February 7, 2026
Periscope nostalgia, comment chaos
Unseen Footage of Atari Battlezone Arcade Cabinet Production
Lost Atari factory video shows Battlezone cabinets born — fans losing it
TLDR: Unseen video shows Atari’s factory cranking out Battlezone cabinets in 1980, complete with that infamous periscope view. Fans are split between calling it genius early immersion and a claustrophobic nightmare, with jokes about “short player” steps and back‑breaking cabinets fueling a nostalgia‑soaked comment brawl.
The beloved Arcade Blogger roared back with unseen factory footage of Atari’s 1980s assembly line, showing how the iconic Battlezone arcade cabinets were built in Sunnyvale. And the comments? Absolute chaos — the periscope viewfinder has become the internet’s new love‑to‑fight‑about toy. One fan raved that the glowing vector display (those crisp line‑graphics screens) felt like a panic‑inducing submarine drill — terrifying and cool at the same time. Others clapped back: it wasn’t a flaw, it was the point. “Proto‑VR,” they call it — immersion before headsets were a thing.
Meanwhile, old‑school tech nostalgics are swooning over Ed Rotberg’s gutsy design push and that cabinet engineering swagger, including designer Mike Querio’s removable “short player” step. Cue the memes: “Short kings, rise up,” and “That step saved more shipping fees than my last job.” Another thread joked the 13,000 cabinets produced were “how chiropractors paid for college,” while factory‑floor freeze‑frames sparked a cheeky “OSHA would faint” chorus.
The real split? Purists insist the periscope and vector glow are the only true Battlezone; everyone else says modern ports are fine, thanks. Either way, the footage — no narration, just the hum of production — has fans time‑traveling to the golden age, arguing whether the periscope was genius… or the coolest claustrophobia you’ll ever pay 25 cents for.
Key Points
- •Previously unseen footage shows Battlezone cabinet production at Atari’s Sunnyvale Coin-Op facility in late summer/early fall 1980.
- •The video documents later assembly stages, finishing, packing, and shipping of cabinets.
- •Ed Rotberg developed Battlezone as a vector-driven first-person tank simulation, advancing Atari’s vector technology.
- •Industrial designer Mike Querio detailed cabinet features: periscope vision, added acrylic side windows (requested by project manager Morgan Hoff), and a removable step for shorter players that reduced shipping size.
- •About 13,000 Battlezone uprights were produced between August 1980 and March 1981.