Atari 5200 (4 - Port) W/ Four Joysticks (semi - Functional) And 23 Games Vintage ‘82
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:38777406 | Model: 5200 |
| Brand: Atari | Type: Home Console |
| Platform: ATARI 5200 |
Atari 5200 (4-port) w/ Four Joysticks (semi-functional) and 23 Games Vintage ‘82. Condition is "Good". Shipped with USPS Priority Mail.
This is my own and very first video game system from childhood. It has been in storage in a non-smoking home for decades. I decided to see if it was still capable of turning on; and, if so, was it compatible with a modern flat-screen TV? My greatest hopes for its functionality were surpassed, as it not only turned on and hooked up to my TV with it...s original equipment, but 20 out of 23 games worked as well!The original controllers had already gone mostly bad when I was a kid, so I have two aftermarket controllers (also from the 1980s) that supplement the original controllers during gameplay.With a little work, I got the “Start” button of one of the original controllers to function again, and the keypad of the other original controller to work. Both analog joysticks on the original controllers work fine. The fire buttons on the sides of both original controllers are long dead though. This was the reason for the other joysticks, which hook-up together with the original controllers to plug into individual ports on the console unit. The aftermarket joysticks have excellent working fire buttons, but lack some calibration in the joystick handling during play.Although it is possible to play the games on this system with some delicate tinkering and experimentation, I would recommend a refurbishing kit to renew the buttons on the original controllers to get this system fully functional again. I am almost tempted to just do that and keep it for myself if it doesn’t sell here!20 of the 23 games tested and played well, with of those twenty, only Dreadnaught Factor and Frogger needed to be moved and fidgeted with so that the contacts of the card were barely seated in the console’s slot. If those two cartridges were fully inserted, they did not turn on. I could not get Beamrider, River Raid or Kaboom to work at all. It seems that the games that were made by companies other than ATARI had their cards more exposed to the elements due to their cartridge design, and time wasn’t so kind to them as the fully encased ATARI ones. I almost got Beamrider to come up with an opening screen, but it glitched, and would not start a game. Maybe they can be cleaned up and restored again? I will not attempt that myself, but you might want to give it a shot!All of the original ATARI made games and Zaxxon (Sega made) worked fine on first try.Also included are all of the related instruction manuals, and many of the controller keypad insert cards. I do not remember if the insert cards are complete with the original games that came with them, but the instruction manuals are still here for all games present, except for Kaboom (and I actually don’t think it even came with one, or I never had it). The instruction manuals for these games are vibrant and beautiful! If there is any flaw in them, it is that I did write my high scores in some of them, as did some members of my family. Rather than being a flaw though, I see that as a nostalgic testament to the history of this wonderful video game system!As I write this description, I am beginning to wonder if I actually want to sell this item, or if I am composing an essay to convince myself to keep it!It hasn’t been a fully functional set-up for a long time, but surprisingly, it works almost the same as it did when I stopped playing ATARI in the mid ‘80s—when I got my first Nintendo! Ha ha ha!You are bidding on the ATARI 5200, controllers and cables to hook it up, game cartridges, instruction booklets and accessories. THIS AUCTION DOES NOT INCLUDE THE TV!Happy bidding and happy retro-gaming!
This is my own and very first video game system from childhood. It has been in storage in a non-smoking home for decades. I decided to see if it was still capable of turning on; and, if so, was it compatible with a modern flat-screen TV? My greatest hopes for its functionality were surpassed, as it not only turned on and hooked up to my TV with it...s original equipment, but 20 out of 23 games worked as well!The original controllers had already gone mostly bad when I was a kid, so I have two aftermarket controllers (also from the 1980s) that supplement the original controllers during gameplay.With a little work, I got the “Start” button of one of the original controllers to function again, and the keypad of the other original controller to work. Both analog joysticks on the original controllers work fine. The fire buttons on the sides of both original controllers are long dead though. This was the reason for the other joysticks, which hook-up together with the original controllers to plug into individual ports on the console unit. The aftermarket joysticks have excellent working fire buttons, but lack some calibration in the joystick handling during play.Although it is possible to play the games on this system with some delicate tinkering and experimentation, I would recommend a refurbishing kit to renew the buttons on the original controllers to get this system fully functional again. I am almost tempted to just do that and keep it for myself if it doesn’t sell here!20 of the 23 games tested and played well, with of those twenty, only Dreadnaught Factor and Frogger needed to be moved and fidgeted with so that the contacts of the card were barely seated in the console’s slot. If those two cartridges were fully inserted, they did not turn on. I could not get Beamrider, River Raid or Kaboom to work at all. It seems that the games that were made by companies other than ATARI had their cards more exposed to the elements due to their cartridge design, and time wasn’t so kind to them as the fully encased ATARI ones. I almost got Beamrider to come up with an opening screen, but it glitched, and would not start a game. Maybe they can be cleaned up and restored again? I will not attempt that myself, but you might want to give it a shot!All of the original ATARI made games and Zaxxon (Sega made) worked fine on first try.Also included are all of the related instruction manuals, and many of the controller keypad insert cards. I do not remember if the insert cards are complete with the original games that came with them, but the instruction manuals are still here for all games present, except for Kaboom (and I actually don’t think it even came with one, or I never had it). The instruction manuals for these games are vibrant and beautiful! If there is any flaw in them, it is that I did write my high scores in some of them, as did some members of my family. Rather than being a flaw though, I see that as a nostalgic testament to the history of this wonderful video game system!As I write this description, I am beginning to wonder if I actually want to sell this item, or if I am composing an essay to convince myself to keep it!It hasn’t been a fully functional set-up for a long time, but surprisingly, it works almost the same as it did when I stopped playing ATARI in the mid ‘80s—when I got my first Nintendo! Ha ha ha!You are bidding on the ATARI 5200, controllers and cables to hook it up, game cartridges, instruction booklets and accessories. THIS AUCTION DOES NOT INCLUDE THE TV!Happy bidding and happy retro-gaming!
