Teletenis Multijuegos
Teletenis Multijuegos
Teletenis Multijuegos (which
translates as TV Tennis Multi-Games) is a nice example of an
early Spanish video game system. Released in 1976, this hybrid (analog and digital)
system used discrete components and was inspired from
the Interton Video 2000 (Germany, 1975). As a matter of fact, it
uses almost the same cartridges and plays very similar games.
The cartridges contain discrete components. Two-player games showing a central
line contain a chip which generates its signal. More advanced games like Futbol
use more chips to generate the goals. The system generates the graphics used by
all games: two players and the ball. The electronics of the cartridges configure
how these graphics are shown, how they eventually interact together. For example,
Fronton Simple sets the left player to a fixed position with an inifinite height,
thus making a centra line against which the other player plays.
Eight games were announced for this system, of which only six were released. All
were classic PONG variants that most other analog systems played (Squash for one or two players, Pelota, Tennis with or without
boundaries, and Football) and retailed for 500 pesetas.
Car Racing and Submarine War, the last two games, would have been most interesting
if they were released since no other
analog system played them. Interton announced them for the Video 2000, and so
were they for TeleTenis. The reasons why these games were never released remain
unknown, but it is highly probable that they would have required much
more complex circuits (which may even not have fit in the cartridge case), hence
a higher retail price.
Games played by Teletenis Multijuegos. Click the picture to see in larger size.
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| Fronton Simple (Squash for one player): the simplest circuit. No chips, just a few components. |
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| Fronton Doble (Squash for two players): one chip and a few other components. |
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| Pelota (Tennis without net): same circuit as Fronton with only a few different resistors. |
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| Tenis (Tennis): same circuit as Fronton Doble but with a different configuration. |
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| Futbol (Football): more components are required to draw the goals. |
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