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The Atari 5200 gives the Intellivision and the ColecoVision a run for their money.


walter_J64bit

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The 5200 has a good game library.  In fact, it has some of the best good-to-bad ratio for games.  Never mind that 8-bit games can be converted to it.  Had Atari released the self-centering controllers, I believe things could have been different, as that was the weak point for the system.  Not that the ColecoVision controllers were all that good.  The Inty controller is not bad but does take getting used to it.  Also, the planned smaller 5200 (5100?) would have been nice.

🖖 Going to the final frontier, gaming...

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Well, I'd say they didn't want to spend the money to make better versions.  That's what happened with DK on the 2600.  Garry Kitchen asked for 8K ROM but they told him he was limited to 4K due to cost.  With 4K he would have added the two other screens to the game.  He's said this at interviews and retro events.  Can you imagine if the 2600 version had had all four screens while the ColecoVision and other more advance systems only had three?

🖖 Going to the final frontier, gaming...

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2 hours ago, TrekMD said:

Well, I'd say they didn't want to spend the money to make better versions.  That's what happened with DK on the 2600.  Garry Kitchen asked for 8K ROM but they told him he was limited to 4K due to cost.  With 4K he would have added the two other screens to the game.  He's said this at interviews and retro events.  Can you imagine if the 2600 version had had all four screens while the ColecoVision and other more advance systems only had three?

Crazy thing is, I believe Atari announced they were going to release a new and improved Donkey Kong and DK Jr for the 2600, when Atari acquired the Coleco 2600 library. When they were asked why they released the same DK and DK Jr for 2600, they said they had given it an Atari cartridge shell and better label 😑

I think @Video 61 may remember more details about this story than I do.

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This kind of stuff is why I take whatever a spokesperson says with a grain of salt.  I've experienced the vaporware phenomena too many times in my life.  I've also been burnt being an early adopter.   Live and learn.  Now in my "golden years", I look back and think, "If I only knew then what I know now."

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image.png

 

Here's the thing...Colecovision or 5200 (or both) could have helped Coleco or Atari survive the crash.  If they had focused all their efforts on those systems alone.  Forget about Adam.  Forget about 2600, 7800, XEGS.  Buckle down and ride it out.  Make a ton of new games.  Get as much out of the hardware as possible.  Release improved controllers. 

For Atari - improve the controllers, release the smaller footprint 5200.  Release games!  I absolutely believe it would have made it with focused management. 

One of the greatest "what-if's" in the business. 

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