Why did Magnavox use plastic overlays?
What was the first coin op game?
What controllers did the Odyssey use?
What was the first video game console?
Why do the cards on the Odyssey behave differently?
How did Ralph play taped descriptions of the games directly out of the TV speaker?
What was the game Ralph called?
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About this website
Who created the Odyssey console?
Engineer Ralph BaerEngineer Ralph Baer, a pioneer in the field of interactive video games, invented what became known as the Magnavox Odyssey Home Video Game System. In 2004, the video game industry accounted for more than $8 billion in sales, with sales of $15 billion projected for 2010.
Who made the Magnavox Odyssey controller?
Sanders AssociatesMagnavox OdysseyA Magnavox Odyssey and one of its two controllersDeveloperSanders AssociatesManufacturerMagnavoxProduct familyOdyssey seriesTypeHome video game console8 more rows
When was the Odyssey made console?
The Magnavox Odyssey, released by Magnavox in September 1972, is the world's first commercial video game console. Designed by Ralph H. Baer and first demonstrated on a convention in Burlingame, California on May 24, 1972, it was sold by Magnavox and affiliates through 1975.
Who invented the game console?
Ralph H. BaerVideo game console / InventorWilliam Higinbotham built Tennis for Two, largely perceived to be the first video game proper, in 1958. Ralph H. Baer created the Magnavox Odyssey, the first home video game console, which became available in 1972.
Why did Magnavox Odyssey fail?
Despite the video, the Odyssey was a failure, in large part because Magnavox salesmen themselves didn't know how to properly market the device as a separate category of electronics—they saw it as little more than a one-off gadget.
What's the oldest console?
the Magnavox OdysseyOdyssey series In 1972 Magnavox released the world's first home video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey. It came packaged with board game paraphernalia such as cards, paper money and dice to enhance the games.
How much is a Magnavox Odyssey worth 2022?
Magnavox Odyssey Console Magnavox OdysseySale Date ▲ ▼Title ▲ ▼▲ ▼ Price2022-10-17Magnavox Odyssey Console CIB Working$650.002022-08-12Magnavox Odyssey Console , Box - COMPLETE -BEAUTIFUL CONDITION 1972 CLEAN SYSTEM$995.002022-03-22Magnavox Odyssey First Home Video Game Console CIB Sold Not Tested Recently$1,999.952 more rows
How many Magnavox Odyssey were sold?
It came with a master control unit, two blockish controllers and 12 electronic games, including “Cat and Mouse” and “Haunted House.” Magnavox released the Odyssey in 1972—the same year Atari's “Pong” appeared—and while Magnavox boasted that the machine would offer “a total play and learning experience for all ages,” it ...
What was Nintendo's first game console?
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)The Nintendo console, or Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), was released as the Famicom in Japan on July 15, 1983. The Famicom offered the ability to play popular arcade games such as Donkey Kong on a home television set and was extremely well received.
Which gaming console is best?
Our top picks:Best Handheld Video Game Console. Nintendo Switch - OLED Model Nintendo. ... Best Value Video Game Console. Xbox Series S Xbox. ... Best Video Game Consoles for Families. PlayStation 5 Sony. ... Best Video Game Consoles for Beginners. Xbox Series X Xbox. ... Best Console for Local Multiplayer. Original Nintendo Switch Nintendo.
Where was the Magnavox Odyssey made?
The very first export of the Magnavox Odyssey, the Magnavox Odisea, was made in Mexico around October 1972 following a very successfull market survey a few months before....Odyssey cartridges and games1Table Tennis11Originally planned for Basketball but cancelled12Interplanetary Voyage9 more rows
What is the most bought game?
ListRankTitleSales1Minecraft238,000,0002Grand Theft Auto V169,000,0003Tetris (EA)100,000,0004Wii Sports82,900,00046 more rows
Is Philips and Magnavox the same?
Magnavox (Latin for "great voice", stylized as MAGNAVOX) is an American electronics company that since 1974 has been a subsidiary of the Dutch electronics corporation Philips.
Where was the Magnavox Odyssey made?
The very first export of the Magnavox Odyssey, the Magnavox Odisea, was made in Mexico around October 1972 following a very successfull market survey a few months before....Odyssey cartridges and games1Table Tennis11Originally planned for Basketball but cancelled12Interplanetary Voyage9 more rows
How much is the Magnavox Odyssey worth?
