Asteroids - Videogame by Atari

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Asteroids

Name: Asteroids
Manufacturer: Atari
Year: 1979
Type: Videogame

Class: Wide Release
Genre: Space
Monitor:

Orientation: Horizontal
Type: Vector
CRT: Black and White
19-inch Electrohome G05-802/805

Conversion Class: unique
Game Specific: Asteroids Pinout
Settings: Asteroids Dipswitch Settings

Number of Simultaneous Players: 1
Maximum number of Players: 2
Gameplay: Alternating
Control Panel Layout: Single Player
Controls:

Buttons: Rotational (left, right)
Buttons: 3 [FireThrustHyperspace]

Sound: Unamplified Mono (requires one-channel amp)

Cabinet Styles:

Upright/Standard
Cocktail
Cabaret/Mini

Click here to contribute another image.

Asteroids 3-D Model (QuickTime (TM))
Asteroids Bezel ImageAsteroids Control Panel ImageAsteroids PCB Image

Asteroids Description

Asteroids was produced by Atari in 1979.

Atari released 126 different machines in our database under this trade name, starting in 1972.

Other machines made by Atari during the time period Asteroids was produced include Superman Pinball, Atari Baseball, Atari Football, Atari Soccer, Road Runner, Space Riders, Sky Raider, Video Pinball, Deleted Game Entry, and Atari Mini Golf.

Asteroids - KLOV/IAM 5 Point User Score: 4.09 (18 votes)

Personal Impressions Score: 4.11

     Overall 'Like': 4.33
     Fun (Social): 3.61
     Fun (Solo): 4.17
     Collector Desire: 4.11

Technical Impressions Score: 4.06

     Gameplay: 4.61
     Graphics: 3.89
     Originality: 4.28
     Sound/Music: 3.47

Personal Impressions and Technical Impressions each account for half of the total score. Within the Personal Impressions category, "Like" carries a little more weight than the other factors.

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Cabinet Information

The first Asteroids cabinets used a different coin-door. The quarters were placed through one of two round openings large enough for the quarter to fit through. The quarter is placed flat against a wall just inside the opening and released. The quarter drops down for a credit. The display showing the cost of a credit is labeled between the two coin openings. The lettering describing the game play is also in yellow instead of white on the monitor overlay. The picture of the Asteroids cabinet at the top of this page is one of these first machines.

Cabinet Style Weights and Measures

Type
Upright/Standard
Cocktail
Cabaret/Mini

Cheats, Tricks, Bugs, and Easter Eggs

The original version of the game had a feature that allowed the player to hide their ship in the score field indefinitely without being hit by flying asteroids.

Game Play

The most famous play tactic for Asteroids is the "hunting" strategy. The player destroys all asteroids except for one that almost clears the playfield and makes it relatively safe. This allows the player to hunt for alien saucers without worrying about being smashed by a lot of flying debris.

Miscellaneous

Play a free version of Asteroids at the official Atari site: http://www.atari.com/arcade/asteroids.

Asteroids is available on the iPad and iPhone via Atari's Greatest Hits application.

VAPS Arcade/Coin-Op Asteroids Census

There are 8,462 members of the Video Arcade Preservation Society / Vintage Arcade Preservation Society, 7,010 whom participate in our arcade census project of games owned, wanted, or for sale. Census data currently includes 112,007 machines (5,181 unique titles).

Very Common - There are 514 known instances of this machine owned by Asteroids collectors who are active members. Of these, 479 of them are original dedicated machines, 3 of them are conversions in which game circuit boards (and possibly cabinet graphics) have been placed in (and on) another game cabinet, and 31 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.

For Sale - There are 22 active VAPS members with Asteroids machines for sale. There are 3 active VAPS members with extra Asteroids circuit boards for sale.

Wanted - Popular - There are 21 active VAPS members currently looking for Asteroids. There is one active VAPS member looking for a Asteroids circuit board set.

This game ranks a 96 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on census ownership records.

This game ranks a 56 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most often wanted, 1=least common) in popularity based on census want list records.

Rarity and Popularity independently are NOT necessarily indications of value. [More Information]

Technical

The Wells-Gardner 19V2000 black and white vector monitor is a direct plug-in replacement monitor for an Asteroids machine. The pinout is almost identical to Asteroids Deluxe.

Trivia

After its release in the US, many arcade operators had to make larger coin boxes for the games so they could hold all of the quarters that these machines collected.

Legacy

Manuals

Asteroids - Atari Service Bulletin B-0063 1 Pages, 110 kB File.
German Manual 36 Pages, 10 MB File.
Operation, Maintenance and Service Manual with illustrated parts lists 47 Pages, 4.1 MB File.
Operation, Maintenance and Service Manual with illustrated parts lists (2) 42 Pages, 3.9 MB File.
Drawing Package Supplement 8 Pages, 638 kB File.
Schematics 8 Pages, 611 kB File.
Schematics (2) 8 Pages, 842 kB File.
Schematics (3) 8 Pages, 739 kB File.
Schematics (4) 8 Pages, 2.7 MB File.

Foto-Finder™ (books)

Arcade Treasures, Kurtz (ISBN 088740619X): Page: 103; Color photo; Price guide: 1994
The Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 75; Color photo;
Arcade Fever, Sellers (ISBN 0762409371): Page: 38; Color photo; Price guide:
Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 75; Color photo; Price guide:

Video Clips

Asteroids

VINTAGE 1980 ATARI ASTEROIDS DELUXE COCKTAIL arcade game

See Recent Video Links Added to Other Records

Additional References
(logged in members often see more)

The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Asteroids Flyer #3773
The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Asteroids Flyer #74
The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Asteroids Flyer #75
The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Asteroids Flyer #1483
The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Asteroids Flyer #3035
The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Asteroids Flyer #5391
The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Asteroids Flyer #4625
The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Asteroids Flyer #5289
The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Asteroids Flyer #6273
The Arcade Flyer Archive (TAFA): Asteroids Flyer #2430

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eBay Listings

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*TODAY'S PICKS FOR:
Asteroids

	1. Vintage 1979 Asteroids Arcade Game-Atari- Standup Model Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 1 day
	FixedPrice	$750.00
	2. Full Size Atari Asteroids Arcade Game Classic Vector! Auction ends in: 2 weeks, 2 days
	FixedPrice	$1,299.00
	3. Atari Asteroids Vector Arcade Game - Extremely Rare - 100% Working Auction ends in: 1 week, 4 days
	StoreInventory	$800.00
	4. Asteroids mini cabaret arcade game Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 2 days
	FixedPrice	$650.00
	5. Asteroids Arcade Game Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 3 days
	StoreInventory	$795.00
	6. Asteroids Cocktail Arcade Game Auction ends in: 1 week, 3 days
	FixedPrice	$700.00
	7. Atari Asteroids Arcade Game ***** FULL RESTORE ***** SUPER NICE Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 4 days
	StoreInventory	$2,195.00
	8. Atari Asteroids Stand Up Arcade Auction ends in: 2 weeks, 1 day
	FixedPrice	$500.00
	9. Vintage Vanguard Standup Arcade Game Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 1 day
	FixedPrice	$700.00
	10. Asteroids Dedicated Arcade Machine! SERVICED PCB + MONITOR Auction ends in: 2 weeks, 2 days
	FixedPrice	$1,299.99
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