The Datsun 280Z Was The First Automobile With A Licensed Video Recreation

Think about stripping down the idea of a driving online game to the naked necessities. A black background with vertical white sticks creates the highway, and your automobile is only a decal on the display screen. That is what the 1977 arcade sport 280 ZZZAP does, and it was the primary online game ever to have a licensed tie-in from an automaker.

Earlier than moving into 280 ZZZAP, it is important to grasp the online game scene within the ’70s. This type of leisure wasn’t actually out there to shoppers earlier than this decade. The Magnavox Odyssey dwelling console arrived in 1972, and Pong hit arcades the identical yr. From there, issues rapidly turned extra subtle.

In 1976, the first-person driving online game had a sudden growth. At that yr’s Amusement & Music Operators Affiliation Present, there have been two competing, but very related, experiences. Atari introduced Night time Driver, and Halfway had Nite Racer. Each had been apparently closely impressed by a German sport referred to as Nürburgring 1 from earlier that yr.

Play Meter journal wrote concerning the Atari and Halfway video games on the time, saying, “Probably the most attention-grabbing factor concerning the video evening racing video games is that they introduce a sense of depth, thus including a 3rd dimension to video video games.” 

Someday between exhibiting the sport on the conference in November 1976 and its launch in 1977, Halfway’s mum or dad, Bally, was in a position to strike a licensing cope with Datsun (now Nissan) to make use of the 280Z within the sport. The identify modified from Nite Racer to the way more thrilling 280 ZZZAP.

We reached out to Nissan in hopes of getting some inside information about how Bally and Datsun made this deal. Sadly, the corporate wasn’t in a position to present us with any particulars.

280 ZZZAP is so simple as a driving sport could be. The arcade cupboard has a steering wheel, a high-low gearshift, and a single pedal for controlling acceleration. Apparently, this automobile exists in a world the place braking is pointless. A decal of a 280Z’s nostril is on the backside of the display screen, and a painted sky scene sits on the high. The participant drives by vertical poles marking the highway. The longer you final, the extra factors you earn. Warnings on the display screen point out the advisable pace for an upcoming nook. Crashing into the edges resulted in messages like BOOM, BANG, and ZAP.

Whereas 280 ZZZAP promoted the automobile in arcades, the 1977 ZZAP Version highway automobile marketed the sport on the streets. Restricted to only 1,000 vehicles, it acquired a Solar Burst Yellow physique with orange, purple, and black stripe decals adorning the aspect sills and hood. Black accents had been additionally on the roof and tail. The rear obtained window louvers on the hatch. The powertrain carried over from the usual coupe with a 2.8-liter inline-six making 170 horsepower.

Halfway additionally held a sweepstakes the place it was doable to win a 280Z, together with prizes like an RCA coloration TV. A classic arcade-focused weblog claimed that an individual in Rhode Island gained the automobile.

The 280 ZZZAP wasn’t solely an arcade sport. In 1978, a model got here out for the Bally Astrocade dwelling console. Not like the unique, this variant had colours past black and white, together with a purple automobile with a purple hood and a magenta sky.

If Datsun hadn’t achieved it, there certainly would have been one other automaker to sponsor a online game. However some firm needed to pursue this enterprise enterprise first. With out Datsun taking step one, we could not drive Nissans, Toyotas, or Ferraris in video games like Forza Motorsport or Gran Turismo. 

If you’ll find a 280 ZZZAP arcade cupboard drop in 1 / 4 and take a drive. Emulating the sport (like within the video under) takes away what makes it particular as a result of they cannot present the automobile decal, sky, or fake wooden encompass for the devices.