# History of video games/Platforms/Astrocade
## History

The Bally Arcade was originally developed by Midway. Midway had been producing machines for amusement arcades since 1958, giving the console significant pedigree.
Announced in 1977, the Bally Astrocade was launched in April 1978 at a cost of $299. Cartridges cost as little as $24.95 and as much as $39.95. The launch of the console was somewhat botched by an initial attempt to sell the console through mail order and specialty computer shops rather then at traditional retail outlets. The Bally Astrocade was known for its high end graphical capabilities while on the market as late as 1982.
A Bally Astrocade was used in the development of the early digital art piece Digital TV Dinner by Jamie Faye Fenton, which was broadcast on television in 1978. While not a game itself, this early piece of digital art utilized game glitches to create a meaningful artistic experience worthy of public distribution. This was also among the first notable exhibitions of glitch art.
The Astrocade was later acquired by Astrovision, a company based in the city of Columbus in Ohio, roughly around 1980. The system was on the market until 1984 or 1985, a fairly long time on the market for a console of this generation.

## Technology

The Bally Astrocade has an 8-bit Z80 CPU clocked at 3.579 megahertz. The Astrocade has 4 kilobytes of RAM. The system has an 8 kilobyte ROM which is loaded with four software applications.
Early models of the system were especially prone to overheating, though all units suffered from cooling issues.

## Gallery
### Console

* Bally Professional Arcade from the front left.
* Bally Professional Arcade from the back right.
* Bally Professional Arcade from the back left.
* Bally Professional Arcade from the back right.
* The Bally Professional Arcade controller.

### Internals

* Bally Professional Arcade opened up from the front left.
* Bally Professional Arcade opened up from the front right.
* Bally Professional Arcade opened up from the back left.
* Bally Professional Arcade opened up from the back right.
* Bally Professional Arcade deconstructed.
* Bally Professional Arcade RF shield.
* Bally Professional Arcade bottom panel.
* Bally Professional Arcade top panel.
* Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the front left.
* Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the front right.
* Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the back left.
* Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the back right.
* Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the front left.
* Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the front right.
* Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the top.
* Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the top.
* Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the bottom.
* The Plexiglass cover for the Bally Professional Arcade.

## References

* 1 2 Dunn, Jeff. "Chasing Phantoms - The history of failed consoles". gamesradar. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
* 1 2 3 "Home Video Games: Video Games Update". www.atarimagazines.com. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
* ↑ "RIP Midway Games 1958-2009 (In Name Only)" (in en). n4g.com. https://n4g.com/news/358896/rip-midway-games-1958-2009-in-name-only.
* ↑ "4 Video Game Companies We Really Miss". CBR. 27 June 2020. https://www.cbr.com/video-game-companies-we-miss/.
* 1 2 3 4 "The Torchinsky Files: I'm Betting Most Of You Have Never Seen A Bally Professional Arcade" (in en-us). Jalopnik. https://jalopnik.com/the-torchinsky-files-im-betting-most-of-you-have-never-1844218806. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
* 1 2 "Bally Astrocade (1977 - 1984)". Museum of Obsolete Media. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
* 1 2 3 4 "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
* 1 2 Kunkel, Bill; Katz, Arnie (21 November 1981). "THE VIDEOGAMES: HOW THEY RATE (Published 1981)". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/21/style/the-videogames-how-they-rate.html.
* 1 2 "Stored in Memory: Recovering Queer and Transgender Life in Software History". Letters and Science. https://uwm.edu/letters-science/event/stored-in-memory-recovering-queer-and-transgender-life-in-software-history/.
* ↑ "Bally Professional Arcade". www.progettoemma.net. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
* ↑ "THE BALLY/ASTROCADE FAQ". Retrieved 14 January 2021.