Magnavox Odyssey Console Magnavox OdysseyLooseCompleteGraded Price$527.11$822.50$1,307.00 -$2.00volume: 1 sale per month6 sales per yearvolume: 5 sales per yearGradedBox$1,307.00$135.001 more row
When was the Magnavox Odyssey discontinued?
The Magnavox Odyssey 2 (stylized as Magnavox Odyssey²), also known as Philips Odyssey 2, is a second generation home video game console that was released in 1978....Magnavox Odyssey 2.Magnavox Odyssey 2 and its two wired joystick–based game controllersIntroductory priceUS$179 (equivalent to $743.67 in 2021)Discontinued20 March 198418 more rows
List of video game consoles - Ultimate Pop Culture Wiki
This is a list of home video game consoles in chronological order. This list includes the very first video game arcade consoles arcade ever created by the Arcadia, such as first generation pong consoles Arcadia, from the first ever cartridge console arcade Fighters, ranging from the major and the minor video game arcade companies such as Atari, Super Nintendo, Sega, Sony Revolution, PC ...
Odyssey Home Video Game System | Wisconsin Historical Society
Magnavox Odyssey Home Video Game System played by Susan and John Gyarmati of Cedarburg, Wisconsin during the 1970s. (Museum object #2006.95.2) This Odyssey Home Video Game System, made by Magnavox between 1972-1974, was one of the earliest video games created for the home.
First generation of video game consoles - Wikipedia
In the history of video games, the first-generation era refers to the video games, video game consoles, and handheld video game consoles available from 1972 to 1983. Notable consoles of the first generation include the Odyssey series (excluding the Magnavox Odyssey 2), the Atari Home Pong, the Coleco Telstar series and the Color TV-Game series.
Magnavox Odyssey Video Game Unit, 1972 - National Museum of American ...
Description When most people think about the first video game, they think of Pong, the ping-pong arcade game released by Atari in 1972. However, months earlier, Magnavox had released its Magnavox Odyssey, a home video game system based on the “Brown Box,” a prototype invented by Ralph Baer. Additional games and accessories, like a lightgun, were sold in separate packages.
How many Magnavox consoles were made in 1972?
There are conflicting reports between Baer and Magnavox employees as to whether Magnavox produced 120,000 or 140,000 consoles in 1972. Magnavox only sold 69,000 units. Baer believed that the low initial sales were due to the high price, and because Magnavox restricted sales to its dealerships and implied that the device only worked with Magnavox televisions. Other sources have stated that dealers may have misled customers to sell more televisions, though starting in 1973 advertisements explicitly stated that the Odyssey worked with "any brand TV, black and white or color". Customers unfamiliar with the new device, seeing it was only sold at Magnavox dealerships, may have misunderstood its interoperability.
What games were made for the Odyssey?
The console spawned the Odyssey series of dedicated consoles as well as the 1978 Magnavox Odyssey 2. One of the 28 games made for the system, a ping pong game , was an inspiration for Atari 's successful 1972 Pong arcade game, in turn driving sales of the Odyssey. Patents by Baer and the other developers for the system and the games, ...
How does the Odyssey work?
The Odyssey consists of a black, white, and brown oblong box connected by wires to two rectangular controllers. The console connects to the television set through an included switchbox, which allows the player to switch the television input between the Odyssey and the regular television input cable, and presents itself like a television channel on channel three or four, which thereafter became the standard for game consoles. The controllers, designed to sit on a flat surface, contain one button marked Reset on the top of the controller and three knobs: one on the right side of the controller, and two on the left with one extending from the other. The reset button resets individual elements depending on the game, such as making a player's dot visible after it is turned off. The system can be powered by six C batteries, which were included; an optional AC power supply was sold separately. The Odyssey lacks sound capability and can only display monochrome white shapes on a blank black screen.
What games did Magnavox add to the console?
The rifle game was turned into a separately sold add-on game, Shooting Gallery, and Magnavox added paper money, playing cards, and poker chips to the console, to go along with the plastic overlays for the games designed by Bradford that enhanced the primitive visuals.
