Play Meter

exporting
Video tbetween markets'
Early-model American -made video
games appear to be "between mar-
ket s" as far as exporting to overseas
countr ies is concerned _
Wh ile the demand for early-model
video gear in sophisticated European
markets has been on a downward
trend, South American markets still
have not latched onto the idea, accord -
ing to two exporters _
Video games were introduced to
European markets at practically the
same time they were first available in
the States_ And, consequently, their
demand there has fluctuated much like
it has here_
But exporter V ictor Haim of the
R _H _ Belam Co _ in New York said
demand for video games has complete-
ly collapsed, so far as his firm is
concerned.
"There is no market anymore,"
Haim said. "It has come and gone. It
was great, just as great as it was here_
But it has collapsed overseas very
suddenly and there just is no demand
at all anymore _"
"Exporting demand i ~ restricted to
the type of equ ipment that has a good,
stable value," said Morris Nahum of
Amico I nternational in New York .
"And video gear has a small trade -in
because it is strictly a novelty ma-
chine, and after the novelty is gone
there is no demand for the machine.
So there's this very selective market
for a new novelty machine such as a
video, because the only man who can
buy it is the one who can risk putting
such a machine on location, hop ing
that he can get his money back quick-
ly. "
Nahum says he has never liked
video games, either for the stateside or
the overseas market. He says he thinks
their pure novelty appeal has hurt the
games industry.
But Maynard Ross of Eli Ross
Distributing Co _ doesn't necessarily
agree.
Wurlitzer still wanted
Overseas
ptionograph markets
which have been traditional Wurlitzer
strongholds are showing varied reac-
tions to the company's ceased produc-
tion, accord ing to exporters in the
U.S.
Used phonographs are shipped by
U .S. exporters throughout the world -
more than are new phonos which are
genera Ily too expensive for overseas
buyers because of U .S_ tariffs which
run as high as 100 percent of a new
product's value .
While some traditionally strong
Wurlitzer markets are hesitant to con-
tinue ordering Wurlitzer products,
others are happy to continue buying
them, exporters say.
"Wurlitzer has always been our best
name-brand phonograph for export,"
Maynard Ross of Eli Ross Distributing
Co . "I, as well as many other people,
was sorry to see Wurlitzer cease pro-
duction_ But overseas and in Lat in
America, Wurlitzer has always been a
household word . And today, even
though Wurlitzer is a complicated pho-
nograph mechanically, it is in more
demand even than our own phono-
graph (Rock -Ola) ."
Ross offered a simple explanation
for Wurlitzer's continued popularity in
many markets. He said the phono-
graph was one of the first models
available for exporting to several major
markets, and consequently customers
became fam ili ar with them and always
asked for them .
He added, though, that he thinks
the market for Wurlitzer will probably
begin to decline.
George DeMoya of Caribex Inter-
national in Miami said South America
is still strong on Wurlitzer, "and they
have no second thoughts about contin -
uing to order them as long as I can
supply the parts and service them ."
Victor Haim of the R.H . Belam Co .
in New York said, "The areas which
have had Wurlitzer still want Wurlitzer
believe it or not. There is still a
relatively good demand for old Wurlit-
zers, before the Model 3400. After the
3400 there is none ."
But Morris Nahum of Amico Inter-
national Marketing in New York said
"Video games are in high demand
because of their novelty, " Ross said .
"The new games which have come cut
using bas ically the original idea are in
high demand now _"
Meanwhile, the South American
market still ha s not made a move
toward video games, says George De-
Moya of Caribex Internat ional in
Miami.
"It's not a matter of expenses, that
is, that the equipment is too high for
South American distributors to afford.
It's simply a matter of technology,"
DeMoya said . "South Amer ica n dis-
tr ibutors don't want to handle them
because they are too complicated elec-
tronically , and they don't have the
technical know -how to service them ."
•••
Touch-Me
( o nt. fr m Page 27 )
enough for the player to 'confirm' the
sound to the computer by pressing the
same button that was lighted," the
company says.
"A digital score w indow shows the
total number of different sound se-
quences a player correctly repeats.
Nobody can play it just once because
TOUCH ME challenges your memory_
You've GOT to play it again because
you MUST be able to do better than
the first time," Atar i contends.
Like all Atari computer games,
TO UCH ME has had the special Dura-
Stress computer process; the latest in
solid -state technology, for long life
and maintenance free operation, the
company says_
•••
demand for Wurlitzer phonographs, so
far as his firm is concerned, has "drop-
ped tremendously ."
"Since Wurlitzer discontinued its
operation, a lot of operators are afraid
that they won't be able to get spare
parts_ Now there is a second thought,"
he said. "Some operators say, 'Well, if
other machines have prices that are
really right, then why should I con -
tinue to buy Wurlitzer equipment?'''
Nahum added, though, that many
people stay with Wurlitzer because of
the lower prices on their used ma-
chines . He said a four-year -old Wurlit-
zer is selling for around $400, as
compared to a price of about 5800 for
a similar Seeburg model of the same
age.
• ••
49