View source for First generation of video game consoles

{{Short description|Gaming generation from 1972 to 1983}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
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In the [[history of video games]], the '''first generation''' era refers to the video games, [[video game console]]s, and [[Handheld game console|handheld video game consoles]] available from 1972 to 1983. Notable consoles of the first generation include the [[Odyssey series]] (excluding the [[Magnavox Odyssey 2]]), the [[Pong#Home version|Atari Home Pong]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130414/the_history_of_atari_19711977.php?print=1|title=The History of Atari: 1971–1977|last=Fulton|first=Steve|date=November 6, 2007|website=Gamasutra|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912021902/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/130414/the_history_of_atari_19711977.php?print=1|archive-date=September 12, 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> the [[Coleco Telstar series]] and the [[Color TV-Game series]]. The generation ended with the [[Computer TV-Game]] in 1980 and its following discontinuation in 1983, but many manufacturers had left the market prior due to the market decline in the year of 1978 and the start of the [[second generation of video game consoles]].

Most of the games developed during this generation were hard-wired into the consoles and unlike later generations, most were not contained on removable media that the user could switch between.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_VlmDwAAQBAJ&q=odyssey+basic+graphics&pg=PA17|title=Video Games|last=Hile|first=Kevin|date=October 26, 2009|publisher=Greenhaven Publishing LLC|isbn=9781420503067|language=en|access-date=February 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227060542/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_VlmDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA17&dq=odyssey+basic+graphics&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjgpOm7udrgAhXvSRUIHTdDAkcQ6AEINzAC#v=onepage&q=odyssey%20basic%20graphics&f=false|archive-date=February 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Consoles often came with accessories and cartridges that could alter the way the game played to enhance the gameplay experience<ref name="BtC-EVGH">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oK3D4i5ldKgC&q=pong|title=Before the Crash: Early Video Game History|last=Wolf|first=Mark J. P.|date=June 15, 2012|publisher=Wayne State University Press|isbn=9780814337226 |access-date=February 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227061837/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oK3D4i5ldKgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=video+game+console+odyssey&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiJmL3Yt9rgAhVHRxUIHTn4Aa8Q6AEIQDAE#v=onepage&q=pong&f=false|archive-date=February 27, 2019|url-status=live |pages=56, 58}}</ref> as graphical capabilities consisted of simple geometry such as dots, lines or blocks that would occupy only a single screen.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gJwoAQAAMAAJ&q=pong+basic+graphics|title=Graphics Programming with JFC|last1=Wall|first1=David|last2=Griffith|first2=Arthur|date=1999|publisher=Wiley|isbn=9780471283072|language=en|access-date=February 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227060352/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=gJwoAQAAMAAJ&q=pong+basic+graphics&dq=pong+basic+graphics&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjmxq2NudrgAhUEonEKHQivB24Q6AEINDAC|archive-date=February 27, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> First generation consoles were not capable of displaying more than two colours until later in the generation, and audio capabilities were limited with some consoles having no sound at all.

In 1972, two major developments influenced the future of the home video game market. In June, [[Nolan Bushnell]] and [[Ted Dabney]] founded [[Atari, Inc.|Atari]], which would go on to be one of the most well-known video game companies and play a vital role in the early generations of consoles.  In September, [[Magnavox]], an established electronics company, released the [[Magnavox Odyssey|Odyssey]]. Inspired by the Odyssey's ping-pong game, Atari would soon go on to market the game ''[[Pong]]'' in both arcade and home versions; [[Nintendo]], a well-established Japanese company that made a number of different products, entered the video game console market for the first time in 1977 with its [[Color TV-Game series]].<ref name="powerplay">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U3u7AAAAIAAJ&q=%22color+tv+game%22&pg=PA180|title=Powerplay|last=Fleming|first=Dan|publisher=[[Manchester University Press]] ND|year=1996|isbn=978-0-7190-4717-6|page=180|access-date=February 26, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511051413/https://books.google.com/books?id=U3u7AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA180&dq=%22color+tv+game%22|archive-date=May 11, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Overview ==
=== History ===
In 1951, [[Ralph Baer]] conceived the idea of an [[interactive television]] while designing a television set for [[Loral Corporation|Loral]] in [[The Bronx|the Bronx, New York]].<ref name="Rowman and Littlefield Publishers">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2ZD1AAAAQBAJ|title=Virtual Ascendance: Video Games and the Remaking of Reality|last1=Griffiths|first1=Devin C.|date=2013|publisher=Rowman and Littlefield Publishers|isbn=9781442216952|location=[[Lanham, Maryland]]|pages=14–15}}</ref> Baer did not pursue the idea, but it returned to him in August 1966 when he was the Chief Engineer and manager of the Equipment Design Division at [[Sanders Associates]]. By December 1966, he and a technician created a prototype that allowed a player to move a line across the screen. After a demonstration to the company's director of research and development, some funding was allotted and the project was made official. Baer spent the next few months designing further prototypes, and in February 1967 assigned technician Bill Harrison to begin building the project.<ref name="baer2005">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R9kTAQAAIAAJ|title=Videogames: in the beginning|last=Baer|first=Ralph H.|date=April 26, 2005|publisher=Rolenta Press|isbn=9780964384811|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134118/https://books.google.com/books?id=R9kTAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live |pages=30, 45}}</ref> Harrison spent the next few months in between other projects building out successive modifications to the prototype. Baer, meanwhile, collaborated with engineer Bill Rusch on the design of the console, including developing the basis of many games for the system. By May, the first game was developed and by June, multiple games were completed for what was then a second prototype box. This included a game where players controlled dots chasing each other and a light gun shooter game with a plastic rifle. By August 1967, Baer and Harrison had completed a third prototype machine, but Baer felt that he was not proving successful at designing fun games for the system; to make up for this he added Bill Rusch, who had helped him come up with the initial games for the console, to the project.<ref name="baer2005" /> He soon proved his value to the team by coming up with a way to display three dots on the screen at once rather than the previous two, and proposing the development of a ping pong game.<ref name="Replay">{{cite book |title=Replay: The History of Video Games |last=Donovan |first=Tristan |publisher=Yellow Ant |date=April 20, 2010 |isbn=978-0-9565072-0-4|title-link=Replay: The History of Video Games |pages=10–26}}</ref>

