Video Pinball series

"Video Pinball" redirects here. For the Atari 2600 game of the same name, see Video Pinball (1980 video game).

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Series of home video game consoles

Video Pinball series

Developer| Harold Lee[1]
Manufacturer| Atari, Inc.
Type| Series of dedicated home video game consoles
Generation| First generation
Release date|

* NA: 1977

Display| Horizontal orientation, Raster, medium resolution
Predecessor| Atari Stunt Cycle
Successor| Atari 2600

The Video Pinball brand is a series of first-generation single-player dedicated home video game consoles manufactured, released and marketed by Atari, Inc. starting in 1977. Bumper controllers on the sides or a dial on the front are used to control the games depending on the game selected. There are three game types in the first model of the Video Pinball series: Pinball, Basketball, and Breakout.

The first model is based on the single chip 011500-11/C011512-05 ("Pong-on-a-chip") produced by Atari.[2][3]

## Gameplay

[edit]

Video Pinball allows 7 games—4 pinball variations, a basketball game, and two versions of Breakout (Breakout and a variant called Break Away) -- for one to two players. The unit provides digital on-screen scoring, automatic serves, and color graphics.[4]: 26 Video Pinball uses a micro-controller and a small amount of RAM rather than the "Pong on a chip" IC's that had been used in the slew of pong machines Atari Inc. had been releasing. Pinball was played primarily with the side bumper buttons, and Breakout and Basketball with the dial and top buttons.

## Models

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2019)

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There were three different models of Video Pinball released over its lifetime. Atari released both woodgrain and cream colored versions as "Atari Video Pinball". An OEM version whose name was changed to "Pinball Breakaway" was also produced for Sears under the Sears' Tele-Games label.[5]

Atari Video Pinball Model C-380 | Sears Pinball Breakaway

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## Arcade

[edit]

An arcade video game version, called Video Pinball, was released by Atari in February 1979. It sold a total of 1,505 arcade cabinets.[6]

## References

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1. ^ Page 149, Atari Inc: Business is Fun, By Marty Goldberg, Curt Vendel, Publisher: Syzygy Press, 2012, ISBN 9780985597405, ...Atari's solution came by way of a former Standard Microsystems employee named Harold Lee who had joined Atari in late 1973...he began to sketch out the circuits for what would eventually become PONG-on-a-chip, codenamed Darlene.
2. ^ Winter, David (2013). "David Winter's Pong Rarity List and Price Guide". Pong-Story.com. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
3. ^ Page 154, Atari Inc: Business is Fun, By Marty Goldberg, Curt Vendel, Publisher: Syzygy Press, 2012, ISBN 0985597402, 9780985597405
4. ^ Kaplan, Deeny, ed. (Winter 1978). "The Video Games". Video (Buyer's Guide). 1 (1). Reese Communications: 17–30. ISSN 0147-8907.
5. ^ Winter, David. "Atari PONG: The Home Systems". Pong-Story.com. 2013.
6. ^ Product: Total Build (PDF). Atari Games. 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2021-05-09.

## External links

[edit]

* Atari Video Pinball (Model C-380) at old-computers.com

* v
* t
* e

Atari

Corporations|

| Primary|

* Atari, Inc. (1972–1992)
* Atari Corporation (1984–1996)
* Atari SA

|

Subsidiaries
and spin-offs|

* Atari Games
* Atari Interactive
* AtariAge
* Chuck E. Cheese (1977–1980)
* Cyan Engineering
* Digital Eclipse
* Kee Games
* MobyGames
* Nightdive Studios
* Tengen

