Atari 5200 - worth buying? 

Wow the 5200 the rich man's 2600! I remember making long hikes to the Sears store in Chicago just to play this monster!

my father bought me an original 4 port 5200 back in the 80s...and it was fantastic! For its time, it was a cut above everything else that was available. Namco and Activision games collection.. Pac Man.. Centipede.. ect. had graphics that were almost exactly like their arcade standing counterparts. Defender was my favorite game.. the game play and graphics were amazing.. like most of the games for that console. I'm a huge fan... cant say enough good things about it.

I own and play my 2600, 5200, and 7800. For a person who doesn't want a cheap Flashback system and wants to have an authentic Atari experience, I would recommend the 7800. I use my 7800 in place of my 2600 simply because it's easy to hook up, and seems to work with every peripheral and game (except for Robot Tank, sadly...)

Man, I miss the look of these consoles. The 2600 jr, 5200 and 7800 always looked so gorgeous to me as well as the 16/32 bit Atari computers of the era. Great video!

I have a 5200, 33 games and a 90 game multicatridge, Atari 2600 adapter (and original 2600) 6 5200 controllers and love the system! For $19.99 you can get a rev 9 Gold replacement for original number and fire button and will never have a control problem again. Great video.

I had a 2600 when I was a kid. I had never even heard of a 5200 or a 7800 until today. Watching you play those games was like reliving my child hood. Just WOW!!

My first console was the 4-controller version of the 5200. Was given to me as a hand-me-down from a neighbor kid who wasn't into games anymore in probably 1984, in the middle of the crash. Since it was the middle of the crash I was able to have my parents get me a bunch of games for it since they were all like 10 bucks. Getting an NES like 4 years later was quite the sticker shock when I realized all the games were like 5 times as much...although the cost of frequently replacing joysticks probably evened it out. Definitely had one of those black and red sticks you have along the way.

The reason the holes are on the side of the controller compartment is to allow you to keep them plugged in on the front, but still store them inside. It works VERY well.

I've been subscribed to this channel for a long time. How did I miss this video?!? I picked up a 5200 a few years back and put it on the shelf. The little storage slot in the back and controllers broke without even touching them. I was able to get new controllers from Best Electronics (I definitely recommend them!!) and was able to play the system. Despite the issues, it is probably my favorite Atari system. Aesthetically they did it right! The console is beautiful, the controllers are beautiful, the carts are beautiful! It's definitely worth the buy!! The homebrew scene is still very much alive and have released a lot of great games. AtariAge has a bunch (as well as repro carts.) Awesome review and great video!

Watching your videos makes me so happy. It's crazy to think that just watching someone play with old stuff is so amazing

I was quite happy to stumble upon this new video feature on the Atari 5200! I've owned several, fixed the controllers, but sadly my current 5200 needs more TLC than time allows, so I just emulate mostly. The analog control on 5200 Missile Command is superb; the twin-stick control and gameplay on Robotron and Space Dungeon also awesome. And the coin-op ports are mostly all very great versions. So 5200 is a lot of fun and there are many homebrews and Atari computer game ports still coming. I love Countermeasure, once you get familiar with it it can get addictive. Thanks for the show!

I got my four-port 5200 secondhand maybe 8 years ago with a handful of games and, for the brief amount of time the controllers worked, I thoroughly enjoyed it's versions of Centipede and Pole Position with that analog movement. If they really needed some kind of storage space on the back, they should have widened it inward and used it for cartridges instead. Doesn't matter what joystick or controller is in question, most everyone knows how to tuck them out of the way around the TV area, there was no need for a spot for them on the machine itself. I had a ColecoVision as my first console and those joysticks definitely did not go back in their tray the right way after stretching their coiled cables enough.

