The First And The Best

After a difficult and lengthy repair job, I have finally fixed Defender. Defender is Williams best selling arcade game and is widely regarded as one of the most popular video games ever. In stark contrast is Williams first video game, a long forgotten Pong clone named Paddle-Ball. Harry Williams, the founder of the Williams Manufacturing Company was best known for inventing the “tilt” mechanism for pinball machines. I thought it would be an interesting tribute to Harry to stand The First next to The Best.

There Is Another.....

Last fall I acquired a Paddle-Ball game. The game is a simple Pong clone but it represents Williams first venture into the video game market. Since the game was made by Williams, I figured everything from the manual to the schematic to various parts would be in ready supply. I was wrong – I could find only one other example in existence! Recently, another Paddle-Ball came to light. The game was owned by Gary Hecht of Springfield, New Jersey. Gary sold his Paddle-Ball earlier this month but was kind enough
to send me a few pictures of the game before it was picked up by
the new owner. Thanks Gary! If anyone else has a Paddle-Ball or any information about Paddle-Ball, please contact me!

Rare Control Panel Found

I recently acquired an original Williams Paddle-Ball control panel.
I was thrilled to get this, as parts for Paddle-Ball are virtually non-existent. Besides my game, I know of only one other. I plan on mounting the control panel on a plaque along with a copy of the flyer as well as a brief history of the game.

1973 Williams Paddle-Ball

I fixed Paddle-Ball and put it in the arcade. You can read the Repair Log here. Paddle-Ball is Williams first video game and only a few are known to still exist. My Paddle-Ball is serial number 1964-1. The only other one that I know of is serial number 614 which is owned by a gentleman in Wilmington, Delaware. You can read about that machine here. If you have a Paddle-Ball or any information about Paddle-Ball, please contact me!

1973 Williams Paddle-Ball

I recently acquired a 1973 Williams Paddle-Ball. Paddle-Ball is a Pong clone and was Williams first entry into the then burgeoning video game market. Up until that time, Williams had only made pinball machines. Some of this is evident as Paddle-Ball is the only video game ever to have a tilt switch! The game has been sent to the Repair Station for diagnosis.