FAQ - The REAL "PONG" F.A.Q.
The REAL "PONG" F.A.Q.
Version 1.04
July 1998
Creator & Maintainer: Sly D.C.
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O.K.,Here's the legal stuff:
Copyright (c) 1998, Sylvain De Chantal
All rights reserved. This document may be copied, in whole or
in part, by any means provided the copyright and contributors
sections remain intact and no fee is charged for the information.
Contributors retain the copyright to their individual contributions.
The data contained here in is provided for informational purposes
only. No warranty is made with regards to the accuracy of some
informations. You can find this FAQ on these newsgoups:
- REC.GAMES.VIDEO.MISC
- REC.GAMES.VIDEO.CLASSIC
- REC.GAMES.VIDEO.MARKETPLACE
Or you can find it at:
- Game FAQs "http://www.gamefaqs.com/"
- Digital Press "http://www.digitpress.com/"
- my Home Page "http://slydc.encomix.es/index.htm"
- Sega Sages "http://www.segasages.com/"
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Additional contributions IS welcome! (really badly needed!!)
Please mail additional information, opinions, and comments to :
mailto --> "slydc@hotmail.com"
I hope that anybody will like it, It took me at least a year
just trying to find information of anykind about pongs...and in
between, my damn harddisk crashed and i lost precious data
forever...
Many THANKS to all the persons who sent me comments,
corrections or informations! Please go see chap#6 for the
credits roaster.
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Welcome to the REAL FAQ about "PONGS"
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1.0) PONG: The controversy of videogame history
2.0) Pong systems specs
3.0) PONGS LIST (far from complete!)
3.5) More Details of Pongs Units
4.0) Computer Space: first arcade game
4.5) The ODYSSEY: first home system
5.0) Pong in the Arcades
6.0) Credits (in alphabet order)
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Dear Readers, this FAQ is now dedicated to William A. Higinbotham
since the 10th November of 1997 for the honor of his memory.
" WILLIAM A. HIGINBOTHAM : The PATRIARCH of PONG & VIDEO GAMES "
May the Gods be with you!
And for more information about William A. Higinbotham, PLEASE
visit this site: "http://www.fas.org/cp/pong_fas.htm"
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1.0) PONG: The controversy of videogame history (top)
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History Lesson 101:
Many people out there thinks that the ATARI PONG was the first
system and that NOLAN BUSHNELL is THE FATHER of video
games.........WRONG !!
Instead of doing the usual recap of history, i'm going to tell
about the history of each person responsible of what we call
"Video Games".
Let start by -->"THE CREATOR"<-- of the "First Video Game" ever !!!
It's all began in 1958, a person by the name of "Willy
Higinbotham", who was a physicist, made a WORKING model and not
even with a single transistor, but with vacuum tubes! (of course,
transistors did existed at that time, the transistor was created
by William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain of Bell
Labs in 1947).
His "Tennis" game-type was exposed at the Brookhaven National
Laboratory for almost TWO years, and his game was more
sophisticated than the ATARI PONG itself !! (yes-that's true!
don't believe me? Ask EGM magazine or the Brookhaven National
Laboratory!)
Now, please remember that "Willy Higinbotham" is THE FATHER that
created the first video game, i hope that many of you will
correct any history about video games. Almost anybody don't
know about his work and he didn't get any credit for inventing
the TRULY first video game, but in my book, he is THE creator !
Here's the story that Danny Monaghan sent me and i thought that
it was special that i had to share it with all of you readers:
I just came across your Pong FAQ and was delighted to see your
tribute to Mr. HIGINBOTHAM, the REAL inventor of Video Games!
Believe it or not, I live on the same street where Mr. H lived
(North Howell's Pt. Rd., Bellport, New York) and I'm only 8
houses away! I've got to tell you, when I was a little kid
growing up he was the coolest guy on the block! He used to let
all the kids in the neighborhood play baseball in his huge back
yard... and even when we hit a ball off the side of his house,
or broke a window, he didn't care!
It wasn't until 10 years ago when I was a senior at Bellport
High School that I found out Mr. H invented Pong at Brookhaven
National Laboratory (just a few miles away), and I couldn't
believe it! I had grown up on the first video game systems of
the 70's, and by the time I was in High School was writing my
own games for the Apple and Commodore 64. So it was a real
shock when I found out that, all along, I had been living next
to the almighty creator himself! Unfortunately he passed away
in '95 and I never got a chance to thank him, but his son Willy
Jr. moved into his house, so I'm thinking about stopping by
someday. I don't know if you know this, but he also worked on
the first Atom bomb... a stark contrast to his harmless Pong!
I just wish more historians would note his awesome achievement!
[Thanks for the letter Danny ! If anybody has any insight
stories related to the 4 creators of Pongs, please do !]
Now the SECOND most important person, his name is "Steve Russell".
MIT student in 1961, creates "Spacewar"(the second video game), is
the first interactive computer game on a Digital PDP-1 computer.
The game is to control two tiny spaceships, one called the "WEDGE"
and the other called the "NEEDLE" ,they battles around a tiny dot
in the middle of the screen that represent the Sun. The game
featured an accurate portrait of physics in outer space. Another
student even corrected the star fields in the background to the
scale !!
