Description

Space Invaders is where the video game revolution really began and this original Taito machine is a superb early example of a cultural icon presenting a rare opportunity to invest in piece of gaming history.

This example has undergone a thorough and sympathetic refurbishment in our workshop with many hours of work undertaken by our specialist engineers who have many years of experience. Working diligently to ensure the machine is restored to a high standard this machine will leave us in A1 condition, inside and out. 

Space Invaders is the go-to of retro video gaming; leading a cultural and technological revolution and today its iconic characters are recognised the world over. Originally created by Tomohiro Nishikado at Taito in Japan in 1978. Space Invaders was initially sold by Taito in Japan and was later licensed for production in the USA by the Midway division of Bally. It was one of the earliest shooting games and according to Nishikado it was inspired by the lesser known Taito Corporation electro-mechanical game ‘Space Monsters’. The popular culture of the time, which included movies such as Star Wars, also played a part in determining the look of the game

Space Invaders features a number of key gameplay elements that helped define it as a ground breaker in the industry. The game features a then-revolutionary difficulty curve; as more aliens are eliminated, the surviving enemies increase their speed and rate of fire, until the final Invaders become nimble, deadly adversaries that are almost impossible to hit.  This difficulty curve, highly praised by critics, was originally the result of a bug – the system initially didn’t have the processing power to render the enemies at their correct speeds. As more were eliminated from the screen, there became fewer moving characters to slow down the hardware, resulting in the game gradually building up to its intended speed. This once unintentional feature became a hallmark of Space Invaders and a milestone in gaming.

Space Invaders was also instrumental in popularising the use of a high score, as well as a saving system, giving players a sense of progress and achievement, rather than a perpetually looping game.

Space Invaders was innovative in all senses, introducing brand new styles and techniques to the video gaming world. It’s the combination of these that endows the game with an ageless prestige, and why it continues to dominate the retro videogame market.

Contact us at The Games Room Company on 01932 568 414  to discuss our refurbished arcade machines in more detail.

Details

  • Dimensions: (H) 138cm x (W) 51cm x (D) 61cm
  • Imperial: (H) 54" x (W) 20" x (D) 24"
  • Made in Japan
  • Built by Taito, the original manufacturers
  • Year: 1981
  • Hugely popular original videogame
  • Groundbreaking revolutionary gameplay features
  • Scaled difficulty curve
  • Sympathetically restored by our experts

Delivery

  • Free UK delivery
  • Please see here for further delivery information & exceptions
  • Please contact us for an international shipping quotation

1981 Space Invaders Arcade Machine by Taito

A piece of gaming history - the arcade title that kicked off the video game revolution in the late 1970's.
Lead time to be confirmed.

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