The Magnavox Odyssey is 1972 a published play console of the company Magnavox. It was the first ever published video game console. The starting price of the console amounted to in the USA 75 US Dollar.

The Magnavox Odyssey was developed by Ralph H. bear. It had neither over main memories nor a CCU and was based thus not like today's consoles on a digital microprocessor (these at that time still were in their all first beginnings), but on a few similar circuits (analogue computers in the broader sense). For this system from cost reasons only 40 transistors were used. In addition it could represent only few, in-colored white points and blocks on a in-colored black background; therefore it was around a play to use necessarily first a plastic edition with the playing field of the appropriate play on the picture monitor to put. The provided plays were developed still similarly as society plays, it gave e.g. partly a Spielbrett, Spielkarten, Spielsteine, etc., additionally to the procedures on the screen. This was also necessary, because a scoring and to e.g. administer was beyond the technical possibilities of the console. The plays were intended all for several players, however was at that time not yet possible against the console to play.

There were still no genuine modules for this console; the different provided plays were selected in each case by putting a small pseudo module in; into it was however no program, but only a few wires, which hooked up certain parts of firmly inserted console electronics in a certain way electrically. Also several became partial differently plays with the same "“module"”, but with different screen background, auxiliary materials and rules easily.

The Magnavox Odyssey sold itself alone in the USA over 350.000 times. In Germany approx. 10,000 pieces were sold.

Variants

1975 were adjusted the production of the Magnavox Odyssey due to appearance of the successor Odyssey 100. After Magnavox became a subsidiary of Philips, 1978 appeared the console Philips G7000 in America under the designation Odyssey 2.

1976 appeared 4 further Odyssey versions, the Magnavox Odyssey 200-500. To 1977 still the models appeared 2000, 3000 and 4000. The model 5000 remained in the development.

Plays

16 plays, among them also 4 for the use of a Lightgun were manufactured.

• Table tennis (similar Pong)
• Tennis
• Hockey
• Cat and Mouse
• Football
• Ski
• States (to learning the US states)
• Roulette
• Haunted House (Adventure, best overlay)
• Analogic (anatomy learning play)
• Submarine
• Simon Says (see Senso)

• Shootout (Lightgun)
• Shooting Gallery
• Prehistoric safari
• Dogfight

Related links

• Illustrations of the Magnavox Odyssey (English side)
• Extensive information to the Magnavox Odyssey (English side)
• German guidances for the Magnavox Odyssey
• Rolenta press drives out "“Videogames: In The Beginning"” of Ralph H. bear

Articles in category "Magnavox Odyssey"

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Related Websites

We found here 3 related websites.

• Magnavox Odyssey FAQ
  Magnavox Odyssey FAQ Created 10/29/97 Original author: Shaun Gegan aka Loomis Now ... The Magnavox Odyssey was the very first home video game system. ...


• PONG : Magnavox Odyssey - the first videogame system
  Packed with detailed information on the system, such as background history, original patent, and specific...


• PONG-Story : ODYEMU - The Magnavox Odyssey emulator
  Remember 1972, when Magnavox released Odyssey, the most exciting video game system Well, it is now time for you to play again with a virtual Odyssey on ...