Hardware Heaven
Bally Professional Arcade
HARDWARE HEAVEN: BALLY PROFESSIONAL ARCADE
» MANUFACTURER: Bally » YEAR: 1978 » COST: $299 (launch), £320+ (today, boxed), £160+ (today, unboxed)
The Bally Professional Arcade was certainly an ambitious machine. Designed by Midway, then the videogame subsidiary of Bally, it was designed to offer high-quality games and simple computer functions via the BASIC programming cartridge. The look of the machine bears all the late-Seventies hallmarks, including wood effects, gold trim and a number pad, with the most remarkable inclusion being the smoked glass effect panel that covers a generous storage bay – enough for over a dozen cartridges.