dimension of game play… and Pole Position, being a driving game, may suit better with analog control offered by the stock 5200 controller…

oh, though some do not desire it, 5200 Moon Patrol uses two buttons, one for fire and one for jumping, so that may be something to consider if that is a more favorable arrangement as opposed to pushing up on the joystick for jumping (as the A8 version features that control scheme)

[boxpressed]

Hmm. Forgot about what the trackball might add. So it's a true analog trackball that speeds up the faster you spin it? If so, that's one of the most compelling reasons to own a 5200. I imagine that Super Breakout would benefit too.

Forgot about Moon Patrol's two buttons. Same goes for Qix.

Also, I meant Vanguard instead of Robotron in my previous post. Robotron did have an official release.

Just picked up Countermeasure and Qix CIB to add to the collection, based on my criteria.

[jetset]

Centipede alone is worth getting a 5200. Yes the trakball is true analog. Works surprisingly well with Galaxian also.