But Russell made a mistake, he never filed for a copyright. He
thought that it cost too much to try to market his game, he was
right about this. Only few computers could run his game in this
time, and at a cost of $120,000 for a PDP-1, it was too much to
put in arcades.
His game almost faded away forever if it wasn't for the
employees of Digital Equipment who used it to test their
computers while installing them for customers. Customers
received the game as a gift. (Notice how FATE is unpredicable ?
First Willy's game was unheard of, and Steve's game almost
dissapeared to nothingness if not "Nolan Bussnell" who later
[in 1962] becomes addicted to the game...we almost didn't get
video games, if it wasn't for Nolan who craved "Spacewar" so
much, and for his ideas and his visions; you, me and many people
wouldn't had the pleasure to discover a new invention called
"Video Games", and you wouldn't be reading this FAQ as a
matter of fact !!)
The THIRD most important person's name is "Ralph Baer".
Working for a military contractor called Sanders Associates, in
New Hampshire in 1966, he had an idea for a new use for
televisions. He decided to create a console that would enable
people to play electronic games on their television sets.
Baer's first game was about putting out fires. The game involved
a red box representing a house that was on fire. Players
controlled the game with a lever that represented a water pump.
If they pumped the lever fast enough, the box turned blue,
meaning the fire was extinguished.
In 1967, Baer added a fun-loving engineer named Bill Rusch to
his team. Rusch, came up with a better concept. In his game,
players used "paddles" to catch and toss a dot across the
screen. Rusch eventually modified the paddles so that they
rejected the ball. Instead of playing catch, Rusch's game now
played tennis.
Eventually, in 1971, Baer sold his game machine to Magnavox.
Magnavox accepted Baer's technology but ignored his vision. Baer
wanted to create a simple device that could retail for under
$20; Magnavox programmed 12 games into the system, dressed it up
with playing cards and plastic overlays that players could put
on their television screens, and charged $100. They called the
system the Odyssey.
The first prototypes of the Odyssey were finished in early 1972.
In May, Magnavox started demonstrating them around the country
at private showings.
Toward the end of the month, the Odyssey was shown at a trade
show in Burlingame, Calif., just outside of San Francisco. One
of the people who attented at the show was a young engineer
named Nolan Bushnell, he saw the Odyssey and the games that it
could played, and ONE of those game cought Bushnell's eyes...
Now for the FORTH and not the least, "Nolan Bushnell".
Student at the University of Utah in 1962, became addicted to
"Spacewar" Russell's game. He liked the game so much that in
1970, two years after his graduation, took his daughter's
bedroom and converted it into a workshop in which he could
create an arcade version of the game.
His firts idea was to use a computer, prices of computers had
dropped sharply by this time but they still cost far too much to
use in arcades. But Instead of using a computer, he built a
device that could only play "Spacewar" with cruder graphics
which he recalled it "Computer Space".
Later in 1971, he sold the idea to Bill Nutting, owner of
Nutting Associates. Nutting hired Bushnell to oversee the
creation of Computer Space while working on other engineering
projects. They began to ship the game by the end of 1971, but
Computer Space was a failure. They sold about 500 to 1,500
machines.
Bushnell left Nutting Associates, formed a partnership with a
friend named Ted Dabney and opened a new company called Syzygy
but saw that the name already belonged to another company, so he
chose - Atari.
Atari's first product was a game called PONG, an electronic
tennis match in which players batted a square ball back and
forth with rectangular paddles. Created by engineer Al Alcorn
(and NOT by Nolan Bushnell but helped with the game since he saw
the "Tennis" game the Odyssey only a few weeks ago at the trade
show in Burlingame.)
It was a simple game with minimal instructions: "Avoid missing
ball for high score." Bushnell and Alcorn placed a prototype of
their game in Andy Capp's Tavern, a Sunnyvale, California bar.
These people, either knowingly or unknowingly, helped contribute
Two weeks after installing the game, Alcorn got a late-night
phone call from the manager of the bar. The game had broken
down, and he wondered if he could fix it. When Alcorn went to
check the machine, he found a most unusual problem. There were
so many quarters jammed into the coin drop that the game had
stopped working. Within a few months, Ramtek, Nutting, and
several other companies released imitations of Pong. Magnavox
sued Atari for infringing on Baer's patents and ended up paying
Magnavox $700,000 !!!(This is it,the FIRST VIDEOGAME COURT
BATTLE !!)
In 1973, Eight to ten thousand units are made, Pong is an
unprecedented success. Ted Dabney panics about competition and
sells half is share to Bushnell. Bushnell forms Kee Games
(named after Joe Keenan) to provide "competition" for Atari.
In 1974, Atari began work on Home Pong, proposed by Harold Lee,
a consumer version of the popular arcade game that could be
played on a television set. Lee, Alcorn, and an engineer named
Bob Brown develop the product. Because of the Odyssey's poor
sales record, no retailers are interested in carrying the Atari
Pong console, a tiny black and white box with two mounted
paddle controller dials.
