a foreigners' guide to eremeka arcades - 外国人のためのエレメカアーケードゲームガイド

Friday, 26 June 2026

1976 Super Wall Street - スーパーウォールストリート [import] by Bally & バリジャパン (Bally Japan)

Name: Super Wall Street - スーパーウォールストリート

Year: 1976

Company: Bally & バリジャパン (Bally Japan)

IPDB does not list a manufacturer date for Super Wall Street but it is most likely 1976.

flyer scan by Mike Minchew

Amsuement 1976-03

Amusement 1976-12

backglass via IPDB

Bally Japan at the annual trade show
Amusement 1976-11

OCR:

(株) バリー・ジャパン
英文で書かれたカタログ集に目を白黒、カタログ集をもらった人達の表情はまずこういったところ。同じみのバリー社製品を扱っている。
ビンゴゲーム機スーパーウォールストリート、ブル・マーケット、フリッパーゲーム機アラジンキャッスル、フリーダム、スロットマシンのゴールドラッシュの展示。いずれもなじみ深い人気商品とあって、立ち止まる人がひときわ多いコーナーであった。

Machine translation:

Bally Japan Co., Ltd.
People's eyes widened in surprise at the catalogs written in English; this was the first reaction of those who received the catalogs. They handle products from the familiar Bally company.
The exhibit included the bingo game machines Super Wall Street and Bull Market, the flipper game machines Aladdin Castle and Freedom, and the slot machine Gold Rush. As these are all familiar and popular products, this corner attracted a particularly large number of people.

IPDB says this was a conversion to 1974 Bali, and we can see Bali does have the same cabinet art.

ipdb

1976 Bull Market - ブル・マーケット [import, 1976] by Bally & バリージャパン (Bally Japan)

Name: Bull Market - ブル・マーケット

Year: 1976

Company: Bally & バリージャパン (Bally Japan)

Bull Market is a Bally game that might only have been sold in Japan. The only documentation we have seen is from Japan. IPDB has the release date of 1976-03-15.

flyer scan by Mike Minchew

Amusement 1976-06

Game Machine 1976-08-15

Bally Japan at the annual trade show
Amusement 1976-11

OCR:

Machine translation:

Game Machine 1976-08-15

Game Machine 1976-10-01

Amsuement 1976-06

OCR:

ブル・マーケット
バリージャパン・コーポレーションからこのほど、米国バリー社製ビンゴゲーム機“ブル・マーケット”が発売された。
遊び方は、6枚のコインを投入すると盤面の6ヵ所のカードが表示され、その中から自分の配列を決めて、 5つの球で1から25までの数字を狙い打ちする。タテ、ヨコ、ナナメのいずれでもよく、3つ以上並べる。
この際に、エキストラコインを入れておくと、3ボール目か4ボール目の打球前に、各カードの中央スポットを移動できるチャンスがある。また、コーナーが点灯すれば5-IN-LINEと同得点のチャンスが与えられるなど、ゲームの楽しみが増す様な工夫が、たくさんある。

<仕様>
サイズ:幅710m/m/高さ1,860m/m/奥行1,450m/m
重量 161 kg
電気関係: 110V/250W/50-60Hz
<お問合せ先> バリージャパン・コーポレーション
本社東京都港区東麻布1-26-1 赤羽橋ビル
03(583)0881(代) 〒106

Machine translation:

Bull Market
Bally Japan Corporation has recently released the "Bull Market" bingo game machine, manufactured by Bally, Inc. of the United States.
To play, insert six coins, and six cards will appear on the board. Players choose their own arrangement and use five balls to aim for numbers from 1 to 25. Numbers can be lined up vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, and the goal is to get three or more in a row.
If an extra coin is inserted, there is a chance to move the center spot of each card before the third or fourth ball. Furthermore, lighting up a corner gives the player a chance to score the same as a 5-in-line, among other features that enhance the enjoyment of the game.

<Specifications>
Size: Width 710mm / Height 1,860mm / Depth 1,450mm
Weight: 161 kg
Electrical: 110V/250W/50-60Hz
<Contact Information> Barry Japan Corporation
Head Office: Akabanebashi Building, 1-26-1 Higashi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo
03(583)0881 (Main) 106

Bull Market appears to be a conversion for the 1975 game Blue Chip. The side art matches, and the backglass appears to just have a name change.

Blue Chip @ IPDB

Thursday, 18 June 2026

1970 Super Road 7 - スーパーロードセブン by 太東貿易 (Taito Trading)

Name: Super Road 7 - スーパーロードセブン

Year: 1970

Company: 太東貿易 (Taito Trading)

1972 machine directory entry

Taito 40th anniversary book entry showing 1970

English (export) flyer

English language ad seen in Cash Box. (I lost the reference)

Photos of the marquee from an auction. A Game Mate sticker was placed over the Taito logo.

