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looking for price guide for Atari pong consoles


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I've decided to try to collect all atari pong systems before the new decade but I don't have a good idea on the prices of each system. So if anyone can give me a price guide (and some tips) that would be awesome. Thanks in advance.

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I've decided to try to collect all atari pong systems before the new decade but I don't have a good idea on the prices of each system. So if anyone can give me a price guide (and some tips) that would be awesome. Thanks in advance.

 

Prices are all over the place. Atari Branded pongs in nice condition boxes fetch more $$$ typically, as well as rare ones that do not show up often. Since these consoles were not know to last, having them fully operational is another hard one to test. I would not worry about value and just purchase items that you want for the $$ you want to spend.

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Prices are all over the place. Atari Branded pongs in nice condition boxes fetch more $$$ typically, as well as rare ones that do not show up often. Since these consoles were not know to last, having them fully operational is another hard one to test. I would not worry about value and just purchase items that you want for the $$ you want to spend.

 

This.

 

FWIW loose Super Pongs are usually pretty inexpensive, as are Ultra Pong systems. And of course there's the golden rule of "first edition" pricing, so you can expect to pay far out the ass for an original Atari Pong*, although how far exactly can be indeterminate.

 

Say, John, since we're here and talking about Atari Pong systems, you're probably the guy to ask: do you by any chance own an Atari Pong Doubles (C-160) system, or know of any pics/scans or other information on it? According to David Winter/Pong-Story.com, it was never actually released, but a photo of the box exists (and a Sears version called "Pong IV" supposedly came out). I'd like to learn more about it but there's basically no information out there on it. I figure if anybody actually owned one or knew anything about it, it would be you. :P :-D

 

(*Ironically, the Sears version actually launched before the Atari version but is worth less.)

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attachicon.gifdownload (1).jpgattachicon.gifdownload (1).jpg

I think I have that. is this it?

 

 

Close, but not quite. "Pong IV" is a different model, 99717. FWIW I've never actually seen one of these, either. Not even a photo of the box. I suspect Dave Winter's information may be a little incomplete on this one.

 

"Super Pong IV," model 99737, is fairly common. Confusingly, there was another Sears model also called "Super Pong IV (model 99789)," but I guess that one was a Sears rebranding of the Atari Super Pong Pro-Am Ten that came out a year later. Those are pretty rare, but I did see one on eBay once. Shoulda bought it!

Edited by BassGuitari
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"Pong IV" is a different model, 99717. FWIW I've never actually seen one of these, either. Not even a photo of the box. I suspect Dave Winter's information may be a little incomplete on this one.

 

I think so to. When I google "Pong IV 99717" all i get is the sears super pong IV console.

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The most I was able to [accidentally] find on Pong IV is this page from a Sears ad:

 

pong2.jpg

 

Unfortunately this isn't proof that it actually came out; other vaporware consoles like Atari's Tank or Tank II also made catalog and ad appearances.

 

At least from a gameplay standpoint, you can just take any of the more common 4-player Super Pong systems, set them to Pong, and connect an extra paddle or two, and it will be exactly what Pong Doubles or Pong IV would have been. All the Atari/Sears Pongs were essentially the same base hardware with different combinations of incremental features tacked on (except Ultra- and Hockey-Pong, and non-Atari clones such as Hockey-Tennis III and Sports Center).

 

Maybe even Atari realized how redundant these would have been next to the Super Pong unit and yanked them?

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I assume they were mostly chucked in yard sales a few years later?

 

I dunno. Probably. :P

 

Maybe not necessarily though. I think Pong systems still got a little bit of mileage into the early '80s as low-end alternatives to the more expensive programmable cartridge systems--I think I remember seeing a scan of an ad for some electronics store that was still selling heavily discounted Ultras and Super Pro-Ams in, like, 1980 or '81.

 

 

Ultra Pong Doubles, the ultimate Pong system from Atari. There was also a "regular" Ultra Pong (sans "Doubles") which as far as I can tell might be the exact same system--same name badge and all--but with two controller jacks instead of four. Or, it was literally the exact same but was only packaged with two paddles. Hard to tell since they have similar model numbers: C-402(S) and C-402(D). I've never witnessed a complete, boxed Ultra Pong (no "Doubles") in person, so I can't say for certain what the deal exactly is. But I'm leaning toward "One console, two different packages."

 

In any event, the Ultra is a cool and, actually, pretty unique system since the game graphics are silhouetted against a trippy color-gradient background. It's a great effect! :-D And of course there are gobs of different Pong variations, some not seen on any of the previous Super Pong systems, or even the Video Olympics cartridge for the Video Computer System. It's also one of the more common and inexpensive Atari dedicated systems, and definitely worth a look if you're thinking about buying one. :)

Edited by BassGuitari
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Also how many Atari pong consoles were released?

 

Seven: Pong, Super Pong, Super Pong Ten, Super Pong Pro-Am, Super Pong Pro-Am Ten, Ultra Pong, and Ultra Pong Doubles.

 

More info here.

 

There's a handy chart at the bottom that tells what systems' Sears equivalents are. :)

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Seven: Pong, Super Pong, Super Pong Ten, Super Pong Pro-Am, Super Pong Pro-Am Ten, Ultra Pong, and Ultra Pong Doubles.

 

More info here.

 

There's a handy chart at the bottom that tells what systems' Sears equivalents are. :)

whats the ? one?

