Electra Concepts was a godsend to many 5200 players who yearned for an alternative to the standard 5200 controller. Although Wico, GIM Electronics and Coin Controls had 5200 joysticks already on the market, Electra bet that many gamers would prefer to play their games with a trusty 2600-compatible joystick. The Masterplay Interface is basically an adapter that lets you play your 5200 games with any 9-pin controller. Since 2600 sticks are digital for the most part, however, games designed for analog control will not work with the Masterplay. Nevertheless, almost everyone will agree that games like Ms. Pac-Man, Miner 2049er and Vanguard play far better with a self-centering 2600 stick than with Atari's 5200 controller. If there is a drawback (and it's not the fault of Electra Concepts), it's the fact that the Masterplay Interface is incredibly difficult to find. This is one case, however, where the usefulness of an item actually exceeds its rarity. Collectors may want to make note that the Masterplay was packaged in two different boxes. The picture above is the later release of the device. It was probably a move to cut costs on the part of Electra Concepts.