We had an Atari 5200! We were so excited when we got it and played it from 1984 until we got an NES in 1987. I recall the controller has issue but we made it work pushing the broken buttons with a fork

Nice video review! The 5200 is a true labor of love. If you put the labor in (from getting one without it being destroyed in shipping to finding a good controller solution) you are truly in for a treat. The system's hardware closely resembles the Atari 8-bit computer line and has that excellent POKEY sound chip as well as a lot of really challenging, fun and graphically superior games to many other platforms of the era. It's really too bad the controller (in my opinion) is what killed this console more than anything else and what still continues to dissuade newcomers to the system. Overcome the controller hurdle and you have one heck of a system here. The RF box for the four switch works just as fine as anything else as well. I always see people point that out as something "bad" and to "avoid". In my experience that box actually provided clearer RF than the two port model....maybe because the box was powered? In any case, my 5200 is composite modded these days so I don;t have to worry about that anymore anyway ;)

I had 5200 when they came out in 82 or 83.(had 4 ports on front) I loved playing Joust, Defender, Pac man. After that I bought the Atari 7800 enjoying Xzavier , Miss Pac Man, etc. Good times playing in the dark with siblings (turning the brightness down on tv playing PacMan) I might still have my 5200 laying around somewhere :) Thanks for the video :)

Hello from the Atari 5200 Podcast and the Atari 5200 Central RU-vid Channel. We have subbed your channel and liked all your Atari 5200 related videos. We hope this will help drive traffic to your channel. Looking forward to hopefully some new video's about the 5200 from your channel.

Your content is so good, never had a 5200 but loved my 2600. I'm not sure I could get into these systems again but so entertaining to watch. BTW the MULE intro looks like an AT-AT walker lol. Keep it up!!

Really enjoy all of your videos. I even have an alert set up for a Sony ps-lx5 on eBay after that great review. Looking forward to more great insights on old tech classics. Thanks for taking the time and effort to share all of your knowledge with us. Edit: ps-lx3!

5200 is definitely worth owning in my opinion if not for the 5200 games, the 2600 with adapter! Your absolutely correct on 5200 being a definite upgrade over 2600. River Raid is one good example, along with several more. For better control on some games, I use a 5200 Masterplay type adapter which allows me to use my Genesis controller to play 5200 ganes. :-) There is,a guy on ebay that builds,and sells them but it was definitely worth the $89 I paid for it. Q-bert is another game that's much better with the original type 5200 controller vs the Sega controller. Enjoyed the 5200 insight. Think I will subscribe. :)

The back is the perfect place for a rolling rock.

Nice Videos on the 5200! I was going to mention the Missile Command works with the trackball controller. Centipede and Robotron 2084 (using the dual controller coupler) are my favorite games for this system.

I remember my dad may him r.i.p. had got me the 2nd generation 5200. He also had got me along with it moon patrol,PAC man. I use to love that system so much.

Great video! My very first video gaming experience (at least that I can remember) is playing the Atari 5200 at my aunt and uncle's apartment. This was in the early-mid-eighties, when the system came out. I don't think I have played one since the early nineties. There were so many good games, Super Break Out, Pac Man, Centipede, Mario Bros., Kaboom, etc. While I don't ever see myself owning this console, simply due to a lack of time, money, and space; however, I too recommend it to lovers of retro games.

you deserve a medal! Atari 5200 plus a lcd tv & RF connection ohhh' the humanity!!

The best Atari console is the 7800. I bought mine CIB 25 years ago and it still looks and plays great. Plus it is backwards compatible with games for the 2600. I DO collect and play homebrews for both the 2600 and 7800. There are a lot of homebrews for both, so the 7800 has a HUGE library of commercial and homebrew games. It's a lot smaller than a 5200 too. The ProLine controllers can be painful to use, but I've never broken one. There is the option to get the official 7800 Control Pad that was released in Europe, but it's usually expensive. There are sellers on eBay selling 3D printed Control Pads that typically sell of around $25 new. The only other issue is the sound. To make the 7800 fully backwards compatible with games for the 2600, for the least amount of money, Atari used the Tia sound chip used in the 2600. Game publishers had the option to include the Pokey sound chip (used in the 5200 and some of Atari's arcade games) in the game cartridge, but I only know of 2 games released that way. "Commando" and "Ballblazer." Some 7800 homebrew ports of games that were never released for the 7800 back in the day use the Pokey chip. "Beef Drop," a very good homebrew port of "BurgerTime," was released in limited supply with the Pokey chip. The non-Pokey version uses the Tia chip built into the console and is called "Beef Drop VE."

