A 1979 vector-graphics space shooter by Atari where players pilot a triangular ship that shoots and dodges drifting asteroids and flying saucers.
Origin
Designed by Lyle Rains and Ed Logg, Asteroids used a vector display to render crisp wireframe graphics that stood apart from the era’s raster shooters. The ship rotates, thrusts, and fires in a 360-degree playfield with wrap-around edges.
Arcade success
Asteroids was Atari’s best-selling arcade game, with more than 70,000 cabinets sold. Players competed for high scores, and the game’s hardware allowed players to enter their initials — a feature that became standard.
Legacy
The physics-based momentum of the ship and the splitting of asteroids into smaller fragments became templates for later games. Asteroids remains a touchstone of early arcade design.
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