In 1975, After being turned down by toys, electronics and
department stores, an Atari executive reached Tom Quinn, from
Sears, Roebuck. After several meetings with Bushnell, he
ordered 150,000 Home Pong consoles for Christmas, and the
console is badged with the Sears Tele-Games logo.
By January 1976, Home Pong had become the new champion.
Attracted by Atari's success, several companies release home
video game consoles. Because of a rush on circuits, only Coleco
receives its full order in time.
Based on technology largely similar to the Pong machine,
Coleco's Telstar Pong machine debuts. And a new menace for pongs
systems is born: the Fairchild Channel F, the first programmable
home game console, and not long after the RCA Studio 2 made it's
appearence.
By 1977, Atari released a game system that change videogames
forever: the Atari 2600vcs. Bally released the Astrocade in
1978. By the end of '78, pongs became boring to play and
companies ended producing and marketing them since people
wasn't bying them anymore. The fate of Pong has been sealed
and "died" without remorse.....fate can be cruel.
***** Here's what Glenn Saunders wrote: *****
When looking at history it's a subjective thing as to who was
more or less important in the history of videogames. But if it
were not for the true visionary entreprendeurs, the inventors
would probably not even be footnotes in history, because their
ideas would never leave the garage or the PDP-1 computer-room.
Revising history regarding Pong is fine, but also realize that
Nolan Bushnell really wound up building a better mousetrap and
he had a much better idea of how to start a videogame company
than Magnavox.
I think it is unfair to take away his throne of being the father
of videogames simply because he didn't invent Space War or Pong.
And lawsuits are common in Silicon Valley. Other companies have
settled with Atari over THEIR intellectual copyrights, including
Activision. Whatever lack of innovation Nolan had at the start
by making a raster version of Space War and a clone of Pong was
definitely made up for by the time the 2600 was sweeping the
floor with Magnavox's Odyssey^2 and the arcades were filled
almost exclusively with Atari/Kee Games product.
The house that Nolan built had a solid foundation of talented
engineers and programmers who, to me, were far more influential
in popularizing arcade and home videogaming than anything Ralph
Baer or Magnavox did.
##Do you think i was to harsh on Mr.Bushnell or that i was
right ??
I can more or less agree with Glenn input but everybody has his
or her own way at looking at things, life, history, and so on...
I agree that was a wee-bit hard on Mr.Bushnell case, that i
didn't acknowledge more on Nolan Bushnell since he brought us
the Atari 2600 and all the Classics !! But since it's a F.A.Q.
and History about "Pongs" (and not the whole video game
industry history), i only wrote what i needed for this F.A.Q.
(sorry! but that that's!)
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2.0) Pong system specs (top)
----------------------
These people, either knowingly or unknowingly, helped contribute
Well, to tell you the truth, there isn't really much
specification about "PONG" systems, the Odyssey 1 has no
microchip, it was made with transis- tors. A microchip called
the "AY-3-8500", made by General Instrument in 1975?, was THE
chip that Coleco installed in their "PONG" system and that many
manufactuers did based their systems on this chip, more than 75
other companys had issued similar video game units.
Thanks to Ramon Martinez, here's is the schematic of the
AY-3-8500, this info is greatly appreciated!!
---------------------
NC -|*(pin #1) #28|- NC
Vss (GND) -| |- shotgun input (pointer)
Sound Output -| |- trigger input
Vcc -| |- reset game input
ball angle switch -| |- playfield and scores output
ball output -| |- practice
ball speed switch -| AY-3-8500 |- squash
manual serve button -| |- hockey
right player output -| |- tennis
left player output -| |- shotgun game II
right paddle input -| |- shotgun game I
left paddle input -| |- CLOCK input
paddle size -| |- SYNC output
NC -|#14 #15|- NC
---------------------
Mainly, "PONG" systems has :
----------------------------
- power ON/OFF - 2 "paddles"(turning knobs, levers, sliders...)- up to 4
- RESET button
- SELECT GAME button or switch
- BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE/PRO skill switch
- BAT SIZE (small/large) switch (may or not)
- BALL SPEED (slow/fast) switch (may or not)
- SLICE (min/max) switch (may or not)
- SERVE button or switch(manual/auto)(may or not)
- Color or Black&White
- 2 player generally (but can be 1 to 4 players)
- PISTOL or GUN (may or not)
and usually has those type of games:
------------------------------------
- TENNIS
- HOCKEY
- SQUASH (or SMASH,GRIDBALL,HANDBALL)
- JAI ALAI
- PRACTICE
- TARGET
- SKEET (or SHOOT)
and some has those type of games:
---------------------------------
- BASKETBALL
- BREAKOUT (or BREAKAWAY)
- JOKARI
- PINBALL
- ROAD RACE
- SOCCER
- SPACE INVADER
- STUNT CYCLE
- TANK
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3.0) PONG LIST (top)
--------------
This list is very, very far from complete !
Any informations, inputs, contributions, descriptions or anything
related to PONG systems will be GREATLY appreciated !!!!!
