The Video Game Console Library

	Magnavox Odyssey
	DW FACTS by Dark Watcher
	Page content, development and design by Marriott_Guy

Developer	Manufacturer	Release Date	Country(s)	Initial Price	Model Number	Game Releases	Overall Rating
Magnavox	Magnavox	May-72	USA, Euro, Many Others	$99.95 USD	1TL200BLAK	28	6.5
Ratings	Reviews	Pictures\Media	Specs\Manuals	Games\Emulation	Models	Clones	Links

Ratings
Consoles are rated based upon the available technology at the time of its release. Ratings based upon a 10 point scale (10 being excellent\very rare).
Console Design (appearance, functionality)	06
Console Durability (sturdy or frail and fragile)	07
Controllers (design, response, feel, use)	07
Graphics (graphical capability and presentation)	06
Audio (sound, music, speech, effects)	01
Media (game media format, design, durability)	08
Packaging (appeal, durability of packaging)	07
Game Library (quality, quantity of game library)	03
Innovations (technological industrial strides)	10
Gamer Value (good investment for the gamer?)	01
Collector Value (good collector investment?)	06
Games Rarity (general availability of games)	06
Console Rarity (general availability of a system)	05

Reviews

Magnavox Odyssey

$Ralph Baer \ Magnavox Odyssey$

DW FACTS
- by Dark Watcher

The Magnavox Odyssey was the very first home video game system. It was the brilliant creation of Ralph Baer (dubbed "The Father of home video games"). It played "Ball and Paddle" games such as "Ping Pong", "Table Tennis", "Volleyball" and others.

On January 27th, 1972, Magnavox began production on the machine and the system was released in May. It was heavily advertised and reportedly sold 100,000 units in 1972 for around $100 each.

The Odyssey has no real specs. It contained no processor or memory. The box is made up of transistors, resistors and capacitors. Odyssey used cards that contained pin outs to change game settings. Plastic overlays that could be placed over the TV screen created graphics and color, but the actual display consisted of white squares (Paddle and ball) on an all black background. The Odyssey originally came with six game cards, and a 36-page user manual for the twelve games offered by the system.

Magnavox Odyssey Advertisement

The launch of Odyssey generated a severe case of "Pong Madness". Companies worldwide began developing their own "Pong" machines. The sheer madness of it all can be seen HERE.

FACT: Magnavox Odyssey was sold only in Magnavox stores. Customers were told that the Odyssey would only work on Magnavox brand televisions. A nice lie that contributed to the amount of units sold.

Before it became Odyssey, Ralph Baer's creation was simply called "The Brown Box". We were able to get our claws on this historical prototype (pictured on the left).

HANDS ON REVIEW

Coming soon....

Pictures & Media

Various picture\media for this console. Click pictures to enlarge.

Unboxing the original 1972 release of the Magnavox Odyssey

$1972 Magnavox Odyssey - Complete System \ Unboxing$

1972 Magnavox Odyssey - All Important RUN and Serial

The following pictures\articles were provided courtesy of
The Online Odyssey Museum. Visit their excellent website for even more!!

1972 Pamphlet for the Magnavox Odyssey - Page 1

1972 Pamphlet for the Magnavox Odyssey - Page 2

1972 Pamphlet for the Magnavox Odyssey - Page 3

Magnavox Odyssey - Box\Packaging

$1972 Magnavox Odyssey - Box\Packaging$

Magnavox Odyssey - PCB Board

Magnavox Odyssey - Contents

Magnavox Odyssey - Magazine Ad 1

Magnavox Odyssey - Magazine Ad 2

Magnavox Odyssey - Magazine Ad 3

Electronic Design article from 1972

Consumer Reports article from 1973

Mechanix Illustrated 1975 Article

Specs & Manuals

For the hardware enthusiasts out there - all the detail you\we love.

