1983 in video games

none March 2016 1983 video games 1983 has seen many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Mario Bros. and Pole Position II, along with new titles such as Astron Belt, Champion Baseball, Dragon's Lair, Elevator Action, Spy Hunter and Track & Field. Major events include the video game crash of 1983 in North America, and the third generation of video game consoles beginning with the launch of Nintendo's Family Computer (Famicom) and Sega's SG-1000 in Japan. The year's highest-grossing video game was Namco's arcade game Pole Position, while the year's best-selling home system was Nintendo's Game & Watch for the third time since 1980. Financial performance In the United States, arcade video game revenues are worth $2.9 billionVideo Game Myth Busters - Did the "Crash" of 1983/84 Affect Arcades?, The Golden Age Arcade Historian (December 27, 2013) (equivalent to $US 2900000000 1983 adjusted for inflation). In the United States, home video game sales are worth $2 billionLindner Richard Video Games: Past, Present and Future; An Industry Overview 1990 Nintendo of America United States https://archive.org/details/06Kahle001551 (equivalent to $US 2000000000 1983 adjusted for inflation). In Japan, home video game sales approach ¥400 billionhttp://www.gbrc.jp/content/old/PDF/GameCase.PDF#page=43 The Home Video-Game Industry (19831996 43 gbrc.jp (equivalent to 400 JPN 1983 billion no at the time, or $US JP 400000000000 1983 2012 0 JPN 2012 adjusted for inflation). Highest-grossing arcade games Pole Position, a racing game by Namco, was the most successful arcade game of 1983.Racing Games Roundup: Facts Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 2008 https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec00guin_0/page/153 Little Brown Books 154 9781904994213 Japan In Japan, Game Machine magazine began publishing half-monthly charts of top-grossing arcade games from June 1, 1983. The following titles were the top-grossing arcade video games on the Game Machine charts from June to December 1983. Month Table arcade cabinet Upright/cockpit cabinet Ref Reference(s) First half Second half First half Second half 5 Champion Baseball Astron Belt Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 213 Amusement Press, Inc. 1 June 1983 29 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830601p.pdf#page=15 6 Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 214 Amusement Press, Inc. 15 June 1983 27 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830615p.pdf#page=14Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 215 Amusement Press, Inc. 1 July 1983 29–30 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830701p.pdf#page=15 7 Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 216 Amusement Press, Inc. 15 July 1983 37 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830715p.pdf#page=19Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 217 Amusement Press, Inc. 1 August 1983 29 ja https://archive.org/details/game-machine-magazine-19830801p/page/n14/mode/1up 8 Champion Baseball Elevator Action Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 218 Amusement Press, Inc. 15 August 1983 27 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830815p.pdf#page=14Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 219 Amusement Press, Inc. 1 September 1983 29 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830901p.pdf#page=15 9 Elevator Action Ultra Quiz Astron Belt Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 220 Amusement Press, Inc. 15 September 1983 29 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830915p.pdf#page=15Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 221 Amusement Press, Inc. 1 October 1983 29 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19831001p.pdf#page=15 10 Pole Position Star Wars Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 222 Amusement Press, Inc. 15 October 1983 35 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19831015p.pdf#page=18Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 223 Amusement Press, Inc. 1 November 1983 33 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19831101p.pdf#page=17 11 Xevious Joshi Volleyball Laser Grand Prix Pole Position II Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 224 Amusement Press, Inc. 15 November 1983 29 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19831115p.pdf#page=15Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 225 Amusement Press, Inc. 1 December 1983 33 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19831201p.pdf#page=17 12 Exerion Hyper Olympic TX-1 Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 226 Amusement Press, Inc. 15 December 1983 33 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19831215p.pdf#page=17Best Hit Games 25 Game Machine 227 Amusement Press, Inc. 1 January 1984 37 ja https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19840101p.pdf#page=19 United States In the United States, the following titles were the highest-grossing arcade games of 1983, according to RePlay magazine, the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA), and Cash Box magazine. Rank RePlay AMOAAMOA Votes On Annual Game Awards Cash Box October 29, 1983 60 https://archive.org/details/cashbox45unse_20/page/68 Cash BoxCash Box Jukebox/Games Survey Cash Box October 29, 1983 46 https://archive.org/details/cashbox45unse_20/page/54 Cash Box Pub. Co. Play Meter 1 Pole PositionTop Hits of Last 5 Years RePlay March 1987 Pole PositionAround The Route Cash Box 26 November 1983 32 https://archive.org/details/cashbox45unse_24/page/32 Cash Box Pub. Co. Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position Dragon's Lair1983 Play Meter December 1994 20 13 70 https://archive.org/details/play-meter-volume-20-number-13-december-1994/Play%20Meter%20-%20Volume%2020%2C%20Number%2013%20-%20December%201994/page/70 2 Dragon's Lair, Mr. Do!Adlum Eddie The Replay Years: Reflections from Eddie Adlum RePlay November 1985 11 2 134-175 (168-70) https://archive.org/details/re-play-volume-11-issue-no.-2-november-1985-600DPI/RePlay%20-%20Volume%2011%2C%20Issue%20No.%202%20-%20November%201985/page/170 Bump 'n' Jump, Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man, Mr. Do!, Bag Man, Nibbler, Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom, Jungle King (Jungle Hunt) Donkey Kong, Joust, Time Pilot, Q*bert rowspan="12" 3 Dragon's Lair 4 Millipede 5 rowspan="9" rowspan="9" 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Best-selling home video games The following titles were the best-selling home video games of 1983. Rank Title Platform Publisher Licensor Release year Genre Sales Ref Reference(s) 1 Ms. Pac-Man Atari 2600 Atari, Inc. Midway 1983 Maze 1,963,078 Cartridge Sales Since 1980 Atari Corp. Via The Agony & The Ecstasy Once Upon Atari August 10, 2003 4 23 Scott West Productions 2 Donkey Kong ColecoVision Coleco Nintendo 1982 Platformer 1,500,000 McFerran Damien Feature: How ColecoVision Became the King of Kong https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/09/feature_how_colecovision_became_the_king_of_kong 2 April 2021 Nintendo Life 18 September 2010 3 Centipede Atari 2600 Atari, Inc. 1983 Shoot 'em up 1,475,240 4 Pitfall! Atari 2600 Activision 1982 Platformer 1,000,000+ Capparell James June 1984 Activision's James Levy: A software success story http://www.atarimagazines.com/v3n2/levy.html Antic April 22, 2017Sigel Efrem https://books.google.com/books?id=OnDgAAAAMAAJ Guide to Software Publishing: An Industry Emerges Giglio Louis 1984 Knowledge Industry Publications 978-0-86729-108-7 22 Pitfall won the award from Electronic Games magazine as the best video game adventure of 1983, and in 1982 sold more than 1 million copies. 5 Pac-Man Atari 2600 Atari, Inc. Namco 1982 Maze 684,569 6 Night Driver Atari 2600 Atari, Inc. 1980 Racing 580,9597Space InvadersAtari 2600Atari, Inc.Taito 1980Shoot 'em up435,3538WarlordsAtari 2600Atari, Inc. 1981Action372,6729BreakoutAtari 2600Atari, Inc. 1978Block breaker312,67210CentipedeAtari 2600Atari, Inc. 1983Shoot 'em up100,499 Best-selling home systems Rank System(s) Manufacturer Type Generation SalesJapanWorldwide1Game & WatchNintendoHandheld 5,300,000Fujii Daiji 2005-06-10 The Birth of "Final Fantasy": Square Corporation http://ousar.lib.okayama-u.ac.jp/40488 岡山大学経済学会雑誌 (Okayama Economic Review) Okayama University 37 1 63–88 (67–71) 0386-3069 Okayama University Scientific Achievement Repository2Atari 2600 (Atari VCS)Atari, Inc.ConsoleSecond 3,000,000Guins Raiford https://books.google.com/books?id=ijOkAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA324 Game After: A Cultural Study of Video Game Afterlife 2014-01-24 MIT Press 978-0-262-32018-4 3243Commodore 64 (C64)CommodoreComputer8-bit 2,000,000Reimer Jeremy 2005-12-15 Total share: 30 years of personal computer market share figures https://arstechnica.com/features/2005/12/total-share/ live 2021-11-27 Ars Technica en-us https://web.archive.org/web/20120607023023/http://arstechnica.com:80/features/2005/12/total-share/ June 7, 2012 Jeremy Reimer 2012-12-07 Total Share: Personal Computer Market Share 1975-2010 https://jeremyreimer.com/rockets-item.lsp?p=137 Jeremy Reimer 4 ColecoVision ColecoConsole Second 1,500,0005Family Computer (Famicom / NES)NintendoConsoleThird1,000,000+Donovan Tristan Replay: The History of Video Games 2010 Yellow Ant 978-0-9565072-0-4 East Sussex, England 158 12. A Tool To Sell Software Within two months of the Famicom's July 1983 launch around 500,000 had been sold. By the end of the year sales had topped the million mark. https://booksvooks.com/fullbook/replay-the-history-of-video-games-pdf.html?page=5 November 26, 2021 November 27, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20211127172322/https://booksvooks.com/fullbook/replay-the-history-of-video-games-pdf.html?page=5 deadWolf Mark J. P. Video Games Around the World 1 May 2015 MIT Press 978-0-262-52716-3 322 https://books.google.com/books?id=pZb5CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA322 The Nintendo Famicom was released in July of 1983 and by the end of the year had sold more than a million units.1,000,000+6IBM Personal Computer (IBM PC)IBMComputer8-bit / 16-bit 850,000Shea Tom 6 February 1984 Companies register big sales during Christmas season https://books.google.com/books?id=gC4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA16 InfoWorld 6 6 16 0199-66497IntellivisionMattelConsoleSecond 750,000Hayes Thomas C. 4 February 1984 Mattel Is Counting on Its Toys The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1984/02/04/business/mattel-is-counting-on-its-toys.html 26 November 20218Atari 400 / Atari 800Atari, Inc.Computer8-bit 500,0009Apple IIApple Inc.Computer8-bit 420,00010NEC PC-88 / PC-98NECComputer8-bit / 16-bit,000Methe David Mitchell Will Miyabe Junichiro Toyama Ryoko January 1998 Overcoming a Standard Bearer: Challenges to NEC's Personal Computer in Japan https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5160396 Research Papers in Economics (RePEc) 35 ResearchGateJuliussen Egil https://books.google.com/books?id=gxVNAQAAIAAJ The Computer Industry Almanac 1991 Juliussen Karen Pearson P T R 1990 978-0-13-155748-2 10-47, 10-48,000+ Major awards + Award 4th Arcade Awards (US)"1984 Arcade Awards", Electronic Games, January 1984, pages 68–81. Video Games Player Golden Joystick Awards (US)Video Games Player 1983 Golden Joystick Awards Video Games Player September 1983 2 1 49–51 Carnegie Publications United States https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_Player_Vol_2_No_1_1983-09_Carnegie_Publications_US/page/n47/mode/2up Golden Joystick Awards (UK)April 1984 1983 Golden Joystick Awards https://archive.org/stream/Computer_Video_Games_Issue_030_1984-04_EMAP_Publishing_GB/Computer__Video_Games_Issue_030_1984-04_EMAP_Publishing_GB#page/n80/mode/1up Computer and Video Games Future Publishing 30 81 13 January 2012 Arcade Console Computer Standalone Arcade Console ComputerComputerGame of the YearPole PositionLady BugLode RunnerQ*bertRobotron: 2084Pitfall!ShamusJetpacMs. Pac-ManBest Arcade Adaptation KangarooFrogger Donkey KongFrogger Best Movie Adaptation Empire Strikes Back Most Innovative GameQ*bert Archon Astron BeltMicrosurgeonBaseball Best Original Game Ah DiddumsBest Graphics Pole PositionZaxxonWayout Best Special Effects SubRoc-3D Audio/Visual EffectsDragon's LairDonkey Kong Jr. Arcade-Style Game Manic MinerBest Action Game River RaidCentipede CentipedeCentipedeCrossfire Best Ladder Game Donkey KongDonkey KongMiner 2049er Best Maze Game Ms. Pac-ManPac-Man Science Fiction/FantasyXeviousVanguard Best Space Game Buck RogersDemon AttackDefender Best Adventure Game Advanced D&DWitness DragonstomperZork Best Sports Game colspan="3" colspan="2" Soccer Strategy/War Game colspan="3" colspan="2" LegionnaireThe HobbitBest Mini-Arcade Game colspan="3" 3-D Sky Attack colspan="3" Best Software House colspan="4" colspan="3" Ultimate Play the Game Events January – Electronic Games labels Donkey Kong, Space Panic, and other games with ladders as "climbing games."The Player's Guide to Climbing Games Electronic Games January 1983 1 11 49 https://archive.org/stream/Electronic_Games_Volume_01_Number_11_1983-01_Reese_Communications_US#page/n47/mode/2up The fourth Arcade Awards are held, for games released during 1981–1982, with Tron winning best arcade game, Demon Attack best console game, David's Midnight Magic best computer game, and Galaxian best standalone game. A major shakeout of the North American video game industry ("the crash of 1983") begins. By 1986, total video games sales will decrease from US$3.2 billion to US$0.1 billion.Liedholm, Marcus and Mattias The Famicom rules the world! – (1983–89) Nintendo Land http://nintendoland.com/history/hist3.htm February 14, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20100101161115/http://nintendoland.com/history/hist3.htm January 