How many dots does the Odyssey have?
The Odyssey is capable of displaying three square dots and a vertical line on the screen. Two of the dots are controlled by the two players, and the third by the system itself. The main console has two dials, one of which moves the vertical line across the screen, and one which adjusts the speed of the computer-controlled dot. Different games direct the player to adjust the dials to different positions, such as changing the center line of a tennis game into the side wall of a handball game. The games include plastic overlays which stick to the television via static cling to create visuals. Games that use the same game card can have different overlays, which can change a game with the same controls from, for example, a mountain ski path to a movement-based Simon Says game.
When was the Magnavox console released?
Magnavox performed market surveys and playtests in Los Angeles and Grand Rapids, Michigan, and demonstrated it to dealers in Las Vegas in May 1972. The console was publicly unveiled at a press event at the Tavern on the Green in New York City on May 22, 1972.
When did the Brown Box come out?
The seventh, known as the Brown Box, was shown to several manufacturers before Magnavox agreed to produce it in January 1971. After releasing the console through their dealerships, Magnavox sold 69,000 units its first calendar year and 350,000 by the time the console was discontinued in 1975.
What is the Philips Odyssey 2001?
The Philips Odyssey 2001 is Philips' version of the Magnavox Odyssey 4000, with differences in the games offered and the use of detachable paddles instead of joysticks. Released in 1977, the Philips Odyssey 2001 is based on the National Semiconductor MM-57105 chip, which plays Tennis, Hockey, and Squash, and allows full color and direct sound on the TV.
What games does the Magnavox Odyssey 4000 play?
Based around the AY-3-8600 single-chip design, the Odyssey 4000 features a total of six games (Tennis, Hockey, Soccer, Basketball, Smash and Gridball and includes a Practice mode for solo-play in Basketball and Smash). As with the Odyssey 3000, the Odyssey 4000 offers a skill switch for novice, semi-pro, and professional skill levels. Additional features include automatic serve and variable ball speeds. Unlike the Odyssey 3000, the Odyssey 4000 featured detachable joysticks. The AY-3-8615 chip enabled the Odyssey 4000 to display their games in color instead of black and white graphics. The 4000 is powered by an included AC adapter.
What is the Odyssey 200?
The Magnavox Odyssey 200 dedicated console was released in 1975 as a deluxe companion of the Odyssey 100. Using the TI single-chip design, the console improved on the Odyssey 100 in several areas. In addition to Tennis and Hockey, the Odyssey 200 featured a third game variation called "Smash" (essentially, the sport known as Squash ). The Odyssey 200 was also the first dedicated system to feature an option for four on-screen paddles instead of the customary two. The game manual, as well as Magnavox's service documentation describe this as an option for two or four "players," although the console itself can only be physically operated by two persons; consequently, the 200 is frequently and erroneously described as a "four-player" console today. The Odyssey 200 also added a unique method of non-digital on-screen scoring in which a white rectangle moved one space to the right each time a player scored a point. Like the Odyssey 100, the Odyssey 200 is powered by either six "C" batteries or a 9 volt AC adapter and uses three control dials for vertical and horizontal movement and ball "english."
How many games are there in the Magnavox Odyssey series?
Magnavox Odyssey series (1975–1977) There are eight dedicated home video game consoles and one TV with built-in game console in the Odyssey series. All of these consoles were released in the USA by Magnavox after its purchase by Philips in 1974.
What year did the Magnavox Odyssey come out?
The line includes the original Magnavox Odyssey console, the Magnavox Odyssey series of dedicated home video game consoles, and the Magnavox Odyssey 2 ROM cartridge -based video game console released in 1978 . Philips Odyssey is the brand name that includes the Philips Odyssey series of dedicated home video game consoles.
What is the Magnavox Odyssey 500?
The Magnavox Odyssey 500 (model number: 7520) was released in 1976 as Magnavox's high-end companion to the Odyssey 300 and Odyssey 400 systems. The Odyssey 500 is essentially a deluxe version of the Odyssey 400 with several crucial improvements. The 500 featured color graphics (the first Odyssey game unit to do so) and replaced the standard paddles with sprites representing the athletes of its various games: a tennis player, a squash player, and a hockey player. The three players and three playfields were each chosen by separate toggle switches; games were thus selected by matching the player to its appropriate playfield. In addition to the Smash, Hockey, and Tennis games, Odyssey 500 featured a fourth game, Soccer, by using the squash player graphics with the hockey playing field. Unlike the Odyssey 400, however, the 500 does not support four onscreen "players."
