I never bought this system when it came out (blame that on the
rigors of real life!), but from what I have learned, the 5200
is pretty much a 400 sans keyboard. I remember discussing the
'new' Atari with my friends, thinking that we'd have to buy all
new carts (sound familiar?) The one I have now was discovered
gathering dust in the back of a pawn shop. The controller is
pretty well shot, but the system itself runs great. Berserk...................... Atari.............[ 5221] Centipede.................... Atari.............[ 5215] Countermeasure............... Atari.............[ 5210] Defender..................... Atari.............[ 5218] Frogger...................... Parker Bros.......[ 9530] bi Galaxian..................... Atari.............[ 5206] bio Kaboom!...................... Activision........[FZ-001-04] Kangaroo..................... Atari.............[ 5229] Missile Command.............. Atari.............[ 5202] Ms Pac-Man................... Atari.............[ 5243] Pac-Man...................... Atari.............[ 5208] io Pole Position................ Atari.............[ 5217] bi Q*bert....................... Parker Brothers...[ ] Qix.......................... Atari.............[ 5212] RealSports Tennis............ Atari.............[ 5214] River Raid................... Activision........[FZ-002-04] Soccer....................... Atari.............[ 5213] Space Invaders............... Atari.............[ 5204] bio Space Shuttle................ Activision........[ F-012-04] Star Raiders................. Atari.............[ 5205] o Star Wars: ROTJ: DSB......... Parker Bros.......[ ] Super Breakout............... Atari.............[ 5203](Return to Top of Page)
This computer is my baby. I bought it at 'Toys-R-Us' for $269.00,
along with the AtariBasic Cart, the 410 Recorder, and the 'Teach
Yourself AtariBasic' book. I spent three days straight going
step by step through that book. When I emerged from my room, I
had written my first game, 'Mummy'. It was a simple side scroller
with 'Andy the Archaeologist', who ran through pyramids jumping
over pits, jumping over cobras, and shooting mummies. I studied
programs from the magazines, drooling over every new routine.
One of the main accessories for the 400 was the program recorder.
Many of us 'poorer folk' used these, as disk drives were
very expensive. These beasts were finicky at best, and it was
common practice to save programs on three or four separate tapes,
just to make sure one would take. They were also slower than slow, but to me, the budding programmer, it was the greatest thing since sliced bread!
Got this peripheral recently, and after a thorough clean-up (boy, was it filthy!), I hooked it up and... BINGO! it worked great. Even the ribbon had a little life in it (after it got past the exposed, dried out area.) It is slow compared to most printers, especially today's. It only prints in one direction, having to carriage return and line feed for each line. It did, however, allow me to test some serial cables.. =). Now, all I need is a working disk drive!
Asteroids.................... Atari............... [CXL4013] AtariWriter (A-brown label}.. Atari............... [ RX8036] AtariWriter (C-silver label). Atari............... [ RX8036] Basic (ver.A)................ Atari............... [CXL4002] BC's Quest for Tires......... Sierra.............. [QTL-202] Centipede.................... Atari............... [CXL4020] Computer Chess............... Atari............... [CXL4009] Defender..................... Atari............... [CXL4025] Demon Attack................. Imagic.............. [720149-1A] Dig Dug (brown label)........ Atari............... [ RX8026] Dig Dug (silver label)....... Atari............... [ RX8026] Donkey Kong.................. Atari............... [ RX8031] Eastern Front (1941)......... Atari............... [ RX8039] Educational System Master.... Dorsett (Atari)..... [ D4001] ET Phone Home................ Atari............... [ RX8030] Frogger...................... Parker Bros......... [] H.E.R.O...................... Activision.......... [CZ-007-04] Journey to the Planets....... Roklan.............. [] Joust........................ Atari............... [ RX8044] Miner 2049er................. Big Five............ [] Missile Command.............. Atari............... [CXL4012] Ms Pac-Man................... Atari............... [ RX8043] Necromancer.................. Atari............... [ RX8108] Pac-Man...................... Atari............... [CXL4022] Pengo........................ Atari............... [ RX8045] Pitstop...................... Epyx................ [] Q*bert....................... Parker Bros......... [] Qix.......................... Atari............... [CXL4027] Space Invaders............... Atari............... [CXL4008] Speedway Blast............... IDSI................ [ AC1021] Star Raiders................. Atari............... [CXL4011] Track and Field.............. Atari............... [ RX8069] Video Easel.................. Atari............... [CXL4005](Return to Top of Page)
A bit smaller than the 800XL, this machine has the same design, but a bit less RAM. It plays all the same carts and uses the same peripherals.