The Japan Game Museum channel has a number of short videos that showcase the machine.

Monday, 15 June 2026

1971 Carnival - カーニバル by セガ (Sega)

Name: Carnival - カーニバル

Year: 1971

Company: セガ (Sega)

Carnival is notable for the vertical bagatelle playfield in the backbox.

IPDB.org entry

flyer scan available at The Internet Archive

from Japan Game Museum:

Tuesday, 2 June 2026

1980 Fantastic Telectron - テレクトロン by 藤商事 (Fuji Shoji)

Name: Fantastic Telectron - テレクトロン

Year: 1980

Company: 藤商事 (Fuji Shoji)

I wanted to put this stub article up as a companion to 1979 テレコンカラー太陽 Challenge Ball (Telecon color sun Challenge Ball) by 太陽電子 (Taiyo Denshi — Electron) to showcase more how the rise of videogames influenced arrangeball.

Here is a full page advertisement that showcases 4 different game modes:

1980-01 Play Graph プレイグラフ

And focusing on just the game screens:

1) idle message
2) arrange ball screen
3) game start screen
4) Invaders

This machine has a joystick at the bottom-left of the machine and a Shoot button on the right. The 1979 Telecon only had the single button.

controls, including joystick on left and button on right.

Tuesday, 12 May 2026

1979 テレコンカラー太陽 Challenge Ball (Telecon color sun Challenge Ball) by 太陽電子 (Taiyo Denshi — Electron)

Name: テレコンカラー太陽 Challenge Ball (Telecon color sun Challenge Ball)

Year: 1979

Company: 太陽電子 (Taiyo Denshi — Electron)

Telecon was the earliest arrangeball I've seen that has a a TV screen inside of it. Also from 1979, TV Sparrow Ball is another title that has a screen embedded. Where that game keeps track of your mahjong game on the screen, the article on Telecon below says it has Space Invaders and Breakout-style minigames. How are they controlled? You press the button near the pachinko handle to fire a missile in the UFO game. Press a button to stop the roulette wheel in the worm roulette game. Were they hoping to also include a Breakout-style game?

Tweakbod found this article in the Japanese-language San Fransisco newspaper Hokubei Mainichi, and provided the transcription and machine translation.

full page 2 of Hokubei Mainichi 1979-07-21

article excerpted from Hokubei Mainichi 1979-07-21

Machine translation:

Invader Pachinko Arrives: The Allure of Winning Prizes

(Nagoya) Striking Back at the Invaders—! The pachinko industry, left gasping for air as the Invader craze siphoned away its customers, has found a new source of buzz with the debut of the “Telecon Machine”—a device that could be described as Invader Pachinko.

　Developed by a pachinko machine manufacturer in Nagoya, the machine’s key innovation lies in embedding a small television screen directly into the center of the pachinko cabinet, allowing players to enjoy both pachinko and an Invader-style game simultaneously. Following its debut in Kanda, Tokyo, this past July, the machine is now set to appear in locations across the country. Unlike Invader games—which typically involve spending money without any tangible return—this machine offers the chance to win prizes. Consequently, pachinko parlor operators are already enthusiastic about using the “Telecon Machine” as their trump card for a pachinko industry resurgence. “This is the leading contender for the 'Post-Invader' era,” remarked (Owner of M Pachinko Parlor in Kanda, Tokyo) “With this, we can bring our customers back.”

　Pachinko, once the undisputed king of mass entertainment, has recently seen its crown usurped by the Invader boom. As operators face a wave of business closures and industry exits—with some lamenting, “At this rate, it’s a matter of survival” (as noted by D Pachinko in Nagoya City)—the industry has been racking its brains to devise countermeasures against the Invaders. It is against this backdrop—carrying the industry's hopes for revitalization—that the Telecon Machine has made its debut.

　Playing the Telecon Machine is simple: insert a metal token (priced at 50–70 yen each) to start the game. Following the same mechanics as traditional pachinko, players launch 16 steel balls into a designated catch-tray (replacing the traditional tulip pockets); successfully doing so allows them to manipulate the numbers displayed on the TV screen mounted in the center of the cabinet. If the numbers align vertically, the TV screen instantly transforms into a UFO-shooting game; if they align horizontally, it switches to a block-breaker style game. As players fire missiles to target the erratically moving UFOs, the machine emits electronic sound effects—such as “pyun-pyun” and “gwaaan”—creating an atmosphere that perfectly captures the spirit of the original Invader game. In short, the Telecon Machine offers the pure fun of the Invader experience, combined with the unique pachinko thrill of winning prizes.

