--- title: Roberts Paddle IV categories: - Pongs origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1976' cpus: - General Instruments AY-3-8500 ? params: name: Paddle IV image: /media/museum/photos/roberts_paddle4_2.jpg logo: /media/museum/logos/roberts_paddle4_logo.gif company: /companies/roberts company_name: Roberts specs: - label: NAME value: Paddle IV - label: MANUFACTURER value: Roberts - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: '1976' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Tennis, Hockey, Squash, Squash practice - label: KEYBOARD value: Two detachable paddles with dial and no fire button - label: CPU value: General Instruments AY-3-8500 ? - label: SPEED value: Manual serve, Reset - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: Serve auto/manual, Speed normal/fast, Angle narrow/wide, Bat size large/small, Power on/off - label: RAM value: On screen - label: COLORS value: Black & white - label: SOUND value: Built-in speaker - label: I/O PORTS value: RF TV video output (or switch box) - label: OS value: 6 x - label: POWER SUPPLY value: 9v DC - label: PERIPHERALS value: 'No' tabs: - photos - software - emulators - links forum_thread: 705 photos: - title: PADDLE IV subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/roberts_paddle4.jpg - title: PADDLES DETACHED subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/roberts_paddle-iv_detached.jpg - title: OPTION SWITCHES subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/roberts_paddle-iv_selection-switches.jpg - title: GAME SELECTOR subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/roberts_paddle-iv_game-selector.jpg - title: BOX subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/roberts_paddle4_box_2.jpg - title: BOX - BACK SIDE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/roberts_paddle-iv_box_3.jpg - title: BOX OPENED subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/roberts_paddleiv_inbox.jpg screenshots: - title: TENNIS subtitle: '' text: |- There is one bat per side, a top and bottom boundary, and a center net. The individual scores are counted and displayed automatically. Considering the option where all bats and four angles are used, after the reset has been applied, the score will be 0-0 and the ball will serve arbitrarily to one side at one of the angles. If the ball hits the top or bottom boundary it will assume the angle of reflection and continue in play. The player beeing served must control his bat to intercept the ball. When a hit is detected by the logic circuit, the section of the bat which made the ball contact is used to determine the new angle of the ball. To expand on this, all bats are divided logically into four adjacent sections of equal length. When using the four angle option, it is the quarter section of the bat which actually hits and determine the new direction of the ball. The direction does not depend upon the previous angle of incidence. With the two angle option, top and bottom pairs of the bats are summed together and only the two shallower angles are used to program the new direction of the ball. The ball will be then sent back to the other player, bouncing on top and bottom noudaries as necessary until it reaches the other player. This action is repeated until one player misses the ball. The circuitry then detect a score and automatically increments the correct score counter and updates the score display. The ball will then serve automatically towards the side which has just missed. This sequence is repeated until a score of 15 is reached by one side, meaning the end of the game. The ball will still bounce arround but no further hits or scores can be made. While the game is in progress, 3 audio tones are generated by the system to indicate top and bottom reflections, bat hits and scores. image: /media/museum/software/gi_ay-3-8500_tennis.gif - title: FOOTBALL subtitle: Also called soccer and hockey text: With this game each player has a keeper and a striker. The layout is such that the keeper is in his normal position and the striker is positioned in the opponent's half of the playing area. When the game starts, the ball will appear going from one goal line to the other side. If the oppoenent's striker can intercept the ball, it will shoot it back towards the keeper. If the ball is missed, it will go to the other half of the playing area. The first team's striker will have then the opportunity to intercept the ball and deviate it at a new angle according to the playing option used. If the ball is intercepted by the keepr or it bounced back by the end-field boundary, the same striker will have another opportunity to intercept the ball and send it back to the keeper. A score is made by shooting the ball through