Atari 5200 Guy

Well, taking the back off this TV revealed a true flat screen. Made by Hitachi! So hopefully the quality is there. I could not pick up that 32" by myself. And it wasn't a flat screen. The 20" TVs are not bad. Those I can pick up. Umm...200 lb TV? That's OK. I'm good. But, you have to admit, some of those tube TVs were really good for their time.

Always wanted one of these but never got one so I feel you, RickR. This is going to be a great restore project. Can't wait to see the final results. This thing was made when they use to make toys a bit more durable. Fingers crossed it will be 100% fully functional.

Cybermorph I remember most. But, like RickR said, after playing PC 3D games for a while, Mario didnt really feel like anything new. Cybermorph did feel more fresh.

And, wow, I could never get tired of that view. I wish I knew where that was.

Thanks, RickR! You should a seen what it looked like when I found it. It was filthy. And, yep, took apart to check for bugs. None found. It was actually clean on the inside. Small main board, too. I was hoping it would be like the Apex I had that could switch between 50 and 60 Hertz but it can't. I've not been able to play Secret Quest since that Apex died. And, yes, it is a true flat screen. For those that do not know, CRT manufacturers before LCDs dominated the TV market researched and finally succeeded in making CRTs with a flat screen. While not hi-def by today's standards they do offer better image quality. So most CRTs during the early to mid 2000s will have a flat screen. I recommend picking them up if you find them. Sanyo went so far as to create a CRT wide-screen...about a 30" I think. I wanted one but before I could get one LCDs phased them out. Check out the CNET page for more info on that. Whoops! Forgot that link. https://www.cnet.com/products/sanyo-ht30746-vizzon-30-crt-tv/ That TV I would love to find.

Well. I found a piece of furniture I can use for a TV stand and hold the 5200. It was a used end table I found at a yard sale a few years ago. The 5200 fits perfect on it! It can even slide under the TV when not in use. I still have to figure out the rest and put away cables not being used. Been at this all night but its been interesting actually. I even freed up some space for another media shelf if I can find one close to what I already have. Its slowly getting there.

Hey guys! I never shared pics of my game room before. At least I don't think I have. But it is currently getting overhauled. Sorry for the crude picture. Tablet cameras are crap. But, I have decided to condense my collection down. The 32" TV was the first to go. It was simply too large for my needs and I never could find a stand capable of supporting its 112 pounds. Good news is it went to a home in need that was trying to watch TV on a small 13" thing. It got replaced with a 20" Memorex TV I found sitting on our apartment complexes "give-away" table. A lot more manageable. The second part was storing away games and consoles I rarely use. Those have been placed in boxes and put in a closet. Atari stuff remains which is not as small of a collection as I originally thought. I am also seriously considering putting the Tandy VIS collection I have on that give away table. I never use it and that space can be used for other things I will use. Its drive cover plate recently just fell off anyway and the controller sucks. Then again, I wouldn't want to cause a child to cry so...its up in the air at the moment. Well, its not going to get done with me on here but it was a nice break.

I played Mario 64 before I discovered Jaguar. Both games have great adventure aspects to them. I like both games but spent more time on Cybermorph. I just wish that it had a save feature where you could continue where you left off. I don't think that it did or I missed it.

The holidays were always a special time for my family. The smells of my aunt's food cooking which she always made enough to last us a week in leftovers. Decorating my grandmother's artificial white Christmas tree with ornaments all of which was older than me. The aroma of the coffee my aunt, uncle, and grandmother would throwback to help them stay awake so they could finish up last minute details. And my aunt always decorated her house with lights, garland, and a musical carousel. That was my Dad's side. And Mom always going shopping with me right there with me. I don't know how she managed to do it but a few times she snuck gifts for me in the car I never seen until Christmas day. My best friend in the world, always entertaining and silly when her asthma wasn't in the way. Always find odd things in odd places that turned out to be more memorable than that NES game unwrapped on Christmas day. Then the time finally arrived. My gift unwrapping always started on Christmas Eve at my grandmother's. Christmas morning was with Mom and then we were off to my grandparents' house (mom's side) 60 miles away for dinner. Many times their house was overcrowded and with those family members that always managed to get under your skin. Most visits grandpa and I would go off for a bit, saying we were going hunting, just to get away. Sometimes we actually did, other times we just went in the deer woods and took a nap in his little Datsun truck. Those times are more precious to me than any gift under the tree. If I could get one gift it would be to have them back for one day since I no longer have them...just one day. Since that can't be done I thought I would find a few things to share that my family either watched or listened to together. I can't take anyone hunting since I gave out up when my grandpa passed. It just didn't seem right to do so after he left. With that said I want to wish everyone here a very Merry Christmas and blessings. You guys have been awesome and, in a way, became part of my family...my Atari family. Please enjoy these findings with your loved ones, family, and friends. Make memories that will last a lifetime. This one is in three parts. More to come!

