This guide will show you how to set up Retroarch Atari 5200 Emulation.
Installation Of Atari 5200
1- First, you must download a BIOS File of Atari 5200. and then paste this file into the Retroarch folder.
Go to the location where you have installed Retroarch. Once you reach this location, go to the systems folder, drag the Atari file, and drop it in the systems folder.
2- Now you have to download the Atari 5200 games; you can get these if you are using the Atari vault program; otherwise, you have to download them from google. Make sure that all the game files are in the .bin format.
3- Then boot up the Retroarch and plug in your controller. Afterward, go to the Online menu, the Online updater section, and select Core downloader. Scroll down and find the Atari 5200(a5200) section; you need to download this.
4- After that, go back to click on Load content, and then go to the directory where your games are stored.
5- Choose the game and the core to load up. Now, to create a game playlist, go to the main menu and click on the show desktop menu or press F5 on your keyboard.
6- Once the desktop menu is open, you’ll find the content browser on the left side of the screen. Right-click on it, select the new playlist, and its name should be Atari – 5200. Then press Enter, and it will create a new playlist on the left side.
5- On the right side, right-click, select Add folder, and go to the location where your games are installed. After that, select the games folder and click on the select folder button at the bottom right side of the screen.
6- Set the core to a5200, set the Database to Atari-5200 and click on OK. Now all your games will be added to the playlist.
Information
The great thing about the desktop menu is that it will show you if your bios file is being detected automatically.
6- Once your playlist is made, then go back to the Retroarch and click on the Restart Retroarch button on the main menu. It will help you in showing your game’s playlist on the left side.
7- If you want to play a game, select the game from the game’s playlist you just added. On the next page, you need to click the Run button at the top.
Controller Setup
8- Go to the control setup option and select Port 1 controls. There, you can see what your controls are mapped to for your Atari 5200 controllers. You can customize any of your controls for any game.
Core Options
9- After that, go back to the Core option. The first option is the bios selection you added during the initial setup, which is what is selected here. If you don’t have an Atari 5200 bios file, there is a built-in high-level emulation bios file, but its compatibility could be better than the official one, so you have to download the BIOS file first.
10- Then go back and select Inner frame blending and turn this ON as it is the ghosting effect of old CRTs, which is more suitable for Atari 5200 emulation.
11- Select the controller hacks, as this is required for using things like Robotron 2048. If you want to use a single controller for both thumbsticks, you can swap the ports depending on whether your game needs to be on the right or left port for the controllers or turn it off by default.
12- Now select digital joystick sensitivity as it is set to Auto by default, and this will work for most cases. But you can adjust the sensitivity according to your game base.
13- Next, select the Analog joystick sensitivity, and set it to linear. You can also set it to Quadratic test as it depends on the game basis, and you have to see which one has a better response for your particular gaming.
14- At last, select Analog joystick dead zones. You must adjust this dead zone according to your particular controller.
15- If there are some options you want to set for some specific games but not for others games, then go up to Manage Core Options and save them as a Game options file. It’s the only way to apply to the settings for a specific game.
Shaders
16- Shaders are extensive, and you could get a fun look for all of your games based on any shaders you selected. Open the Shaders tab and turn ON the Video Shader. You have to make sure you downloaded them from the core updater.
