$200 & $500 KLOV bounty...

mclemore

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I am doing some work on TAFA (flyers.arcade-museum.com) today and came across the Atari Game Booth:

http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&db=videodb&id=5343&image=1

It actually reminds me also of Nolan's uWink project (www.uwink.com). [I just noticed that uWink closed in September.. >$50 million later]

Back to the booth. First, there is a previous thread on the topic: http://forums.arcade-museum.com/showthread.php?t=71892&highlight=Atari+Game+Booth

Now the fun part. Has anyone seen one?

I'm announcing a $200 bounty to anyone that can prove to me that one still exists (including its current owner/location) before March 31, 2011 (including the control panel and the elevated coin box ). If the information leads to an acquisition, the bounty is upped to $500.

Although I'd like the machine, I really don't expect one to show up....
 
tournament.jpg
 

Um.... that's not that close...

There is a photobucket account to a person by the name of blinddog1. Looks like he has one.

http://s282.photobucket.com/home/blinddog1

Your photo is of an Atari Tournament Table (http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10177) , which is from the same time period and looks like of the same design team, but isn't a game booth.

---

Streetzking... why did you delete your own msg? It was a good post...?
 
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The tournament table looks different the the table based game in the flyer. I don't think that is it. Am I right?


Oops someone beat me to the tournament table id....the search continues!
 
Besides the prototype that was shown at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago in June 1978, I can't confirm this actually went into production. Besides a plethora of flyers, there doesn't seem to be an Atari number associated with this game as with others. Even perusing some Atari info/document sites that are a little fanatic about all things Atari shows no info at all.

I don't think there is one, unless someone saved the prototype...
 
Streetzking... why did you delete your own msg? It was a good post...?

I deleted it because I could not tell if the link was talking about the Game booth or another game. Heres the link. and heres the quoted text

http://mcurrent.name/atarihistory/atari.html (reguardless its a cool link)

1978
June?: Atari displayed products at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago, including: Avalanche, Sprint 1, Starship 1, Sky Raider, Tournament Table, Middle Earth, Airborne Avenger, The Atarians, 2 Game Module. Prototype game design concepts, Wall Unit and Game Booth were shown by Atari as well.
 
This to

http://www.atarihq.com/othersec/patents.html

Game table for booth installation

United States Patent 4,133,530

Inventors: Takaichi; Peter L. (San Jose, CA);
Graybeal; Andrew W. (Palo Alto, CA).
Assignee: Atari, Inc. (Sunnyvale, CA).
Appl. No.: 836,093
Filed: Sept. 23, 1977

Abstract

A game table for combination use in a booth as a video
game and for service of food or drink and the like. The
game includes a frame above which a table top is
pivotally mounted for movement between open and closed
positions. A video monitor and components of the game
control circuit are mounted within the frame for ready
access when the table top is open. Control panels which
carry manually-operated control elements are hingeably
mounted on opposite sides of the frame to permit the
panels to be opened for servicing. The table top
includes a transparent panel which, when the top is
closed, overlies the monitor and the control panels so
that individuals seated at the booth can manipulate the
control elements and at the same time view the controls
as well as the monitor. A coin box projects from the
frame above the plane of the table for convenient access.
 
I'm announcing a $200 bounty to anyone that can prove to me that one still exists (including its current owner/location) before March 31, 2011 (including the control panel and the elevated coin box ). If the information leads to an acquisition, the bounty is upped to $500.

I have one I took from an old building. If you can find the owner before me then you can probably buy it out from under me. Oh wait, wrong game. Carry on. :)
 
There was a kid's pizza place in Chicago that had a couple of these. It wasn't a Showbiz or a CEC. The time frame sounds right, it would have been around 1979. They didn't have joysticks, just buttons and the control panels lifted up and locked into place when you wanted to play them. I don't remember the coin box, but it is possible. They had two or three of these in the "adult's retreat" which is what they called the bar area. The graphics were raster and looked like Atari 2600 style, very blocky. The one I remember sitting at had a top down boxing game as I recall. We were there for the birthday party for one of my wife's friends kids. I bailed for the bar as soon as it was politically correct. The only other thing about this place that I remember is that the pizza sucked, big time.

I know that's not proof, but maybe somebody else who lived in Chicago got dragged there and can fill in some details.

ken
 
Hello Klov'ers

I contacted a gentleman by the name of Andrew Welburn and he had this to say:


"I have an original flyer for this machine, but thats it. I have been collecting for 14 years and i have never seen or heard of anyone finding one of these, and i'm quite clued up on b/w games, especially by Atari... I think it would be neat to find one, but i have a feeling that they may have only made these as a pilot run, not full production. The mono colour flyer suggests this, as does the lack of anyone seeing or hearing about them..."

and this:

"Atari dabbled with various interesting cabinet configurations in the 70's, and most were never made, those that were were in very very low numbers (2 -10) .

Because these were merely cabinets, not dedicated games, they were not designed or made by the games division, but by the fabrication wing. As such, most people around these days from the games division probably wont know much about them (and don't.) You would order a cabinet and then order the corresponding game 'kits' to fit to them.

Atari would make a flyer to hand out at trade shows to register interest. If they handed out a bunch of flyers and started to get lots of calls about ordering them, you can bet they would have built them. As it is, they probably didn't register enough interest to make a proper run of them.

This mainly speculation, but fits with how Atari did business and some insights from other cabinet config situations.

I seriously doubt a booth will ever be found, someone may end up making one :)"



He has quite a nice collection of old b/w atari items so it seems like he really knows what he is talking about pertaining to the existance of these tables.


His site is andysarcade.net and the atari page which references his collection and the table in question is:


http://www.andysarcade.net/personal/bronzeage/index.htm



Maybe some others here know or have dealt with andy? seems like a nice gent.



arcredux
 
Andy is definitely a great guy, been awhile since I have talked with him, but he certainly has a lot of knowledge on game histories and unusual stuff to share.
 
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