The Astrocade Steering Wheel: Believe it or Don't

[digitalpress]

Without getting into the history behind this, here are some pictures of an item that no one in the classic gaming community had ever heard of until now.

It's an interesting anomaly. Take a look, then share your thoughts. Is it real or not?

http://digitalpress.5u.com/astrocade_wheel.jpg

http://digitalpress.5u.com/astrocade_wheel_2.jpg

http://digitalpress.5u.com/astrocade_wheel_3.jpg

http://digitalpress.5u.com/astrocade_wheel_4.jpg

http://digitalpress.5u.com/280zzzap_wheel_manual.jpg

[Ed Oscuro]

That wheel is the epitome of '70s console aesthetic. How does one stabilize it, though?

[christianscott27]

i'm seeing a pattern here, first you post that funny little vectrex controller and now this. i never heard what the deal was with that vec controller, whats going on here?

[digitalpress]

That wheel is the epitome of '70s console aesthetic. How does one stabilize it, though?

You stabilize it by removing the plastic knob, revealing the metal shaft, then replacing the knob with this tiny wheel.


i'm seeing a pattern here, first you post that funny little vectrex controller and now this. i never heard what the deal was with that vec controller, whats going on here?

No pattern, that's just coincidence. The Vectrex controller was property of one of the original "Vectrex guys" who worked with the system back in the day, I photographed that during a visit with him last fall. THIS steering wheel thingy appeared recently in the newsgroups, I'm just giving it a little more spotlight, hoping someone might recognize it/supply more info on it.

[christianscott27]

yikes, its a controller conspiracy! just when i thought there were'nt enough folks left over at RGVC to stage a dust up here they go!

<see thread below> :P

love how that martin guy gets al the google evidence piled up, like some sort of gamer geek jim garrison. this one bears watching, if not for the history of the controller than as a case study in usenet nastiness.

html my friend? i can barely handle the emoticons

[rolenta]

As I posted on the newsgroup, I'm sceptical about the steering wheel. I don't see how a production item could have been released and nobody, including videogame historians who have been following the industry since the '70s, have ever heard of this thing. It could be possible that it's a prototype, but if that is the case, why is there a manual? Just my 2 cents! Also, the DP Guide has a rarity of 5 for the game so that would make it fairly common. Can someone who has the game post the instruction booklet? I'm curious to see the difference.

[Ed Oscuro]

That wheel is the epitome of '70s console aesthetic. How does one stabilize it, though?

You stabilize it by removing the plastic knob, revealing the metal shaft, then replacing the knob with this tiny wheel.

Oh, nevermind (I was in a bit of a stupor). I thought for a moment that you had to put it down, didn't think enough about the trigger and grip. It looks hard to use.

[rbudrick]

That thing is fucking ugly.


Hmmm...any way to trace the source to dig up if it's real? THese pics were taken by someone...

-Rob

[Scoots]

I'd be willing to bet that if it's NOT real, someone will be able to recognize where the steering wheel actually came from. There's a newsgroup for collectors of 70s automotive toys, right?

[Kejoriv]

It looks fake to me. The steering wheel doesnt really match the handle thing either with color or size. I could be wrong though

[Needle]

Actually, the colors match, The original Astrocade controller has a brown-colored knob very similar to this steering wheel.

That said, I still think it's fake. The steering wheel isn't really necessary at all, given the size of it - in those pictures, it probably has a diameter of about 1 inch. Also, the actual look of the steering wheel reminds me of a children's toy, almost as if it was taken from a car model set and fitted onto the mechanism that the knob usually rests on. It probably wouldn't be too hard to fake this.

And who really needs a steering wheel for Zzzap/Dodgem anyways? :)

[Sanriostar]

Wow. My reasons for leaving RGVC have surfaced once again.:roll:

Geoff "Don't do the quotes too much anymore" Voigt

[Arqueologia_Digital]

I don´t know if it´s fake, or if it´s weird or a holy shit, but everybody (includes me) are thinking about that... :angry:

[christianscott27]

if you read the google groups link i posted above you'll hear some pretty intense pro and con arguments, some well backed up even. or click back into rgvc itself where several other threads are flaming away on the topic. as for me i think it looks like the steering wheel off a radio shack RC car controller. but as the finder says in his own defense why bother faking something you're not selling?

[Ze_ro]

yikes, its a controller conspiracy! just when i thought there were'nt enough folks left over at RGVC to stage a dust up here they go!

