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
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 ...
of
dedicated home video game consoles, and the
Magnavox Odyssey 2
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. It was sold in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil and Peru as the ...
ROM cartridge
A ROM cartridge, usually referred to in context simply as a cartridge, cart, or card, is a replaceable part designed to be connected to a consumer electronics device such as a home computer, video game console or, to a lesser extent, electroni ...
-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)
![Magnavox-Odyssey-Console-Set](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Magnavox-Odyssey-Console-Set.jpg)
The Magnavox Odyssey, released by Magnavox in September 1972, is the world's first commercial
video game console
A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...
. Designed by
Ralph H. Baer
Ralph Henry Baer (born Rudolf Heinrich Baer; March 8, 1922 – December 6, 2014) was a German-American inventor, game developer, and engineer.
Baer's family fled Germany just before World War II and Baer served the American war effort, gain ...
and first demonstrated on a convention in Burlingame, California on May 24, 1972, it was sold by Magnavox and affiliates through
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
. The Odyssey uses a type of removable printed circuit board card that inserts into a slot similar to a cartridge slot, allowing the player to select the unit's various games. On these cartridges isn't a program; there are just a few wires that connect electrically with a few parts of the console hardware so that a game appears on the screen.
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
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...
.
Magnavox Odyssey 100
The Magnavox Odyssey 100 dedicated console was released in 1975. It uses a multi-chip
discrete
Discrete may refer to:
*Discrete particle or quantum in physics, for example in quantum theory
* Discrete device, an electronic component with just one circuit element, either passive or active, other than an integrated circuit
*Discrete group, a ...
component design, which makes it much simpler than all later dedicated consoles Magnavox would eventually release. Magnavox already had a single-chip design in mind that year, but wanted to have a product they could release immediately if
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globall ...
, the supplier of their single video game chips, was unable to deliver in a timely manner.
[Winter, David. ]
Pong-Story: Magnavox and the Odyssey systems
'. Pong-Story.com. 2013.
The Odyssey 100 was designed around four Texas Instruments chips. It has two games (Tennis and Hockey). Neither game had on-screen scoring and the system used a crude buzzer for sound. The Odyssey 100 is powered by either six "C"
batteries
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
or a 9 volt AC adapter. Each player had three knobs for horizontal movement, vertical movement and ball trajectory adjustment ("English").
Magnavox Odyssey 200
![Magnavox Odyssey 200](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Magnavox_Odyssey_200.jpg)
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."
Magnavox Odyssey 300
![Odyssey-300](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Odyssey-300.jpg)
The Magnavox Odyssey 300 dedicated console was released in October 1976 for US$69. Unlike Magnavox's previous two dedicated console products, the Odyssey 300 was meant to compete directly with the
Coleco Telstar
The Coleco Telstar brand is a series of dedicated first-generation home video game consoles produced, released and marketed by Coleco from 1976 to 1978. Starting with Coleco Telstar ''Pong'' clone based video game console on General Instrumen ...
. Like the Telstar, the Odyssey 300 uses the
AY-3-8500 chip as its logic and was among the first dedicated consoles to use a single IC chip as the focus of its design rather than multiple computer chips or
transistor–transistor logic Transistor–transistor logic (TTL) is a logic family built from bipolar junction transistors. Its name signifies that transistors perform both the logic function (the first "transistor") and the amplifying function (the second "transistor"), as opp ...
.
[Magnavox Odyssey 300]
". Old-Computers.com. The Odyssey 300 has the same three games as the Odyssey 200, although, owing to its usage of the AY-3-8500, their gameplay more closely resembles Atari's Pong than Magnavox's previous games; horizontal control was absent, ball angle was automated, and the games are controlled with a single dial instead of three. Unlike the 200, the Odyssey 300 console has three difficulty levels: Novice, Intermediate, and Expert.
Also owing to its implementation of the AY-3-8500, the 300 introduced digital on-screen scoring.
Magnavox Odyssey 400
The Magnavox Odyssey 400 dedicated console was released in 1976.
The Odyssey 400 is an updated version of the Odyssey 200 with automatic serve and on-screen digital scoring features added. The console plays the same three games as the Odyssey 200--Squash (known as Smash), Tennis, and Hockey--and has the same three control dials for vertical movement, horizontal movement, and "english" control. An additional Texas Instruments chip was used to implement on-screen scoring;
the mechanical score sliders of the 200 were dispensed with.
Magnavox Odyssey 500
![Odyssey500](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Odyssey500.jpg)
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."
The Odyssey 500's manual acknowledged that the player graphics, being of different sizes, essentially represented different difficulty options. Interestingly, while Magnavox exploited the "mismatching" of players and playfields to market the Odyssey 500 as having a fourth game, the remaining five possible game combinations were not advertised or documented.
Odyssey 500 offers automatic serve, displays digital on-screen scores between plays, and provides manually adjustable ball speed control. As with all previous Odyssey units, power is delivered via an AC adapter or six "C" cell batteries.
Magnavox Odyssey 4305
The Magnavox Odyssey 4305 (model number: 3616R061A) was released in 1976
or 1977 and is a 19 inch color TV with a built-in Magnavox Odyssey 300
or 500.
The label on the backside of the TV reads "October 1976".
It was sold for US$499.
Its two wired game controllers are very similar to those of the
Ping-O-Tronic, with each containing one button and a
paddle. It is extremely rare.
