The steering mechanism moves an electrical contact back and forth across a metal plate. However, the clear plastic film that the cars are on sits between the contact and the plate, preventing a circuit. There are holes in the film that allow the contact to touch, and now you've got collision detection. Very elegant.
Adam Savage made a video about it, where they examined a CT scan of the game to see how it works.
We are a party on New Year’s Eve probably 1998. It was 11:40 and the ball drop was dropping downtown. We decided to try and drive down there. We piled in the car. We made it down there and saw the ball drop.
My buddy’s comment in the back seat “That was a high score in Rad Racer, no doubt.”
Yeah I wasn't rich enough to own an arcade game. Played that one plenty at the skating rink back then, but not sure this one was available in the home. My older sister was the Atari 2600 kid. I was the 8-bit Nintendo kid.
Still have mine. gd thing has rubber bands on the inside so it just turned to shit after 40 years. Still have ADHD dreams of fixing it though, so it sits on my desk until the end of time itself.
Not gonna lie as a 5 year old this was my first "video game".
I use to love playing this and when my father noticed he when into the cellar storage and found his old Atari he got from just before I was born. We played Space Invaders and Pac-Man. I loved playing that Atari.
Like a few months after that my parents got me a Nintendo Entertainment System because a neighbor's kid had one and I was always begging to go visit to play Super Mario Brothers.
The resting is this history. Now I'm in my mid 40s and still am a video gamer lol.
I used to visit a well off friend of mine who had drywall, popcorn ceiling, and this game. It was like being best friends with Richie Rich. I stayed up all night playing that game and watching cable TV when it actually didn’t have commercials
I had one of these when I was real little. I wound up getting both OutRun and later OutRunners for my Sega Genesis, which made up nicely for that little toy.
A friend had one so I definitely knew they existed, and it’s very KITT like. Still I never wanted one. Wrong scale I guess. I was all about Masters of the universe and Lego.
I lived in Nebraska with my dad, every summer my brother and I would fly down to Texas and stay with my mom for the summer. First thing I did was run to my room and play with this toy. I really wish I would have kept it for my own kids.
oh_hai_mark1@reddit
Had that one, but also grew up playing this hand me down one from my older cousins.
dystopika@reddit
I had one of those!
rrickitickitavi@reddit
That game was addicting. I’m still curious how they implemented the collision detection.
lolWatAmIDoingHere@reddit
The steering mechanism moves an electrical contact back and forth across a metal plate. However, the clear plastic film that the cars are on sits between the contact and the plate, preventing a circuit. There are holes in the film that allow the contact to touch, and now you've got collision detection. Very elegant.
Adam Savage made a video about it, where they examined a CT scan of the game to see how it works.
rrickitickitavi@reddit
Very cool. Thanks.
zsrh@reddit
I had one of these as a kid, fond memories of playing with it.
absentlyric@reddit
I wanted one of these so bad as a kid! I only saw pics in gift catalogs but it looked so high tech.
throwawayfromPA1701@reddit
If I had one of these I wonder if I'd have developed any interest in driving.
FalconGK81@reddit
OMG, I forgot all about this thing. We never had one, but I played it at a couple of my friend's houses. Very cool tech.
BlueMeBeWhoMeBe@reddit
It's no Road Rash but it was fun.
Due_Professional_870@reddit
holy crap i forgot about this and now im going to buy one. grandmas house during xmas. thanks for the memory revive!
ES_Legman@reddit
I was too poor for this
mcjon77@reddit
My great-grandfather gave me one of those for my birthday. It was one of the coolest gifts I ever got.
Aeronor@reddit
I had this except it was a jet and you could (sort of) shoot and bomb things.
solocrowd@reddit
I loved that game! The video should have demonstrated how if you hit the trees it made a clicking sound, at least that’s how I remember it.
Clear_Tangerine5110@reddit
The next step up from that:
banjovi68419@reddit
That's Lucas. He's so..... bad.
juice5tyle@reddit
The wizard! Great pull
semidivineone@reddit
Rad racer?
spazilator@reddit
I used to play the fuck out of some Rad Racer as a lad
Why_So-Serious@reddit
We are a party on New Year’s Eve probably 1998. It was 11:40 and the ball drop was dropping downtown. We decided to try and drive down there. We piled in the car. We made it down there and saw the ball drop.
My buddy’s comment in the back seat “That was a high score in Rad Racer, no doubt.”
All those years of Rad Racer paid off.
Clear_Tangerine5110@reddit
In all of its 8-bit splendor.
YogurtclosetDull2380@reddit
You're thinking of Pole Position
Clear_Tangerine5110@reddit
No I'm definitely thinking of Rad Racer since that's what I had as a kid.
YogurtclosetDull2380@reddit
Oh. Well you missed a step. 😉
Clear_Tangerine5110@reddit
Yeah I wasn't rich enough to own an arcade game. Played that one plenty at the skating rink back then, but not sure this one was available in the home. My older sister was the Atari 2600 kid. I was the 8-bit Nintendo kid.