1, 2010 December - Sente Technologies, a division of Pizza Time Theater, launches and demonstrates its first title Snake Pit. Business MCA Universal files suit against Nintendo, claiming that the latter company's video arcade hit Donkey Kong violated Universal's copyright on King Kong. After a brief trial, the judge determined that the rights to the original Kong had passed into the public domain. The case was dismissed, and MCA Universal paid US$1.8 million in damages to Nintendo.,25 Dumbest Moments in Gaming / Universal Goes Ape 2003 GameSpy.com http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/june03/dumbestmoments/index5.shtml February 14, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20070610101933/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/june03/dumbestmoments/index5.shtml June 10, 2007 dead mdy Atari files suit against Coleco, claiming violation of Atari's patents on the Atari 2600 video game console. The previous year, Coleco released a peripheral device that made it possible for Atari 2600 game cartridges to be run on the ColecoVision console.Atari and Coleco New York Times https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E03E2D8173BF93BA35751C0A965948260 February 14, 2006 February 8, 1983 Amusement Developing Section 8 (later known as Sega-AM2), a research and development department of Sega, is established under the supervision of Yu Suzuki in Tokyo, Japan.SEGA-AM2 Co., LTD. MobyGames http://www.mobygames.com/company/sega-am2-co-ltd February 14, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060214055524/http://www.mobygames.com/company/sega-am2-co-ltd February 14, 2006 live Milton Bradley takes over distribution of the Vectrex console after purchasing General Consumer Electronics. New companies: Aackosoft, Alligata, Beyond, Graftgold, Infogrames,Atari – 1972–2004 Atari – Official Corporate Site http://corporate.infogrames.com/history.html https://web.archive.org/web/20061019170744/http://corporate.infogrames.com/history.html October 19, 2006 February 14, 2006 Origin Systems,GameSpot Staff 15 Most Influential Games of All Time / Ultima III: Exodus 2000 GameSpot http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/pc/most_influential/p3.html February 14, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20070703143217/http://www.gamespot.com/ July 3, 2007 live mdy Interplay,Ackerman, Kyle The Saga Behind the Sagas: Interplay and the Business of Gaming 2002 Frictionless Insight http://www.frictionlessinsight.com/archives/2002/06/the-saga-behind.html February 14, 2006 Navarre, Navarre Corporation Completes $12.5 Million Private Placement Navarre Corporation 2003 http://ir.navarre.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=105157&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=478456&highlight= February 14, 2006 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061117034951/http://ir.navarre.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=105157&p=irol-newsArticle_Print&ID=478456&highlight= November 17, 2006 mdy-all Mastertronic, Spectrum HoloByte, Tynesoft Defunct companies: Games by Apollo, U.S. Games, Xonox. Notable releases Games Arcade January – Namco releases Xevious. March – Sega releases Astron Belt in the Japanese market, the second laserdisc video game. It uses pre-rendered, computer-animated film footage as backdrops, overlaid with sprite graphics. May – Atari releases Star Wars, a color vector graphics game based on the popular film franchise.Star Wars KLOV.com http://www.arcade-museum.com/S/Star_Wars.html February 14, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20190222032710/https://www.arcade-museum.com/S/Star_Wars.html February 22, 2019 dead Konami releases Gyruss in Japan. Centuri distributes the game in North America.Gyruss KLOV.com http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8060 February 14, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20150528130436/http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8060 May 28, 2015 dead June 14 – Nintendo releases Mario Bros., which features the first appearance of Mario's brother, Luigi. June 19 – Cinematronics releases Advanced Microcomputer Systems's Dragon's Lair,Dragon's Lair KLOV.com http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7647 February 14, 2006 the third laserdisc video game, and the first in the American market. June – Data East releases Bega's Battle, a laserdisc video game.http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=begas-battle&page=detail&id=230 Bega's Battle arcade video game by Data East USA, Inc. (1983) www.arcade-history.com It uses anime FMV cut scenes to