Video Pinball
Video Pinball is a 1981 pinball video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. For the Atari Video Computer System (renamed to the Atari 2600 in 1982). Sears re-released the game as Arcade Pinball.
Also recorded as Arcade Pinball
Video Pinball
- Date
- 1980
- Genre
- pinball video game
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Documentary summary
Video Pinball is a 1981 pinball video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. For the Atari Video Computer System (renamed to the Atari 2600 in 1982). Sears re-released the game as Arcade Pinball.
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wikidata · Q4785083
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Title — Video Pinball • Programmer — Bob Smith • Developer — Atari, Inc. • Publisher — Atari, Inc. • Released — April 1981 • Genre — Pinball • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Platforms — Atari 2600
Gameplay
Gameplay
• Illustration — A game in progress Video Pinball is a loose simulation of an arcade pinball machine: ball launcher, flippers, bumpers, and spinners. Hitting the Atari logo on the playfield four times awards an extra ball. Pulling down on the joystick pulls the pinball machine plunger back while pressing the joystick button shoots the ball into the playfield. The left and right flippers are activated by moving the joystick controller left or right. The ball can be nudged (as in nudging a table gently in real life) by holding down the joystick button and moving the controller in a particular direction. Nudging too much results in a tilt, forcing the ball to drain.
Development
Development
Bob Smith applied to work for Atari, Inc. at the end of the 1970s and was hired on the spot. Smith shared an office Brad Stewart who had worked on the Atari VCS version of Asteroids. After a week in the office, Smith was offered a list of possible games to work on from his boss Dennis Koble and opted to work on Video Pinball. While he did play the original Video Pinball arcade game in Atari headquarters, he played the Superman pinball game by Atari for inspiration.
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- United States
Named but not plotted · 1
Video Pinball is associated with United States.
Country
Reception
Two million cartridges were sold, which earned Atari revenues of about $40 million. The programmer received a bonus of $6,000. Retro Gamer described it more as Breakout with bumpers than pinball, but played well. In a contemporary book the game was compared unfavorably to the 1979 arcade version of Video Pinball, with the quality of play similar to the least creative pinball machines, and lacking the "essence of pinball".
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Atari VCS game release dates. Atari Archive.
- 2.Atari 2600 Manual: Arcade Pinball (1981)(Sears). 1981.
- 3.Sears. Atari Catalog: Sears Video Arcade Cartridges. September 1981.
- 4.Atari Age. Atari 2600 Manuals (HTML) - Video Pinball (Atari).
- 5.Video Pinballs. Electronic Games. 1. 6. 64. August 1982.
- 6.Lapetino, Tim. Art Of Atari. Dynamite Entertainment. 118. 2016.
- 7.Drury, Paul. Bob Smith. Retro Gamer. 165. 93-94. March 2017. 1742-3155.
- 8.Kubey, Craig. The Winners' Book of Video Games. Warner Books. 189. April 1982. 0446371157.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 19 August 2026.
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