ReoEagle@reddit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r21Zfmw7moI I need one of these
E-2theRescue@reddit
Song A: When things are going fine
Song B: When things are going great
Song C: When it's time to get serious
Old-Tangelo-861@reddit
Me juatt realising there is a left hand drive version of this toy.
DJDevon3@reddit
Possibly inspired by the 1983 Mazda 626 electronic dashboard.
fordlincolnhg@reddit
I had one of these! Thanks for unlocking that memory.
ashurbanipal420@reddit
I miss the days when the simplest things were the most entertaining. This was my hoop and a stick.
Dry-Lifeguard-5754@reddit
Wow! That definitely brought back some early memories
Chicken_Water@reddit
Still have mine. gd thing has rubber bands on the inside so it just turned to shit after 40 years. Still have ADHD dreams of fixing it though, so it sits on my desk until the end of time itself.
sum_gamer@reddit
Of all the things my ADHD has pushed me to take apart and repair… this one sounds insanely easy.
Alucard-VS-Artorias@reddit
Not gonna lie as a 5 year old this was my first "video game".
I use to love playing this and when my father noticed he when into the cellar storage and found his old Atari he got from just before I was born. We played Space Invaders and Pac-Man. I loved playing that Atari.
Like a few months after that my parents got me a Nintendo Entertainment System because a neighbor's kid had one and I was always begging to go visit to play Super Mario Brothers.
The resting is this history. Now I'm in my mid 40s and still am a video gamer lol.
ixnine@reddit
I’m to the far right, in the middle is an old friend holding one, circa 1990
MistaRekt@reddit
We had colour in 1990... You were too poor for colour too?
Emannuelle-in-space@reddit
I got one handmedown in ‘90 and I felt like I’d won the lottery
git_push_origin_prod@reddit
I used to visit a well off friend of mine who had drywall, popcorn ceiling, and this game. It was like being best friends with Richie Rich. I stayed up all night playing that game and watching cable TV when it actually didn’t have commercials
DifficultyNo9712@reddit
I had one of these when I was real little. I wound up getting both OutRun and later OutRunners for my Sega Genesis, which made up nicely for that little toy.
amateurviking@reddit
I loved this to bits. Funnily enough my 4yo is super into cars and this would be a fantastic toy for him now. Are there modern equivalents?
Username524@reddit
Omg I had this and forgot about it until now.
Surprise_Donut@reddit
this was great fun
Blando-Cartesian@reddit
A friend had one so I definitely knew they existed, and it’s very KITT like. Still I never wanted one. Wrong scale I guess. I was all about Masters of the universe and Lego.
RootyPooster@reddit
Looked like a new high score.
mstermind@reddit
Good Memories unlocked. Got one of those for my 7th birthday.
GonnaGoFat@reddit
I used to see one of these in a Consumers Distributing magazine every Christmas. I asked for it but never got one.
ohmbrew@reddit
Loved this thing! I watched a YouTube clip a couple years ago about how it works...pretty clever for its time.
Unanimous_D@reddit
I remember playing with these in the toy departments of Macy's, Gimbles, Alexander's, etc. Well, while they worked anyway.
Stratocaster213@reddit
I had one. Wow. Thanks for the memories.
sk3pt1c@reddit
Aw hell to the yeah!
Wactout@reddit
This was at one point, the best thing I knew in life.
I never knew how dissatisfied I would be with the rest of it.
Gorkymalorki@reddit
I lived in Nebraska with my dad, every summer my brother and I would fly down to Texas and stay with my mom for the summer. First thing I did was run to my room and play with this toy. I really wish I would have kept it for my own kids.
endtheme@reddit
I really wanted this but never had it. Good to know it sucked shit.
mangocalrissian@reddit
Definitely had this.
GoldDeloreanDoors@reddit
Wow forgot about this!!!
Additional_Egg7024@reddit
Learned to drive on that bad boy
RockTheGrock@reddit
Makes me think of the virtual boy and those red lights and the head aches too. Think I still have one of those in storage somewhere...
101violations@reddit
Between this and Pole Position I really thought I was a race car driver.
banjovi68419@reddit
I HAD THIS
endofmyropeohshit@reddit
I remember
justjohn77@reddit
And this toy here is why I drive way too fast now on curvy mountain roads. /mindblown
Still_Detail_4285@reddit
I had this!!!! Completely forgot about it. My parents never bought cool things for us, I cannot explain how much use this thing got.
69goldeneye@reddit
I remember someone making a working version of this
Numerous-Ad-3542@reddit
Dude I forgot I had one of these… I feel old but very fortunate to have experienced that
tillyspeed81@reddit
That’s how I learned to drive
InsideBase9235@reddit
My brother had one of these!! Thanks for bringing back those great memories!
QueenInYellowLace@reddit
Holy cow, I played this a billion times. Poorly.
chronicnerv@reddit
I was a proud owner of one of Toby products, Also had the blue spaceship version also. Amazing games.
taleofbenji@reddit
For the longest time I thought I could beat that game. I was a dumb kid.