Past Times Pinball History Ep 20: The Atarians

Past Times Arcade·video·2m 16s·analyzed·May 15, 2024

Analysis

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TL;DR

Atari's 1976 The Atarians was the first solid-state widebody with innovative sensor tech.

Summary

Past Times Arcade presents a historical overview of Atari's pinball lineup, focusing on The Atarians (1976), Atari's first solid-state widebody machine. The video highlights Atari's seven full-production games (1976–1979), featuring innovative inductive and magnetic playfield sensors instead of traditional rollover switches. Key machines discussed include Airborne Avenger (Steve Ritchie first design) and Superman, contextualizing Atari's brief but technically significant three-year pinball era.

Key Claims

The Atarians (1976) is the first solid-state widebody pinball machine
high confidence · Past Times Arcade host, opening premise of the episode
Atari released exactly seven full-production pinball games between 1976 and 1979
high confidence · Past Times Arcade host, stated as historical fact
The Atarians uses inductive and magnetic playfield sensors instead of rollover switches
high confidence · Past Times Arcade host, describing playfield mechanics
Steve Ritchie designed Airborne Avenger, Atari's historically significant machine
high confidence · Past Times Arcade host
Steve Ritchie left Atari before full production of Superman to join Williams, where he designed Flash
high confidence · Past Times Arcade host
Superman (1979) was Atari's last pinball game
high confidence · Past Times Arcade host
Airborne Avenger features plastic rollover switches, a departure from The Atarians' sensor design
high confidence · Past Times Arcade host, comparing Atari games in museum

Notable Quotes

“this is historically significant because this is the very first solid state widebody”
Past Times Arcade@ 0:15 — Establishes The Atarians as a landmark machine in pinball history
“this being the first one the last one being 1979 Superman which we have right next to it”
Past Times Arcade@ 0:24 — Frames Atari's entire pinball era and availability of comparative machines
“those are inductive Playfield sensors also magnetic sensors so if we hit start here what we can see is it can actually track the ball without actually hitting a sensor”
Past Times Arcade@ 0:49 — Highlights The Atarians' unique sensor innovation
“this is something that only existed on this game”
Past Times Arcade@ 1:09 — Emphasizes The Atarians' technological exclusivity among Atari's lineup
“Atari only produced pinballs for three years 1976 their last one being Superman 1979”
Past Times Arcade@ 1:43 — Summarizes Atari's brief but impactful pinball manufacturing window
“Steve designed this game also designed Superman left before the full production of that he ended up leaving for Williams very first game there Williams Flash”
Past Times Arcade@ 1:58 — Connects Atari designer talent exodus to Williams' early success

Entities

Ataricompany The Atariansgame Airborne Avengergame Supermangame Steve Ritchieperson Williamscompany Flashgame

Signals

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historical_signal: The Atarians represents a pivotal moment in solid-state pinball history as the first widebody machine, introducing inductive and magnetic sensors as an alternative to rollover switches.
high · Host emphasizes 'very first solid state widebody' and describes sensor technology as unique to this machine
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design_innovation: Atari's use of inductive and magnetic playfield sensors enabling ball tracking without physical contact represents early innovation in pinball technology
high · Detailed explanation of how sensors open/close gates without traditional rollover activation
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personnel_signal: Steve Ritchie's departure from Atari to Williams signifies a broader talent migration that shaped the industry's competitive landscape
high · Host notes Ritchie designed Airborne Avenger and Superman for Atari, then left before Superman's full production to join Williams and design Flash
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business_signal: Atari's pinball division operated for only three years (1976–1979) with seven full-production widebody games, indicating a defined but brief market entry
high · Host explicitly states 'Atari only produced pinballs for three years 1976 their last one being Superman 1979'
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machine_intel: Atari produced exactly seven full-production widebody pinball games, with at least six displayed at Past Times Arcade alongside Hercules
high · Host identifies six machines on display and Hercules as the seventh full-production game

Transcript

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0:07

[Music] for this week's episode of pastimes pinball history we're going to feature 1976 Atari the atarian this is historically significant because this is the very first solid state widebody it is one of seven full production games that Atari released this being the first one the last one being 1979 Atari Superman which we have right next to it a really unique feature about this game if you look at the Playfield you may notice there are no rollover switches which are common in the out lanes or the in Lanes or in the middle of the Playfield instead we have these stars on here those are inductive Playfield sensors also magnetic sensors so if we hit start here what we can see is it can actually track the ball without actually hitting a sensor so for instance when it rolls over these Stars so score points here's example you can see if we roll over this it's going to open the left gate so if you watch right here we'll hit that it'll roll over it if we hit this star right here it'll close the gate this is something that only existed on this game Atari went to a more traditional way if you come on down here Airborne Avenger right here for instance their rollovers are made out of plastic next to it here we have space Riders and they went back to a more traditional wire for the rollover gun so like I said there were seven games that hit full production all of them being wide bodies so we have six of them here if you pan over to the right we also have Hercules also a full production

1:43

game so Atari only produced pinballs for three years 1976 their last one being Superman 1979 one of the most historic as you can see right here is Airborne Avenger the very first game that was designed by Steve Richie Steve designed this game also designed Superman left before the full production of that he ended up leaving for Williams very first game there Williams Flash come on in check out these historic games at passtimes arcade