What is the difference between the Odyssey 3000 and the Odyssey 4000?
Additional features include automatic serve and variable ball speeds. Unlike the Odyssey 3000, the Odyssey 4000 featured detachable joysticks.
What is the first gaming console?
Magnavox’s Odyssey stands as the first-ever gaming console, serving as the grandfather to a $40B industry. Traveling through the industrial style interior of the Computer Museum of America, no matter how educated one might be on the electronic boxes that changed the world, there will always be something in the museum that surprises, amazes, ...
Why is the Odyssey not remembered?
Catacombs 3Dis considered to be the inaugural game in the first-person-shooter genre, but how many know DOOMas the holder of this title? It is often the first innovator rather than the first creator that steals the show. However, the bravery required for the initial step must be respected. The Odyssey shouldn’t be forgotten because it served as the model: providing the shoulders upon which all others stood. Without the Odyssey, Atari wouldn’t have had the success they received due to Pong, which spawned the golden age of arcade video games. As a result, due to video games being a driving factor in computing, the entire world of technology may have never been the same.
How many games does Benjamin Lewin own?
Being a game developer, journalist, and historian, Benjamin owns over thirty video game consoles and over a thousand games.
What are the two white rectangles called in the game?
Separate game cards could be inserted into the console but all consisted of just two white rectangles, called “paddles” that players controlled, and sometimes a “ball” (actually a square) that could be whacked around.
When was the first home video game console made?
The Odyssey was manufactured by Magnavox and released in North America in September of 1972. It stands as the very first home video game console. The system was developed by Ralph Baer, a German-American engineer who created the ping-pong style gameplay that the Odyssey offered. It was Baer’s creation that inspired gaming pioneer Nolan Bushnellof Atari to create his own version: the much more popular and world-renowned Pong,programmed by Al Alcorn.
When will WWII Tech open?
WWII Tech in CMoA’s Nook Look – Opening September 23rd for short period of timeSeptember 23, 2021
Who made the Odyssey?
The Odyssey was manufactured by Magnavox and released in North America in September of 1972. It stands as the very first home video game console. The system was developed by Ralph Baer, a German-American engineer who created the ping-pong style gameplay that the Odyssey offered.
How many cards does Magnavox have?
To do this complex switching, Magnavox devised a game card system using the plug-in cards you see above. The system shipped with six cards. Each card acts as a series of on/off jumpers or connecting wires that essentially programs the console to operate in a certain way.
How many pins does the Odyssey controller plug?
Leaning against the console is the Odyssey’s unique 12-pin controller plug. It fits into the controller sockets shown here.
What was the first video game console?
Forty years ago, Magnavox lifted the veil on the world’s first commercial video game console, the Odyssey. Designed to work with a home TV set, the Odyssey blazed a trail that every game console follows today.
How many spots does the Odyssey have?
The Odyssey console can generate four “spots.” In its most basic configuration, the unit stretches or compresses these spots to make (1) a ball, (2) the left player paddle, (3) the right player paddle, and (4) the vertical center line. Depending on the game card inserted, these spots turn on or off or have different behaviors. In conjunction with the colorful screen overlays, you can play games from Roulette to Ice Hockey.
What is the Odyssey game?
The Odyssey’s main attraction is its highly entertaining game of electronic table tennis, played with game card #1. Every other Odyssey game requires the players to exercise more imagination and observe some special rules.
How much was the Odyssey game?
The Odyssey launched at $99.99 (about $548 in today’s dollars) in August 1972 and included 12 games. Buyers could purchase other games separately, including an expansion set that included a realistic toy rifle–the world’s first light gun.
How did the game console display images on the TV?
To display an image on a TV set back then, the game console had to generate its own broadcast TV signal (with an RF modulator). The antenna jack on the TV picked up the console’s signal in the same way that it would a signal transmitted from dozens of miles away.
What accessories did the Odyssey come with?