They may be errors in this list, but trying to list pong systems
that are outdated between 20 & 25 years ago isn't easy !!!
# of NORTH AM Systems: 113
# of EUROPEAN Systems: 047 Total for Now: 190 !!
# of JAPANESE Systems: 030
NORTH AM Systems (U.S. & CANADA) Company YEAR
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Adversary 370 National Semiconductor 1976
APF TV FUN Model 401 APF Electronics
APF TV FUN Model 402 APF Electronics
APF TV FUN Model 405 APF Electronics
APF TV FUN Model 442 APF Electronics
APF TV FUN Model 444 APF Electronics
APF TV FUN Model 500 APF Electronics
Apollo 2001 Entreprex 1978
Bag-A-Tel Calfax
Colorgame Intercon Marketing Corp.
Compu-Vision Bentley 1983?
Conic model TVG 101-4 Conic
Conic model TVG 102-4 Conic
DIGITEK 2001 Digitek Electronics 1976
Face-Off Hockey/Soccer Executive Games
Fantasia 101 Fantasia First
Dimention Video System First Dimention Corp.
Four-Way Video Game, model 1004 Concept 2000
Gamatic 7600 Ridgewood
Gameroom Tele-Pong Entex
Glorytone Granada Electronics
Gorilla Game model TG-101 Santron
Gorilla Game model TG-102 Santron
Heatkit model GD-1999 Heath Co.
Hockey-Pong Atari
Name of the Game (??) Allied Leisure Industries
Nose T' Nose, model 1006 Concept 2000
Odyssey ???, model 4305 Magnavox
Odyssey [FIRST home video game] Magnavox 1972
Odyssey 100 Magnavox 1975
Odyssey 200 Magnavox 1975
Odyssey 300, model 7500 Magnavox 1976
Odyssey 400, model 7516 Magnavox
Odyssey 500, model 7520 Magnavox
Odyssey 2000, model 7510 Magnavox 1977
Odyssey 3000, model 7511 Magnavox
Odyssey 4000, model 7530 Magnavox 1977
OLYMPIAN 2600 Unisonic
Paddle IV Roberts
Pong video game, Model C-100 Atari 1975
PONG video game Atari 1977
Quadtronics model Q376 Quadtronics
Quadtronics model Q476 Quadtronics
Rally IV Dyn Electronics
Rally IV Roberts
Ricochet, model mt1a Microelectric Systems 1976
Ricochet Challenger, model mt3a Microelectric Systems
Ricochet Champion, model mt2a Microelectric Systems
Sands 2200 game ????? 1977
SC 4000 K-Mart
SC 8000 Radolin
Stunt Cycle Atari
SuperColor Volley X Roberts
Super Pong, Model C-140 Atari
Super Pong 8000 Visulex 1976
Super Pong Ten, Model C-180 Atari
Superscore Videomaster
TANK Atari 1977
Tele-Action Mini DMS
Tele-Games 80007 Sears(made by Atari)
Tele-Games IV Sears(made by Atari)
Tele-Games Jokari Sears(made by APF)
Tele-Games Pinball Breakaway Sears(made by Atari)
Tele-Games Pong Sports IV Sears(made by Atari) 1977
Tele-Games Speedway IV Sears(made by Atari)
Tele-Games Super Pong IV Sears(made by Atari)
Tele-Games Tennis-Hockey Sears(made by APF)
Tele-Match 4, model 7700 Magnavox
Tele-Match, model 3300r Tele-Match
Tele-Match, model 4400 Tele-Match
Tele-Match, model 6600 Tele-Match
Tele-Match, model 7700 Tele-Match
Tele-Pong, model 3047 Entex
Tele-Sports Mini DMS
Telecourt TV game Hometronics 1977
Telstar, model 6040 Coleco 1976
Telstar, model 6040(deluxe cabinet) Coleco
Telstar Alpha, model 6030 Coleco
Telstar Arcade (3 game in 1) Coleco 1975
Telstar Classic Coleco
Telstar Colormatic Coleco
Telstar Colortron Coleco 1978
Telstar Combat Coleco
Telstar Galaxy Coleco
Telstar Gemini Coleco
Telstar Marksman Coleco 1978
Telstar Ranger, Model 6046 Coleco 1977
Telstar Ranger Colormatic Coleco
Telstar Regent Coleco
Tournament model 101 Unisonic
Tournament 2000 Lafayette
Tournament-1000 TV game Unisonic
Tournament-2000 TV game Unisonic 1976
TV PLUS 4 Four-Way Video Game Concept 2000
TV Pong Model EP-500 Nobility
TV Sports 77 Olympus Electronics
TV Sports 802 Lloyd's
TV Sports 812 Lloyd's
TV Sports 813 Color Lloyd's
TV Sports 825 Monteverdi (made by Lloyd's)
TV Scoreboard #60-3055 Radio Shack
TV Scoreboard #60-3056 Radio Shack
TV Scoreboard #60-3057 Radio Shack
TV Scoreboard #60-3061 Radio Shack
Ultra Pong, Model C-402 Atari
Video Action IV "Indy 500" Universal Research Labs
Video Sport Federal Transistor Co.
