Magnavox Odyssey Series
Encyclopedia
The Magnavox Odyssey was a general brand name of the company's complete line of home video game consoles released from 1972 through 1978. The line includes the original Magnavox Odyssey
console, both Magnavox and Philips versions of the Odyssey series of dedicated video game consoles, and the Magnavox Odyssey² cartridge-based video game console released in 1978.
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
, the supplier of their single video game chips, was unable to deliver in a timely manner.
The Odyssey 100 was designed around four Texas Instruments chips. It has two games (Tennis and Hockey); the tennis game was the inspiration for Pong. 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 or a 9 volt AC adapter. Each player had three knobs for horizontal movement, vertical movement and ball trajectory adjustment ("English").
. The Odyssey 200 was also the first video game console to feature either two-player or four-player options. The Odyssey 200 added non-digital on-screen scoring (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 the same game control knobs as its predecessor.
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
. The 300 has the same three games as the Odyssey 200; unlike the 200, the Odyssey 300 console has three difficulty levels: Novice, Intermediate and Expert.
s (without any fire buttons).
s. The AY-3-8615 chip enabled the Odyssey 4000 to display color instead of black and white graphics.
's MM57106 with 7 games (same as Odyssey 2100) and Signetics
' CR861 (aka MUGS) with a helicopter and a tank game.
1979 film Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens
Ann Marie is seen playing with an Odyssey 200.
Magnavox Odyssey
The Magnavox Odyssey is the world's first home video game console. It was first demonstrated on May 24, 1972 and released in August of that year, predating the Atari Pong home consoles by three years....
console, both Magnavox and Philips versions of the Odyssey series of dedicated video game consoles, and the Magnavox Odyssey² cartridge-based video game console released in 1978.
Magnavox Odyssey
The Magnavox Odyssey is the world's first home video game console and was released by Magnavox in 1972. Designed by Ralph Baer and first demonstrated 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 cartridge slot, allowing the player to select the unit's various games.Odyssey 100
The Odyssey 100 dedicated console was released in 1975. It uses a multi-chip discreteLogic gate
A logic gate is an idealized or physical device implementing a Boolean function, that is, it performs a logical operation on one or more logic inputs and produces a single logic output. Depending on the context, the term may refer to an ideal logic gate, one that has for instance zero rise time and...
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
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
, the supplier of their single video game chips, was unable to deliver in a timely manner.
The Odyssey 100 was designed around four Texas Instruments chips. It has two games (Tennis and Hockey); the tennis game was the inspiration for Pong. 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 or a 9 volt AC adapter. Each player had three knobs for horizontal movement, vertical movement and ball trajectory adjustment ("English").
Odyssey 200
The Odyssey 200 dedicated console was released in 1975. 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"Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
. The Odyssey 200 was also the first video game console to feature either two-player or four-player options. The Odyssey 200 added non-digital on-screen scoring (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 the same game control knobs as its predecessor.
Odyssey 300
The Odyssey 300 dedicated console was released in 1976. Unlike Magnavox's previous two dedicated console products, the Odyssey 300 was meant to compete directly with the Coleco Telstar. Like the Telstar, the Odyssey 300 uses the AY-3-8500AY-3-8500
The AY-3-8500 "Ball & Paddle" integrated circuit was the first in a series of ICs from General Instrument designed for the consumer video game market. These chips were designed to output video to an RF modulator which would then display the game on a domestic TV set. The AY-3-8500 contained six...
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
Transistor–transistor logic is a class of digital circuits built from bipolar junction transistors and resistors. It is called transistor–transistor logic because both the logic gating function and the amplifying function are performed by transistors .TTL is notable for being a widespread...
. The 300 has the same three games as the Odyssey 200; unlike the 200, the Odyssey 300 console has three difficulty levels: Novice, Intermediate and Expert.
Odyssey 400
The Odyssey 400 dedicated console was released in 1976. The 400 is essentially the same as the Odyssey 200 with automatic serve and on-screen digital scoring features added. The console plays the same three games as the 200 and has the same three game control knobs. An additional Texas Instruments chip was used to implement on-screen scoring.Odyssey 500
The Odyssey 500 dedicated console was released in 1976. The console is essentially the same as the Odyssey 400 with one unique addition: instead of using vertical line "paddles", the console has special graphics that actually resemble simplified versions of human players. Three different graphics were used for the three different game variations; Magnavox marketed the 500 as having a fourth game (Soccer) by using the squash player graphics with the hockey playing field.Odyssey 2000
The Odyssey 2000 dedicated console was released in 1977. The 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 uses a single rotating knob for 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 2000 adds the Practice variation of one-player squash.Odyssey 3000
The Odyssey 3000 dedicated console was released in 1977. The 3000 features the same four game variations as the Odyssey 2000. 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 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 3000 features detachable game paddlePaddle (game controller)
A paddle is a game controller with a round wheel and one or more fire buttons, where the wheel is typically used to control movement of the player object along one axis of the video screen...
s (without any fire buttons).
Odyssey 4000
Magnavox concluded their line of dedicated video game consoles with the Odyssey 4000. The Odyssey 4000 dedicated console was released in 1977. Based around the AY-3-8600 single-chip design, the 4000 features a total of eight game variations based on Tennis, Hockey, Squash and Practice. Unlike the Odyssey 3000, the 4000 featured detachable joystickJoystick
A joystick 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. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
s. The AY-3-8615 chip enabled the Odyssey 4000 to display color instead of black and white graphics.
Odyssey 5000 (prototype)
This console should contain two chips, National SemiconductorNational Semiconductor
National Semiconductor was an American semiconductor manufacturer, that specialized in analog devices and subsystems,formerly headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA. The products of National Semiconductor included power management circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers,...
's MM57106 with 7 games (same as Odyssey 2100) and Signetics
Signetics
Signetics, once a major player in semiconductor manufacturing, made a variety of devices which included integrated circuits, bipolar and MOS, the Dolby circuit, logic, memory and analog circuits. They developed microprocessors like the 2650, the bipolar 8X300 and had licensed Motorola 68000...
' CR861 (aka MUGS) with a helicopter and a tank game.
Philips Odyssey Series
Philips released their own licensed version of the original Magnavox Odyssey before purchasing Magnavox in 1974, after which it continued to release its own versions of the dedicated Odyssey consoles.Odyssey 200
The 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..Odyssey 2001
The Odyssey 2001 is the 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 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.Odyssey 2100
The Odyssey 2100 was released in 1978 and uses the same case design as the 2001. Using the National Semiconductor MM-57186N chip, the 2100 plays 6 games with multiple varitions: Wipe-Out (Breakout style, 7 variants), Flipper (7 variants), Tennis (2 variants), Handball (2 variants), Ice Hockey (2 variants), Football (3 variants). |
In Popular Culture
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1979 film Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens
Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens
Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens is a satirical sexploitation film starring Kitten Natividad and Ann Marie with a cameo by Uschi Digard. It was directed by American motion picture director Russ Meyer, and written by Roger Ebert and Meyer....
Ann Marie is seen playing with an Odyssey 200.