#magnavox odyssey

[pluralzalpha]

I really think we lost something in game console design over the years. Maybe it's just the retro appeal after the fact, or secondhand nostalgia for parents' and cousins' machines I played with as a kid, but I love the look of the consoles in the 70s and 80s. Sure, some of them were ugly as sin, but some of them were gorgeous.

The Magnavox Odyssey, released 1972. The Odyssey series were true games centres, and came with games boards and accessories as combo boardgame/video games. This thing just looks futuristic, even fifty years later.

The Odyssey 300, one of its successors. Who says the 70s were all brown? This one came out in 1976, so we're still in preprogrammed consoles here.

The TV Tennis or Electrotennis, by Epoch Co. Released in Japan in 1975, the country's first home console. All these games were basically tennis games, like the classic:

Atari Home Pong Tele-Game. Simple, clean, means business.

The Color-TV Game Block Kuzushi. This was part of the first series of Nintendo consoles. This particular one was released in 1979 and played a Breakout-clone. Shigeru Miyamoto codesigned this one, two years before creating Donkey Kong.

The Fairchild Video Entertainment System or Channel F from 1975. I love the wood veneer finish. We should bring that back. Pure 70s. This was the first console to use game cartridges, and the first console with a pause control!

The Bally Astrocade. Also known by various other names, but "Astrocade" is unbeatable. Released in 1977, discontinued, then relaunched around '82. Very sophisticated for its time, with 28 "Videocades" available holding one or two games each.

The Atari 2600, AKA Atari VCS and Tele-Games Video Arcade. Released in 1977, and it looks like it. It looks like it's made of chocolate.

The Epoch Cassette Vision, a strange cart-based console from Japan in 1981. It played a bunch of arcade knockoffs but looked sleek and futuristic doing it.

The original Nintendo Game & Watch, playing Ball, released in 1980. Created by the legend Gunpei Yokoi, who also invented the D-Pad!

More to come I feel, these are just too beautiful.

[retroremastered]

[wisconsincomputerclub]

The Wisconsin Computer Club's last show at the Portage County IDEA center went really well. The theme was "weird" and a lot of the oddball equipment rolled out!

[stone-cold-groove]

Imagine! Odyssey 400 by Magnavox.

[fabrikrattejaks]

Simon Says

03/11/24

Inspiration:

The Magnavox Odyssey is a primitive console released in 1972. As described in the artwork's alt text, the tv cannot display a video game, but rather a white cursor. The games are plastic sheets placed on the screen, and worked similar to board games.

[atariforce]

Magnavox Odyssey by Blinddog

[boredtechnologist]

Magnavox Odyssey 4000 gaming console - 1977

[found-in-retro-game-mags]

A Decade of Programmable Video Games (Electronic Games #2, Mar. 1982)

[astomii]

Yes...he is a game console...

Meet! Odyssey!! A 52 year old DILF who's got many stories to tell. He's a kindhearted gentlemen, who gets along with most people. In his spare time he enjoys playing ping-pong, and deep-sea diving. Sometimes you'll catch him havin' a smoke...mainly cigars. He's a good vibe. Enjoys hearing stories and learning from younger generations..even though he may not understand new tech from today

Extra: Bisexual Trans Man

[g4zdtechtv]

THE PILE PRESENTS: X-Play - The '08 Game Developers Choice Awards | 2/29/08

Get your speech ready!

[dsharpie]

fuck is wrong with the magnavox odyssey?

Tbh I don't care about the Odyssey discourse but I saw one tweet where they're like "convenient that they would have a guy who goes on an Odyssey named Odysseus" it was my favorite tweet about the whole thing

[retroremastered]

[ashleywritesstuff]

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A post shared by 8-Bit Back Issues (@8bitbackissues)

It was a delight to join Geoff Owen on this episode of 8-Bit Back Issues to talk about my favorite classic video game system, the Magnavox Odyssey2. Part of Film Stories.

