Would a 1960's Beatles arcade game have been possible?

[Commie_User]

Oh yes, I'd certainly say so, with the tech available. A period Rock Band machine would have been high maintenance mechanical though. And would have needed to wait until at least Pepper to have real access to decent guitar solos.




But think of what the controllers could have been like, if something like the Magnavox's rifle was anything to go by.



Here's what I think. A tape player would run backing and guitar tracks, with the controller's switch completing the overdub playback circuit. There could have been two playheads set apart by a beat, with light bars fired by each for cues. That may have handled the moving notes on a stave.

(And yeah, you could also have had a compact computer display triggered by some gates, by the time Get Back was done. But I'm sure the guys would have gone with the lights.)



Inaudible tones on the guitar track could've triggered a counter mechanism, different pitches matching up when you got the buttons right. That would take care of the score. And if too many tones were missed by a certain point, the tape would stop, taking your coin with it. If not, a sizeable spool of tape and picture slides may have handled the levels. A simple computer circuit (or clock and switch) could have handled that, giving you the essentials of what we've got now!









Would have been expensive and rare but by, say, 1969, who's to say it wouldn't have recouped its investment thousandfold?





Different story 15 years on though. Anyone could have the Beatles on playalong computer by then.




So what about that then? How could you have done it back in the day?

[Commie_User]

No? Well, I think I'll post some pictures instead.



They used to sing along to a speaker. But if you listen, the spill did add atmosphere. An extreme example is Little Child: http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c80/F ... tudio2.jpg




http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... -fans.html



That's a nice bit of computer imagination.


Look at this picture of Ringo on his own. And that's a very shiny microphone: http://i40.tinypic.com/2yl3g3q.jpg

[Chris Abbott]

I was just thinking how exhausting and expensive it would have been to create a tape of inaudible tones that the machinery could still pick up for the song...

[Commie_User]

Hmm. Would have been possible, perhaps at the expense of dynamic range.

Though maybe celluloid would have been the answer, with twin track film and extra sprocket holes! Lamps and sensors could have done it. Or failing that, perhaps a push-off microswitch lowered by the press of the button, catching the passing hole and racking up another count.

[Chris Abbott]

It probably would have been very unreliable with all those mechanics...

[Commie_User]

Well I don't know, I think celluloid would have been the big answer. King Features could have done the graphics as well and it would have slashed the need for big mechanics and light circuits too.

On second thoughts, just have the switch mountings fixed. Then simply require the controller and microswitch coming on together to complete the right circuit and rack up a point. That would keep it mostly electrical where it counted.



I'm sure it could have been done, especially with the Beatle brand. Even Magic Alex could have done it, saving the Apple shop in one fell swoop! (My friend certainly says she would have been addicted to it back in the day.)