[[File:Ralph Baer's Brown Box prototype.jpg|thumb|right|The "Brown Box" prototype is the forerunner of the [[Magnavox Odyssey]], the first commercial home video game console.]]
[[File:First_cartridge_of_magnavox_odyssey.jpg|thumb|First cartridge of Magnavox Odyssey]]
As Sanders was a military contractor and not in the business of making and selling commercial electronics, the team approached several cable television industry companies to produce the console, but were unable to find a buyer. By January 1969 the team had produced the seventh prototype, nicknamed the "[[Brown Box]]".<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|12}} After a Sanders patent attorney recommended approaching television manufacturers, they found interest first at [[RCA]] and finally at [[Magnavox]], who entered negotiations in July 1969 and signed an agreement in January 1971.<ref name="Replay"/><ref name="HighScore">{{cite book |title=High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games |last1=DeMaria |first1=Rusel |last2=Wilson |first2=Johnny L. |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill Education|McGraw Hill/Osborne]] |edition=2nd |date=December 2003 |isbn=978-0-07-223172-4 |page=18}}</ref> Magnavox designed the exterior of the machine, and re-engineered some of the internals with consultation from Baer and Harrison; they removed the ability to display color, reduced the number of controller types, and changed the system of selecting games from a dial to separate [[Cartridge (game card)|game cards]] that modified the console's circuitry when plugged into the console. Magnavox named the console the [[Magnavox Odyssey]] and announced the system's launch date for September 1972.<ref name="Replay"/><ref name="NGen23">{{cite magazine |title=The Great Videogame Swindle? |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |issue=23 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=November 1996 |pages=67–68 |issn=1078-9693}}</ref>

In the late 1960s, [[Nolan Bushnell]] saw ''[[Spacewar!]]'' at Stanford University. ''Spacewar!'' is a 1962 [[early mainframe games|mainframe game]] developed by a group of students and employees at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. Bushnell had worked at an amusement park, and felt that an [[arcade game]] version of the game would be very popular.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qi-ItIG6QLwC&q=%22spacewar%21%22&pg=RA2-PA27|title=The Internet: A Historical Encyclopedia. Chronology. Volume 3|last1=Moschovitis|first1=Christos J. P.|last2=Poole (Christos)|first2=Hilary and Moshovitis|date=2005|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781851096596|pages=27|access-date=March 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043935/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qi-ItIG6QLwC&pg=RA2-PA27&dq=%22spacewar!%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZh43OiufgAhVhqHEKHb-RBagQ6AEILzAB#v=onepage&q=%22spacewar!%22&f=false|archive-date=March 6, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The high price of computers capable of running the game, however, meant that any such arcade game would not be economically feasible. By 1970, however, [[minicomputer]]s were beginning to come down in price.<ref name="Replay"/><ref name="Technol">{{cite web |url=http://www.technologizer.com/2011/12/11/computer-space-and-the-dawn-of-the-arcade-video-game/ |last=Edwards |first=Benj |title=Computer Space and the Dawn of the Arcade Video Game |date=December 11, 2011 |work=[[Technologizer]] |access-date=April 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322174236/http://www.technologizer.com/2011/12/11/computer-space-and-the-dawn-of-the-arcade-video-game/ |archive-date=March 22, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> He and his office mate, [[Ted Dabney]], agreed to work together to try and design a prototype of the game.<ref name="Atariinc">{{cite book |title=Atari Inc.: Business Is Fun |last1=Goldberg |first1=Marty |last2=Vendel |first2=Curt |publisher=Syzygy Press |date=November 25, 2012 |isbn=978-0-9855974-0-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/atariincbusiness0000gold/page/20 20–31] |url=https://archive.org/details/atariincbusiness0000gold/page/20 }}</ref> By the end of November 1970, the pair had abandoned the project as untenable, as economically feasible computers were not powerful enough. Dabney soon thought of a way to manipulate the video signal on the screen without a computer controlling it, and from there Syzygy Engineering came up with the idea of removing the computer altogether and building specialized hardware to handle everything for the game instead.<ref name="Replay"/><ref name="Technol"/> ''[[Computer Space]]'', the first commercial arcade video game, was released by the pair as Syzygy Engineering through [[Nutting Associates]] at the end of 1971 and after its release they incorporated as Atari in the following year and began designing more games. Bushnell saw a demonstration of the Odyssey console playing its ''Table Tennis'' game in early 1972 and assigned their first employee, [[Allan Alcorn]], to produce an arcade table tennis game. The result, ''[[Pong]]'', was the first major arcade video game success, and inspired a large number of arcade and [[dedicated console]] versions and clones, including Atari's Home Pong in 1975.<ref name="Replay"/>

=== Technology ===
The first generation of consoles did not contain a [[microprocessor]] and were based on custom codeless [[Finite-state machine|state machine computers]] consisting of [[Logic gate|discrete logic]] ([[Transistor–transistor logic|TTL]]) circuits comprising each element of the game itself. Over the generation, technology steadily improved and later consoles of the generation moved the bulk of the circuitry to custom [[integrated circuits]] such as Atari's custom Pong chips and General Instruments' [[AY-3-8500]] series.<ref name="vgc2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vpjpAgAAQBAJ|title=Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time|last1=Loguidice|first1=Bill|last2=Barton|first2=Matt|date=February 24, 2014|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781135006501|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134053/https://books.google.com/books?id=vpjpAgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|119}}