You got a slick voice for this kind of stuff

You sort of overlooked this in your video, but one of the big complaints about the 5200 (at least earlier 4 port models) was the choice that Atari made to have the DC power plug for the unit be on the RF switch box, with the switch box then sending the power to the unit upstream from over the RF cable coming from the main unit, with the RF signal going downstream. The man unit could then separate the power from the RF signal and RF switch would separate filter the power out of the two RF out jacks (two 300 ohm screw terminals and a 75 ohm F-Connecter. This setup had two major downside. First, if the RF switch unit broke then you couldn’t just buy a generic RF switch to replace it. Second, if you accidentally connected the some other game or computer system (employing RCA RF out jack) to the an 1st gen. 5200 RF switch, you could fry that system since it wasn’t designed to handle DC current going upstream to it. Apparently Atari quickly learned from their mistake and switch to separate power RF ports on the later two-controller 5200 models. I suspect the thinking behind unusual 1st gen Dc Power/RF combo switch box for Atari was this would allow the power cable to be connected to the switch box behind the TV and out of the way and just have one cable connecting going to main unit placed on the floor in front on the TV, not that much of a benefit IMO to justify the downsides. By the way, the 5200 was not the first console to employ this idiotic method for providing power over the RF cable as there was a Pong clone console from the 70’s that also used a similar method of providing power over the RF cable.

I had an Atari 2600, 5200 and 7800 when I was a kid (not all at the same time, and none of them were new, even at the time I had them) and I loved them all. The only new console I have ever personally owned was a Sony PlayStation 2 that I bought about 6 months after its release. I admit, as much as I loved my Atari consoles, and my Nintendo consoles, the PS2 was my favorite... I miss that little bugger.

I remember the WICO joysticks. They were really durable. I had one for my Atari 2600 and played Decathalon with it A LOT. LOL I had a ColecoVision too. I loved that thing. I had the 2600 adapter for it too.

I love your videos and attention to detail. Joy to watch :)

I have personally found that introducing people to my retro collection usually yields the happiest gaming experiences from the 2600. Adults and kids just love playing Kaboom! with the paddle and Space Invaders with the joystick. I've always wanted to support the 5200 but apparently the 2600 is simply "more fun".

For Countermeasure, you have to get the big fuel tank (don't shoot it) to refuel. Your fuel automatically decreases on its own until you run out. And, you have to get to the big rocket without shooting it, which takes you to the extra missile countdown game where you have to guess the code before you get bombed. The game gives you code hints (I forgot how). Whenever you guess the code for the extra missile countdown game, you get to "the next board" where your board and enemies change. It is a moderately fun game.

Another difference is that the 2 port model is compatible with the 2600 adapter. The 4 port required you to send your console back to Atari to get a fix so it could use the 2600 adapter. BTW I actually liked that auto-switch box since it meant you only had one cable going from your TV to the console. (The cable did both video and power.)

Love how they went from wood in the 70s to stainless steal finish in the 80s to nothing but plastic in 90s.

I liked your camera work at 12:00 It gives a better understanding how it looks in a real life situation. Seeing the controller and what's happening on the screen gives a better understanding how these games play. This is coming from a guy who has never really played any of these older systems.

