Name: Periscope - 魚雷凳射機 (Torpedo launcher)
Year: 1965
Manufacturer: 中村製作所 (Nakamura Seisakusho)
The first in the Periscope series, we must immediately defer to the excellent article "Who Created Periscope?" over at The History Of How We Play. As with any dates of 1973 and before, please exercise caution. We are re-assembling the historical record from the shards of information available to us.
While the game has PERISCOPE written along the top, it is also referred to as 魚雷凳射機 in the 1969 Machine Directory, which translates to Torpedo Launcher, or Torpedo Shoot. I prefer calling it Torpedo Launcher since there was a British game in 1965 called Torpedo Shoot. (please see article linked above)
There is a 1966 version of this machine that seems almost the same, and some people have suggested it is an improved model. In the 1969 Machine Directory we see BOTH versions advertised though. Some times we see games that have an initial version, and are then replaced by an improved version shortly after. If both were being sold in 1969, it implies it was not just a iterative improvement. Both machines are ALSO in the 1972 Machine Directory! But then neither is in the 1973 directory. They both had quite an exceptional run.
Let's compare the specs:
1965: 2500mm height x 3400mm wide x 2600mm deep
1966: 2000mm height x 3600mm wide x 2500mm deep
The 1965 unit is a half-meter taller, so perhaps the 1966 edition was more appropriate for arcades with normal ceilings, and the original 1965 model more appropriate for rooftops and locations with less size constraints. (for Americans: 98.4" vs 78.7", or 8.2 feet vs 6.5 feet)
The 1965 picture we have shows a different instrument panel at the front (1965 has a valve wheel, 1966 has 5 switches plus a coin door in the instrument panel,) but I am unsure if the 1965 style of machine kept that same door style.
The Periscope series:
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