Perhaps most surprising to modern gamers, the Odyssey also came with nonelectronic game accessories such as dice, decks of cards, play money, and poker chips. These accessories were possibly included to make the Odyssey more like the physical games that existed at the time.
How many units did Magnavox Odyssey sell?
With approximately 350,000 units sold, Magnavox Odyssey was not considered a commercial success, especially in comparison with Pong’s runaway popularity. Among the contributing factors, poor marketing played a large role.
Does Magnavox have a color overlay?
Since the Odyssey had limited graphic capabilities and displayed only a few small white blocks and a vertical line on the screen, Magnavox included translucent color overlays to provide settings and layouts for the games.
When was the first video game invented?
Description. When most people think about the first video game, they think of Pong, the ping-pong arcade game released by Atari in 1972 . However, months earlier, Magnavox had released its Magnavox Odyssey, a home video game system based on the “Brown Box,” a prototype invented by Ralph Baer.
What was in the box of the Odyssey?
The Odyssey was packed in a large two-level styrofoam box and inside there were board game accessories like dice and play money, as well as game cards. The accessories were possibly included to make the Odyssey more like the physical games that existed at the time.
When was the Magnavox Odyssey released?
Magnavox named the console first as the Skill-O-Vision while testing, and then released it as the Odyssey. The Odyssey was released by Magnavox in September 1972.
Is the Magnavox Odyssey a video game?
The Odyssey was sold only trough Magnavox dealers and not trough general retailers; Magnavox felt that as the first video game console it would draw consumers into its stores. Odyssey originally sold in the USA only,but was later exported in small amounts to several countries, and has even been cloned. Magnavox Odyssey made its mark by starting the video game console industry.
When did Baer start designing TV sets?
In 1951, when he worked with designing and building television sets at Loral Electronics, Baer first thought of the idea of building an “interactive game” displayed on a TV, but no one at Loral showed any interest.
When was the first video game console released?
The Magnavox Odyssey, the very first video game console, released in 1972. Source
Who is the father of video games?
However, months earlier, Ralph H. Baer, known as “the father of video games,“ led a small team at Sanders Associates and they together developed The Magnavox Odyssey, which was released by Magnavox in the United States in September 1972 and overseas the following year.
What was the first home video game console?
When people think about the very first home video game console ever released, a lot of people may think of the Atari Pong. It’s true that the Pong was a commercially successful home video game console, but the very first home video game console ever released was actually the Magnavox Odyssey, or what gamers now refer as the “Magnavox Odyssey 1”.
How many Odysseys were sold?
All said in done around 300,000 Odysseys were sold, and by 1975 Magnavox discontinued manufacturing the console. Magnavox would continue manufacturing “Pong clones” (also under the Odyssey name), as well as the Odyssey 2 released in 1978.
Why did the Odyssey come with plastic overlays?
The Odyssey was sold with translucent plastic overlays to add a sense of color and boarder to the game. The problem with these plastic overlays was that they came in only two sizes, and were not compatible with different size TV’s during this time. This idea would later be used on other retro video game consoles including the GCE Vectrex released in 1982. In addition to these plastic overlays, the console also included plastic poker chips, dice, and score card sheets. This was to make the console feel more like a traditional board game.
What is the gamer81 podcast?
In 2008 John decided to start a video game review show on YouTube called Gamester81 by reviewing rare and retro video game systems and games. His show quickly grew in popularity, and he became friends with many other gamers in the YouTube community. He is also one of the hosts of the All Gen Gamers Podcast which is a bimonthly podcast for people and video games of all generations. Some of John's other hobbies includes collecting Star Wars memorabilia (YouTube channel Starwarsnut77), playing classic arcade games (YouTube channel Gamester81Arcade), watching sports, and listening to music. John is a big fan of the 80's and 90's and in 2009 started a YouTube channel called NEStalgiaholic where he talks about nostalgic items and memories from his childhood. To see some of John's video's in 3D visit his YouTube channel Gamester81in3D. Favorite Systems: Colecovision, Commodore 64, NES, & SNES. Favorite Games: Donkey Kong Arcade, Atari Star Wars Arcade, Super Mario 3, Final Fantasy II, & Goldeneye 007
What is the coolest peripheral on the Odyssey?
