“Prepare to qualify.” I can still hear those words in my head from years spent in arcades. That phrase is your entry into the world of 16-bit racing. Atari’s Pole Position debuted in the fall of 1982 and proved to be an instant success. Video game fans flocked to this cabinet for a digital take on Formula One racing.
Now you can be perennially prepared to qualify because a pristine example is currently for sale on Bring a Trailer. Judging by the photos of the auction listing, the game appears to be in excellent shape.
For your winning bid, you get a 250-pound piece of video game history. Everything works, the external graphics on the body of the machine look great, and you can run the system in free-play mode to save your quarters.
There’s still one day left to bid, as of the time of this writing, and the current high bid is just over $3,000. Also, with no reserve on the auction, the gaming cabinet will be sent off to a new owner regardless of the price.
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Source: Bring a Trailer
Pole Position debuted to immediate success. The Japanese market was the first to experience it, where the game became the highest-grossing arcade game of 1982. Pole Position achieved that same honor in the North American Market in 1983 and 1984.
To this day, Pole Position is regarded as one of the most influential video games of all time. Its mark on motorsports-based games is even more important. Pole Position was the first game to feature a real racing circuit. There’s just one track in the game, and it’s modeled after Fuji Speedway.
The cars looked great, the stereo sound was a blast, and the use of a pair of 16-bit processors meant the action was super smooth. Especially for its era. The use of full-color scaling sprites was also a rare technique for the time.
Pole Position remains a legendary achievement in video game history. And now you can put a rather lovely example in your garage or home. I would start every morning with a cup of coffee and then a smile as I hear “Prepare to qualify” ring through the cabinet speakers. Whoever scoops this up will have a gem on their hands.
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