[Enormously huge URL removed]

Thanks Mr. Ruin-The-Thread-Layout! :P

HTML is your friend: Nice URL (http://groups.google.com/groups?dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&threadm=bv2ib1%24t6%241%40uwm.edu&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8%26oe%3DUTF-8%26safe%3Doff%26group%3Drec.games.video.classic).

--Zero

[Edit: Thanks for changing it :) Scrolling horizontally when reading is always a pain]

[Videogamerdaryll]

All I can say is Wow!!! ..and I want it..

(with the crap I have around my house I could make something like it..)

[Scoots]

but as the finder says in his own defense why bother faking something you're not selling?

Because he wants to enjoy some imagined "fame" in collector's circles? People have lied about stuff like this before...

[slapdash]

I haven't made up my mind on this one yet...


but as the finder says in his own defense why bother faking something you're not selling?

Because he wants to enjoy some imagined "fame" in collector's circles?

...but there's another option: preparation.

Think about this, he's LOOKING for another one, not selling that one. Seems honest right? But, months later he comes back -- "I finally found the steering wheel! In fact, I found a whole treasue trove of them! They'll be on eBay soon."

Again, I'm not saying that this is the angle, or that it's fake, but that's a possibility -- the not selling now is just prep for selling later. It would be a much better con than normal. I alluded to this possibility in one of my RGVC posts.

[slapdash]

Guess we'll have to wait to see if that happens, or if someone credible (i.e. former Bally employee) can verify this.

He did claim that he contacted Jamie Fenton and she remembers it, but I don't have her contact info to confirm for myself, nor can I reach Brett Bilbrey anymore.

[Dangerboy]

Okay, I'm fairly uneducated in the ways of the Astrocade (what little I know was from an ex-gf), but looking at the pics, I do have 3 immediate questions:

1. Why is there no Copyright Year info on the manual on the left lower side. It has the (C) but no year?

2. If it's only a 1 Player Game, why bother having a #1 sticker on the Wheel? WOuldn't you know to place it on the number 1 joystick?

3. Did the Astrocade sticks actually spin? I thought they only moved like a regular joystick (cardinal directions, diagnoals). Does it actually work like an Atari Kaboom controller as well?

As for the 70's toy reference, it actually looks more like one of those old school RC Car controller steering wheels, like from the slot car handles, etc. The color job looks authetic though, would have been a really ironic match if it wasn't painted to match.

Keeping my eye on this one...
Jason

[slapdash]

1. Why is there no Copyright Year info on the manual on the left lower side. It has the (C) but no year?

That's a good question, but I'm not sure it's THAT unusual. I don't have any Bally manuals right here, but if someone else does...


2. If it's only a 1 Player Game, why bother having a #1 sticker on the Wheel? WOuldn't you know to place it on the number 1 joystick?

Now THAT is a good question...


3. Did the Astrocade sticks actually spin? I thought they only moved like a regular joystick (cardinal directions, diagnoals). Does it actually work like an Atari Kaboom controller as well?

Yup.


As for the 70's toy reference, it actually looks more like one of those old school RC Car controller steering wheels, like from the slot car handles, etc.

Yup, though we'd have to find the exact one to totally disprove it. And even then, it MIGHT be real. I mean, look at the dental camera with the Jaguar case. I would have thought that was a joke, but it isn't.

[gamergary]

It doesn't seem to match the controller at all.

[slapdash]

...nor can I reach Brett Bilbrey anymore.

Who's that?

A guy who did some Astrocade coding who might have known about gadgets like that.

Like I said, I couldn't reach Brett, but I did reach Jamie Fenton, and she told me that it WAS legit, and that Dave Nutting himself had designed it. Interesting.

[Bilbrey]

Hi Russ,

I'm alive and well but suffered from the MediaOne/ATT/Comcast e-mail debacle. That is, they changed my e-mail address with no warning or forwarding - so in essence I disappeared from the face of the earth.

Compounding that, I went to work for Apple Computer and moved out to Sunnyvale.

Back on topic, I never saw the wheel shown above, but it would have been before I was there. I have an e-mail into a few friends that would know for sure. (Which should collaborate what Jamie said.)

The one thing I can say is that I do know there were plenty of prototypes for lots of different things. Including the infamous add-on unit. So it is not out of the question.

You can drop me an e-mail at bilbrey@bilbreyhome.com

Take care,
Brett