develop a story between the game's shooting stages, which would later become the standard approach to video game storytelling.The Lives and Deaths of the Interactive Movie Travis Fahs IGN March 3, 2008 http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/856/856379p2.html March 11, 2011 July 13, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110713004742/http://uk.retro.ign.com/articles/856/856379p2.html dead August – Sega releases Astron Belt in Europe, as the first laserdisc game in the region.http://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/179/501/astron_belt_review.html Astron Belt arcade game review www.solvalou.com November 7, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20150924103730/http://www.solvalou.com/subpage/arcade_reviews/179/501/astron_belt_review.html September 24, 2015 dead September – Konami releases Track & Field. November – Sega releases Astron Belt in the United States.http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=astron-belt-no.-0a30&page=detail&id=36830 Astron Belt arcade video game by Bally Midway Mfg. (1983) www.arcade-history.com December – Namco releases Pole Position II, adding three additional tracks. Atari releases the trackball-controlled Crystal Castles. Bally/Midway releases Spy Hunter.Spy Hunter KLOV.com http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=9742 February 14, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20070609090720/http://www.klov.com/ June 9, 2007 live mdy They also release Jr. Pac-Man and quiz game Professor Pac-Man without Namco's authorization, and the latter is an immediate flop. Williams releases Blaster, which was originally programmed on an Atari 8-bit computer. Personal computer June – Yuji Horii releases The Portopia Serial Murder Case for the NEC PC-6001 in Japan. It is an influential adventure game that lays the foundations for the visual novel genre.Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken Retro Gamer 85 John Szczepaniak February 2011 http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_kGAOBLrWIr4/TUgMtkSB28I/AAAAAAAACyk/oj3PBRY70HM/s1600/DSC01599.JPG March 16, 2011 (Reprinted at Retro Gamer 85 John Szczepaniak Hardcore Gaming 101 http://blog.hardcoregaming101.net/2011/02/retro-gamer-85.html March 16, 2011) July 8 – Infocom releases Planetfall, which becomes one of their top sellers. August 23 – Origin Systems publishes Ultima III: Exodus, one of the first role-playing video games to use tactical, turn-based combat. It is released for the Apple II, Atari 8-bit computers, Commodore 64, and IBM PC. ASCII releases Bokosuka Wars for the Sharp X1 in Japan. It is a precursor to the tactical role-playing gamehttps://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/vc_bw/index.html VC ボコスカウォーズ www.nintendo.co.jp and real-time strategyhttp://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3135870 Dru Hill: The Chronicle of Druaga https://archive.today/20050119105913/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3135870 January 19, 2005 1up.com genres. Koei releases Nobunaga's Ambition for Japanese computers. Its combination of role-playing, turn-based grand strategy and management simulation elements sets a standard for the historical simulation and strategy RPG genres.Andrew Vestal The History of Console RPGs GameSpot 1998-11-02 http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/rpg_hs/nes8.html 2011-01-06 gspot_consolehist dead https://web.archive.org/web/20090608225623/http://www.gamespot.com/features/vgs/universal/rpg_hs/nes8.html June 8, 2009 Electronic Arts publishes its first five titles: Hard Hat Mack, Pinball Construction Set, Archon: The Light and the Dark, M.U.L.E., and Worms?.Corriea Alexa Ray 30 years ago Electronic Arts shipped its first batch of five games https://www.polygon.com/2013/5/21/4351144/30-years-ago-electronic-arts-shipped-its-first-batch-of-five-games Polygon March 21, 2013 Bug-Byte releases Matthew Smith's Manic Miner, a platform game, for the ZX Spectrum. Broad, Andrew Manic Miner/Jet Set Willy 2006 http://geocities.com/andrewbroad//spectrum/willy/ https://web.archive.org/web/20091026234227/http://geocities.com/andrewbroad/spectrum/willy/ October 26, 2009 February 14, 2006 dead mdy-all Ultimate Play the Game, later known as Rare, releases its first video games, Jetpac and Atic Atac, for the ZX Spectrum.GAMES / timeline http://www.rareware.com/games/timeline/all_timeline.html https://web.archive.org/web/20060822171843/http://rareware.com/games/timeline/all_timeline.html August 22, 2006 Welcome to Rare April 3, 2006 Hudson Soft releases Bomberman for the MSX and FM-7. Psion releases Chequered