Video Sport, model TCR-104 TCR
Video Sports, model vsv-1 Venture Electronics
Video Pinball, Model C-380 Atari 1977
Video-Pro Unitrex
Wonder Wizard Sharp Shooter(7702) General Home Products 1976
?? pong ?? Radofin
EUROPEAN Systems Company YEAR
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6000 Colour TV Game Grandstand
Blackpoint ?????
BSS 01 (BildSchirmSpiel) ????? [please see chap.3.5]
Color Video Game R10/9012 ?????
Compu-Vision Bentley
Colour Game Interstate
CVG A10 9012 ?????
Electronic TV Game 888G Hanimex 1977
ES 2203 Philips
ES 2204 Philips
Gamatic 7706 Gamatic
Kahrlich Telegame ?????
Mk4 Game System Binatone
Mk6 Game System Binatone
Mk8 Game System Binatone
Model 1000 Tandy
Model 1000 Sportsvision Adman
Odyssey 2001 Philips
SD-017f ITMC
Sensor-10 Monarch 1977
Super Tele-Sports Intel
Superlectron ?????
Superscore SEB
Tele-Match Palladium
Telespiel-Philetta 915 Philips
TEMCO 8000 ?????
Tournament Ten Pong System Prinztronic
TRQ Talleres Radioelectricos
TV Color-Multi-Spiel Universum
TV Spiel 1004 Universum
TV Spiel 4010 Universum
TV Spiel 4014 Universum
TV Sport XY ?????
TV Sports Soundic
VC 3000 Interton
Video 2400 Interton
Video 2501 Interton
Video 2800 Interton
Video 3000 Interton
Video 3001 Interton
Video 4000-EX ?????
Video Stellar 5 Jeux ?????
Videojeu N20 Philips
Videojeu N30 Philips
?? pong ?? Univox
?? pong ?? ReEL
JAPANESE Systems Company YEAR
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AER-8700 AER 1977
CT-7600C ??? 1977
TVcolor model 7600 ??? 1977
TV-FAN model 1301 ??? 1977
TV-FAN model 1401 ??? 1977
TV-FAN model 1501 ??? 1977
TV-FAN model 1601 ??? 1977
TV-FAN model 1602 ??? 1977
TV-FAN model 1701 ??? 1977
TV-FAN model 1801 ??? 1977
TV-FAN model 1901 ??? 1977
TV-FAN model 1902 ??? 1977
TVGAME ??? 1977
TV-JACK 1000 ??? 1977
TV-JACK 1200 ??? 1977
TV-JACK 1500 ??? 1977
TV-JACK 2500 ??? 1977
TV-JACK 3000 ??? 1977
TV-JACK 5000 ??? 1978
TV-JACK 8000 ??? 1978
TVmate BARON ??? 1977
TVmate CHAMPION ??? 1977
TVmate DUKE ??? 1977
TVmate KING ??? 1977
TVmate QUEEN (tvg8000) ??? 1977
TVmate SUPER CAR ??? 1977
TY-TG40 ??? 1977
Video Attack ??? 1977
Video Attack 7 (tg-7800) ??? 1977
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3.5) More Details of Pongs Units (top)
--------------------------------
* APF TV Fun Model 401: - 4 games:Practice, Squash, Hockey, Tennis.
- 6 "C" cell batteries or AC adaptor
* APF TV FUN Model 402: - Light Gun(pistol)
- Color pong system
- 5 games:Handball, Tennis, Hockey,
Target, Skeet.
* APF TV FUN Model 405: - 4 versions of PONG
- 1 or 2 player
* BBS 01: The only Video Game system sold in East Greman until
the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. BildSchirmSpiel
means TV Game in German. It was sold in 1979 for 550
Mark. The BSS 01 was basically a 4 game black and
white Pong version with a GI AY-3 Chip in it. There
are rumors that a BSS 02 was planned (maybe a Pong
with a rifle ??) but such a thing was never released.
Thanks for Martin Buchholz for this info!!
* Compu-Vision: - Color pong system
- 4 games:Tennis, Soccer, Squash, Practice.
- 4AA batteries or 6V power supply.
* ES 2204: - 5 Carts: - 2211 Badminton
- 2212 Pelota
- 2213 Skeet Shooting
- 2214 Racing
- 2215 Ghostchaser
* First Dimention Video System: - 3 games:Tennis, Hockey, Robot(?).
- 1, 2 or 4 players.
* Gamatic 7706: - 6 games:football (soccer), tennis, squash, pelota
(classic pong), practice & skeet.
- Released in Italy.
* Hockey Pong(c-121): - 1 or 2 players
- 4 games
* Name of the Game (??): - 4 players
- input for a light gun
- 4 games:Tennis, Hockey,Hhandball
and Target
- tv/game switch built-in
* ODYSSEY 200: - Tennis, Hockey, Smash.
- 6 c batteries.
* ODYSSEY 300: - 3 games:Tennis, Hockey, and Smash
- 6 "C" batteries
* Odyssey 500: - 4 games:Smash, Hockey, Tennis, Soccer.
- in Color
- Internal speaker.