[chaotichoschi]

some random images from the history of console gaming

[popculturevault]

[icarusthelunarguard]

This Week’s Horrible-Scopes

It’s time for this week’s Horrible-Scopes! So for those of you that know your Astrological Signs, cool! If not, just pick one, roll a D12, or just make it up as you go along. It really doesn’t matter. Better yet! Check out “Heart of the Game, Fredonia” and see if they can sell you those D12’s with the symbols on them. Tell them “Shujin Tribble” sentcha. And “Hail, Hail, Fredonia!” Home of the Blue Devil!

After some work and research, we’re FINALLY getting to the theme suggested before: using OTHER than Atari 2600 games. Well, never let it be said we didn’t try. So this week we’re looking at the 2nd generation of home game consoles, but we’re leaving Atari2600 out.

Aries 

Described as “The Home Console Nobody Remembers”, you’re getting the machine that beat the Atari to the marketplace: the Fairchild Channel F. It had a price tag of over $800 today and a lackluster game selection - although it had several games hardcoded into the unit. AND it was the system that brought “TV Powww” gaming to after school kids with a phone. This week… You’re the first one ready to take on a job. If you don’t excel at it you’re gunna get overshadowed. So get to work!

Taurus 

You’re getting the ColecoVision - a machine that, honestly, how it didn’t get sued by Mattel for copying the controller design is beyond us. Having the first home version of Donkey Kong and Zaxxon couldn’t overshadow the blight that was the Adam: the THIRD expansion for the device to turn it into a full-on computer. One problem with it was the power supply destroying any magnetic media in close proximity every time it was turned on. So This Week… figure out a way to have your coffee made before you’ve even stepped foot out of bed.  

Gemini  

There’s a lot that can be said about your system and its premier game. Welcome to the world of the Magnavox Odyssey 2, aka the Philips Videopac G7000 in Europe! The joysticks looked like something used to remotely pilot a Space: 1999 Eagle and the keyboard on the unit was a horrible plastic dimple system that no amount of training could make a touch-typist happy. And as far as games go, well… the less we talk about “Attack of the Timelord!” the better. This week… just remember that you’re not the bottom of the list in anything, just like the Odyssey! IGN named the Odyssey 2 the 21st greatest video game console, out of its list of 25. So you’ve got THAT going for you. 

Cancer Moon-Child 

We’re pretty sure you’ve NEVER heard of this console before: the Arcadia 2001 released by Emerson Radio. And before you think, well this can’t be THAT bad, right? The unrelated Arcadia Corporation, manufacturer of the Atari 2600 Supercharger add-on, was sued by Emerson for trademark infringement. Arcadia Corporation then changed its name to Starpath, proving that Emerson, once upon a time ago, was a Feared Company Brand. This Week… I mean, we don’t know what you want from us. The console was discontinued after 18 months, so how about… don’t make any long-term plans right now?

Leo 

Also from the dregs of the Barely Known, you’ve gotten the Bally Astrocade… aka the Bally Arcade aka the Bally ABA-1000 aka the Bally Professional Arcade. The keen-eared might have wondered, “Wait - is that the same company that made Bally-Midway Pinball Machines?” Well, actually, yes. But they did a lot of arcade video games too - like Space Invaders! And yes, they DID make a home game version of it, but ended up calling it “Astro Battle” for some reason. So This Week… if you fail at something, just change your name and try again. Just don’t expect any improvements until you change yourself.

Virgo 

Hate to do this to you, Virgo, but we’ve been secretly rolling a D20 behind the scenes. And guess what? You got the Nat1. So… you’re not getting a notable console. You’re not getting an unrecognizable console. You’re getting saddled with one of the worst games and its resulting aftermath: the Atari2600 game “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”. Some of you knew this was coming, didn’t you? Back in the day there were rumors that a secret shipment of these cursed games were buried and concreted over in the hopes that they’d never see the light of day again. And on April 26, 2014, remnants of E.T. games were found, confirming this story. So just like the game back in the day, we blame YOU, Virgo, for all the crap that’s happened to the world since 2014! Thanks a lot! Don’t roll a “1” again!  

