Tempest was the first arcade game to use Atari's proprietary Color-QuadraScan vector display.
Atari released Tempest in 1981. Dave Theurer designed the game around a tube-like, three-dimensional perspective: the player controls a claw-shaped shooter at the near end of a geometric surface while enemies climb toward the rim. The cabinet's color vector monitor made the sharp colored lines central to the visual style.
Tempest was not Atari's first vector game; Asteroids had already become a major success with monochrome vector graphics. Tempest's importance was its use of color vector technology and its distinctive perspective. The game also introduced the Superzapper, a powerful screen-clearing weapon that could be used once per level, with a second use available at a cost.