One of the coolest and rarest peripherals released for the Odyssey was the “light gun”. This light gun looked more like a rifle and worked by detecting light from the screen.
Who made the Magnavox Odyssey?
The Magnavox Odyssey was designed by Ralph Baer in the mid 1960’s, and in 1968 Ralph had finished the first prototype of the system that was simply called the “Brown Box”. By August 1972 Magnavox released the Magnavox Odyssey in North America, and sales were slow. Home video games back in the early 1970’s were a new concept, and Magnavox hurt themselves by having poor marketing inside retail stores. Many consumers were under the impression that the Odyssey was only compatible with Magnavox TV brands only.
Is the Odyssey analog or digital?
Ralph Baer considers the Odyssey to be digital, even though most collectors would say it’s analog. The games in today’s standards are very basic, and in most cases include only a ball and paddle (s) on screen. There were eleven circuit board cards that were available for the console. These circuit board cards were individually numbered, and when plugged into the front slot area would change the internal circuit board built in the console to slightly make each game different. For example instead of two paddles on screen there may be four, or instead of one ball there may be two. These circuit board cards are not considered game cartridges since they don’t hold any actual data information on them.
When was the first home video game console made?
The Magnavox Odyssey is the world's first home video game console. It was first demonstrated in May, 24th, 1972 and released that fall, predating... Read more. 1976.
What was the first portable game console?
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Why did Magnavox use plastic overlays?
The overlays Because Magnavox had decided to leave out the color circuitry from Ralph's original Brown Box, they instead used plastic overlays that stuck directly onto the TV screen. The overlays were semi-transparent, and included pre-drawn pictures related to the game, and colored strips that would create the illusion of the on-screen blips being drawn in that color. Though a pain to apply at home, this process was also later used for coin-ops in the arcades through out the 1970s, and used again in the home for GCE's Vectrex gaming console.
What was the first coin op game?
A young Nolan Bushnell, then still working at Nutting Associates (to whom he had sold the very first coin-op video game: Computer Space) attended an Odyssey demonstration on the 21st of May at the Airport Marina in Burlingame, California. Computer Space was not doing well in the arcade industry, and one game on the Odyssey — Ping-Pong — offered Nolan a solution to this problem. He discovered its appeal was in its addicting simplicity. Not long after, he quit Nutting and started his own company which became known as Atari, and they released their first coin-op that summer — the smash hit Pong. The popularity of Pong directly helped the sales of the Odyssey console that year, when it was "discovered" that the console had a "similar" game. By the end of the year, Magnavox had sold 100,000 units.
What controllers did the Odyssey use?
Odyssey Controller Odyssey controller There were two basic controllers available for the Odyssey. The controller shown here was the standard controller that came with the console. Using two side-mounted dials (one for horizontal movement, and one for vertical movement), the player had to use a rather complicated method of combining the two dials to make their on-screen blip move. To get an idea of what this was like, think of the controls on Ohio Art's Etch-A-Sketch toy.
What was the first video game console?
The very first videogame console! What? I thought that was Atari's Pong ? Nope. While the home version of Pong is the system most often remembered by video game players who had their first experience in the '70s, the original home video game system (and the system responsible for inspiring both Atari's coin-op and home versions of Pong) was the Magnavox Odyssey.
Why do the cards on the Odyssey behave differently?
Basically, the cards made the Odyssey behave differently so it could play the desired game.
How did Ralph play taped descriptions of the games directly out of the TV speaker?
By adding extra circuitry to allow the hookup of a tape recorder to the TV set as well, Ralph played taped descriptions of the games directly out of the TV speaker. This created the effect of a full multimedia presentation when the game box was demonstrated (long before the term "multimedia" was even coined).
What was the game Ralph called?
Within a month, they had a primitive prototype working that put two spots on the TV screen and allowed play of a "game" of sorts that Ralph called "Fox and Hounds.". One blip could be made to chase the other (the hound chasing the fox), and the chaser would win when he touched the other blip.