Magnavox Odyssey 2000
![Magnavox-Odyssey-2000-FL](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Magnavox-Odyssey-2000-FL.jpg)
The Magnavox Odyssey 2000 (model number: BH7510) dedicated console was released in 1977. The Odyssey 2000 was basically an updated version of the Odyssey 300. Like the 300, the Odyssey 2000 uses the AY-3-8500 single-chip design (which is also used in the Odyssey 3000). The Odyssey 2000 is set up for two players and uses a single rotating knob for each player's game control instead of the three knobs used by earlier Magnavox dedicated video game consoles. In addition to the Tennis, Hockey, and Squash ("Smash") game variations, the Odyssey 2000 adds the Practice variation of one-player squash.
[Magnavox Odyssey 2000]
". Old-Computers.com. Points scored during gameplay are shown at the top of the screen when each player scores and the winner is the first player to gain 15 points. Like earlier Odyssey models, the Odyssey 2000 is powered by either six "C" batteries or an optional AC adapter.
[ The Odyssey 2000 has a built in speaker inside of it.
]
Magnavox Odyssey 3000
The Magnavox Odyssey 3000 (model number: 7508) dedicated console was released in 1977. The Odyssey 3000 features the same game variations as the Odyssey 2000 (Tennis, Hockey, Smash, Practice). The unit is set up for two players but a solo-play Practice mode for Smash is also available. A three-position handicap switch allows players to set skill level, and additional controls allow players to select automatic or manual serve, ball speed, and ball deflection angle (20 or 40 degrees).[ With the Odyssey 3000, Magnavox abandoned its old case design with one with a more contemporary style. The console itself is more angular and less rounded; two flat buttons are used for the serve and reset functions][Johnson, Hugues.]
. HuguesJohnson.com. and the console settings knobs were reduced in size. The Odyssey 3000 uses a flat circular knob for selecting different games and unlike all previous Odyssey dedicated video game consoles, the Odyssey 3000 features detachable game paddles
A paddle is a handheld tool with an elongated handle and a flat, widened distal end (i.e. the ''blade''), used as a lever to apply force onto the bladed end. It most commonly describes a completely handheld tool used to propel a human-powered wa ...
(without any fire buttons).[Hatzithomas, Ian.]
Home Video Game Console History
. '' Good Deal Games''. 2008. The Odyssey 3000 is powered by either six "C" batteries or an optional AC adapter.[
]
Magnavox Odyssey 4000
Magnavox concluded their line of dedicated video game consoles with the Magnavox Odyssey 4000. The Odyssey 4000 (model number: 7511) dedicated console was released in 1977
Events January
* January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group.
* January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...
. 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 ]joystick
A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal cont ...
s. The AY-3-8615 chip enabled the Odyssey 4000 to display their games in color
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...
instead of black and white graphics. The 4000 is powered by an included AC adapter.[
]
Magnavox Odyssey 5000 (prototype)
The Magnavox Odyssey 5000 would have contained two chips, National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor was an American semiconductor manufacturer which specialized in analog devices and subsystems, formerly with headquarters in Santa Clara, California. The company produced power management integrated circuits, display drive ...
's MM571068 and Signetics' MUGS-1, and featuring a total of seven games (Tennis, Hockey, Volleyball, Basketball, Knockout, Tank, and Helicopter) which with variations could be expanded to twenty-four different gaming experiences. The unit would have allowed up to four players and included a Practice mode for solo-play against the computer. The console never was released commercially, and remained in development. Its prototype helped shape the next generation of Magnavox Odyssey home console, the Magnavox Odyssey 2
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. It was sold in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil and Peru as the ...
.
Philips Odyssey series (1976–1978)
Dutch TV manufacturer Philips
Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
purchased Magnavox in 1974, after which it began to release its own versions of the dedicated Odyssey consoles in Europe.
Philips Odyssey 200
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.[Winter, David.]
Pong-Story: Philips Odyssey 200
. Pong-Story.com. 2013.
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.[Winter, David.]
. Pong-Story.com. 2013.
Philips Odyssey 2100
The Philips Odyssey 2100 was released in 1978 and uses the same case design as the 2001. Using the National Semiconductor MM-57186N chip, the Philips Odyssey 2100 plays 6 games with multiple variations: Wipe-Out (Breakout style, 7 variants), Flipper (7 variants), Tennis (2 variants), Handball (2 variants), Ice Hockey (2 variants), Football (3 variants).[Winter, David.]
. Pong-Story.com. 2013.
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
The Philips Videopac+ G7400 is a third-generation home video game console released in limited quantities in 1983, and only in Europe; an American release as the Odyssey³ Command Center was planned but never occurred. The G7400 was the successo ...
- Developed by Philips
Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...
as the Odyssey³ and intended to have backward compatibility
Backward compatibility (sometimes known as backwards compatibility) is a property of an operating system, product, or technology that allows for interoperability with an older legacy system, or with input designed for such a system, especially i ...
with the Odyssey².
*Philips Tele-Game series
The Philips Tele-Game series was a series of six dedicated first-generation home video game consoles manufactured, released and marketed between 1975 to 1978 by Dutch company Philips.
All Philips Tele-Game consoles have the contraction "ES" whi ...
- Predecessor of the Philips Odyssey series.
*Color TV-Game series
The is the first video game system ever made by Nintendo. The system was released as a series of five dedicated home video game consoles between 1977 and 1980 in Japan only. Nintendo sold three million units of the first four models: one mil ...
- Another popular series of early video game consoles by Nintendo.
References
{{Dedicated consoles
Magnavox consoles
First-generation video game consoles