The Atarians

The Atarians, created by Atari in November 1976, represents one of the earliest solid-state electronic pinball machines - and it was Atari's very first pinball game. It holds a genuine cluster of firsts: it was the first solid-state widebody game, and the first pin game to use inductive under-playfield sensors (which Atari called 'magnetic sensor switches') in place of traditional rollover switches. The use of microprocessors enabled more complex gameplay mechanics and scoring systems, paving the way for future advancements in the field.

Gameplay on The Atarians is characterized by its four flippers, three pop bumpers, two slingshots, seven kick-out holes, and four standup targets spread across the extra-wide playfield. This combination gives players a fast-paced adventure-themed experience, navigating obstacles and accumulating points as they progress. The game was conceived, designed, and engineered by Bob Jonesi, with artwork by George Opperman; Fred Yates was the original programmer and sound designer, with a young Eugene Jarvis - later famed for Defender and Robotron - finishing the software after Yates left.

The machine's production had a rocky footnote: according to designer Mark Ritchie, half the production run came back to the factory because Atari had received a bad batch of plywood. Even so, The Atarians stands as a bold first step by a video game giant into solid-state pinball, several years before Atari's arcade landmarks like Asteroids (1979) and Missile Command (1980).