Graphical capabilities were limited throughout the generation, often supported with physical accessories and screen overlays, but saw some improvement towards the end of the generation. While the Odyssey could only display 3 square dots in black and white, as the generation progressed, consoles started being able to display color as well as more complex shapes and text.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QnBqDwAAQBAJ|title=CompTIA IT Fundamentals (ITF+) Study Guide: Exam FC0-U61|last=Docter|first=Quentin|date=August 17, 2018|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9781119513056|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134059/https://books.google.com/books?id=QnBqDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live |page=155}}</ref> Early consoles such as the Odyssey and TV Tennis Electrotennis required players to keep track of scores manually but later, many introduced score counters on the display to assist players in score tracking.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lD4fDQAAQBAJ|title=Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life|last=Kohler|first=Chris|date=October 21, 2016|publisher=Courier Dover Publications|isbn=9780486801490|pages=28|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134102/https://books.google.com/books?id=lD4fDQAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CHVG" />{{Rp|252}} Audio capabilities were slow to improve over the generation, starting with the Odyssey, which had no audio, and later moving on to consoles which had buzzers that could produce a small range of beeps and buzzes.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8GNLDwAAQBAJ|title=Emotion in Video Game Soundtracking|last1=Williams|first1=Duncan|last2=Lee|first2=Newton|date=February 9, 2018|publisher=Springer|isbn=9783319722726|pages=144|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134102/https://books.google.com/books?id=8GNLDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JYfROhvXMPAC|title=Music and Game: Perspectives on a Popular Alliance|last=Moormann|first=Peter|date=August 11, 2012|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=9783531189130|pages=12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PyBZ-FVZLIIC|title=The Complete Guide to Game Audio: For Composers, Musicians, Sound Designers, Game Developers|last=Marks|first=Aaron|date=October 12, 2012|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=9781136059254|pages=3|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134104/https://books.google.com/books?id=PyBZ-FVZLIIC|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== {{anchor|Video game crash of 1977}}Market saturation and the end of the generation ===
In 1976, General Instrument produced a [[AY-3-8500|series of affordable integrated chips]] that allowed companies to simplify console production and lower costs.<ref name=":6">{{Cite magazine|last1=Eimbinder|first1=Jerry|last2=Eimbinder|first2=Eric|date=October 1980|title=Electronic Games: Space-age Leisure Activity|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/80s/1980/Poptronics-1980-10.pdf|magazine=Popular Electronics|page=55|volume=18|issue=4|access-date=September 24, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134108/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/80s/1980/Poptronics-1980-10.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Due to this, many companies had entered the home console market by the late 1970s.<ref name=":8">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=deBFx7QAwsQC|title=Encyclopedia of Video Games: A-L|last=Wolf|first=Mark J. P.|date=2012|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313379369|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134105/https://books.google.com/books?id=deBFx7QAwsQC|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|147}} A significant number released consoles that were essentially clones of Atari's Home Pong and many were poorly made and rushed to market, causing the home console market to saturate.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k5bNBQAAQBAJ|title=CoCo: The Colorful History of Tandy's Underdog Computer|last1=Pitre|first1=Boisy G.|last2=Loguidice|first2=Bill|date=December 10, 2013|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781466592483|pages=11|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134110/https://books.google.com/books?id=k5bNBQAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> The demand for the chip was so high that General Instruments could not supply enough to satisfy all the orders it was receiving causing problems for some smaller companies.<ref name=":6"/> Coleco received their order early on, allowing them to build up strong production capabilities and have success with their Telstar range.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bluebookofcanadi1980unse|url-access=registration|title=The Blue Book of Canadian Business 1980|publisher=Canadian Newspaper Services International|year=1980|isbn=0-9690116-7-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bluebookofcanadi1980unse/page/182 182]}}</ref>

The start of the second generation and the next major advancement in home console technology began in 1976 with the release of the [[Fairchild Channel F]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UlByDwAAQBAJ|title=Bits and Pieces: A History of Chiptunes|last=McAlpine|first=Kenneth B.|date=November 15, 2018|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190496098|pages=14|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134116/https://books.google.com/books?id=UlByDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="vgTextbook">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IExnDwAAQBAJ|title=The Video Games Textbook: History • Business • Technology|last=Wardyga|first=Brian J.|date=August 3, 2018|publisher=[[CRC Press]]|isbn=9780815390916|access-date=October 30, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134054/https://books.google.com/books?id=IExnDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|116}} The technology behind the first generation quickly became obsolete as consumers had the ability to purchase new games for second generation consoles instead of having to purchase new systems when they wanted new content as with the dedicated consoles of the first generation.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Salsberg|first=Arthur|date=September 1977|title=TV Electronic Games Grow Up|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/70s/1977/Poptronics-1977-09.pdf|magazine=Popular Electronics|volume=12|issue=3|page=4|access-date=September 24, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134108/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Poptronics/70s/1977/Poptronics-1977-09.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In comparison to the limited game library for each dedicated console, the Atari VCS launched with Combat, a cartridge containing 27 games.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-JzCgAAQBAJ|title=The Video Game Debate: Unravelling the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video Games|last1=Kowert|first1=Rachel|last2=Quandt|first2=Thorsten|date=August 27, 2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781317567172|pages=5|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134119/https://books.google.com/books?id=Y-JzCgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> As people transitioned to the newer systems, some companies were left with surplus stock and were selling at a loss. The combination of market saturation and the start of the second generation caused many companies to leave the market completely.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|22}}<ref name=":6" /> These events became known as the video game crash of 1977, as sales of second generation consoles were only modest for the next few years until the arrival of the [[killer app]], the home port of ''[[Space Invaders]]'' for the Atari VCS in 1980.<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Ultimate History of Video Games]] |first=Steven |last=Kent | authorlink = Steven L. Kent |page=190 |publisher=[[Three Rivers Press]] |isbn=0-7615-3643-4 |year=2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Weiss |first=Brett |title=Classic home video games, 1972–1984: a complete reference guide |year=2007 |publisher=[[McFarland & Company|McFarland]] |location=Jefferson, N.C. |isbn=978-0-7864-3226-4 |page=108}}</ref>