Apparently, one of the key factors for the failure of the 5200, in addition to the crappy controllers and poor build-quality overall of the unit, was the fact that 2600 was Atari’s cash cow at the time and when the 5200 was released it did not sell well right out the door. This led Atari to focus more resources on putting out 2600 games over 5200 games, leading to a much smaller library of titles from Atari. There was also less support from third-party developers due to poor sales of the unit. It that classic catch-22 where no one wants buy a game console with few if any good game titles but few third-party developers want to invest money in making games for system owned by so few. One way around this is boost interest by the Console manufacturer making good games on their own that draw buyers to the system, which in turn attracts third-party developers. You saw this with Nintendo and Super Mario Brothers, Sega with Sonic the Hedgehog, Microsoft buying Ubisoft so “Halo: Combat Evolved” could be an exclusive prominent launch title on the original Xbox. The successor 7800 did better in this respect but IMO was released a little to late to fully succeed, having been delayed by two years from it’s originally planned ‘84 release (came out in ‘86.) due the sale of Atari in ‘84 and an outstanding contractual issue discovered after the sale.

That RF signal is really clear, I can't wait to get me a 5200 so I can plug it up to my Retrotink 5X Pro (Via RF to Svideo conversion on my SVHS VCR).

I'm glad you appreciate the theme music from MULE, one of the all time greatest video game themes

"I like it big"- Modern Classic 2017

Yes! Finally, a mostly POSITIVE review of this awesome system! I'm glad to have my (s-video modded) system! I would love to have a complete collection, but some games (Frogger 2, Bounty Bob Strikes Back, etc.) will most likely keep me from fulfilling that goal.

Thank you for this video! The only thing I remember about this system is probably the god awful controller, which was highlighted by AVGN years ago. Great to see someone giving this system a fair go this time. Keep doing your best, I can see you're being the next Techmoan and 8 Bit Guy IMHO. p/s And more classic Thinkpad review please! Haha

Your 5200 looks excellent. Great condition. I agree with most of your review but you said it wasn't durable. For me, I've had my 5200 since 82 and it still works great. So I disagree with you on the durability part. Maybe the 4 ports were less durable because of the switchbox. What also separates the 5200 from the 8bit is the trackball controls. Missile Command and Centipede is just a great experience on the trackball.

Back in the late 80s/early 90s my grandmother bought a boxed 4-port Atari 5200, three controllers and a shoebox full of games at a tag sale for $5. She figured it would be an upgrade from their old Atari 2600, but my grandfather refused to touch it because he thought the controllers were too complicated. Even with games that only used the stick and firebutton, he wouldn't try them. He was pretty stubborn. So I ended up buying it from her. :) There are also instructions on the net for how to build an adapter that lets you use a standard DOS-era, 15-pin analog joystick with the 5200. I believe there are also adapters to use a standard Atari compatible digital joystick as well, but then you'll only have one button and it won't work with all games.

just want to say i love your channel................thanks for great vids

Unless the controllers have been abused or are completely broken they are usually very easy to get working. Just disassemble, clean the pots and button pads with alcohol, then sand down the pads with a fine sandpaper to remove all corrosion until they shine again. Yes, sanding electronics is not the best idea and you might destroy the board. Also, it won't stop the problem from happening again years down the road. However, seeing as how the controller didn't work anyway I don't see the harm. If you do mess up the board (or if you prefer), you can buy replacement boards with gold contacts that should pretty much last forever.

Countermeasure was a awesome game! Trying to get that code in before the nukes landed really made you sweat! 5200 had some deep games.

I BOUGHT a 5200. It was my favorite console. I had centipede, Defender, pac man, Galaxian, Missle Command, Star Raiders. I loved the analog sticks, but they wouldn't take a beating like Atari's original sticks. I'd buy this system today, and would likely play it more than my PS4 Pro.

I love my 5200. My stick rebuilds are what you need.

Thanks to this... I now really badly miss my Atari 5200 :(

The backwards compatibility was Atari's calling card, from the adapter on the 5200 for 2600 games to the 7800 playing 2600 without an adapter.

