Star Wars Electronic Laser Battle was one of the first electronic games based on the battles in A New Hope. This image shows an early prototype that is typical for electronic game prototypes since the circuitry and power supply are contained in a separate unit attached by wiring. Since the hand-made electronic prototypes are designed to demonstrate the game features, miniaturing the circuitry and containing it in the main unit is not the primary objective, although it's something that gets addressed later in the production process.
Although the top view of this prototype is very similar to the production toy, the differences end there. This photo shows a basic white unit with round buttons and simple artwork while the final product is made of black plastic with significantly more detail around the center with a transparent Death Star. Two players act as X- wing pilots in the game, and the objective is to be the first to make the run on the Death Star. Kenner opted to leave the Y-wings entirely out, probably because none of them seem to be able to make it through the trench anyway. The game features lights and sound effects that were cutting edge technology in 1978 as the new era of electronic games was emerging in the toy industry.
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