==Home systems==
{{main|List of first generation home video  game consoles}}
[[File:Pong.svg|thumb|left|170px|Many consoles in the first generation were clones of or styled similarly to the arcade version of ''[[Pong]]'' (above).<ref name=pong-clones/>]]
There were hundreds of home video game consoles known to have existed in the first generation of video games.<ref name=pong-clones>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fU-fDwAAQBAJ|title=Vintage Games 2.0: An Insider Look at the Most Influential Games of All Time|last=Barton|first=Matt|date=May 8, 2019|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781000000924|pages=18|language=en|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134120/https://books.google.com/books?id=fU-fDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> This section lists the most notable.

=== Odyssey series ===
{{Main|Odyssey series}}
In 1973 Magnavox released the world's first home video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey.<ref name="Wolf2008">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC|title=The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to Playstation and Beyond|last=Wolf|first=Mark J. P.|date=2008|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=9780313338687|language=en|access-date=March 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302152453/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&pg=PA359&dq=magnavox+odyssey&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiU0NW67uHgAhWKqaQKHdVzA_oQ6AEIMDAB#v=onepage&q=magnavox%20odyssey&f=false|archive-date=March 2, 2019|url-status=live |pages=50, 55}}</ref> It came packaged with [[board game]] paraphernalia such as cards, paper money and dice to enhance the games.<ref name="Wolf2008"/> It had features that became industry standard in subsequent generations such as detachable controllers, light gun accessories and interchangeable game media.<ref name="vgc2" />{{Rp|xvii}} While no game data was stored on the circuit cards as they would be in future consoles, they could be used to select one of the twelve games built onto the hardware. Magnavox licensed its video game patents to other companies for a fee and prosecuted companies who released consoles without a licensing agreement.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5Wx6-uv-DSkC&pg=PA119|title=Invisible Engines: How Software Platforms Drive Innovation and Transform Industries|last1=Evans|first1=David S.|last2=Hagiu|first2=Andrei|last3=Schmalensee|first3=Richard|date=February 15, 2008|publisher=[[MIT Press]]|isbn=9780262262644|pages=119|language=en|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134054/https://books.google.com/books?id=5Wx6-uv-DSkC&pg=PA119|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Magnavox Sues" />

It was with the Odyssey that Nintendo first became involved in the home video game market. According to Martin Picard in the ''International Journal of Computer Game Research'': "in 1971, Nintendo had – even before the marketing of the first home console in the United States – an alliance with the American pioneer Magnavox to develop and produce [[Light gun|optoelectronic guns]] for the Odyssey, since it was similar to what Nintendo was able to offer in the Japanese toy market in [the] 1970s."<ref name="picard">{{cite web|url=http://gamestudies.org/1302/articles/picard|title=The Foundation of Geemu: A Brief History of Early Japanese video games|last=Picard|first=Martin|publisher=International Journal of Computer Game Research|date=June 24, 2015|access-date=September 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624050100/http://gamestudies.org/1302/articles/picard|archive-date=June 24, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1974 [[North American Philips]] purchased Magnavox and released a series of eight Odyssey consoles in North America from 1975 to 1977. All of them were [[dedicated console]]s, and each subsequent release was an improvement over the previous, adding features such as additional game variations, on-screen displays, and player-controlled handicaps such as smaller paddle sizes and variable ball speed.<ref name="Wolf2008"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=auMDAAAAMBAJ|title=Popular Mechanics|last=Morgan|first=Cindy|journal=Popular Mechanics |date=October 1976|publisher=[[Hearst Magazines]]|issn=0032-4558|volume=146|issue=4|pages=80|language=en}}</ref> Three Odyssey series consoles were also released in Europe with similar features from 1976 to 1978.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voxodyssey.com/odyssey-2100/|title=Philips Odyssey 2100|website=Vox Odyssey|language=en|access-date=November 26, 2019|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213191814/https://www.voxodyssey.com/odyssey-2100/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voxodyssey.com/odyssey-2001/|title=Philips Odyssey 2001|website=Vox Odyssey|language=en|access-date=November 26, 2019|archive-date=December 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211082548/https://www.voxodyssey.com/odyssey-2001/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== TV Tennis Electrotennis ===
{{Main|TV Tennis Electrotennis}}
On September 12, 1975, several months before the release of ''Home Pong'' in North America, [[Epoch Co.|Epoch]] released Japan's first home console, the TV Tennis Electrotennis. The technology was licensed from Magnavox and it contained a single ball and paddle style game that resembled Pong but without an onscreen score display.<ref name=":5" /> The game controls were contained within the base unit and it connected to a television set through an [[ultra high frequency]] (UHF) antenna, as opposed to being directly connected, which was unique to the console at the time.<ref name="picard" /> Compared to popular consoles of the generation, it performed poorly with an approximate 20,000 units sold.<ref name=":5"/>