The 5200 in its time even was quite rare, at least among anyone I knew. Probably because it was so expensive. Fortunately for me my cousin had one so I got to play it in its heyday. I remember it being pretty amazing for its time. I never knew anyone else that had it.

one big feature of the 5200 not mentioned here is the TRACKBALL. super cool for games like Centipede

We had the 5200 growing up in the 80's seing this video brought back memories....

5200 is gold...the 7800 too

Do you have a ny links to sites that offer the S-Video mod to the 4 port model? I've got two, but also live in the UK, so they're rare as hen's teeth over here.

The 5200 was my first electronic sticker-peel experience when I was 10 years old in '82-'83 and we had the two-port model and as far as I was concerned the biggest downfall was the controllers breaking.

Just imagine if someone produced a modern game console with analog sticks, the original Battlezone, Defender, Centipede, and Omega Race. And for driving, the arcade version of one of Atari's best.

If I were purchasing an old Atari, I’d get the 7800. Aside from being backward compatible with all 2600 games and controllers, the system was compact and also looked like this.

Just an update regarding a new way to play MULE. There is the Masterplay Clone that allows you to use many alternative joysticks or a Sega Gen controller as it has its own built in keypad but a newer project that Atariguy1021 is working on is a 5200 to Atari Jaguar adapter, I plan on getting 4 so that I can have a 4 player MULE party :)

Honestly, if you want 5200 performance without 5200 headache, just get an Atari 800 or other 8-bit computer. They had the exact same hardware and their games were usually 1:1 ports. You'll also get access to way more games and be able to use regular Sega Genesis contrrollers.

Countermeasure was one of the first games to really get my heart pumping and my nerves going. When you had to figure out that code.

I wish they would do a classic system of this like they do with the regular atari 2600. I guess raspberri pi is the answer unless you want the big box. Had this as a kid, one of my fondest memories.

The industrial design reminds me a lot of the B&O all-in-one stereo systems from the 90s...

Oh, how I love the peel! There is nothing like getting a new PC case with tempered glass panels. LOL

I'm one of those who would keep the protective plastic on.

For some reason, I want one

Wow very nice video keep it up

Totally worth it. Every penny.

06:08 - I thought this is a family friendly channel !!

You have a MULE cart? I’m jealous. Great video!

The 5200 was a system that I wanted back in the day, but my want for it quickly dissipated once I saw the C-64 in action. I ended up getting the Commodore computer and never looked back.

1:57 "I like it big!" Oh, do you? :D

i HAD one,as a kid, in the early 80's,and to be honest,it was more trouble than it was worth.The joysticks were awkward/hard to use,the adapter that let you play 2600 games on it didn't work (there was a known problem with it,and the adapter had to ve sent in to be fixed) not to mention that the tv/game box was near imposible to replace (mine had been broken after numerous years,and even Radio Shack didn't have another,back in the 90's)....

I used to have an Atari 800 computer, and all the games I played on that system which appear in this video were seemingly the exact-same versions. I haven't compared the specs but I'm guessing the 5200 had the guts of the 400/800 series. I've been wanting to get another 800 because the games were killer, and Donkey Kong in particular had the best home port I've ever seen of that game. It's the only home version that includes the cement-factory level and has many levels of timing for the bouncing springs.

I had one of these my mom found it at a yard sale in the 90's it had been well cared for and gently used, well although I did not beat on it I used it all the time and thought it was very advanced for its time. Although I did have an nes I still played this until I literally wore one of the joysticks completely out and it literally wouldn't go up when you pushed up nothing would happen, the other controller worked fine and I used the broken controller every time I didn't need the up on a game and when I did I was as gentle as possible as this was before the internet and endless options there, I probably got about 15 years use out of it because I remember still playing it in the 2000's and we only paid like $40 (used of course) and I'd say that we definitely got the money's worth out of it and it is probably still stashed away in some drawer and my mom don't even have any clue. I'd love to play with it again though. The previous owners had rolled the wire around the joystick and stored it in the back easily, but yeah I loved it it was like a mini arcade on my own TV in my room (which we're still extremely popular even in the early 2000s and still had some of the same games that I did even then) and of course it had my favorite galaga and several of my other favorites like Pac-Man and especially Pole position I loved Pole position.

