Can anything POSITIVE be said about the 5200's controllers?

[diskoboy]

Seriously - I don't think I've ever heard one positive thing about the Atari 5200's notorious controllers...

There has to be something good about them...

[fishsandwich]

They can be stored in the back of the 5200, although a space that large can be used to house a variety of things. Shoes? Tax receipts? Small pets? Hashish?

[rbudrick]

Ummm, they're not Atari 7800 controllers?

I dunno. I used to just put an elastic on each axis. Automatic recentering!

-Rob

[Captain Wrong]

Postitive? Well, they were the first analogue home controllers (something fanboys sometimes forget.) I dig Air Raid with the analogue control, though it is pretty unnecessary. Really, I think there are worse controller out there (Intellivision, I'm looking at you) but the fire buttons are pretty abysmal even when they work.

[BydoEmpire]

Seriously - I don't think I've ever heard one positive thing about the Atari 5200's notorious controllers...

There has to be something good about them...

Sure, I'll give it a shot (as I actually like them):

1) The sticks require very little force to move, so they don't cramp your hands like the 7800 and CV controllers do.

2) For games that took advantage of them (like Missile Command), they work better than a traditional digital joystick. Even 5200 Pac Man controls perfectly with them. How well they work is very dependent on the programmer.

3) The Start and Pause buttons are conveniently right on the controller (though I have found myself accidentally resetting the game from time to time).

4) The keypad allows for some deeper, more complex games.

[Kid Ice]

Postitive? Well, they were the first analogue home controllers (something fanboys sometimes forget.)

Sure about that? I thought the Astrocade controller were analog.

edit: D'oh nevermind.

[madman77]

Really, I think there are worse controller out there (Intellivision, I'm looking at you) but the fire buttons are pretty abysmal even when they work.
I love the INTV, but you are absolutely correct. Those controllers were pieces of crap. They worked for some games, but others like Donkey Kong they were absolutely horrible. Especially when you're a youngster and not particularly coordinated yet.

[Lemmi_Is_God]

1 controller can be refurbished for the same amount as you paid for the console with 20 games... oh wait positive

they worked great when the system was released in 1983

if you like to fix broken things then these are the controllers for you
i will just play the same games on my atari 800xl and be 1000X happier

[Aswald]

That nobody else ever did such a thing (hopefully)?

[Pantechnicon]

1. When they work, they work great.

2. You can fix them with a refurb kit available from either Best Electronics or 4Jays and you'll never, ever have to worry about them not working again (cf - Item #1).

[ssjlance]

Hashish?

Wow, I'm not the only one who does that.:rocker:

I have a 5200, but no hookups/controllers. Just found it for $10 at a flea market and I hadn't seen one before so I got it.

[mr.soul]

I thought the Vectrex controllers were the first analog ones.

[DarthKur]

They work great with dual joystick games. Plus I just like them on account of them being so different.

[MF_Luder]

Can anything good be said about any Atari controller? 5200, 7800, Jaguar... heck, I even hate the stiffness of the 2600 controller (though some people will likely disagree with me there). The best thing about the 5200 controllers is that almost no one bought the systems back in 1982, so the number of children they traumatized was minimal.

[Chuplayer]

They can be stored in the back of the 5200, although a space that large can be used to house a variety of things. Shoes? Tax receipts? Small pets? Hashish?

Rolling Rock.

I LOL'd so hard when I saw that in the nerd video.

[Slate]

Rolling Rock.

I LOL'd so hard when I saw that in the nerd video.

I don't remember that in hi's Atari 5200 video.. I'll have to watch it again.

[BydoEmpire]

I thought the Vectrex controllers were the first analog ones.What about the O2?