Atari 5200 Guy Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 Hi fellow Atarians! Browsing EBay just to see what 5200 stuff was there when I ran across this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atari-5200-Launch-Edition-Black-Console/163526519733?epid=101798479&hash=item2612f0abb5:g:mO8AAOSw3-9cMnQ2&redirect=mobile Launch edition? A 5200 launch edition? Pffft. Yea right. And I'm the President of USA. I'm not trying to pick on someone but wouldn't it be wise to do homework first before posting an item for sale? And, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the 4-ports came before the 2-ports. What some people won't try. A beat up 2-port just became a launch edition. Hilarious. I just hope no one falls for it. jmjustin6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 I think he means it's the original release with four controller ports instead of two. When you look closely at the picture though, it looks like it has the plastic housing with slots for four controller ports but fitted with a later motherboard with only two controller ports. I can let "launch edition" slide if that's their way of saying it was the early model but this 5200 is pretty junky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 "Launch Edition" or not, that thing is in sad shape. Maybe "Lunch Edition" is more like it. There is no way to know if that thing even works, and the seller is in jeopardy for listing it as "used", which implies that it works. It should be "as-is". If someone buys it and it does not work, ebay will make the seller refund the full amount -- including shipping (which is a whopping $36 for me) -- AND pay for return shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 You should file a complaint with eBay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 5 minutes ago, Justin said: You should file a complaint with eBay. Not a bad idea if time permits. The problem is that getting ebay to do anything is hit and miss. Example: the auction ArenaFoot mentioned elsewhere -- someone is selling an SD card full of Atari 2600 bin files for a pretty outrageous price. That is clearly not allowed (copyright material), but they won't take the listing down. Justin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaximumRD Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 Yeah "Launch Edition" has become a buzz phrase applied to many classic consoles, it literally means nothing. 😜😂 I have seen it applied to a variety of consoles for no particular reason other then sounding cool. Just do an Ebay search for LAUNCH EDITION and see what I mean 😉 Quote I am Rob aka MaximumRD aka OldSchoolRetroGamer and THIS is my world http://about.me/maximumrd "For you, the day Bison graced your village was the most important day of your life. But for me, it was Tuesday." - M. Bison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickR Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 This one looks like it was launched off a ladder onto a concrete floor. So it truly is a launch edition. MaximumRD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nosweargamer Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 When you sell a system on ebay, ebay will try to match it with what they have in their database to fill out some info for you. Sadly, ebay calls a large number of retro systems Launch Edition by default, so an ignorant seller might just see the picture, say that looks like what I'm selling and click it for their auction. Sometimes, ebay might not have an non launch edition variation to choose. This is more ebay's fault for their database than the seller who doesn't know better. Ebay shouldn't have "Launch Edition" as a default choice, especially for older systems that were never called "Launch Edition" by the company who released it. RickR and Justin 2 Quote The No Swear Gamer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChtJuo040EOCTVziObIgVcg Host of The Atari 7800 Game by Game Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher and YouTube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 Let's play Devil's Advocate for a minute. 😈 Let's say you were to file a complaint with eBay. Where's the misrepresentation? What if this is just somebody's mom clearing out the basement? She takes a couple of photos and posts it on eBay. eBay fills out most of the listing with the info from their database, and the seller gives a one sentence description: "Used with 2 controllers one not in best shape no power cord couple dents n dings". At least this auction you can clearly see what you would be bidding on. I've had gaming auctions sent to me that were absolutely not what was pictured in the listing. I've had people in the "Atari community" (names everyone here would know) promise to send me a 5200 and it would arrive without a motherboard inside. At least in this auction listing they are presumably showing you the damage to the console and being up front about the condition. The "launch edition" thing is stupid, but this is an early four port console (?) and unlike other scammers I don't see this listing embellishing a fraudulent description like "Super rare launch edition 5200 one of 100 specially produced!" 35 minutes ago, nosweargamer said: When you sell a system on ebay, ebay will try to match it with what they have in their database to fill out some info for you. Sadly, ebay calls a large number of retro systems Launch Edition by default, so an ignorant seller might just see the picture, say that looks like what I'm selling and click it for their auction. Sometimes, ebay might not have an non launch edition variation to choose. This is more ebay's fault for their database than the seller who doesn't know better. Ebay shouldn't have "Launch Edition" as a default choice, especially for older systems that were never called "Launch Edition" by the company who released it. Exactly. Ebay acts as though they are accountable to no one, as do many tech monopolies. Try getting eBay or PayPal or Twitter on the phone and see what happens. In the end I don't think this is going to be one of those auctions where some poor naïve soul just getting into classic gaming is going to see this auction and think "wow what a great deal on a 5200, I have to get this! Oh cool and it's a launch edition, super collectable!" In the forums we have Like/Dislike buttons down in the corner. What eBay needs is a little garbage can button that says "Mark this Auction as Trash" and then everybody votes down that auction as being trash that nobody is going to every pay $28 plus $35.90 shipping for. Into the trash it goes. nosweargamer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari 5200 Guy Posted February 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2019 The 5200 in the listing I shared is a 2-port model. The controller port cover plate is missing, only two controller ports are present, and the base for wrapping the rf cable is of the 2-port variation. I wasn't attacking the lister, it was the first time I ever seen a listing say "launch edition" on a console predating XBOX. As far as I know the only launch edition consoles are the Day One XBOX One and I believe PS4 might have had something similar. However I am not sure about that. But, unless launching means slinging then... 11 hours ago, RickR said: This one looks like it was launched off a ladder onto a concrete floor. So it truly is a launch edition. That's hilarious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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