- 9VDC (no battery compartment).
* Odyssey 2000: - 4 games:tennis, hockey, smash, practice.
- 1 or 2 player
* Odyssey 3000: - 4 Games
- Runs on 6 "C" Batteries
* ODYSSEY 4000: - Color pong system
- 8 games:Soccer, Tennis, Hockey, Gridball,
Smash, Smash Practice, Basketball and
Basketball Practice.
- 1 or 2 players
- in Color
- AC adaptor included
* OLYMPIAN 2600: - Color pong system, with different colors
for each game.
- 10 games:Tennis, Hockey, Squash,
Practice, Soccer, Baskets, Hoops,
Grid/ball, Shoot, and Shooting.
* Paddle IV: - 4 games:tennis, hockey, smash, practice.
- Detachable Remotee Control.
- Color or Black & White.
* Pong Sports IV: - 2 or 4 players
- 16 Games (pong, hockey, street tennis,
street hockey)
- Color or Black & White.
* Pong video game(c-100): - Color or Black & White
- 4 size "D" batteries
* Rally IV(Roberts): - 4 games:Tennis, Hockey, Squash,
Practice.
* SC Four Thousand: - 4 games:Practice, Squash, Hockey,
Tennis.
- built-in sound
- 6 "C" cell batteries or AC adaptor
- Detachable Remote Controls
* SC Eight Thousand: - 8 games:Target 1, Target 2,
Tennis singles, Tennis doubles,
Squash singles, Squash doubles,
Hockey 2, Hockey 4.
- 4 Remote Controls
- Electronic Pistol
- 6 "D" cell batteries or AC adaptor
* Super Pong(c-140): - 4 games:Catch,Handball, Super Pong, Pong
- Color or Black & White
* Super Pong IV: - 1 To 4 players
- 5 games:Pong, Super Pong, Catch, Basketball
& Handball.
- Color or Black & White
* SuperColor Volley X: - 4 games
- Light Gun
- 4 controllers
- in Color
- built-in sound
* Tele-Action Mini TV Game: - 4 games
* Tele-Match, model 3300r: - 5 games:Tennis, Hole in Wall, Catch,
Handball, Pitch.
- Six different ball speeds
- two Atari-like paddles
- 4 AA Batteries
* Tele-Games Pong Sports IV: - 4 controllers
- 2 to 4 Players
- 16 games:Pong, Hockey, Street
Tennis, Street Hockey, and Super,
Maxi and Team versions of all four
games.
- 32 Variations
- Runs on 4 "C" Batteries
- Sound comes from Unit
- in Color
* Telegames Hockey-Tennis: - 4 games:Practice, Tennis, Hockey,
Handball
- Cylindrical Paddles Detachable
- 2 players
- 6 C batteries or 9VDC
* Telegames Jokari: - 4 games:Tennis, Hockey, Jokari, Practice
- 2 players
- 6 C batteries or 9VDC
* Telegames Pinball Breakaway: - in Color
- 7 games:Pinball I, Pinpaddle I,
Pinball II, Pinpaddle II,
Basketball Breakaway & Breakout.
- One player only
- Internal speaker
- 6 C batteries or 9VDC
* Tele-Action Mini(TV GAME-513): - 4 games:Tennis, Practice,
Hockey, Squash.
- Two players
- 6 AA batteries or 9VDC
* Telstar Alpha: - 4 games
- built-in sound
* Telestar Arcade: - 3 Triangle carts:
# 1-Road Race/Tennis/Quick Draw
# 2-Hockey/Tennis/Handball/Target
# 3-Bonus Pinball/Shooting Gallery/...
* Telstar Colortron: - 4 Games
- Runs on 2 9Volt batteries or AC Adapter
- Sound comes from Unit
* Telstar Marksman: - in Color
- 6 games with 2 moving target games.
- 3 in 1 gun included - pistol, target
pistol & rifle.
- Two 9v batteries or AC adapter
* Telstar Ranger: - 6 games:Tennis, Hockey, Handball, Jai
Alai, Skeet Target.
- Internal speaker
- 2 players.
- Light gun
- Detachable controllers
- 6 C batteries or 9VDC
* Tournament 2000: - 6 games:Tennis/Table Tennis, Hockey/Soccer,
Squash, Practive, Targets, Skeet.
- Light Gun (whole rifle you put together)
- 6 "C" cell batteries or AC adaptor
* TV PLUS 4-Way: TV+4 features automatic on-screen scoring and
sound plus all of these...
On/off power switch.
Reset button starts games.
Hand-held remote units are detachable from
console and feature slide controls for
positive bat action.
Ball speed selector for medium or high speed
action.
Angle selector gives variable ball spin
action.
Manual/auto serve selector.
Bat size selector changes size of racquet.
TV channel selector.
Game selector for table tennis, soccer/
hockey, or squash plus single-play practice
handball.
It runs on 6 C cell batteries
* TV Pong: - Batteries or AC
- 4 games:Tennis, Practice, Hockey, Squash.
* TV Sports 825: - DC 9V 500MW
* TV Scoreboard #60-3061: - 6 games:Target, Skeet, Tennis,
Hockey, Squash, Practice.
