type game console
country USA
year 1972
os no
cpu no
speed 0 MHz
ram 0 KB
graphic TV
colors monochrome
sound no
ports RF, controller (2)
The Magnavox Odyssey Run One — The First Home Game Console
The Magnavox Odyssey, designed by Ralph Baer and released in 1972, was the world’s first commercial home video game console — predating Atari’s Pong by three years and establishing the concept of playing electronic games on a home television. Using analogue circuitry with no microprocessor, the Odyssey produced simple dot graphics controlled by paddles, with plastic screen overlays providing the visual context for different games. Ralph Baer’s patent on the home video game console was later successfully enforced against Atari, establishing the Odyssey’s legal primacy as the progenitor of the home gaming industry. Having an Odyssey in a collection is holding the direct ancestor of every home game console ever made.