I bought the Atari 5200 sometime before Christmas vacation 1983 after owning the Atari 2600 for two or three years. I was starting to get bored of the Atari 2600 games and then I saw the Atari 5200 in a computer store with Star Raiders on display. That's when I knew it was time to upgrade. Even to this day it's a great game to play. I've owned several Atari 5200 games since then and had to buy a new console once because the other died. I recently repaired both of them thanks to the help of Best Electronics. I owned the 2-port versions and recently bought a 4-port version for no other reason than to just have one even though there are less 4-player games than you can count on one hand. People complain about these controllers, but I would argue that the Intellivision and Colecovision controllers were pretty bad too so at the time you really didn't have much choice. I would recommned a buying an atari 5200 because they are fairly easy to repair, they are fun to play and there are some really good games available. To name some of my favorites (in no particular order) Defender, Star Raiders, Pac-Man, Space Dungeon, Jungle Hunt, Astro Chase, Mountain King, Ballblazer, Rescue on Fractalus, Realsports Baseball and Football.Read full review
The Atari 5200 is a fun system to own and play. It has decent graphics, fantastic sound, and fun games (of course, for its time). The library of games is somewhat limited due to its short lifespan. However, there is an active homebrew community that is creating new software for it all the time. The build quality of the actual unit and game cartridge is quite decent, though takes up plenty of space. However, there are a few drawbacks to the hardware and can become a pain to use. The controllers are prone to breakage and do not self-center. There are plenty of remedies for both issues and can vary from a quick fix to fully rebuilding the controllers with an array of readily available new (old stock) parts. One can also purchase 3rd party controllers and adaptors. There are two models available for one to purchase. The four port Atari 5200 has a distinct way of hooking up the system. This includes the use of a unique TV switchbox that carries both the power and television signal. Without it, one will have to hunt down the switchbox or modify the system. The two port Atari 5200 hooks up to a television like any other vintage videogame system. However, several games are not compatible with it (Pitfall for an example). Owning and collecting for a 5200 can be quite fun if one has some patents and can deal with an issue here or there.Read full review
Because my family had this before it was all about Nintendo...But the original experience was short lived. Thanks to some quality modders out there, this system is now easily connectable via S-Video. Then upscaled via a XRGB Framemeister. I should note you should seek out some 'life time' gold connector refurbished controllers. Some great retro games to be experienced.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I bought a 5200 when it first came out. Atari made a serious mistake in shipping it with a dull brick knock-out game, whereas Colecovision (which arrived at the same time) shipped with a crude version of "Donkey Kong". This badly hurt the 5200's sales, but it didn't take long to see how poor Colecovision was. Coleco had previously been known for plastic wading pools. The quality of their game console was at a comparable level. It simply didn't look or feel like a quality product, and the graphics used a cheap TI chip that could generate only two sprites at a time. The accessories (when they appeared) were equally junky (eg, a noisy high-friction trackball). Of all the home video game systems I had played with, Colecovision was, by far, the worst. Indeed, of all the systems produced by major manufacturers, it is likely the worst of all. The 5200 was (other than its ill-conceived joystick controllers, which Atari should have quickly replaced with sturdier units, but didn't) was a class act. It was basically a video game version of the Atari 400 home computer, and had a first-rate graphics chip. Games like "Centipede" and "Tempest" closely resembled their arcade versions. Even by today's standards, the graphics need no apologies. I had a complete 5200 system, and have long regretted selling it. If you can afford a working console, good controllers, and a bunch of games, you'll probably get a big kick out of it. By the way, there's no such thing as an NTSC (or PAL) game. The TV standard is determined by the console hardware.Read full review
Verified purchase: No
This is a hands-down A+ product, and the custom embroidery truly drives the whole presentation and image home. Show this off to your friends and they will know you are a serious collector and a true fan of retro-gaming and the gaming consoles or yore. It simply reeks of quality. Both pleather texture and stitching of the Atari logo are precise, professional, and make one heck of a truly necessary peripheral. I cannot take my eyes off of these awesome dust covers until I've uncovered my Atari 5200 and begin to play Centipede with my totally smokin' Atari 5200 Trak-ball. This is a no-brainer purchase for any console gaming fan. Five stars, easily. Special thanks to Barbara! - Dizzy
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