- Two players
- Detachable left player controller
- Comes with Light gun
- Internal speaker.
- 6 AA batteries or 9VDC
* Ultra Pong(c-402): - 16 games:8 Pong & 8 Hockey
- 1 to 4 players
- 4 "C" batteries or 6v power supply.
* Video Sports(TRC): Four action games: Hockey, Tennis, Squash
and Solo Variable ball speed Amatuer and Pro
Three realistic sound effects for added
excitement
Digital on-screen scoring 0-15
AC/DC operable using battery or optional AC
Adapter (9-volt Battery or 9-volt Atari type
power supply)
Automatic serve
Segmented paddles for automatic ball spin
Two Remote Controls
* Wonder Wizard Sharp Shooter: - Light Gun
- 5 games:Pistol, Tennis, Hockey,
Handball and Jai-Lai.
* ?? ReEl pong: - 4 games:football (soccer), tennis, squash &
pelota.
- imported by ReEl (Italian distributor).
* ?? Univox pong: - 4 games:Hockey, Tennis, Squash et Practice.
----------------------------------------------------------------
4.0) Computer Space: first arcade game [Text by Roger Earl] (top)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Considering that Computer Space was the world's first publically
available video game, it may seem a bit strange that most people
have never heard of it. Perhaps Computer Space is the ultimate
example of how a video game needs to be playable in order to be
remembered. Pong captured the fame regardless of the advantages
that Computer Space had.
First publically available video game, almost a full year
before Pong.
Futuristic looking fiberglass-molded cabinet.
Computer Chip design (Pong was solid-state).
Appeared in a popular Sci-Fi movie.
An original design created by Nolan Bushnell (The Pong
design was "borrowed").
Nolan Bushnell's pre-Atari company Syzygy (the name means: The
Sun, Moon and Earth in total eclipse) designed Computer Space
and was manufactured by Nutting Associates. To the best of my
knowledge, Nutting never produced another video game. Although
loosely based on Steve Russell's Spacewar game (1962), which
Bushnell played on a PDP-1 computer at MIT, the game was changed
significantly enough to make the relation between the two
disputable. The game and cabinet were designed as an example of
what future entertain- ment would be like.
1.Insert quarter and press start; your rocket ship will appear.
2.There is no gravity in space; rocket speed can only be changed
by engine thrust.
3.Evade the saucers' missiles and use yours to score hits.
4.Outscore the saucers for extended play in hyperspace.
You controlled a rocketship around a starfield on the black &
white screen with a shoot or be shot style of gameplay against
"computer-guided" flying saucers. Actually, the flying saucers
only tended to move up, down, or diagonally (a Z pattern). Like
many games of the era, hitting the targets largely depending on
mastering the phenomena known as "after-touch", meaning the
bullets could be guided after you have shot them. The game was
timed, with bonus (hyperspace level) time according to your
performance. A switch setting inside the machine could allow two
games on a single quarter. Two "games", not lives, because your
score was completely reset at the end of a timed game. The
controls consisted of four buttons: thrust, fire, rotate left
and right.
What is missing in my description is the fact that the game was
incredibly slow. Computer ciruit technology just wasn't ready
for the graphical intensity of video games, that is perhaps the
main reason why Nolan Bushnell went with a solid-state design on
his next project. The other problem was the feeling of
inevitable failure that came along with the time limit, cushioned
only slightly by the promise of bonus time. Combining the
frustration of turning ever so slowly on an inclosing invader.
With the clock ticking, giving you the kind of dread that a
video game should never impose. After the game is over, you have
an urge to push your nose high in the air and try to feel
superior to a game that has only beaten you because of its lack
of technological prowess.
So Computer Space didn't take off as a runaway hit, that was
reserved for Pong the next year. At the most it was considered a
novelty. Even so, it wasn't a complete disaster or at least the
manufacturers had a bit of faith in it eventually catching on.
I say this because after the initial run of machines, they
released a two player version with alternative controls (strange
joystick-dial combos). Both versions were available in three
colors: candy-apple blue, candy-apple red, & candy-apple green.
The candy-apple part meaning that they were painted in that
metallic sparkling stuff that was so popular in the 1970's. The
cabinets looked so much like a prop in a Buck Rogers film that
one was featured in the Charlton Heston Sci-Fi cheeser Soylent
Green, although they had painted it white to match the decor of
the film.
Computer Space has the same charm that the Ed Wood films do. It
is a game so bad as to be a bit amusing. Collectors travel great
distances to obtain one and with good reason. If I were to rate
Computer Space as a piece of pop-art to place in your office or
home, I would without a doubt give it a glorious 10 out of 10.
