Video Pinball series

Series of home video game consoles

"Video Pinball" redirects here. For the Atari 2600 game of the same name, see Video Pinball (1981 video game).

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Video Pinball series

Model C-380 woodgrain

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 microcontroller 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.[5]

## 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" Model C-380. An OEM version whose name was changed to "Pinball Breakaway" was also produced for Sears under the Sears' Tele-Games label.[6]

Atari’s Video Pinball was the last dedicated “Pong” console line produced by Atari before the transition to their cartridge-based Atari VCS (later Atari 2600), marking the end of the first generation of home gaming as the industry shifted toward interchangeable game libraries.[7]

Atari Video Pinball Model C-380 cream colored | 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.[8]

## References

[edit]

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 October 5, 2013.
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. ^ Packwood, Lewis (2024). Curious Video Game Machines: A Compendium of Rare and Unusual Consoles, Computers and Coin-Ops (1st ed.). Pen & Sword Books Limited. ISBN 978-1-3990-7377-6.
6. ^ Winter, David. "Atari PONG: The Home Systems". Pong-Story.com. 2013.
7. ^ "Atari Video Pinball". Game Tech Wiki. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
8. ^ Product: Total Build (PDF). Atari Games. 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2021. Retrieved May 9, 2021.

## 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, Atari, Inc. (2003–present)

|

Subsidiaries and
spin-offs|

* Atari Games
* Atari Interactive
* AtariAge
* Chuck E. Cheese (1977–1978)
* Cyan Engineering
* Digital Eclipse
* Kee Games
* MobyGames
* Nightdive Studios
* Tengen

Arcades games
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

| Prototypes|

* Tank II

|

Software and utilities|

* Atari BASIC
* Atari Calculator
* Atari DOS

Video game
consoles|

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

| Prototypes|

* Game Brain
* Cosmos
* 2700
* Atari Mindlink
* Panther
* Sierra

|

Personal
computers|

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

| Portables|

* STacy
* ST Book
* Portfolio

|

Prototypes|

* Sierra

Peripherals|

| Printers|

* 825 80-Column Printer
* 1020 Color Printer

|

Gaming devices|

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

Other|

* Atari Democrat
* Atari Flashback
* Intellivision
* Sears

* v
* t
* e

Video game consoles (first generation)

Form factor|

* Home video game console
* Microconsole
* Handheld game console
* Hybrid video game console

Functionality|

* Dedicated console
* Retro style console

Generations|

* First (1972–1980)
* Second (1976–1992)
* Third (1983–2003)
* Fourth (1987–2003)
* 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

Lists|

* Dedicated video game consoles
* Handheld game consoles
* Home video game consoles
* Microconsoles
* Retro style video game consoles

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
* Stunt Cycle
* Video Pinball

|

Retro|

* Atari Flashback series
* C64 Direct-to-TV
* NES Classic Edition
* PlayStation Classic
* Sega Genesis Mini
* Super NES Classic Edition
* TurboGrafx-16 Mini

Handheld|

* Bemani Pocket
* Coleco Sonic
* Computer Mah-jong Yakuman
* Game & Watch
* VG Pocket Max
* Pokémon Pikachu
* Tomytronic 3D

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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