This is not a cover on how to play I Ran. This is a Flock of Seagulls teaching you how to play I Ran. Very cool to see a band giving a how-to. Thought I would share for those interested.

My grandmother and I had a tradition during the holidays. When national broadcasting channels would air shows like Rudolph and Charlie Brown we watched/recorded them. We had a hard time trying to get The Grinch but eventually got it. We always watched Emmit Otter's Jug Band Christmas on CED followed by Muppets Christmas Carol. She also had some Christmas themed CEDs Disney produced of which I can't remember the name of but it had snippets of cartoon shorts combined into about an hour program. As time went on and channels started airing more holiday specials they got recorded and became part of our holiday entertainment. Music, cartoons, live action, a wide variety. Great memories for sure.

You could decorate a small tree with a bunch of Combat carts as ornaments.

Been there, done that, don't want to do it again, wouldn't wish that on anyone. We are here for you, bro! If you need to vent I'm sure we will listen. The plus side is you got an awesome view! When my ex and I split I only had my car and a few clothes. My car was my home for a while. I had no job at the time because where I worked decided to kill off third shift completely and thinned out first and second shift crews. All without much warning. So, you are blessed even if you don't think so at the moment. You have your health, a job, an awesome pad , and friends with ears. Hang in there. It might take a while but it can get better from where you're at now. Merry Christmas to you!!

I was always envious how a friend, who got a VCS the same Christmas I got a 5200, could get lots of various controllers. I had two (standard and trackball) while he had standard, trackball, paddle, driving, and not to mention all kinds of third-party styles to choose from. Since actually giving the 2600 an honest chance over the last few years, and owning those controllers, I realize just how easy I had it. VCS controller types and styles are very cool, don't get me wrong, but it never made sense to me to have controllers where not many games took advantage of them. If the 5200 got one thing that Atari did right it was the trackball controller. Standard controllers were good as I never had problems with them growing up with the system. But driving controllers would have been an awesome thing on the 5200. Then again Pole Position would have most likely been the only game to use it since it is the only racing game on the system. However, if Tempest would have been done it could have used it to for an awesome experience.

I first discovered emulation in the early 2000s. I picked up MAME and a few ROMs. It was fun to discover. Since then the emulation world has exploded. Some good, some not so good. I liked them because it gave me an opportunity to explore games I couldn't find or never heard of. It also allowed the exploration of games other regions received that never made it to other parts of the world. But emulation is used so much that, in my opinion, has become overkill. Arcade systems made with MAME are awesome but the smaller things like AtGames stuff have below par emulation. One emulation will never do is replace customs developed hardware. Jaguar has never been emulated properly, Atari computer and 5200 emulation still have color issues, and Genesis sound has never been as good as the real thing. On XBOX arcade Wolfenstein 3D the sound and music plays back at a much lower pitch, making it sound like a tape dragging. I use emulation just to try before I buy games. Other than that, for me, emulation will never take the place of real hardware. The real thing will always be top dog.

OK...quick note. I noticed something about the game. Game 4 does not seem to be very random or I'm doing it wrong. If you play a game, turn the machine off and back on, and reselect game 4 again you get the same setup. At least it appears to be the same setup.

This is it for me for now.

Improved my time! 1:14.95 Having fun with this one. I don't play it too often.

Eh. Had controller issues. I think I need to replace the cord. It is not as flexible as it use to be. Doesn't seem to fit very well in the controller socket either. I think I will try using the 7800 Europad next, see if that helps.

Rebul Scuf ??

That's very original. I've never seen that before on any game. Too bad a year wasn't wrote down with those dates.

I believe RetroPie runs an OS closer related to Android. If I am correct then it would be Linux based. I'm not familiar with RetroPie other than what I have read because I have seriously considered those or a Raspberry Pi. Neat little gadget. Cheap, too.

He he. Have this one CIB. I'm in!!

Just a small FYI. I updated the post with online resources selling DD and HD floppies. If you use them please give feedback. Thanks!

Well, the touch pad I don't think was a mistake. But it really didn't seem like Atari really did too much with it unless I missed it. The only game I thought that used it was Star Raiders. It wasn't until I started collecting for the 2600 I discovered other titles that used it. But I do believe it falls under the same genre as the driving controller...not very much support or widely used. BASIC PROGRAMMING uses them since the keyboard and kids controllers are the same thing. The 7800 has one cart that uses them as well which Video 61 sells or use to sell. I only wish that Star Raiders on the 2600 used it as much as the 5200's version used the keypads.