Atari’s Impact on Silicon Valley: 1972-84 A Conversation with Nolan Bushnell, Al Alcorn, Owen Rubin and Steven Mayer
Led by Brian Berg Chair, IEEE SCV Technology History Committee; R6 Milestone Coordinator 8 September 2016 Thank You to our sponsor! Doron Noyman will say a few words
Happy Banking! Free Checking ■ Car Loans ■ Mortgages ■ Credit Cards
KPCU.COM IEEE Milestones
1956: Ampex VR1000 1972: SHAKEY – World’s First Videotape Recorder Mobile Intelligent Robot (SRI) (dedicated on 6/10/16) (will be dedicated in 2017) 3 IEEE Milestone for Ampex Videotape Recorder – Dedicated 10 June 2016
This bronze plaque is next to an Ampex VR1000 4 at Green Library at Stanford Univ., near Hoover Tower Stan Honey in the News
5 Nolan Bushnell’s intro to Coin-op Games
Bushnell worked at Lagoon Amusement Park while at Univ. of Utah6 Spacewar! Video Game
Bushnell played this game on a DEC PDP-1 while at Univ. of Utah 7 Redwood City HQ bldg. 1956 Videotape Recorder
8 Ampex Videofile: Electronic Storage
• 1968: Nolan Bushnell and Al Alcorn Alan met while working on Videofile • 1969: electronic storage product introduced • Product still used at Scotland Yard for fingerprint storage
Videofile Lab in Sunnyvale 9 1971: Nutting Associates’ Computer Space
Device was “Syzygy Engineered”
10 1972: Magnavox Odyssey
- First commercial home video game console - Analog device - Released in Sept. 1972 for $99 - 350,000 were sold
11 June 1972: Birthplace of Atari (Scott Blvd., Santa Clara)
12 1972: Pong Prototype
13 PONG Enters the Market
1972: PONG Coin-op Introduced at Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale
Early problem was actually due to a tray that was overflowing with quarters because of its popularity
14 Early 1973: Ted Dabney, Nolan Bushnell, “Finance Guy” and Al Alcorn
15 Coin-op Was Big Business
Oui Magazine cover story
16 Early Atari Innovation: PONG PC Board • Alcorn design • New approach: everything on one board, including the power supply • Huge cost savings and increased reliability
17 1973: PONG Manufacturing
Old roller skating rink on Martin Ave. near San Jose Airport Bushnell at Los Gatos facility 18 2 Big Hits: Kee Games and Atari
19 Story from the Late Steve Bristow • As intern at Ampex, helped develop Computer Space • Joined Atari and helped form the “secret” Kee Games • Plant Manager of Pinball Production, VP - Engineering • Story of UC Berkeley classmate Larry “Dr. SPICE” Nagel: • Steve and his wife would walk the streets of Berkeley (she with a hatchet in hand and he with sacks of money from the Atari machines) every night as a part of his job
20 “Engineering Charter”
21 Response to “Engineering Charter”
22 1975: Home PONG
23 Synertek Played an Important Role • Founded in 1973 • Fabricated Atari’s Home PONG custom chip • Became a second source for the MOS 6502 • 6502 used in Atari’s 1977 VCS product Atari “eased the way” for Apple’s access to the Synertek 6502 as used in the 1977 Apple II
24 1976: New Atari Corporate HQ Announcement (Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale)
25 • 1976: Warner Communications purchases Atari for approx. $30M • Funding helps fund new project (Atari VCS) • 1977: Atari VCS is launched • 1978: Warner and Bushnell part ways
Atari “Acquisition Team”; Sequoia Capital’s Don Valentine at left 26 1977: Atari VCS (later the “2600”)
VCS co- designer Joe Decuir with an original VCS boxed system
• 1977: product launch; was hugely successful • 1981: Atari accounted for 1/3 of Warner's annual income • Atari: “fastest-growing company in US history” at that time • 1982: VCS renamed to Atari 2600 (with launch of 5200) 27 Gaming Market Became Very Crowded
28 The Impact of Atari on Apple Computer
29 1982 E.T. Game for 2600 Console
Around 700,000 cartridges of various titles, including E.T., were buried in Alamogordo, NM, on 26 Sept. 1983. Some were excavated in April 2014. 30