Overview
The Magnavox Odyssey is the first commercial home video game console. The hardware was designed by a small team led by Ralph H. Baer at Sanders Associates, while Magnavox completed development and released it in the United States in September 1972 and overseas the following year. The Odyssey consists of a white, black, and brown box that connects to a television set, an…
Design
The Odyssey consists of a black, white, and brown oblong box connected by wires to two rectangular controllers. The console connects to the television set through an included switch box, which allows the player to switch the television input between the Odyssey and the regular television input cable, and presents itself like a television channel on channel three or four, which thereafter beca…
Development
In 1951, while working for military contractor Loral Electronics, engineer Ralph H. Baer was assigned to build a television set; Baer later claimed that while doing so he had the idea to build something into a television set that the owner could control in addition to its normal function of receiving signals from a remote television station. Loral did not pursue the idea, but it returned to Baer in Augu…
Reception
Magnavox began advertising the Odyssey in mid-September 1972, including an appearance on the game show What's My Line? on October 16, 1972. As the term "video game" was not yet in use, the company described the console as "the new electronic game of the future" and "closed-circuit electronic playground". Magnavox initially ordered 50,000 units, but before release increased its produ…
Legacy
Although there was continued customer demand for the console, Magnavox discontinued production of the Odyssey in the fall of 1975. Rising inflation had raised the manufacturing cost of the system to Magnavox from roughly US$37 to US$47, and Magnavox was unable to raise the retail price to match. Instead, it sought a cheaper alternative; in May 1974 it signed a contract with Texas Instr…
Games
A total of 28 games distributed on 11 different game cards were released for the Magnavox Odyssey. 13 games were Included with console—a set of 12 in America and a different set of 10 in other countries—with six others available for purchase either individually or in a bundle; the additional games primarily used the same game cards with different screen overlays and instructions. Another game, Percepts, was available for free to players that sent in a survey card…
Sources
• Baer, Ralph H. (2005). Videogames: In the Beginning. Rolenta Press. ISBN 978-0-9643848-1-1.
• DeMaria, Rusel; Wilson, Johnny L. (2003). High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games (2nd ed.). McGraw Hill/Osborne. ISBN 978-0-07-223172-4.
• Donovan, Tristan (April 20, 2010). Replay: The History of Video Games. Yellow Ant. ISBN 978-0-9565072-0-4.
External links
• Media related to Magnavox Odyssey at Wikimedia Commons
Overview
Magnavox Odyssey is the general brand name of Magnavox's complete line of home video game consoles released from 1972 through 1978. The line includes the original Magnavox Odyssey console, the Magnavox Odyssey series of dedicated home video game consoles, and the Magnavox Odyssey 2 ROM cartridge-based video game console released in 1978. Philips Odyssey is the brand name that includes the Philips Odyssey series of dedicated home video game consoles.
Magnavox Odyssey (1972)
The Magnavox Odyssey, released by Magnavox in September 1972, is the world's first commercial video game console. Designed by Ralph H. Baer and first demonstrated on a convention in Burlingame, California on May 24, 1972, it was sold by Magnavox and affiliates through 1975. The Odyssey uses a type of removable printed circuit board card that inserts into a slot similar to a cartrid…
Magnavox Odyssey series (1975–1977)
There are eight dedicated home video game consoles and one TV with a built-in game console in the Odyssey series. All of these consoles were released in the USA by Magnavox after its purchase by Philips in 1974.
The Magnavox Odyssey 100 dedicated console was released in 1975. It uses a multi-chip discrete component design, which makes it much simpler than all lat…
Philips Odyssey series (1976–1978)
Dutch TV manufacturer Philips purchased Magnavox in 1974, after which it began to release its own versions of the dedicated Odyssey consoles in Europe.
The Philips Odyssey 200 is the same as its US released counterpart. Released across Europe in 1976, it was replaced by the Philips Odyssey 2001 in 1977.
The Philips Odyssey 2001 is Philips' version of the Magnavox Odyssey 4000, w…
Magnavox Odyssey 2 (1978)
The Magnavox Odyssey 2 (stylized as Magnavox Odyssey²) is a second-generation home video game console developed by Philips' Odyssey division subsequent to its purchase of Magnavox in 1974. It was released in 1978.
See also
• Philips Videopac+ G7400 - Developed by Philips as the Odyssey³ and intended to have backward compatibility with the Odyssey².
• Philips Tele-Game series - Predecessor of the Philips Odyssey series.
• Color TV-Game series - Another popular series of early video game consoles by Nintendo.