Space Race
1973 · Racing · Arcade
Overview
Space Race (1973) is Atari's second arcade game after Pong, a two-player race to fly a rocket up the screen through a stream of asteroids — the first arcade racing game.
Deep Dive
Each player steers a ship straight up from the bottom of the screen while dashes representing asteroids drift across. A hit ship vanishes briefly and restarts at the bottom, and whoever has crossed more often when the timer line runs out wins. The game was built from discrete electronic components rather than a computer.
Developer Story
Ted Dabney claimed the final design, and Allan Alcorn did the engineering. Atari released it on 16 July 1973, but it sold poorly next to Pong; Ralph Baer estimated about 1,500 units. Taito's Astro Race (1973) was a clone.
Did You Know?
- Atari made it to fulfil a contract with Midway, which sold it as Asteroid; Atari's near-identical Space Race led to a settlement in which Atari gave up its royalty.
- Only about 50 of the tall fibreglass cabinets were built, the first Atari machines to carry the Atari logo.
Sources & further reading
- Space Race (video game) — Wikipedia
