Video Pinball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Video Pinball | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | Atari Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Atari Inc. |
| Designer(s) | Bob Smith (2600 version) |
| Platform(s) | Dedicated console, Arcade, Atari 2600 |
| Release date |  1977 |
| Genre(s) | Pinball |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Input methods | Paddle, Bumper, Joystick |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Display | Horizontal orientation, Raster, medium resolution |
Video Pinball is a dedicated console released 1977 as another Atari Inc. coin-op to standalone home console translation, by bringing the game Breakout to home players. Bumper controllers on the sides or a dial on the front were used to control the games depending on the game selected. There were three game types — Pinball, Basketball, and Breakout.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
Video Pinball allowed 7 games (4 pinball variations, 1 basketball, 2 breakout variations), and used a micro-controller and a small amount of ram rather than the "pong on a chip" IC's used in the slew of pong machines Atari Inc. had been releasing. Pinball was played with the side bumpers, and Breakout and Basketball with the dial.
[edit] Variants
[edit] Atari Video Pinball Coin-Op
Released in 1978, Mounted inside the cabinet is a 3-D playfield with bumpers, LEDs and fully decorated with a city nightline, neon stars and disco dancers. The control panel consists of a start button, a plunger to "launch" the ball, and flippers on the left and right sides. The control panel also has a spring that allows the player to push down on it for a nudge effect.
[edit] Atari 2600
Released for the Atari 2600 video game console in 1980, it featured actual simulations of a pinball machine ball shooter, flippers, bumpers and spinners. The game also implemented a simulation of a real ball's actual physics. The game also features a unique rollover bonus with an Atari Inc. logo on the playfield; hitting the logo four times results in an extra ball. [1] It was programmed by Bob Smith.
Most of the game play involves learning how to perform specific functions, such as launching the ball or activating the flippers, with the Atari 2600 joystick. Moving the joystick controller down pulls the pinball machine plunger back while pressing the joystick button shoots the ball into the playfield. The left and right flippers are activated by moving the joystick controller left or right. The ball can be nudged (as in nudging a table gently in real life) by holding down the joystick button and moving the controller in a particular direction.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- AtariAge - Video Pinball page
- AtariAge - Video Pinball instruction manual
- Video Pinball at MobyGames
- Article on Video Pinball at CriticalMess.net
|
||||||||||||||
 |
This arcade game-related article is a stub. You can help by expanding it. |
