A Brief History In Classic Gaming Consoles
The history of the classic video game is a long and interesting one. Let’s take a look at some of the devices that spawned gaming culture as we know it today.
Magnavox Odyssey – 1972
Some believe that the Atari was the first video game because it was the most popular, but the Magnavox Odyssey was the very first true video game. It came out 3 years earlier than the Atari. Designed by Ralph Baer, The Odyssey prototype is affectionately known as the “Brown Box” to video
game enthusiasts. Throughout the gaming community, true followers of gaming refer to Ralph Baer as the grandfather of gaming. The Odyssey is extraordinary in that it is a purely analog invention and ran completely on batteries. Most other video game systems or even early video games were purely digital.
Though it was incredible at the time and it marked the beginning of gaming, it lacked the capability to produce audio. The retail version of the Odyssey was released in the month of May, 1972. It wore the crown of gaming consoles until the Atari PONG came out but purely because gamers had no alternative. The company misled the public into believing that the console would only perform on Magnavox televisions. When another alternative finally came, gamers were eager to jump ship.
Atari PONG – 1975
The year was 1973. Atari engineer Harold Lee hatched his idea of the PONG home entertainment system. This was an incredible feat at the time and they all agreed that if they were to pull it off, they’d soon be giants in a fledgeling gaming industry.
In 1975, Atari and Sears got together and decided that Sears would retail the game system under their own brand, Tele-Games. In the first shipment 50,000 units of the game were available for consumer purchase. The system immediately became a hit, and when christmas came in 1975, output had gone up 300%, as Atari began manufacturing 150,000 units. There would now be a longstanding relationship with Atari and Sears, which would thrive after Atari owner Nolan Bushnell would ultimately sell Atari to Warner.
Magnavox Odyssey 100 – 1975
just like the system before it, The new Odyssey remained analog, and this one came with TWO games (that’s right two!) Tennis and Hockey. The system could now be powered by six batteries or you could plug it into the wall. Praise be powerful technology.
The Odyssey 100 stumbled at it’s release. It didn’t yet boast detachable controllers, and it was a very rigid system, there was no scoring system on the screen, so you had to mark your score manually, although on screen scoring did come later for Magnavox. The first Magnavox video game
console with fully integrated, reliable on-screen scoring was the Odyssey 300, released a year later in 1976.
Magnavox Odyssey 200 – 1975
As sales slumped on the 100, Magnavox struggled to boost their income. In 1975, Magnavox released the 200, an improved version of the 100. The 200 was identical to the 100 but included two additional chips and added a third game called SMASH and some on-screen scoring. Magnavox was the pioneer of video game systems with more than two player capability. With the 200, up to 4 people could play at the same time. It also displayed some on-screen scoring, though it can’t be considered reliable or perfected. Magnavox had 1 upped Atari in allowing their Video Game to have three games, and up to four players. 1975 marked the beginning of a long rivalry between Magnavox and Atari.
Atari Super PONG – 1976
Atari was able to overcome Magnavox with their original PONG video game, and to say sales were great is an understatement. Just like Magnavox reinvented itself with the 200, Atari fired back with Super PONG. Magnavox boasted 4 games, now Atari would add three more, making the rivalry neck and neck.
The video game craze was in full swing now. Countless imitators flooded the shelves with their own versions of PONG to try and cash in on the trend, but Atari still dominated the market. PONG stood out with it’s flashy colors and unique audio. Since nobody else had done the research and been in the game as long as Magnavox and Atari, their “ripoff” video games were lackluster.
Wonder Wizard – 1976
The Wonder Wizard Model 7702 was sold in 1976 and contained parts from the Magnavox Odyssey. The case looked almost identical, which just goes to show you who dominated the field as these video games were coming out. Can you say Atari and Magnavox?
This video game was revolutionary in that you could change the difficulty on the controller as opposed to getting up and changing it on the console itself. This spoiled gamers like you and I and led to our modern dorito habits =)
Coleco Telstar – 1976
As Magnavox, Atari, and Wonder Wizard battled for supremacy in the video game world, a new player would emerge to challenge the ranks. In 1976, Coleco came out with the Telstar. This game didn’t do much in renovating the current choices in gaming. It played three games and it had easy,
medium, and hard as difficulty levels. To much surprise, the Coleco Telstar video game system sold over a million units.
Coleco took a different approach in delivering their video game systems. They came on partially assembled. Why would they do this you ask? Well, their theory was that if people could save money by assembling it themselves they would. It didn’t matter that they had to assemble it, as long as it played well. In the history of gaming, Coleco has been the only one to ever ship their units partially assembled.
Magnavox Odyssey 300 – 1976
Magnavox continued with the Odyssey 300 in 1976. This was the first video game system to use one singular chip to control all aspects of the device. It was a revolutionary idea at the time and became the standard from then on out. This is how our modern video game systems are made. After the 300, Magnavox came out with a 400 and 500, but they’re aren’t different enough to mention at this time.
Fairchild Channel F – 1976
The channel F was the first video game system that was powered by cartridges. This was a huge advantage, though like a lot of revolutionary things, it wasn’t well received at first because they hadn’t perfected it. They spent a lot of time advertising their cartridge system, but the truth of the matter was that it wasn’t fun to play.
In all, the Fairchild gaming library consisted of 26 total games. They came in different variations. Sports, Educational, and Strategy were some of the key genres started by the Fairchild Channel F. Though not very popular in the first place, this video game system got wiped off the face of the earth when Atari released their VCS, which boasted better graphics, cartridges, and superior audio.
Though there are many more video gaming systems emerging throughout our history I have not the time to document them all. I’ve named the preceeding because they are the jumping off point for modern gaming. The qualities presented in these video game systems led to our modern video game
technology and frankly, they’re the only ones of importance if you’re just trying to get a grasp on historic gaming culture. I could go through playstation, and ninetendo but we all already know these, so what’s the point? =) Go get your game on, and eat some cheetohs for me!
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