Processor Type	Processor Speed	Other Processor Information	RAM \ Video RAM
None	N\A	None	None
Screen Resolution	Color Palette	Polygons \ Sprites	Audio
N\A	Black & White	N\A	None
Media Format	Media Capacity	Games Released	Other Supported Formats
Pin Out Cards	N\A	28	None
Internal Storage	External\Removable Storage	Game Controllers	Other Game \ Peripheral Devices
None	None	Square Boxed Controllers	Light Gun (optional)
Controller Ports	Network Ports	Other Ports	Audio \ Video
Two (2) - Hardwired	None	None	RF Connection
Power Supply	Other Outputs	Other Details \ Notes
External AC Adapter 9V DC 40 mA or Six (6) type C batteries	None	The external AC adapter is optional.
Manuals
Magnavox Odyssey Owners Manual (PDF) - 6.54 MB (courtesy of ReplacementDocs.com)

Games & Emulation

Games screen shots\media released for this system. Some pictures provided courtesy of The Online Odyssey Museum.

The Magnavox Odyssey displayed everything in Black and White. TV Overlays were used to provide the canvas for game play. Basically they provided a road map for the player to guide the controller.

Magnavox Odyssey Game Boxes

The following screen shots, courtesy of Paul at DIY ROM Arcade, display the original games that came with the Magnavox Odyssey system.

Analogic

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Analogic

Cat and Mouse

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Cat and Mouse

Football

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Football

Haunted House

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Haunted House

Hockey

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Hockey

Roulette

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Roulette

Simon Says

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Simon Says

Skiing

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Skiing

States

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - States

Submarine

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Submarine

Table Tennis

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Table Tennis

Tennis

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Tennis

Accompanying the 1972 release of the Magnavox Odyssey was a coupon for a free game - Percepts.

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Percepts

Percepts Game Packaging

Additional Magnavox Odyssey Games released in 1972

Baseball

Magnavox Odyssey Baseball

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Baseball

Fun Zoo

Magnavox Odyssey Fun Zoo

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Fun Zoo

Handball

Magnavox Odyssey Handball

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Handball

Invasion

Magnavox Odyssey Invasion

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Invasion

Volleyball

Magnavox Odyssey Volleyball

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Volleyball

Wipeout

Magnavox Odyssey Wipout

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Wipout

Shooting Gallery was released in 1972 and included a Light Gun peripheral along with four additional games.

Shooting Gallery Box \ Contents

$Shooting Gallery Box \ Contents$

Dogfight

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Dogfight

Prehistoric Safari

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Prehistoric Safari

Shootout

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Shootout

Shooting Gallery

Magnavox Odyssey - Screen Shot - Shooting Gallery

Additional Magnavox Odyssey Games released in 1973

Basketball

Magnavox Odyssey Basketball

Brain Wave

Magnavox Odyssey Brain Wave

Interplanetary Voyage

Magnavox Odyssey Interplanetary Voyage

Win

Magnavox Odyssey Win

Third Party Emulators
Program	Website	Description
Odyemu	http://www.pong-story.com/odyemu.htm	This is the first emulator released for the Magnavox Odyssey. It is DOS based and should work on most PC's.

Models

Additional authorized releases for this console. Click pictures to enlarge. All model pictures provided courtesy of The Online Odyssey Museum.

Magnavox Odyssey (US)

ITT Odyssee

Magnavox Odyssey (Export)

Magnavox Odisea (Mex)

Kanal 34

Magnavox Odyssey (Ger)

Clones

Non-licensed releases (clones). Click pictures to enlarge. All clone pictures provided courtesy of The Online Odyssey Museum.

Telematch de Panoramic

Wonder Wizard

Ovekal

Links

Highly recommended additional sites\resources for this system.

Name	Website	Description
Pong-Story	http://www.pong-story.com/	The site of the man himself - Ralph Baer
The Online Odyssey Museum	http://www.magnavox-odyssey.com/	The best Magnavox Odyssey on the internet by far!!

visitors since 01-Apr-2008
Page last updated 11-Dec-2011

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