Rebound (arcade game)
Encyclopedia
Rebound is a 2 player arcade game
by Atari Inc.
, originally released in February 1974. The game simulates a volleyball match, having players volley a ball back and forth over a net with their paddles. Rebound is also the first game that was cloned and released under the then hidden Atari subsidiary Kee Games
, as Spike.
is composed of discrete technology. Steve Jobs signed off on the Jan 9, 1974 dated cabinet wiring diagram provided with the units.
Rebound is also available as an upgrade to Pong
. As Pong starts immediately when a coin is dropped, the Rebound PCB also immediately starts game play without the presence of start button wiring.
, at that time a newly created subsidiary portrayed publicly as a competitor to allow Atari to get more of the arcade market. Besides a different cabinet design, the key distinction between the two was the addition of a "spike" button. According to Steve Bristow, the designer, "If you timed it right you could do a real killer spike.".
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
by Atari Inc.
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
, originally released in February 1974. The game simulates a volleyball match, having players volley a ball back and forth over a net with their paddles. Rebound is also the first game that was cloned and released under the then hidden Atari subsidiary Kee Games
Kee Games
Kee Games was an arcade game manufacturer that released games from 1973 to 1978. Kee was headed by Joe Keenan, a long-time friend of Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell. Keenan managed to hire several defectors from Atari, and began advertising itself as a competitor...
, as Spike.
Technology
The original working name of Rebound was Volleyball. The game is housed in a custom cabinet that includes two paddles and a lit start button. The cabinet bezel is made of an orange tinted plastic, providing an orance colored overlay to the entire screen. The game PCBPrinted circuit board
A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...
is composed of discrete technology. Steve Jobs signed off on the Jan 9, 1974 dated cabinet wiring diagram provided with the units.
Rebound is also available as an upgrade to Pong
Pong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
. As Pong starts immediately when a coin is dropped, the Rebound PCB also immediately starts game play without the presence of start button wiring.
Gameplay
Each player controls a horizontally displayed bat with their respective paddles. They then begin volleying a ball back and forth across a graphical representation of a net. When you hit the ball with your bat, it 'bounces' off at one of 5 different angles depending on the segment of the bat hit: two "forward" angles, straight up, and two angles "behind" you - away from the net. Each player can only hit the ball three times during a volley, the fourth bounce goes right through the paddle and your opponent scores. The size of the net also grows as volleys increase.Spike
Spike is a clone of Rebound released under Kee GamesKee Games
Kee Games was an arcade game manufacturer that released games from 1973 to 1978. Kee was headed by Joe Keenan, a long-time friend of Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell. Keenan managed to hire several defectors from Atari, and began advertising itself as a competitor...
, at that time a newly created subsidiary portrayed publicly as a competitor to allow Atari to get more of the arcade market. Besides a different cabinet design, the key distinction between the two was the addition of a "spike" button. According to Steve Bristow, the designer, "If you timed it right you could do a real killer spike.".