=== Atari Home Pong ===
{{Main|Pong#Home version}}
In late 1975 Atari released a home version of their popular arcade game ''Pong''.<ref name="Ultimate-Home1">{{cite book|title=Ultimate History of Video Games|last=Kent|first=Steven|publisher=Three Rivers Press|year=2001|isbn=0-7615-3643-4|pages=80–83|chapter=Could You Repeat That Two More Times?}}</ref> It had been in development since 1974 under the lead of [[Allan Alcorn]] and Harold Lee.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YVTNBQAAQBAJ|title=The Golden Age of Video Games: The Birth of a Multibillion Dollar Industry|last=Dillon|first=Roberto|date=April 19, 2016|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781439873243|language=en|access-date=March 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302090641/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=YVTNBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA21&dq=color+tv-game&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjxpODk8OHgAhXDy6QKHavdCc8Q6AEIRDAF#v=onepage&q=color%20tv-game&f=false|archive-date=March 2, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> By the end of 1975, Atari had become a major company in the home console market due to ''Home Pong''.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3900/the_history_of_pong_avoid_missing_.php?print=1|title=The History Of Pong: Avoid Missing Game to Start Industry|last1=Barton|first1=Matt|last2=Loguidice|first2=Bill|date=January 9, 2009|website=Gamasutra|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119122802/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3900/the_history_of_pong_avoid_missing_.php?print=1|archive-date=January 19, 2019|url-status=dead|access-date=February 26, 2019}}</ref> Following Pong's success, Magnavox filed suit against Atari for infringement on its technology patents and ended up settling out of court with Atari becoming a licensee of Magnavox.<ref name="Magnavox Sues">{{cite news|title=Magnavox Sues Firms Making Video Games, Charges Infringement|date=April 17, 1974|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|pages=15}}</ref>

Home video games achieved widespread popularity with the release of a home version of ''Pong'' and its success sparked hundreds of clones, including the [[Telstar (game console)|Coleco Telstar]], which went on to be a success in its own right with over a dozen models.