Libra 

There are only a handful of game consoles that came complete with their own 9-inch CRT Display. So you’re a unique winner this week with the Vectrex. Originally produced by General Consumer Electronics and later licensed to Milton Bradley, it used vector graphics to draw lines on a CRT display, not unlike many arcade games like Asteroids, which was included in the base system under the name “Mine Storm”! And as a surprise to everyone, one of the special accessories for it was a Light Pen to “draw” on the screen. They wanted to make a color version but plans were shelved because a better unit came along to claim that niche of the market: The Game Boy! So This Week… someone younger, smaller, and more power efficient is looking to take your job from you. Don’t Let Them!

Scorpio 

We finally get to the Big Daddy Competitor to Atari, the Mattel Intellivision. It had its flaws, sure, but in SO many ways it was the superior system to the rest of the pack. You could get a full computer add-on, a speech synthesizer, an Atari2600 game cartridge and joystick adapter, a 49 piano key music synthesizer, and the PlayCable, allowing cable TV companies to send playable games to connected systems on a subscription service! This week… You are light years ahead of everyone around you but your self-promotion skills are for crap. Study some online courses to improve your game.

Sagittarius 

It’s likely you’ve never heard of this machine for various reasons. The Interton Video Computer 4000 aka the Interton VC 4000 was released in Germany, England, France, Spain, Austria, the Netherlands, and Australia by the German hearing aid manufacturer Interton. The weird part about it is that no one knows if they developed it themselves or licensed the technology, since a number of clone compatible systems are out there. This Week… keep track of your sales receipts. You’re going to need to look back on what you bought.

Capricorn 

We promised not to talk about the Atari 2600 system for this list. So, with a huge nod to the nice subreddit group, “R-slash-TechnicallyCorrect”, you’ve been, and we’re using this term VERY loosely… “Gifted”... the Atari 5200! Yes. A game console that was hardly more than the 2600 on the inside, but with an incompatible cartridge connection port and vastly inferior joysticks, it was supposed to bring sales back from the losses of the Console Market Crash, but it was just a poor stepping stone to the soon-to-be-released Atari 7800. This week… Don’t try to bamboozle people with half-step promises. Just commit to the bit and surprise everyone with how good you can really be.

Aquarius 

We want you to enjoy this product, because it might be possible to bring it back in a fun way. Yours is the RCA Studio II: a very simple product that was obsolete pretty much as soon as it was sold. It plugged into your TV, made “some” sounds, produced black-and-white images, and instead of any controllers per-say, it used a ten-button keypad for two players directly on the unit. Here’s the thing: imagine this product being changed from being barely a game machine, into a specialized two-handed controller! Who needs a mouse and keyboard when you could have just… a keyboard controller in your lap! But with RGB and tilt controls and vibrations. So This Week… if you DO prototype this product, don’t play-test it in public with the “Buttplug-dot-io” system enabled. 

Pisces  

We know the only reason why you’re getting this machine is because of the name. Produced by VTech, it had MANY aliases. It was known as: the Educat 2002, as well as The Dick Smith Wizzard, the FunVision Computer Video Games System, the Hanimex Rameses, and the VZ 2000. ALL of those names were official and sold in various markets. We know you don’t care what games it had, you just want to collect one of each of them, don’t you? Well then This Week… get your passport in order ‘cause you fly out to South Africa at the end of the month!

And THOSE are your Horrible-Scopes for this week! Remember if you liked what you got, we’re obviously not working hard enough at these. BUT! If you want a better or nastier one for your own sign or someone else’s, all you need to do to bribe me is just Let Me Know! These will be posted online at the end of each week via Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Discord and BLUESKY.