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Super PONG C-140 (1976) and Super PONG IV
from ATARI

ATARI Super PONG (model C-140)

The ATARI Super PONG (model C-140) was the direct successor to the first 'Home PONG', the C-100 and came with four integrated Pong-style games and on-screen scoring (thanks for the information Sothius).

From PONG Story's page on Super Pong and the other Pong variants:

...sellers were not attracted by Atari's PONG game until Sears goes ahead and sells the system under their Tele-Games label for Christmas 1975. Following this huge success, Atari released its own version of PONG in 1976. The system had an important feature that most others didn't have in 1975: the use of a single chip that provided games with digital on-screen scoring and attractive sound. As a matter of fact, other systems were still using analog or digital circuits using discrete components. Digial on-screen scoring would have required more components in the circuits, hence an increase of the retail price. Because Atari designed a special PONG chip, the system could sell at normal price with advanced features...

Because PONG already existed in several variants in the arcades, Atari released a line of more advanced systems, playing more games based on the Ball and Paddle principle. Super PONG (model C-140) followed PONG in 1976. It played four games for two players. This game was also sold by Sears as Super PONG, but this version used detachable controllers, which were more convenient than fixed knobs. This novel feature was rarely used at that time.

Curator's Note: visitors to the DigiBarn love to play this puppy, but boy does this go through the four D cell batteries.

Know anything about these game systems? Contact us!


Click for more detail of our Super Pong

ATARI Super PONG IV

This version of Super PONG was marketed by Sears and branded by Tele-games and first sold in 1976. An advancement beyond the C-140 model was detatchable paddles allowing four players (PONG doubles!). Thanks Linda John for this donation!

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Know anything about these game systems? Contact us!

See Also:

DigiBarn's page on Chuck Colby's first portable PONG prototype, the syzygy

Sothius' page on the Super PONG model C-140

See PONG-Story's pages on Super PONG (both these systems)

David Winter's PONG Story site featuring Ralph H. Baer, "inventor of the video game"

Pong Story's page on Super PONG and the other PONG variants

Atari Company site today

The DigiBarn's other Atari Computer & Game systems & artifacts

 

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