website/content/museum/atari-video-pinball-model-c-380.md

title, categories, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	origins	years	cpus	params
Atari Video Pinball (Model C-380)	Consoles	U.S.A.	1977	custom Atari chipsets	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos software oc_id source Video Pinball (Model C-380) /media/museum/photos/atari_videopinball-c380-beige_1s.jpg /companies/atari Atari label value NAME Video Pinball (Model C-380) label value MANUFACTURER Atari label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1977 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE 7 games pinball and breakout games (Flipper pinball 1, Flipper pinball 2, Paddle pinball 1, Paddle pinball 2, Rebound, Breakout, Breakthru) label value KEYBOARD 1 big paddle built-in the case + 2 side buttons for pinball games label value CPU custom Atari chipsets (C011500-11 / C011512-05) label value GRAPHIC MODES Blocky graphics label value COLORS Yes (at least 6 colors) label value SOUND Yes label value I/O PORTS Video output TV RF through switch box, power in label value BUILT IN MEDIA None, only built-in games label value OS 7 label value POWER SUPPLY 6 x C battery cells or external power supply (9v DC, 500 mA) label value PERIPHERALS None label value PRICE $69.95 photos software 1081 title subtitle text image ORIGINAL MODEL null title subtitle text image DETAIL /media/museum/photos/atari_videopinball-c380_detail.jpg title subtitle text image FUNCTIONS SKETCH /media/museum/photos/atari_videopinball-c380-beige_sketch.gif title subtitle text image BEIGE MODEL /media/museum/photos/atari_videopinball-c380-beige_1.jpg title subtitle text image LARGE PICTURE /media/museum/photos/atari_c380-beige_4.jpg title subtitle text image BUTTONS /media/museum/photos/atari_videopinball-c380-beige_detail_1.jpg title subtitle text image BACK LABEL /media/museum/photos/atari_videopinball-c380-beige_back-label.jpg title subtitle text image ORIGINAL BOX /media/museum/photos/atari_videopinball-c380_box.jpg title subtitle text image BACK OF THE BOX /media/museum/photos/atari_videopinball-c380_box_back.jpg title subtitle text image BEIGE MODEL BOX /media/museum/photos/atari_videopinball-c380-beige_box_1.jpg title subtitle text image OWNER'S MANUAL /media/museum/photos/atari_videopinball-c380_doc.jpg /software/flipper-pinball-i-pinball-i /software/rebound-basketball /software/rebound-ii-basketball-ii 1111 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230613001107/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1111 2023-06-13

In 1977, a new type of ball and paddle system was launched: Video Pinball. This game also existed in the arcade under the same name, hence the home versions sold by Atari (Video Pinball, model C-380) and Sears (Pinball Breakaway, model 99713). There even was a japanese version, the Epoch TV Block.

These systems were designed around a more advanced chip than the PONG-in-a-chip devices, possibly a microcontroller (believed, since the system also contains a small RAM chip which role is unknown, but believed to be for the display and/or score storage). The microcontroller is referred as C011500-1, although the system uses another Atari chip referenced C011512-05.

The games played are based around the pinball and breakout principles. Bumper controllers on the sides or a dial on the front were used to control the games. Depending on the game selected, the ball bounces on two bumpers (pinball games), or on a pad that moves horizontally (pinpaddle games), or just like in breakout. Obviously, each game had its own principles. In reality, the system played three different games.

The first one had four variants and was a pinball game. Some graphics and the type of bounce changed. Depending on the variant, you controled the ball with your flippers (via side buttons) or by moving a paddle with the knob. In the flipper versions, the ball had nice parabolic movement affected by the gravity whereas in the paddle versions, there was no gravity.

The second game was a basketball game. The ball bounced on a pad moved horizontally, and the goal was to let the ball go in a multicolor basket.

The third type of game was breakout. There was another variant called Breakway/Breakthru, the only difference between the two versions being a hole in the wall in place of the green bricks. Top red bricks could only be destroyed if the ball was coming directly from the paddle. This second version was only found on early models (read below).

Like said above, Atari and Sears marketed their own version (both designed by Atari), and Atari even released a latter cheaper model with a slightly different beige case.

The second basketball game (Basketball II/ Rebound II) was only found on the latter version of the Atari Video Pinball (beige model) and on the Epoch TV-Block. Early versions of the Atari Video Pinball and the Sears Pinball Breakaway had the second version of the Breakout game instead, called Breakway or Breakthru.

---

SOURCE : www.pong-story.com

We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.