If you've ever picked up an Atari 5200 controller to play Pac-Man or Frogger you'll quickly realize you are not in video game Nirvana. In fact, you might feel like turning the game off due to dealing with the non-springback analog joystick that you've unwittingly chosen to play with. For many gamers this has been a turn-off when it comes to playing games requiring twitch controls on Atari's rather large black box. It's not like there is an arsenal of controllers for this 1980's game system, right? Well, think again- there are now some great options to choose from thanks to some handy little controller adapters made by a couple brilliant guys over at the Atariage website. Check out my presentation: http://youtu.be/Iaepo_IlY3w
Get these adapters by contacting bohoki (for the $12 PC gameport to 5200 controller adapter) and Atariguy1021 (for the $89.99 2600/Genesis to 5200 controller adapter which is modeled after the "Masterplay Interface") via private message on Atariage.com. Atariguy1021 is also an Ebay seller, so check out his products there (use keywords "Masterplay" and "Interface" to find the adapter). You can also buy a Tototek Playstation to Genesis adapter (for $18 plus shipping) from the Tototek website for added compatibilty. The XP Joybox (for Xbox controller compatibilty) is quite hard to find these days. It may show up occasionally on Amazon or Ebay- or not...