The 7800 had Better Graphics more Arcade like then Atari 8 Bit computers that the5200 was like graphically but the 7800 had the same Shity VCS Single channel Sound Chip.

Hell yeah I'm going to get Atari 2600jr,5200,7800,xe,st, and lynx and Jaguar and Jaguar CD

I have a 4 port Atari 5200 and about 8 controllers non of which work but one is enough to allow me to play a couple games. my favorite game I have which is about 20 titles is galaxian. absolutely love it for some reason it just plays well on the 5200

(While removing the plastic): "I hope this is in focus right now." LOL, I can imagine.

First Console where the games looked just like the ones in the arcade, I remember getting one of these back in Christmas of 1982.

My dad bought one when it came out. That system was the bees pajamas!! 🤩🤩💪🏆

Excellent video! I'm a new subscriber, so I need to catch up on your other videos. A few things to point out about a few of the games I played back in the day: Not only was Super Breakout tough to play using the joystick of the standard controller, but Kaboom! by Activision (one of my favorite 2600 games) was even worse...in fact, for me it was just about impossible if you were used to the paddle controllers like I was. Kangaroo was just about in that same category because the joystick didn't center. One cool game, however, was Berzerk because it used voice synthesis, whereas the 2600 didn't.

Never having seen one, I can't get over the gargantuan size of the box (packaging). You could climb inside it.

Was that an AT-AT and E.T. Roaming across the M.U.L.E. start screen?! I think I'd personally rather own a 7800 for play over any other system, and a Heavy Sixer 2600 as a collector. I'm not an overall fan of the 5200 even though I do see the graphic improvement, and Atari must not have had any faith in it with the 7200 being designed and produced only a year after the 5200.

Countermeasure is THE BEST game I think! Worth buying the console for! And it works GREAT with the original controllers too!

I had the 5200 and loved Pole Position. The controller used to break easy though.

They should have included Frogger as the pack-in game

Nostalgia.

The peel off was awesome.

2:42 Ohhhhhh yeah, that's the spot right there!

Awesome vid!

Why would you pull off the protective plastic? I have never removed it on my units.

I owned a four-port version. Defender was great, yeah. Love how a kidnapped human would go berserk if not rescued. 🤣

It's a crap shoot to find a 4 port model that's compatable with the VCS adapter. There are a lot of them on the second hand market that have been upgraded and you can tell by an asterisk in the model number but there are some that never got the upgrade and won't work with the adapter.

A company like Hyperkin or Retrobit needs to make aftermarket Atari 5200 controllers.

The Acetronic type family of consoles had analogue joysticks earlier than this. Mass produced, not very good, not so popular, but particularly in Europe they were moderately common. I had one.

I understand taking off the plastic must have felt good and it kinda feels nice to watch, but at the same time I was like "Don't do it, it's an old machine and it's rare that those have it still on, you'll make it less special by taking it off!" With these retro consoles and stuff I like to keep it as much original and in good condition as I can and I wouldn't dare to do that if that was my Atari. Anyway your atari is in nice good condition still, which is a pleasure to see.

ok so i feel the console is a unique addition to any collection... the aftermarket controllers are becoming more readily available recently and the repair kits better... I just replaced the circuit boards and buttons in 2 of my Official controllers and they work fine. I recommend getting the boards/buttons that have the gold contacts. the games are relatively cheap. too.. also would recommend getting a 2 port 5200 unless your hellbent on playing pitfall... which only can be played on a 4 port (2 port with a bios chip swap)...

I remember having a conversation with another kid on my bus in the 80s about how much better his 5200 was than my 2600. I was drooling.. then enraged knowing my parents would never afford this for me. I'm an old guy now so I should just try to get one.. and then show my mom how much better my life really could have been. haha

My first gaming console