Arcades
and amusements|

* Anti-Aircraft
* Asteroids
* Asteroids Deluxe
* Atari Basketball
* Atari Football
* Avalanche
* Battlezone
* Black Widow
* Breakout
* Canyon Bomber
* Centipede
* Cloak & Dagger
* Crash 'N Score
* Crystal Castles
* Destroyer
* Dominos
* Fire Truck
* Firefox
* Food Fight
* Gotcha
* Gran Trak 10
* Gran Trak 20
* Gravitar
* Hi-way
* I, Robot
* Indy 4
* Indy 800
* Jet Fighter
* LeMans
* Liberator
* Lunar Lander
* Major Havoc
* Millipede
* Missile Command
* Night Driver
* Outlaw
* Pin-Pong
* Pong
* Pong Doubles
* Pursuit
* Quadrapong
* Quantum
* Quiz Show
* Qwak!
* Rebound
* Red Baron
* Return of the Jedi
* Shark Jaws
* Sky Diver
* Space Duel
* Space Race
* Sprint 1
* Sprint 2
* Sprint 4
* Sprint 8
* Star Wars
* Starship 1
* Steeplechase
* Stunt Cycle
* Super Breakout
* Super Bug
* Super Pong
* Tank
* Tank 8
* Tempest
* Tournament Table
* Triple Hunt
* Ultra Tank
* Video Pinball
* Warlords

Video game consoles|

* Home Pong
* Stunt Cycle
* Atari Video Music
* Video Pinball
* 2600
* 2800
* 5200
* 7800
* XEGS
* Lynx
* Jaguar
* CD
* 2021 VCS

Personal computers|

* Atari 8-bit computers
* Atari ST
* MEGA STE
* TT030
* Transputer Workstation
* Falcon

Portable computers|

* STacy
* ST Book
* Portfolio

Prototypes|

* Game Brain
* Tank II
* Cosmos
* 2700
* Panther
* Sierra

Other|

* CX40 joystick
* Atari joystick port
* XG-1 light gun
* Flashback
* Intellivision

* v
* t
* e

Video game consoles (first generation)

Types|

* Home video game console
* list
* Handheld game console
* list
* Microconsole
* list
* Dedicated console
* list
* Hybrid console
* Retro console
* list

Generations|

* First (1972–1980)
* Second (1976–1992)
* Third (1983–2003)
* Fourth (1987–2004)
* Fifth (1993–2006)
* Sixth (1998–2013)
* Seventh (2005–2017)
* Eighth (2012–present)
* Ninth (2020–present)

First
generation|

| Home|

* Magnavox Odyssey

|

Dedicated|

* APF TV Fun series
* Coleco Telstar series
* Arcade
* Marksman
* Color TV-Game
* Gameroom Tele-Pong
* Magnavox Odyssey series
* PC-50x Family
* Pong
* TV Scoreboard
* TV Tennis Electrotennis
* Unisonic series
* Video Pinball

Second generation ->

* Emulator
* Game
* Services
* History
* List
* Manufacturer

* v
* t
* e

Dedicated consoles

Home|

| Original|

* APF TV Fun series
* Coleco Telstar series
* Arcade
* Marksman
* Color TV-Game
* Plug It In & Play TV Games
* N-Joypad
* Video Pinball

|

Retro|

* Atari Flashback series
* Atari Joystick Controller TV Video Game System
* C64 Direct-to-TV
* NES Classic Edition
* PlayStation Classic
* Sega Genesis Mini
* Super NES Classic Edition
* TurboGrafx-16 Mini

Handheld|

* Bemani Pocket
* Coleco Sonic
* Game & Watch
* VG Pocket Max
* Pokémon Pikachu
* Tomytronic 3D

Arcade|

* Stunt Cycle
* Super Famicom Box

List

* v
* t
* e

Breakout series

Games|

* Breakout
* Super Breakout
* Breakout 2000

Compilations|

* Arcade Smash Hits
* Arcade Classic
* Arcade's Greatest Hits
* Atari Anniversary Edition
* Atari Anthology
* Retro Atari Classics
* Atari Greatest Hits
* Atari Vault
* Atari 50

Related|

* Video Pinball series
* Atari Flashback series
* Pilgrim in the Microworld

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