=== Coleco Telstar series ===
{{Main|Coleco Telstar series}}
Starting in 1976, [[Coleco]] released a series of fourteen dedicated consoles up until 1978,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8kFqDwAAQBAJ&q=coleco+telstar+classic+launch+price|url-access=subscription|title=Hey! Listen!: A journey through the golden era of video games|author=McNeil, Steve|author-link=Steve McNeil|date=April 18, 2019|publisher=[[Headline Publishing Group|Headline]]|isbn=9781472261342|pages=45|access-date=October 25, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134100/https://books.google.com/books?id=8kFqDwAAQBAJ&q=coleco+telstar+classic+launch+price|url-status=live}}</ref> when they suffered a significant loss due to the combination of dock workers' strike, preventing it from shipping the final product in time for the holidays, and the start of the second generation.<ref name="vgc2"/>{{rp|121}}<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IExnDwAAQBAJ|title=The Video Games Textbook: History • Business • Technology|last=Wardyga|first=Brian J.|date=August 6, 2018|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9781351172349|pages=60–61|language=en|access-date=October 30, 2019|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134054/https://books.google.com/books?id=IExnDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/11/business/coleco-s-new-video-challenge.html|title=Coleco's New Video Challenge|date=November 11, 1982|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=September 18, 2019|at=p. 1, sec. D|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203121013/http://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/11/business/coleco-s-new-video-challenge.html|archive-date=February 3, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The series featured a number of different styles of ball games and external accessories to enhance gameplay such as the Telstar Arcade, which had a unique triangular design that came with a [[light gun]] and steering wheel attached to the casing.<ref name=CHVG>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BzxTtml8Jq4C|title=Classic Home Video Games, 1972–1984: A Complete Reference Guide|last=Weiss|first=Brett|date=December 20, 2011|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786487554|language=en|access-date=September 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122195622/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=BzxTtml8Jq4C|archive-date=January 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|272}} The series was marketed at a lower price than its competitors and sold well with over a million sales.<ref name=phoenix>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=duITAQAAIAAJ|title=Phoenix: the fall & rise of videogames|last=Herman|first=Leonard|publisher=Rolenta Press|year=1997|isbn=0-9643848-2-5|edition=2nd|location=Union, NJ|page=20|quote=Like Pong, Telstar could only play video tennis but it retailed at an inexpensive $50 that made it attractive to most families that were on a budget. Coleco managed to sell over a million units that year.|access-date=February 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231151918/http://books.google.com/books?id=duITAQAAIAAJ|archive-date=December 31, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Color TV-Game series ===
{{Main|Color TV-Game series}}
In the late 1970s, Nintendo released a series of five consoles for the Japanese market. The first of the series and the first console created by Nintendo,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/nintendocompanyi0000fire|url-access=registration|quote=color tv-game.|title=Nintendo: The Company and Its Founders|last=Firestone|first=Mary|date=January 1, 2011|publisher=ABDO Publishing Company|isbn=9781617840951|page=[https://archive.org/details/nintendocompanyi0000fire/page/38 38]|language=en|access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> the Color TV-Game 6, was released in 1977<ref name="picard" /> and contained six ball-and-paddle games. The last, the Computer TV-Game, was a 1980<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p0LSDgAAQBAJ|script-title=ja:家庭用ゲーム機コンプリートガイド|trans-title=Complete Guide to Home Game Consoles|last=Yamazaki|first=Isao|date=April 23, 2014|publisher=主婦の友社|isbn=9784072929711|page=152|language=ja|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134117/https://books.google.com/books?id=p0LSDgAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> port of Nintendo's first arcade game, ''[[Computer Othello (video game)|Computer Othello]]''.<ref name=2014-12>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=55tjDwAAQBAJ|script-title=ja:任天堂コンプリートガイド −玩具編−|trans-title=Complete Guide to Nintendo: Toy Edition|last=Yamazaki|first=Isao|date=December 5, 2014|publisher=主婦の友社|isbn=9784072947579|page=93|language=ja|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134117/https://books.google.com/books?id=55tjDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> The third console in the series, the Color TV-Game Racing 112, was the first project of [[Shigeru Miyamoto]], who would go on to become the creator of some of the most well-known video game franchises.<ref name="CBS, Names">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/2316-100_162-1673418-2.html|title=Famous Names in Gaming|access-date=June 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511085030/http://www.cbsnews.com/2316-100_162-1673418-2.html|archive-date=May 11, 2013|publisher=[[CBS]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CFdrDwAAQBAJ|title=WJEC GCSE Design and Technology|last1=Fawcett|first1=Ian|last2=Howells|first2=Jacqui|last3=Hughes|first3=Dan|last4=Knight|first4=Andy|last5=Walker|first5=Chris|last6=Tilley|first6=Jennifer|date=April 1, 2019|publisher=Hodder Education|isbn=9781510450981|page=79|language=en|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134125/https://books.google.com/books?id=CFdrDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Comparison===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Comparison of first-generation video game home consoles
|-
! colspan="2" style="width: 10%" | Name
!style="width: 30%;" | [[Magnavox Odyssey]]
!style="width: 30%;" | [[Odyssey series]]<br><small>(11 consoles)</small>{{Efn|Includes the Odyssey 100/200/300/400/500/2000/3000/4000 and Philips Odyssey 200/2001/2100<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IxNDAQAAIAAJ|title=Computer and Video Game Law: Cases, Statutes, Forms, Problems & Materials|last1=Lipson|first1=Ashley S.|last2=Brain|first2=Robert D.|date=2009|publisher=Carolina Academic Press|isbn=9781594604881|pages=25|language=en|access-date=November 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316105609/http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=IxNDAQAAIAAJ|archive-date=March 16, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=kaplan78>{{cite journal |date=Winter 1978 |editor-last=Kaplan| editor-first=Deeny|title= The Video Games |journal= Video (Buyer's Guide)|publisher= Reese Communications|volume= 1|issue= 1|pages=34|issn= 0147-8907}}</ref><ref name=kaplan79>{{cite journal |date=Winter 1979 |editor-last=Kaplan| editor-first=Deeny|title= Video Games |journal= Video (Buyer's Guide)|publisher= Reese Communications|volume= 2|issue= 1|pages=42|issn= 0147-8907}}</ref><ref name="theoryReader_Wolf">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4cpEAQAAQBAJ&q=binatone&pg=PA305|title=The Video Game Theory Reader|last1=Wolf|first1=Mark J. P.|last2=Perron|first2=Bernard|date=October 8, 2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135205195|language=en|access-date=October 25, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134138/https://books.google.com/books?id=4cpEAQAAQBAJ&q=binatone&pg=PA305|url-status=live}}</ref>{{rp|309–310}}<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dycXAQAAMAAJ|title=Vision; the European Business Magazine|date=1977|pages=65|language=en|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134102/https://books.google.com/books?id=dycXAQAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
!style="width: 30%;" |[[TV Tennis Electrotennis]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" | Manufacturer
| [[Magnavox]]
| Magnavox, [[Philips]]
| [[Epoch Co.]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" |Image
| style="background:white;" | [[File:Magnavox-Odyssey-Console-Set.jpg|140px]]
| style="background:white;" | [[File:Odyssey-300.jpg|140px]]
| style="background:white;" | [[File:TV Tennis Electrotennis.jpg|140px]]
|-
! colspan="2" |Release date
