Non-Functioning Atari 5200 Joystick? Check this...

It's true; if you have an original Atari 5200, the joysticks probably no longer function (specifically, the buttons will not respond).

There is one place that refurbishes/replaces these non-functioning joysticks with a lifetime part (vastly improved on the original design). It contains gold contact points. We cannot recommend this item enough (we personally replaced our joysticks with these):

Click Here for Best Electronics controller page (specifically, see Atari CX52 controller).