the defined goal area. The circuitry then detect a score and automatically increments the correct score counter and updates the score display. The ball will then serve automatically towards the side which has just missed. This sequence is repeated until a score of 15 is reached by one side, meaning the end of the game. The ball will still bounce arround but no further hits or scores can be made. While the game is in progress, 3 audio tones are generated by the system to indicate top and bottom reflections, bat hits and scores. image: /media/museum/software/gi_ay-3-8500_football.gif - title: SQUASH subtitle: '' text: This is a two players games. Players alternately hit back the ball into the playfield. The right-hand player is the one that hit first, then it goes over to the other player. Each player is enabled alternately. image: /media/museum/software/gi_ay-3-8500_squash.gif - title: SQUASH PRACTICE subtitle: '' text: This game is similar to Squash except that there is only one player. image: /media/museum/software/gi_ay-3-8500_squash-practice_ss.gif emulators: - title: www.pong-story.com url: http://www.pong-story.com/pcpong.htm platform: Multiplatform text: Several pong emulators (simulators) presented here links: - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com text: '' related: - /museum/a10-telespiel-9010 - /museum/alex-video-spiel-tg-621 - /museum/apf-match - /museum/apf-tv-fun-model-401 - /museum/audiosonic-pp-800 - /museum/bentley-compu-vision - /museum/blaupunkt-tv-action - /museum/coleco-telstar-alpha-model-6030 - /museum/conic-tv-sports-tg-621 - /museum/conic-tvg-209 - /museum/dms-telesports-mini - /museum/grandstand-t-v-game-model-3000 - /museum/hanimex-666 - /museum/hanimex-7771 - /museum/hanimex-t-338 - /museum/intel-germany-super-tele-sport-d-688-36 - /museum/interton-video-2400 - /museum/jostykit-multi-tv-game-hf-344 - /museum/magiclick-teleclick - /museum/match-sd-01c - /museum/mbo-tele-ball - /museum/mbo-tele-ball-ii - /museum/mbo-tele-ball-iii - /museum/mentor-sport-tg-20 - /museum/novoton-tj-141 - /museum/novoton-video-sports - /museum/playtech-telesport - /museum/polistil-v-g-2 - /museum/r-f-t-bss-01-bildschirmspiel-01 - /museum/radofin-electronics-limited-tele-sports - /museum/riva-t-800c - /museum/roberts-rally-iv - /museum/sands-3000 - /museum/societe-occitane-d-electronique-oc-4 - /museum/sonolor-telematch - /museum/sportron-101u - /museum/superlectron-tv-challenger-series-3000-tvc-3000 - /museum/tele-flip-paris-video-sport-fy-707 - /museum/thomson-jv1t - /museum/ultrasound-tele-sports - /museum/ultrasound-tv-9010 - /museum/universum-tv-multi-spiel-handheld - /museum/universum-tv-spiel-1004 oc_id: 722 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230614011044/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=722 date: '2023-06-14' --- A classic pong from Roberts with four games (hence the name of the system) and detachables paddles. Apparently made in Japan. The two paddles can be attached to each side of the system, or taken apart. There are only equiped with a unique dial. The general cosmetic design of the Paddle IV looks like the [Commodore 64](/museum/commodore-c64/) one. Round edges and beige/creamy color. The games selection is made with a knob... PROMOTIONAL CATCHERS:\ \- Featuring 4 games with detachable remotre control\ \- Automatic on screen scoring\ \- Simply attached to your black & white or color TV set **Jeff Skowron** reports:\ I owned this system. The games were pretty standard pong fare. For tennis, each player had a paddle and the object was to keep the ball from going behind the paddle. Hockey was the same, except the area behind the paddle that the ball could go through was restricted (i.e. representing the net. I also believe that in the hockey game, each player controlled two paddle, both on the same side of "center ice", but one more forward than the other and slightly offset from each other. As you might guess, in squash each player controlled a paddle on the same side of the screen and the object was to bounce the ball off the wall on the other side of the screen and get it past your opponent. Squash practice was the single player version with just one paddle. There were difficulty setting switches that made the ball or "puck" move faster, made paddles smaller, and, I think, altered the angles the ball took when it hit the paddles. If I recall correctly, the first toggle switch on the top row in the picture allowed you to choose automatic or manual serve (only applicable for squash practice?). In manual mode, you had to push one of the buttons on teh lower left of the console to serve the ball. On a side note, putting the power cord in your mouth gives a bit of a shock! (I think my cousin dared me to do it)