As a piece of nostalgia it doesn't rate high for me because I
don't remember it from it's original era. As a game, I doubt if
it would score even a 1. So I'm doing something a bit strange
with the score on this game, I'm compromising for which I can
without a doubt say is the best coin-op cabinet ever made...
by Roger Earl from Electric Playground game reviews
----------------------------------------------------------------
4.5) The ODYSSEY: first home system (top)
-----------------------------------
The Odyssey (AKA Odyssey I) Came Out In 1972 and was invented by
Ralph Baer. It played a game almost identical to pong as well as
a number of additional games that required overlays and playing
pieces. The Odyssey had two removable controllers that allowed
the user to control their paddle in BOTH the x and y axis. In
addition, the Odyssey came with 6 Cartridges that (along with a
number of screen overlays, game boards and cards) allowed the
user to play a number of different games. As an option, Odyssey
owners could buy the "Shooting Gallery" which included four more
games and an electronic gun. The gun was simply light sensitive
and a score can be racked up quite easily by pointing it at
your local light bulb.
Name of games: Cart #:
------------------------------------------------
Table Tennis 01
Ski/Simon Says 02
Tennis/Football/Hockey/Analogic 03
Football/Cat And Mouse/Haunted House 04
Submarine 05
Roulette/States 06
Add-On Games:
------------------------------------------------
Volleyball 07
Handball 08
Shooting Gallery Electronic Rifle Games:
------------------------------------------------
Shootout, Dogfight & Prehistoric Safari 09
Shooting Gallery 10
Complete Parts List:
---------------------
* Odyssey console (of course !)
* Two plug-in controllers
* Six Magnavox C-cells (when you buy it at the time)
* Six Plug-In Game Cartridges (no# 1 through 6),
* Original switchbox with two hooks and box,
* 12 foot game cord,
* 36 or 24 pages instruction manual
* Eleven 18" TV overlays
* Eleven 23" TV overlays
* Game Field/Roulette Board
* Stadium Scoreboard
* Two football tokens
* Two yardage markers
* 20 pass cards
* 20 run cards
* 10 kick off cards
* 10 punt cards
* 6 play cards
* 30 clue cards
* 13 secret message cards
* 48 plastic chips(sealed)
* Two Dice
* Play money
* 50 state cards
* Affairs of State (answer folder)
* States study map
* 28 Simon Says cards
* Cat and Mouse stickers(25) sheet.
It's interesting to note that future game cards were planned and
there was an accessory port. If you look at its innards-- There
are NO Integrated Circuits at all !! About 85,000 Odyssey's were
sold in 1972 and about 20,000 rifles (apparently people believed
you had to own a Magnavox television for it to work which scared
away some buyers). After that time, the Odyssey sales fell due
to the outbreak of competition.
Want more information about the Company Magnavox from the
"Odyssey 1" to the "Odyssey 2" ??? Then please go see this new
site:
Inherent Mirth : "http://home.neo.lrun.com/skg/"
This site creator's name is "Shaun Gegan aka loomis" and he
evens has a "Odyssey 1 F.A.Q." that has a lot more information
about this unit that i have in this F.A.Q.!
----------------------------------------------------------------
5.0) Pong in the Arcades (top)
------------------------
This Pong list was taken from the KLOV list which is made by
Mike Hughey, Jeff Hansen & Jonathan Deitch.
* Computer Space - made by Nutting Associates in 1971 - B/W
screen - 2 Players
* Dr.Pong - made by Atari in 197? - B/W screen - ? Players
* Elimination - made by Kee Games in 1973 - B/W screen -
4 Players
* Pin Pong - made by Atari in 197? - B/W screen - ? Players
* Pong (what started Atari and the Video Game industries) -
made by Atari in 1972 - B/W screen - 2 Players
* Pong Doubles - made by Atari in 1973 - B/W screen - 2 Players
* Quadra Pong - made by Atari in 1973 - B/W screen - 4 Players
(plain copy of Elimination)
* Super Pong - made by Atari in 1973 - B/W screen - ? Players
----------------------------------------------------------------
6.0) Credits (top)
------------
Many thanks to these guys !!! If it wasn't for them or for their
info, this FAQ wouln't exist !!
* Dennis Brown
* Martin Buchholz
* Randy Buss
* Greg Chance
* Steve Cooper
* Dean Dierschow
* Phillippe Dubois
* Roger Earl
* Eric Hamel
* Kevan Heydon
* Tom Howe
* Robert A. Jung
* Steven Kent
* Corey Koltz
* Jeremy Larsen
* Harold A. Layer
* Ramon Martinez
* Dan Mazurowski
* Doug Manegre (DougM)
* Rene Meyer
* Danny Monaghan
* David Orlikowski
* Fabrizio Pedrazzini
* Rico Quetzalcoatl
* Christopher Rodgers
* Glenn Saunders
* Joe Scoleri(the Maverick)
* Lee K. Seitz
* Pieter Verhallen
* Alan Watkins
* Sam Z...?
-----
* Jason "Kaotic Page" (???)
-----
* EGM Magazine
* the Japanese Classic Videogame Station Odyssey
* the defunct Arton's Pong Page
* and some few people that i lost their name and some
info due to my harddisk crash.....(the first one)
Thanks and see you in the next version !!!
---------------------------------------------------------
Copyright(c)1998, Sylvain De Chantal, "slydc@hotmail.com" or
come visit my homepage at "http://slydc.encomix.es/index.htm"
(FAQ source)