I read others' reviews and decided to write one of my own. First of all, to really appreciate what the 5200 attempted to do one has to take a trip back in time. 1982: Arcade hits including Pac-Man, Moon Patrol, Qix, to name a few, were becoming popular. Unfortunately, the precursor to the 5200 (a.k.a. 2600) managed to get ports of Pac-Man and Moon Patrol along with others from the era. Sadly, the 2600 had a hard time accurately cloning these games. The 5200 was Atari's next-gen console to offer better graphics and sounds. In a lot of ways, the system was highly superior when compared to the competition; including Atari's own 2600. Which is no surprise knowing the insides are a stripped-down Atari 400 computer. Finally, arcade clones actually looked, played, and felt like their arcade ancestors. The 5200, while larger than any other console to date, is actually one of the more cosmetic beauties to behold. It's piano-black finish and chrome strip nameplate are like no other (excluding the 2600 Jr and 7800 that appeared later). As mentioned, there are three revisions of this console: The original 4-port, a revised 4-port, and a 2-port. The difference between the 4-ports relates to the VCS Adapter. The original 4-port, unless it has been modified, can not use the VCS adapter where as the revised/modified model can. To tell which is which, the serial number on the revised model with have a star (*) in the number. Both 4-ports use a special Automatic RF Switch that is responsible for the power to the console and the console signal to the TV. Genius if you ask me. Granted, the controllers were not well made. Most will complain about the lack of self-centering, but the analog joystick is extremely sensitive to movement and does take time to learn. The 12-button keypad and dual-fire buttons on both sides of the controller allow for some function-rich games. Yes, the controllers can wear out from use but are more prone to premature wear if left stored away and unused. Games? Over 60 games were published during the console's 1.5 year life span. Most were arcade clones that were popular in their day. Others were exclusive to the 5200; and this console is the only one to have an impressive arcade port of Taito's Space Dungeon. Accessories like the Trak-Ball controller really bring the feeling of the arcades home with titles Missile Command and Centipede; to name a few. My 5200? Is an initial release 4-port as a Christmas gift in 1982. I still have it, it still works, shows signs of use and love, but can still throw a challenge when I feel the need for some old school. The 5200 will not disappoint in game play; but be prepared to track down parts or additional controllers as they may be required. I personally would not invest in the VCS adapter...one can obtain an actual 2600 for a decent price to play 2600 games on. Want some real fun? Get enough controller for 3 of your family or friends to join in! Super Breakout is fun when 4 people are involved!Read full review
The Atari 5200 had near arcade quality games. It had much better games then the Atari 2600. The only down side to the Atari 5200 is the controllers. The Atari 5200 had different controller ports so you can't plug in Atari 2600 controllers. The Atari 5200 controllers are notorious for breaking. Due to the design of the controllers. It had a non self center analog Joystick making some games hard to play and some gamers did not like that. There are third party Atari 5200 controllers that are better but they are not many of them out there and they are very expensive. There is another controller for the Atari 5200 released by Atari. The track ball controller and it is better made but it will only work with some Atari 5200 games. You would have to spend some extra money to enjoy it. I still like my Atari 5200 a lot even with cheap made controllers. It did have some very good classic arcade games very close to the arcade versions. I recommend The 2 controller port model of the Atari 5200 because it uses normal connections. The Atari 5200 4 controller port model connects in a different way.Read full review
I bought this system for the simple reason that it is one of the only home gaming systems that I had not yet owned. I remember how awesome it was compaired to its elder 2600. The gaming action was as close to arcade as I had ever played before, and the selection of arcade games was second to none. I favored it over Colecovision, and Intellivision, for the arcade style games, and the Tracball made games like Centipede, and Missle Command much easier to play. The biggest draw back to the system was the joystick controllers. They were difficult for younger players to master as they do not self center, unlike todays controllers. They also are very prone to fatige, and can be very unreliable as they get older. I have found several stores on the internet that sell repair kits , so an upgrade to fresh controls is really simple. With a limited amount of games available, it is getting harder to locate good useable units, but they are still out there. If you have never played the arcade version of Pac-man or played Centipede until your eyes hurt, I HIGHLY recommened you try the Atari 5200 Supersystem, at least once. Its ADDICTIVE !Read full review
A legendary console that sold over 1 million units in 2 years. So many great titles. If you can find the 5200 with working controllers, it's a great system to collect.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The Atari 5200 is a great video game system. It has one of the best collection of video games for any console and the library of games is small only about seventy games were originally released for this system. There are new games still being released by "homebrewers" and can be found with a search on the internet if you wanted more games. The Atari 5200 is a big improvement over the Atari 2600 with better graphics and sound. However the one drawback of this system is its controllers. They have analog joysticks that make some games difficult to play and they are very unreliable(eventually the buttons won't work on the controllers). The controllers can be repaired, but it is expensive. If you do have an Atari 5200 I would recommend having them repaired because the majority of the games for this system play very well with the controllers once they are repaired. I love my Atari 5200 and I would recommend it to any one looking at owning a classic gaming system.Read full review
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