The second incarnation of the 800. This one has only one cart
slot, and comes with Atari BASIC built in. It also sports a new
case design, which was carried over to all the redone accessories.
A nice looking little machine.
More about this peripheral when I learn more.
Now this computer brought a smile to my face when I got it. I couldn't help but be amused by the pastel colors of the large buttons, and the strange shapes which make it up. The manual calls it 'The ATARI XE game system is made for you, the serious game player.' It comes with Missile Command built in as well as BASIC. The light gun which comes with it looks cool, and the traditional Atari joystick is molded in the same gray plastic. The games have the classic Atari feel, and all the classics are represented in its cart selection. I first thought its was an 130XE, but was corrected by a knowledgeable visitor (thanx!)
Barnyard Blaster............. Atari...............[ RX8086] Blue Max..................... Atari...............[ RX8081] Bug Hunt .................... Atari...............[ RX8087] Dave's Midnight Magic ....... Atari...............[ RX8083] Flight Simulator II.......... Atari...............[ RX8091] i Necromancer.................. Atari...............[ RX8108]
This was the first item I found in the first big thrift store
find I made. I had just found this place, and was wading through
the ton of stuffed toys when I spotted this Virtual Boy box. It
was ratty, but marked only $2.95. I figured I'd grab it, as it
may have had some carts, etc. Well, to my delight, it wasn't a
VB, but this baby. It came complete with power supply, two
joysticks and all the cables. But, also, lurking at the bottom
of this box were six (6) Atari 2600 carts! They all were in
perfect condition, looking like the day they were bought. I have
finally found a couple of carts for this system at Trader's
Village...
Asteroids.................... Atari...............[ CX7802] Choplifter!.................. Atari...............[ CX7821] Galaga....................... Atari...............[ CX7805] b Karateka..................... Atari...............[ CX7822] Ms Pac-Man................... Atari...............[ CX7807] One on One Basketball........ Atari...............[ CX7824] Pole Position II............. Atari...............[ CX7808] Robotron 2084................ Atari...............[ CX7809] bi
I know, I know. Its not all that ancient. But, it is an Atari. I
wish that this system had gotten better designers. The controllers
are hard to use, tiring your hand after playing just a short time.
I did enjoy Aliens vs Predator, and Power Drive Rally (but I wish
it had bigger tracks!) I have the JagLink, but since it only
works with Doom I haven't used it yet. I see the Jag as a decent
system that missed its full potential.
Alien vs Predator.......... Atari Brutal Sports Football..... Telegames Checkered Flag............. Atari Club Drive................. Atari Doom....................... Id Software Iron Soldier............... Atari Kasumi Ninja............... Atari Power Drive Rally.......... Atari Raiden..................... Atari Rayman..................... Ubi Soft Super Burnout.............. Atari Syndicate.................. Ocean Theme Park................. Ocean Wolfenstein 3D............. Id Software(Return to Top of Page)
Oh its mine, all mine, yes yes yes yes yes he he he he he he woo hoo!! mine mine mine mine mine mine bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha... Batman Returns................. Atari..........[ ] Double Dragon.................. Telegames......[LX070] bi Lemmings....................... Atari..........[ ] Pit Fighter.................... Atari..........[ ] Qix............................ Telegames......[LX102] bi Steel Talons................... Atari..........[ ](Return to Top of Page)
Atari Games Corporation (The Original Gamers!! Now Hiring!)(07/31/97)
VGR's Giant 2600/7800 List (The best cart list I know...)(12/31/97)
The Black Stump Atari Page (Lots of info here...)(07/31/97)
Atari Jaguar FAQ (Everything you never wanted to know, and more.)(07/31/97)
Croatian Atari Home Page (As if these people didn't have enough problems...)(07/31/97)
The Atari Video Club (Supporting Atari game systems(2600,5200,7800,Lynx and Jaguar)(07/15/97)
The Atari Times Newsletter (A cool, Atari-only newsletter)(07/28/97)
Atari Support Network (Info and projects for the Jaguar.)(08/17/97)
Jaguar Interactive (A Jaguar message board.)(08/17/97)
The Atari Prototypes & Vaporware Page (A Sneek Peek into Atari's R&D Labs...)(08/17/97)
Atari Preservation Society (Fighting to keep Atari alive!)(08/17/97)
Atari and Commodore Museum (Lots of cool pics and history)(08/17/97)
Kevan's Computer Bits (Atari machines in his collection)(08/17/97)
Atari Internet Resource Guide (Anything and everything)(08/17/97)
Atar1 2600.com (Page dedicated to the 2600 VCS)(08/17/97)
Telegames Atari Products Menu (Want it? Find it here!)(08/17/97)
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