Pinball Action
About This Machine
Pinball Action, made by U.S. Tehkan Inc. (the U.S. division of Japan's Tehkan Ltd., later Tecmo) of Los Angeles, is a video game housed in a pinball-style cabinet rather than a true mechanical pinball — it is officially classified as 'Not A Pinball.' Its exact production date is unconfirmed but believed to be around 1985. Little is documented about its designer.
The machine features four color video monitors (Philips brand, made in Italy), each displaying a different simulated pinball playfield layout, with players actually using real flipper buttons on the cabinet to control on-screen gameplay. Despite backglass artwork that hints at four-player capability, all four tables actually support only two-player scoring. Sound volume is adjustable via a variable resistor, and there is no speech.
The cabinet includes two pendulum tilts and a fluorescent backbox light, styled to closely resemble a genuine pinball machine with vertical backbox, metal legs, and flipper buttons. Its blend of arcade video gaming and pinball-cabinet styling makes it a distinctive crossover piece for collectors interested in the boundary between video games and pinball.
Images (2)
Technical Details
- Notable Features:
- Game features 4 video tables, in color, each showing a different pinball playfield layout. Sound volume is adjusted by a variable resistor. No speech. The monitor is Phillips brand, made in Italy. The backbox has two pendulum tilts and a fluorescent light. The backglass art might suggest this is a 4-player game but all the tables have only two-player scoring.