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In any event, the Ultra is a cool and, actually, pretty unique system since the game graphics are silhouetted against a trippy color-gradient background. It's a great effect! :-D

Fun fact, the pong consoles that used "rainbow" gradients had their timing crystals deliberately skewed slightly off from standard ntsc color frequency. They imparted a square wave overlay on top of the video signal which caused a "rainbow" effect on color tvs. Since the offset of the wave determines the color hue produced onscreen, the fact it did not match the timing crystal inside the tv caused a gradual color change from one side of the screen to the other.

 

I would imagine most modern hdtv flat panels would not process this off spec colorburst signal correctly. You may end up with fine pitch grayscale jailbars if you get anything at all. My 4k TCL hdtv did this when I loaded Air Raid from my Harmony cart (possibly it expected a PAL colorburst? Air Raid has way too many scanlines, 290, such that many ntsc tube tvs without a vhold adjustment will actually screen roll).

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Fun fact, the pong consoles that used "rainbow" gradients had their timing crystals deliberately skewed slightly off from standard ntsc color frequency. They imparted a square wave overlay on top of the video signal which caused a "rainbow" effect on color tvs. Since the offset of the wave determines the color hue produced onscreen, the fact it did not match the timing crystal inside the tv caused a gradual color change from one side of the screen to the other.

 

I would imagine most modern hdtv flat panels would not process this off spec colorburst signal correctly. You may end up with fine pitch grayscale jailbars if you get anything at all. My 4k TCL hdtv did this when I loaded Air Raid from my Harmony cart (possibly it expected a PAL colorburst? Air Raid has way too many scanlines, 290, such that many ntsc tube tvs without a vhold adjustment will actually screen roll).

Cool! I didn't know that!

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Oh ok. also another thing I would like to ask is how hard are these consoles to repair?

Untested used to mean the seller did not or could not test the device. Now it's a loophole where sellers just use "untested" in the description to unload non-working junk units. Any seller with "untested" in the item description who also has other related items up for sale as "tested, working" is suspect.

 

Repair could be a mixed bag. Pots and contacts are easy to refurb. Sometimes the worn pots or contact switches don't even need replacement, just compressed air followed by contact cleaner followed by vigorous wiping will make them like new again.

 

Then there are broken wires, corrosion in the battery compartment, both still easily fixable, then blown fuses or 7805 power regulators (most vintage electronics used 6 batteries to produce approximately ~9v and a 7805 regulator to step it down to a usable 5v. After the battery supply starts dropping below 7v dc, the regulator can no longer hold the system at a stable 5v and functionality slowly degrades until it dies. Replace the battery to restore function).

 

After that, you get into more difficult stuff. Dry/leaky caps, corroded pcb traces caused by soda, coffee, beer, wine, or other liquids poured into the device, and sometimes the mask roms, ram, cpu, or 5v logic chips do go bad. In the event a custom 5v asic silicon chip is determined to be dead, replacing it is a lost cause. If the case is still in great cosmetic shape, you might swap it with a known working unit in deplorable cosmetic condition.

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  • 2 months later...

 

Seven: Pong, Super Pong, Super Pong Ten, Super Pong Pro-Am, Super Pong Pro-Am Ten, Ultra Pong, and Ultra Pong Doubles.

 

More info here.

 

There's a handy chart at the bottom that tells what systems' Sears equivalents are. :)

Was the Super Pong Pro Am ever released? Im asking since as far as i knew it was never released by Atari?

 

And browsing through Atari History Timelines by Michael Current i find the following information...

May 2-5: At the New York Premium Show held at the Coliseum, Atari introduced Super Pong Pro-Am (C-200; $50; never shipped)

 

Also i am aware that Atari did release Hockey Pong in Scandinavia because i saw one two years ago, and other sources on the net seem to confirm this, and even though the one i saw was not in a box the manual was with it, and i browsed through it...

Edited by Gunnar Ingvarsson
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Was the Super Pong Pro Am ever released? Im asking since as far as i knew it was never released by Atari?

 

And browsing through Atari History Timelines by Michael Current i find the following information...

May 2-5: At the New York Premium Show held at the Coliseum, Atari introduced Super Pong Pro-Am (C-200; $50; never shipped)

 

As far as I know, it was. I've never read anything to the contrary (your link doesn't work, BTW).

 

Somebody out there has a complete one, in any case:

 

proampong.jpg

Edited by BassGuitari
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This.

 

FWIW loose Super Pongs are usually pretty inexpensive, as are Ultra Pong systems. And of course there's the golden rule of "first edition" pricing, so you can expect to pay far out the ass for an original Atari Pong*, although how far exactly can be indeterminate.

 

Say, John, since we're here and talking about Atari Pong systems, you're probably the guy to ask: do you by any chance own an Atari Pong Doubles (C-160) system, or know of any pics/scans or other information on it? According to David Winter/Pong-Story.com, it was never actually released, but a photo of the box exists (and a Sears version called "Pong IV" supposedly came out). I'd like to learn more about it but there's basically no information out there on it. I figure if anybody actually owned one or knew anything about it, it would be you. :P :-D

 

(*Ironically, the Sears version actually launched before the Atari version but is worth less.)

By the way, Shout out to David Winter and Pong Story. That man does Gods work. He needs an appreciation thread lol. If you have any interest in Pong I suggest checking his site out. The rarity guide is unbelievably fun to go thru learning about new pong systems. Oh boy there were oh so many! Does he or has he ever posted here? Youd be the guy to ask Bass its seems like youve been on AtariAge since the dawn of time much respect! Edited by FOX2600
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