unreleased prototype METEORS discovered!

There was a comment below the video:

The game is identical to Venture Line's Space Force/Meteoroids, except that VL's game uses a vertically-mounted monitor, and has a 1980 copyright. I'm wondering if his dad licensed the design and code to Venture Line, and asked this same question in the comment of the video.
 
Here's a photo of the PCB inside the "prototype" machine. The "prototype" machine is supposedly the one he took to AMOA (or the equivalent back in the day) in '80

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/188ys6pji5tvtjpg/original.jpg

It's worth noting that the "prototype" cabinet looks like an Asteroids cab painted over. My dad was a massive troll, heh.

Let me know what you guys think of this - it totally looks like a modified Atari board.
 
Huh, that is pretty cool. I think the board looks similar to an Atari board simply based on the bare traces but its clearly not. It looks like its voltage supply is probably AC based on those huge caps on the far end of the pic. There is some 40 pin IC (most likely the CPU). Could be any number of CPU's used back in the day but my guess would be Z80 which would really make it less Atari.

I find it strange that Atari lost that lawsuit. That game is identical to Asteroids in game play other then being in color and it seems faster.
 
I find it strange that Atari lost that lawsuit. That game is identical to Asteroids in game play other then being in color and it seems faster.

Can't copyright an idea. Although, if that really is an Asteroids board, he should have lost the lawsuit because it would have pretty much made the game a derivative work.

Just looked at my Asteroids board and that's definitely not an Asteroids board.
 
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I actually encountered a Meteors cabinet minus monitor at a 2003 arcade auction in Columbus Ohio. Here are the two pics I took, one of the cabinet, the other of a close up of the Amusement World logo on the marquee. The operator's sticker on the cabinet indicated it was owned by B&B Amusements of Richmond Virginia at one point.

I have no idea who got this, or where it ended up...

Kyle :cool:
 

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Really cool story. I'm thinking I've seen one but don't remember where or when but it looks familiar. I'll have to keep my eyes open for one.
 
Great story. Thanks for the share. Nothing is truly original, IMO. Asteroids owes much to Space Wars, Atari ripped off the Odyssey, etc...
 
Can't copyright an idea.

Makes one wonder how Namco sued the guy that created Hangly Man (which ended up being MsPacMan).

If it was because there were too many similarities between HM and PM then the same could be said here, no?
 
Makes one wonder how Namco sued the guy that created Hangly Man (which ended up being MsPacMan).

If it was because there were too many similarities between HM and PM then the same could be said here, no?

Crazy Otto ended up being Ms. Pac Man...
 
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