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BeatHead (prototype) - MAME machine

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beathead
BeatHead (prototype)
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GAME SYSTEM CHD BIOS DEVICE PARENT CLONE MECHANICAL SCREENLESS

Main data
Romset and name:
beathead BeatHead (prototype)
Short name:
BeatHead
Manufacturer:
Atari Games
Year:
Genre:
Platform
Category:
Platform / Run Jump
Serie:
-
Driver source:
atari/beathead.cpp
Language:
English
Similar games:
Input / Controls
Players:
Up to 2 players (solo, 2 concurrents)
Input:
Joystick 8 ways
Buttons / keys:
Coins:
Cabinet:
-
Free-play:
Not supported
Rankings
Average user rating:
AntoPISA BestGame:
50 to 60 (Not Good Enough)
MASH All-Time:
-
Video
Display:
336x240@60 Hz, CRT 15kHz
Orientation:
Horizontal
Scrolling:
Unknown
Colors:
-
CPU:
Atari ASAP, MOS Technology 6502
Audio
Sound:
Audio chips:
Atari JSA III Sound Board, OKI MSM6295 ADPCM, Speaker, YM2151 OPM
Romset
First release:
Mame 0.37b10 (0.46) released on dec-05 2000
Last release:
Mame 0.264 released on mar-26 2024
Clone of:
-
Bios:
Not required
Use rom of:
-
Use sample of:
-
Previous romset:
None
New romset:
None
Files
Dump:
GOOD
Required files:
Status
OVERALL:
GOOD
Emulation:
Good
Graphic:
Good
Color:
Good
Sound:
Good
Cocktail:
Good
Protection:
Good
Save state:
Supported
Additional infos
  • History
  • Info
  • Score
  • PCB
  • Commands
  • Init
  • Driver
  • XML
  • Arcade Video game published 31 years ago:

    Beat Head © 1993 Atari Games.

    Jump on the tiles that match your color or that have your color and your opponent's color. Jump on enough to fill your spaces before your opponent fills his.

    TECHNICAL
    Main CPU: ASAP (@ 14.31818 Mhz), MOS Technology 6502 (@ 1.7895 Mhz)
    Sound Chips: Yamaha YM2151 (@ 3.579 Mhz), OKI6295 (@ 9.037 Khz)

    Screen orientation: Horizontal
    Video resolution: 336 x 240 pixels
    Screen refresh: 60.00 Hz
    Palette colors: 32768

    Players: 2
    Control: 8-way joystick
    Buttons: 2

    Beat Head has nothing remotely resembling Sprites or M.O.s., the hardware is a fairly naive bitmap, although it is implemented in VRAM, which allows, e.g. fast copies to reduce the CPU needed for static content.

    Beat Head is the only Atari Coin-Op game to derive its 'time base' from the audio, and to do so uses a rarely used feature of CPU/Audio communication. A bug there would not affect any other game, and would manifest in Beat Head as timeouts and 'jerks' as the video was re-sync'd to the audio.

    TRIVIA
    At the time, Atari were very keen to fund 'unusual' game concepts, such as "Toobin'" and Beat Head was one of those chosen. However, the game mechanic was incredibly repetitive and once you'd beaten 5 opponents, not much really changed. The reason for the very limited number of 'waves' is that the game did not get past a 'short field-test' stage. It was intended to be out only a few days. Atari had a pretty bad rep in those days, which showed in the cash box. And Beat Head had fairly powerful enemies within Atari, so it was killed at a very preliminary stage of the program. It certainly was never intended to be so limited.

    The phrase 'Stella on Steroids' on the POST screen is a reference to the old Atari VCS, codenamed 'Stella'.

    CONTRIBUTE
    Edit this entry: https://www.arcade-history.com/?&page=detail&id=221&o=2
    Informations provided by © Alexis Bousiges
    Informations provided by Contribute to the translation
  • Informations provided by
    Informations provided by / © Copyright of Fujix
  • Informations provided by
  • Informations provided by
  • Informations provided by Fabricio Coroquer, revisited from the work of
    NOTICE: The short version was discontinued in November 2019
  • Informations provided by Contribute
  • Informations provided by
  • Informations provided by
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Data updated on march 26 2024


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Romset:
beathead
Title:
BeatHead
Text:
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BeatHead (prototype)
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