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Excluding "Spacewar", Pong is the first "classic" arcade game that has reached the milestone of being 50 years old. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_a

Excluding "Spacewar", Pong is the first "classic" arcade game that has reached the milestone of being 50 years old. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_arcade_video_game_history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_arcade_video_game_...

masswerk 4y ago
Notably, there was Computer Space, by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney (1971, Nutting Associates/Syzygy Engineering), the first coin-op arcade video game, also made from TTL logic. This one actually pioneered the approach. For a description see https://www.masswerk.at/rc2017/04/02.html https://www.masswerk.at/rc2017/04/02.html Syzygy Engineering (Bushnell and Dabney) soon became Atari, but still entertained links to Nutting Associates with Atari titles appearing under the Nutting Associates brand, as well. (E.g., Pong was Computer Space Ball in the somewhat fancier NA version.)
- Cadwhisker 4y ago
  That's quite impressive; I wonder why it's not mentioned more often. The gameplay looks like Asteroids with just the saucers (not the rocks).
  - flomo 4y ago
    I'm not sure how many Computer Space machines were made, but one ended in the corner of my smokey late 80s arcade. It sorta worked for a bit before glitching out. The game is also seen in the movie Soylent Green (1973) as one of the "furniture" in a rich man's apartment.
  - masswerk 4y ago
    This may be due to the machine not being a great success and becoming somewhat obscure by this. Also, restoration may be not that easy for those more accustomed to later arcade machines. Most of the early arcade games, like Space Race (much like its later, better remembered revival Chicken Run), Gotcha, etc., are seriously overshadowed by Pong. Regarding Computer Space, I once made a simulator for the PDP-1 (the machines that ran Spacewar), so it can be played in a browser (emulating a PDP-1). I have never seen the original in person, so there's no guarantee for this being faithful down to the tinier details. Anyways: https://www.masswerk.at/icss/ https://www.masswerk.at/icss/
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]

masswerk 4y ago

Notably, there was Computer Space, by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney (1971, Nutting Associates/Syzygy Engineering), the first coin-op arcade video game, also made from TTL logic. This one actually pioneered the approach. For a description see https://www.masswerk.at/rc2017/04/02.html https://www.masswerk.at/rc2017/04/02.html Syzygy Engineering (Bushnell and Dabney) soon became Atari, but still entertained links to Nutting Associates with Atari titles appearing under the Nutting Associates brand, as well. (E.g., Pong was Computer Space Ball in the somewhat fancier NA version.)

Cadwhisker 4y ago
That's quite impressive; I wonder why it's not mentioned more often. The gameplay looks like Asteroids with just the saucers (not the rocks).
- flomo 4y ago
  I'm not sure how many Computer Space machines were made, but one ended in the corner of my smokey late 80s arcade. It sorta worked for a bit before glitching out. The game is also seen in the movie Soylent Green (1973) as one of the "furniture" in a rich man's apartment.
- masswerk 4y ago
  This may be due to the machine not being a great success and becoming somewhat obscure by this. Also, restoration may be not that easy for those more accustomed to later arcade machines. Most of the early arcade games, like Space Race (much like its later, better remembered revival Chicken Run), Gotcha, etc., are seriously overshadowed by Pong. Regarding Computer Space, I once made a simulator for the PDP-1 (the machines that ran Spacewar), so it can be played in a browser (emulating a PDP-1). I have never seen the original in person, so there's no guarantee for this being faithful down to the tinier details. Anyways: https://www.masswerk.at/icss/ https://www.masswerk.at/icss/
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]