Flag, the first driving game published for the ZX Spectrum,November 1990 The Complete YS Guide to Driving Games Your Sinclair 59 77 one of the first computer car simulators, and the first driving game with selectable cars.May 1985 Road Racers CRASH 16 45 The 4-player simultaneous Dandy is released for the Atari 8-bit computers. It directly inspires 1985's Gauntlet arcade game. Muse Software releases a port of Castle Wolfenstein for the MS-DOS. Console December 12 – Nintendo publishes Donkey Kong Jr. Math, for the Famicom. Mattel Electronics publishes World Series Baseball for the Intellivision, one of the first video games to use multiple camera angles.Classic Gaming Expo – Don Daglow 2005 Classic Gaming Expo http://www.cgexpo.com/bios/ddaglow.htm February 14, 2006 Activision's final big year of Atari 2600 releases includes Enduro, Decathlon, Keystone Kapers, Robot Tank, and Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space. Hardware Arcade May – Sega Laserdisc hardware releases, as the first laserdisc video game hardware. July – Sega System 1 releases, with Star Jacker game.http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=star-jacker&page=detail&id=2619 Star Jacker arcade video game by SEGA Enterprises (1983) www.arcade-history.com Its graphics chips are later used in the Sega System 16 and Sega Space Harrier boards. December – Namco Libble Rabble (System 16 Universal) releases, as Namco's second arcade system board to use a 16-bit microprocessor. Console thumb|Family Computer July 15 – Sega releases the SG-1000 console in Japan, Sega SC-3000 / SG-1000 Obscure Pixels http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~pinwhiz/sc3000.htm February 14, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060206134426/http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~pinwhiz/sc3000.htm February 6, 2006 dead mdy-all on the same day as the Famicom. July 15 – Nintendo releases the Family Computer (Famicom) console in Japan. Shortly after its release, complaints begin to surface about rampant system instability, prompting Nintendo to issue a product recall and to rerelease the machine with a new motherboard. It would later be released worldwide as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). October – Casio launches the Casio PV-1000 in Japan. It does not remain on the market for long. October – Gakken launches the Compact Vision TV Boy in Japan. It's the last second generation console released. It was expensive and obsolete at launch, being discontinued shortly after. GameLine, a combination modem and dialup game distribution service for the Atari 2600, is announced but never ships. Personal computer January – Apple Computer releases the Apple IIe, which becomes their most popular 8-bit machine. June 16 – Microsoft Japan releases MSX, an early standardized home computer architecture. March – Atari releases the poorly received 1200XL computer. Late in the year it and the rest of the Atari 8-bit computer series are replaced by the 600XL and 800XL. June – Mattel Electronics releases the Aquarius home computer, originally designed by Radofin Electronics Far East.Player 3 Stage 3: Contender to the Throne The Dot Eaters http://www.thedoteaters.com/p3_stage3.php February 14, 2006 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20061109002827/http://www.thedoteaters.com/p3_stage3.php November 9, 2006 October – Coleco releases the Adam home computer.Klein, Eric S. Coleco Adam Eric Klein's Vintage Computers http://www.vintage-computer.com/adam.shtml February 14, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060131094736/http://www.vintage-computer.com/adam.shtml January 31, 2006 live It is only on the market for 15 months. October – Mattel discontinues the Aquarius. Acorn Computers release the Acorn Electron, a cut down version of their BBC Micro to compete in the under £200 home computer market. Problems in manufacture see only 1 in 8 presales being delivered for the Christmas market. Sega releases the SC-3000, a personal computer version of the SG-1000 console, in Japan. Video game-based film and television releases Title Release / premiere date Type Distributor Franchise Original game publisher Ref. Reference(s) Saturday Supercade 1983 9 17 Animated series CBS Broadcasting, Inc. Donkey Kong; Frogger; Q*bert; Pitfall!; Kangaroo; Space Ace Nintendo; Konami; Hasbro Interactive; Activision; Sun Electronics; Atari, Inc.; CinematronicsSaturday Supercade - Mississippi Madness - TheTVDB.com https://thetvdb.com/series/saturday-supercade/episodes/42442 2026-07-07 thetvdb.com See also 1983 in games References 30em Category:Video games by year