Many people think that Atari was the world’s first video game console, but are they totally wrong? The person responsible for this title is called Magnavox Odyssey, and was launched by the company Magnavox, a subsidiary of Phillipsin 1972. He became famous because of an incredible technology for the time: being able to connect to television.
The engineers Bill Harrison, bill rusch and Ralph Baer created the console based on a prototype called “Brown Box” (in English, brown box), which would become the first electronic entertainment system compatible with televisions of the time. however only baera German naturalized American, is considered the “father of video games”
Despite the innovations for the time, Odyssey had several technical limitations, including the absence of audio and colors. Another item that was quite simple was the graphics, and the great example of this was a “ping-pong” game, where players moved two bars of light to hit the ball in motion.
However, the color problem ended up being solved with a little trick: along with the game, came some layers of plastic that, when placed on top of the television screen, gave colorful details and an impression of visuals to the game. You could visualize a football field or a tennis court, and even a haunted house among the available styles.
The console ran on battery power and came with dice, poker chips, game boards and score sheets for manual recording. There are some rumors that baer I would like to develop “active cartridges” with more powerful sound effects and graphics components, but the ideas did not materialize. However, he was not satisfied with just the base of the video game and created the first light gun in the world, which is nothing more than a plastic gun to simulate shots on the screen.
Even though 350,000 units of the Odyssey were sold, there were some factors that ended up harming the commercial success of the product, such as marketing itself. An example of this is that many sellers told consumers that the console only worked with Magnavox televisions, all of the same brand, and this was a way for them to sell more items in the store.
The launch of Pong, a virtually identical console made by Atari, marketed the same year, hurt Odyssey sales. Magnavox then filed a lawsuit in 1974 against all companies that sold games similar to theirs.
Because of all the patent lawsuits, there was a total revenue of more than $100 million for the company that owns the Odyssey.
Source: Recreio
I am Ben Stock, a passionate and experienced digital journalist working in the news industry. At the Buna Times, I write articles covering technology developments and related topics. I strive to provide reliable information that my readers can trust. My research skills are top-notch, as well as my ability to craft engaging stories on timely topics with clarity and accuracy.