| {{vgrelease|NA|September 1972<ref name=":4" /><ref name="magnavox1972super8">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLGBtkKPj2U |title=1972 Magnavox Odyssey in-store advertisement |date=1972 |type=promotional film |via=[[YouTube]] |publisher=[[Magnavox]] |access-date=June 11, 2022}}</ref>|UK|1973<ref name="TVGE45">[https://docplayer.net/35155853-The-video-game-explosion.html The Video Game Explosion: A History from PONG to PlayStation and Beyond] [[#CITEREF_WolfVGE|Wolf 2007]], p. 45 "the Odyssey was imported into the United Kingdom in 1973, and into 12 European countries in 1974 in very limited numbers."</ref><ref name="VGHttl">{{cite web |url=https://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com/2015/11/16/1tl200-a-magnavox-odyssey/ |title=1TL200: A Magnavox Odyssey |work=They Create Worlds |last=Smith |first=Alexander |date=November 16, 2015 |access-date=April 25, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202091941/https://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com/2015/11/16/1tl200-a-magnavox-odyssey/ |archive-date=February 2, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="UK NVM">[https://thenvm.org/objects/magnavox-odyssey/ National Videogame Museum - Magnavox Odyssey] "1973, when the Magnavox Odyssey was released in the UK."</ref><ref name="Tomorrow's World">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/videos/c4n1yzdx535o BBC Archive 1973: Christmas Gaming Magnavox Odyssey] clip from Tomorrow's World, original broadcast 20 December 1973</ref>|EU|1974<ref name="TVGE45" /><ref name="VGHttl" />|JP|1974<ref name=pong-clones/>}}
| {{vgrelease|NA|1975–1977}}
| {{vgrelease|JP|September 12, 1975<ref name=picard/>}}
|-
! rowspan="3" |Launch price
![[US$]]
|US$99<ref>[https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4647&context=etd Prophets of Pong: How Newspapers Covered Video Games Between 1972 to 1976 - University of Maine] page 53</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Nowak |first=Peter |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OVWNBAAAQBAJ |title=Sex, Bombs, and Burgers: How War, Pornography, and Fast Food Have Shaped Modern Technology |date=December 20, 2011 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9780762776108 |pages=132 |language=en |access-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134103/https://books.google.com/books?id=OVWNBAAAQBAJ |archive-date=February 9, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|99|1972|r=-1}} in {{Inflation/year|US}})
|US$100–230 (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|100|1975|r=-1}}–{{inflation|US|230|1975|r=-1}} in {{Inflation/year|US}})
|{{US$|{{To USD|19500|JPN|year=1975|round=yes}}|1975|round=-1}}
|-
![[GBP]]
|{{GBP|79}}<ref>[https://www.trustedreviews.com/opinion/xbox-one-and-ps4-launch-price-compared-2904537 Xbox One and PS4 Launch Price – Compared to the classics]</ref> ({{inflation|UK|79|1973|r=-1|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) 
|
|
|-
![[JP¥]]
|
|
| JP¥19,500<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/atsukashiFC/page/n99/mode/2up|title=Perfect Guide of Nostalgic Family Computer|last=M.B. Mook|year=2016|isbn=9784906735891|language=ja|publisher=Magazine Box|location=Tokyo|pages=99–100}}</ref> ({{inflation|JP|19500|1975|r=-1|fmt=eq|cursign=[[Japanese yen|¥]]}})
|-
! colspan="2" |Media
| [[Printed circuit board]]
| [[Integrated circuit|Inbuilt chip]]
| Inbuilt chip
|-
! colspan="2" |Accessories<br />(retail)
|[[Light gun]] (sold separately)<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Voorhees|first1=Gerald A.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AIh1Tir2gyYC|title=Guns, Grenades, and Grunts: First-Person Shooter Games|last2=Call|first2=Joshua|last3=Whitlock|first3=Katie|date=November 2, 2012|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA|isbn=9781441191441|language=en|chapter=''BattleZone'' and the Origins of First-Person Shooting Games|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134120/https://books.google.com/books?id=AIh1Tir2gyYC|url-status=live}}</ref>
| None
| None
|-
! colspan="2" |Sales
| 350,000<ref name="BtC-EVGH" />
| Unknown
| 20,000<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal|last=Fujita|first=Naoki|date=March 1999|script-title=ja:「ファミコン」登場前の日本ビデオ・ゲーム産業 ―現代ビデオ・ゲーム産業の形成過程(2)―|trans-title=Japanese Video Game Industry Before the "Famicom": The Rise of the Modern Video Game Industry (2)|url=https://repository.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/dspace/handle/2433/45271|journal=經濟論叢|language=ja|volume=163|issue=3|pages=69|doi=10.14989/45271|issn=0013-0273|via=Kurenai|access-date=September 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922124743/https://repository.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/dspace/handle/2433/45271|archive-date=September 22, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="width: 10%" |Name
!style="width: 30%;" |[[Pong#Home version|Home Pong series]]<br><small>(9 models)</small>
!style="width: 30%;" |[[Coleco Telstar series]]<br><small>(14 models)</small>{{Efn|Includes the Coleco Telstar, Classic, Deluxe, Ranger, Alpha, Colormatic, Regent, Sportsman, Combat!, Colortron, Marksman, Galaxy, Gemini and Arcade<ref name="CHVG" />{{Rp|272}}<ref name=vgTextbook />{{rp|15–16}}<ref name=kaplan78 /><ref name=kaplan79 />}}
!style="width: 30%;" |[[Color TV-Game series]]<br><small>(5 consoles)</small>{{Efn|Includes the Color TV-Game 6, 15, Racing 112, Blockbreaker and Computer TV-Game<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pZb5CAAAQBAJ|title=Video Games Around the World|last=Wolf|first=Mark J. P.|date=May 2015|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=9780262527163|language=en|pages=322|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134104/https://books.google.com/books?id=pZb5CAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" | Manufacturer
| [[Atari]], [[Sears|Sears Tele-Games]]
| [[Coleco]]
| [[Nintendo]]
|- style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" |Image
| style="background:white;" | [[File:TeleGames-Atari-Pong.jpg|140px]]
| style="background:white;" | [[File:Coleco-Telstar-Colortron.jpg|140px]]
| style="background:white;" | [[File:Nintendo-Color-TV-Game-Blockbreaker-FL.jpg|140px]]
|-
! colspan="2" |Release date
| {{vgrelease|NA|Late 1975|JP|Late 1975<ref name=":3"/>}}
| {{vgrelease|NA|1976–1978}}
| {{vgrelease|JP|1977–1980<ref name="highscore">{{cite book|title=High Score! The Illustrated History of Electronic Games|last1=DeMaria|first1=Rusel|last2=Wilson|first2=Johnny L.|publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]]|year=2003|isbn=978-0-07-223172-4|edition=2|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=HJNvZLvpCEQC&q=%22color+tv+game%22&pg=PT5 363], [https://books.google.com/books?id=HJNvZLvpCEQC&q=%22color+tv+game%22&pg=PT20 378]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://uk.pcmag.com/gaming-1/87482/the-lost-world-of-early-nintendo-consoles|title=The Lost World of Early Nintendo Consoles|last1=Edwards|first1=Benj|last2=26 January 2017|date=January 26, 2017|website=PCMag UK|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503140428/https://uk.pcmag.com/gaming-1/87482/the-lost-world-of-early-nintendo-consoles|archive-date=May 3, 2019|access-date=September 14, 2019}}</ref>}}
|-
! rowspan="3" |Launch price
![[US$]]
|US$98.95 (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|98.95|1975|r=-1}} in {{Inflation/year|US}})<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.wishbookweb.com/FB/1975_Sears_Wishbook/index.html#412 |title=Wish Book for the 1975 Christmas Season |publisher=Sears |year=1975 |pages=412 |access-date=September 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428140002/http://www.wishbookweb.com/FB/1975_Sears_Wishbook/index.html#412 |archive-date=April 28, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|US$50 (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|50|1976|r=-1}} in {{Inflation/year|US}})
|{{US$|{{To USD|9800|JPN|year=1977|round=yes}}–{{To USD|48000|JPN|year=1977|round=yes}}|long=yes}} (equivalent to ${{inflation|US|{{To USD|9800|JPN|year=1977|r=-1}}|1977|fmt=c|cursign=$|r=-1}}–{{inflation|US|{{To USD|48000|JPN|year=1977|r=-1}}|1980|fmt=c|cursign=$|r=-1}} in {{Inflation/year|US}})
|-
![[GBP]]
|
|
|
|-
![[JP¥]]
| JP¥24,800 ({{inflation|JP|24800|1975|r=-2|fmt=eq|cursign=¥}})<ref name=":3" />
|
| JP¥9800–48,000 (equivalent to ¥{{inflation|JP|9800|1977|fmt=c|cursign=¥|r=-1}}–{{inflation|JP|48000|1980|fmt=c|cursign=¥|r=-1}} in {{Inflation/year|JP}})<ref name="2014-12" />
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Data storage device|Media]]
| Inbuilt chip
| Inbuilt chip (most models)<br />Cartridge (Telstar Arcade, 1977)<ref name="CHVG" />{{rp|15}}
| Inbuilt chip
|-
! colspan="2" |Accessories (retail)
| None
| Controller styles
| None
|-
! colspan="2" |Sales
| 150,000<ref name="PriceGuide-2">{{cite book| title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games| first = David| last = Ellis| chapter = Dedicated Consoles| publisher = Random House| isbn = 0-375-72038-3| year = 2004| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi}}</ref>{{rp|33–36}}<ref name="Ultimate-Home3">{{cite book| title = Ultimate History of Video Games| first = Steven| last = Kent| pages = 94–95| chapter = Strange Bedfellows| publisher = Three Rivers Press| isbn = 0-7615-3643-4| year = 2001}}</ref>
| 1 million<ref name="phoenix" />
| 3 million<ref name="CTGsales">{{cite book|last1=Sheff|first1=David|title=[[Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children]]|last2=Eddy|first2=Andy|publisher=GamePress|year=1999|isbn=978-0-9669617-0-6|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=0dK2AAAAIAAJ&q=%22Color+TV+Game%22 27]|quote=Nintendo entered the home market in Japan with the dramatic unveiling of Color TV-Game 6, which played six versions of light tennis. It was followed by a more powerful sequel, Color TV-Game 15. A million units of each were sold. The engineering team also came up with systems that played a more complex game, called "Blockbuster," as well as a racing game. Half a million units of these were sold.|author-link=David Sheff}}</ref>
|}