　The price of a single Telecon Machine unit is approximately 300,000 yen—about three times the cost of a standard electric pachinko machine—yet in terms of capital investment, it remains cheaper than the 500,000 yen required for an Invader. Consequently, the industry is making bullish projections: “With the Invader craze finally showing signs of winding down, this is bound to be the next big hit as a wholesome form of adult entertainment” (T Electronics, the developer of the Telecon Machine); and, “Just like with pachinko, entry is restricted to those aged 18 and over, so there is no need to worry about issues regarding juvenile delinquency” (Nagoya City Amusement Association). But the question remains: will they truly be able to shoot down Invader exactly as they’ve calculated?

[Photo Caption]
A pachinko machine featuring a small built-in television screen in the center, allowing players to enjoy Invader games as well.

Japanese transcript:

インベーダーパチンコ登場景品とれる魅力

（名古屋）インベーダに反撃――。インベーダーブームでお客を奪われて青息吐息のパチンコ業界に、インベーダー・パチンコともいえる『テレコン・マシン』が登場、話題を呼んでいる。

　名古屋のパチンコ機械メーカーが開発したもので、パチンコ台の中央に小型テレビを組み込み、パチンコとインベーダーゲームが同時に楽しめるのがミソ。七月に東京・神田にデビューするのを皮切りに、全国各地でお目見えする。お金を使いっぱなしのインベーダーと違い景品も取れるとあって、早くもパチンコ業者は『ポスト・インベーダーの本命だ。これで、お客を呼び戻すことができる』（東京・神田のMパチンコ店主）と、テレコン・マシンをパチンコ再浮上の切り札にしようと意気込んでいる。

　大衆娯楽の王座を占めていたパチンコも、最近のインベーダーブームにお株を奪われて転廃業する業者が相次ぎ『このままでは死活問題だ』（名古屋市内のDパチンコ店）と、インベーダー対策に頭を痛めている。こうした業界再生の願いを背負って登場したのがテレコン・マシンだ。

　テレコン・マシンの遊び方は、メタル（一枚五十–七十円）を投入してゲーム開始。パチンコと同じ要領で、チューリップの代わりに設けた玉受け台に十六個の玉をはじき入れて、台の中央に取り付けたテレビ画面の数字を操作する。数字が縦に並ぶとテレビ画面はUFOゲームに早替わりし横に数字が並んだ場合はブロック崩しゲームになる。ギザギザに動き回るUFOをねらってミサイルを発射すると『ピュン』ピュン』『グワーン』という電子音も出て、インベーダーゲームのふん囲気は十分。インベーダーの楽しさに加え、景品を取る魅力もある。

　テレコン・マシンの価格は、一台約三十万円で電動式パチンコ台の約三倍だが、インベーダーの五十万円に比べると設備費は安い。このため、業界では『そろそろ先が見えてきたインベーダーに代わって、大人の健全娯楽としてヒットするのは間違いない」（テレコン・マシンを開発したT電子）『パチンコと同じく十八歳未満は入場できないので、青少年の非行問題の心配もない」（名古屋市遊技場組合）と、強気のソロバンをはじいているが、果たして思惑通りインベーダーを撃ち落とせるか……。

[photo caption]
台の中央に小型テレビを組み込みインベーダーゲームも楽しめるパンチコ台

Here is a 2-page add from Play Graph 1980-01, which seems to include different game ideas.

Sunday, 10 May 2026

1979 Asteroid Killer by ユニバーサル (Universal)

Name: Asteroid Killer

Year: 1979

Company: ユニバーサル (Universal)

The only image I've seen of Asteroid Killer so far is from this write-up in Play Meter 1979-12-15. The image shown above is the highest-resolution composite image, taken from the scan. (normally I limit images to 1200p)

Play Meter 1979-12-15

The IPDB has this game as 1980, and it probably was released in 1980. But for this database we follow the methodology of tracking when a game first appears. So if it's shown in 1979, we're marking that down as 1979.

Another note is that I do not use any Japanese characters for the game. I do not use a Japanese title until I see it used by a primary source. I wonder if this machine was ever mentioned in Game Machine, and I missed it? I currently do not have any Japanese magazines from 1979-12 or early 1980s.

photo: シグマ (Sigma) bingo pinball at ビンゴイン池袋 (Bingo-In Ikebukuro), circa late 1980s

The following photograph was shared by @PokerSintra in cooperation with @kiwilovelove. (archive)

ビンゴイン池袋 (Bingo-In Ikebukuro)

They commented:

西一番街ピース座2階に入居していました
1990年に再開発のため建替えられています

Machine translation:

It was located on the 2nd floor of the Peace Theater in Nishi Ichiban-gai.
It was rebuilt in 1990 due to redevelopment.

Pin-up Girls was released in 1986 and I believe that is the latest machine we can see. That means this photograph was taken between 1986 and 1990.

For many of these machines, this photo is now the best image we have of them! I am grateful to see it and thank you for letting me share it. In the eremeka tool you can see our progress documenting the Sigma bingo pinball machines.