Atari Football [2-Player model]

[ARCADE] Arcade PCB

Atari Football [2-Player model] © 1978 Atari.

An old black and white American football game where the player characters are represented as X's and O's. Players select either offensive or defensive plays and then control one of the characters on each team by rolling a trackball.

Dimensions :
31inch (78cm) high
53inch (134cm) wide
29,5inch (74,5cm) deep.
Monitor : 23inch B/W

Game ID : 033xxx

Main CPU : MOS Technology M6502 (@ 750 Khz)
Sound Chips : Discrete circuitry

Screen orientation : Horizontal
Video resolution : 304 x 248 pixels
Screen refresh : 60.00 Hz
Palette colors : 4

Players : 2
Control : trackball
Buttons : 1

Released in October 1978.

2 versions were released; this 2-Player model and another for 4 players as "Atari Football [4-Player model]".

Atari Football was first created in 1974 by Steve Bristow and originally called 'X's and O's'. It was shelved when Bristow started on "Tank", then resurrected 3 years later. This game was the first true video sports game and also the first Atari game to utilize a trackball controller.

Approximately 14,000 '2-player' versions were produced.

An Atari Football unit appears in the 1980 movie 'Midnight Madness', and 2 Atari Football units (2 and 4 players) appear in the 1982 movie 'Tron'.

An Atari Football machine was shown at the 2003 classic arcade games show 'California Extreme' in San Jose, California.

Touchdown : 6 points.
Field goal : 3 points.
Safety : 2 points.
Conversion (run or pass) : 2 points.
Kicked conversion : 1 point.

Designed and partially programmed by : Steve Bristow
Finished by : Ed Logg, Lyle Rains, Dave Stubbens
Some works by : Mike Albaugh