Pong DescriptionA Table Tennis type game. Most people are familiar with it. Keep the ball in play and hope your opponent misses.
Pong was released commercially released in approximately November 1972. While the 1971 Computer Space machine was the first coin-operated videogame, Pong was the first commercially successful one.
The Red and Blank countertop unit was the first prototype style placed on location. The Yellow and Brown floor model is the main production style model and can still be found on a regular basis in collections and for sale.
Cabinet InformationThe original cabinet has wood sides, a flat top, and yellow wood in front of monitor. The word PONG is displayed in large black stylized letters above monitor TV glass. The instructions are as follows Insert Coin. Avoid Missing Ball for High Score.PThe first prototype cabinet was black and red and it had a cardboard bezel which hid a small, black white Hitachi TV. It was placed in Andy Capps Tavern where it sat on a barrel it was small enough to fit on a table. Pong Cocktail. This machine was not as pretty as a standard Pong cabinet and as such isnt as desired by collectors. MiscellaneousThe boards name Syzygy as the manufacturer of the game. While both IPongI and IComputer SpaceI say Syzygy Engineered on their control panels, Bushnell was not able to get the rights to this name, so Atari was chosen as the next best choice.Weights and Measures| Type | Height | Width | Depth | Weight | Dim Weight* | Ship Weight* | Notes |
|---|
| Upright | 50.00 | 26.00 | 24.00 | 150 | 160 | 254 | Flyer lists the 150lb. weight as 'Shipping Weight' |
*Most shipments larger than 1 cubic foot in size are subject to shipper charges computer based on the greater of an item's actual weight, or its "Dimensional Weight" (aka "Dim Weight"), an industry standard measure based on how much space an item takes up. Dim Weight is most often computed as follows: (L x W x H)/194 and shown above. Some shippers (especially airlines) utilize a pricer dimension weight of (L x W x H)/166. Shipments outside of the United States are usually computed differently. Shipping weight above is the dimensional weight of a machine assuming 5" of padding in each dimension, but does not take into account variances possible for machines places on pallets.. VAPS Arcade CensusThere are 6,993 members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society / Vintage Arcade Preservation Society, 4,022 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 65,221 machines (3,798 unique titles).Common - There are 33 known instances of this machine owned by Pong collectors who are members. Of these, 30 of them are original dedicated machines, 1 is a conversion in which game circuit boards (and possibly cabinet graphics) have been placed in (and on) another game cabinet, and 2 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired. For Sale - There is one VAPS member with a Pong machine for sale. VAPS members are totally independent of VAPS and the International Arcade Museum, and we are unable to recommend, endorce, or guarantee any person or company selling games or game parts. Wanted - There are 10 VAPS members currently looking for Pong. There is one VAPS member looking for a Pong circuit board set. This game ranks a 18 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records. This game ranks a 27 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often wanted, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records. TriviaThe legend of Nolan Bushnell and IPongI being rejected by Bally, and putting the prototype into Andy Capps Tavern, a ustic location in Sunnyvale, CA, is true at least, most of it is. According to the legend, the bartender called Al Alcorn who built the machine two days after it was installed and told him, The fing thing is broken, get it out of here When Alcorn went to check on it, he discovered that the juryrigged coin box was overflowing, preventing the mechanism from registering coins.PThe real story is that it was a polite call two weeks after it was installed, where the tavern manager, Bill Gattis, said to Alcorn, This is the weirdest thing. When I opened the bar this morning, there were two or three people at the door waiting to get in. They walked in and played that machine. They did not buy anything. I have never seen anything like this before. He suggested Alcorn should fix the machine since it had developed a following. Alcorn opened the coin box to treat himself to a free game when quarters came gushing out. He scooped up some of the quarters, put them in his pockets, gave Gattis his business card and said, Next time this happens, you call me at home right away. I can always fix this one. After that, Bushnell decided Atari would manufacture IPongI itself. Partial source Kent, Steven L., IThe First Quarter A 25Year History of Video GamesI Bothell, WA BWD Press, 2000, pp. 3536.Legacy- Pong
- Pong In-A-Barrel
- Pong Doubles
- Barrel Pong
- Superpong
- Rebound
- Coup Franc
- Quadrapong
- Elimination
- Spike
- Coup Du Monde
- Snoopy Pong
- Puppy Pong
- Doctor Pong
- Pin-Pong
- Goal IV
Foto-Finder™ (books)- Arcade Treasures, Kurtz (ISBN 0-88740-619-X): Page: 98; Color photo; Price guide: 1994
- The Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 7-8; Color photo;
- Arcade Fever, Sellers (ISBN 0762409371): Page: 16; Color photo; Price guide:
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Arcade Original Pong
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eBay ListingsClick to search eBay for Pong Videogame machines and related items.Click to search eBay for machines and parts made by Atari. Check out the IAM/KLOV report of the hottest coin-op machines on eBay, powered by Ace.com.
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