The archive currently holds 239 recorded and checked (validated) Bildschirmspiel 01 consoles. We analysed their properties – sticker, chassis, controller and button colour and the serial number (Einlagenummer) – and looked for patterns that chance cannot explain. Three results stand out.
The three families
The properties could be combined into 24 different devices. Only 8 of them actually occur, and they form three clearly separate families.
Rules and near-rules
So far every white chassis has an RFT sticker, black buttons only appear on RFT devices, and orange buttons almost only on “TV-Spiel” devices. These and more rules – with all their exceptions.
The serial number
The serial number is not unique: numbers repeat about as often as they would if they were assigned at random. And it says nothing about what a device looks like.
How we analysed the data
Only published, validated devices are counted. Free-text fields such as remarks, history or accessories are not included, and neither is whether a device works, because that says nothing about how it was made. All figures and charts on these pages are calculated live from the archive, so they are always up to date. The texts reflect the state of November 2026.
Your device is missing? Every additional device makes the analysis more precise.