====Notes====
{{Notelist}}

== Handheld systems ==
{{See also|List of handheld game consoles|Comparison of handheld game consoles|Handheld electronic game#History}}
[[File:Microcomputer Controlled Game patent US4207087A.pdf|thumb|right|Ralph Baer and Howard Morrison invented and patented an electronic toy that was later licensed to Milton Bradley and sold as ''[[Simon (game)|Simon]]'' in 1978.<ref>{{cite patent |country=US |number=4207087 |status=patent |title=Microcomputer controlled game |pubdate=1980-06-10 |pridate=1977-09-19 |inventor1-last=Baer |inventor1-first=Ralph H. |inventorlink1=Ralph H. Baer |inventor2-last=Morrison |inventor2-first=Howard J. |inventorlink2=Howard J. Morrison |assign1=[[Marvin Glass and Associates]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.1up.com/features/simon-turns-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004165531/http://www.1up.com/features/simon-turns-30 |archive-date=October 4, 2012 |title=Simon Turns 30|work=1up.com |access-date=April 4, 2011 }}</ref>]]

All of the handheld systems from the first generation are [[dedicated console]]s and started late into the first generation. It was not until the second generation and the release of the [[Microvision]] that players could purchase games separately for the systems.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ercrDwAAQBAJ|title=The Game Console: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox|last=Amos|first=Evan|date=November 6, 2018|publisher=No Starch Press|isbn=9781593277727|language=en|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134108/https://books.google.com/books?id=ercrDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|46}} The early dedicated handheld consoles were eventually eclipsed in popularity by programmable video games, which became popular in the [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|fourth generation]] with the introduction of the [[Game Boy]].<ref name=":8" />{{Rp|316}}

One notable example is the [[Mattel]] handheld game series, which were released from 1976 to 1982. The first to be released were ''[[Mattel Auto Race]]'' and ''Mattel Football,'' while some of the latter models like the ''Mattel Speed Freak'' and the ''Mattel Competition Football'' handhelds are closer to the end of the first generation (1982)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mattel Handheld Games |url=https://www.handheldmuseum.com/Mattel/ |access-date=2023-08-12 |website=www.handheldmuseum.com}}</ref>''.'' They were followed by other titles based on sports and some licensed properties such as ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]''. Each game had basic controls, a simple LED interface and a buzzer for sound.<ref name="vgc2"/>{{rp|70}} The series was popular, sold well and, at times, was difficult to find due to high demand.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19780529&id=aG8aAAAAIBAJ&pg=2458,6830499|title=Football Calculator Scoring Well|last=Armstrong|first=Douglas D.|date=May 29, 1978|work=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]|access-date=July 17, 2016|page=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522082201/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19780529&id=aG8aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jykEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2458,6830499|archive-date=May 22, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the same year, Coleco began to release handheld consoles after the end of the Telstar home console series.<ref name="vgc2" />{{Rp|121}} They released ''[[Electronic Quarterback]]'', which expanded on the popular American football style games by adding new features.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ny-CAAAAMAAJ|title=The First Quarter: A 25-Year History of Video Games|last=Kent|first=Steven L.|date=2000|publisher=BWD Press|isbn=978-0-9704755-0-3|pages=166|language=en|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=January 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117222935/https://books.google.com/books?id=ny-CAAAAMAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> Alongside ''Mattel Football'', it became the other popular sports game of the period.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tfTXAQAAQBAJ|title=American Sports: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas [4 volumes]: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas|last=Nelson|first=Murry R.|date=May 23, 2013|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-39753-0|pages=1416|language=en|access-date=September 23, 2020|archive-date=February 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230209134127/https://books.google.com/books?id=tfTXAQAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|1970s|Video games}}
* [[1970s in video games]]
* [[Home computer]]
* [[History of computing hardware (1960s–present)]]
{{clear}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [http://www.ralphbaer.com/how_video_games.htm How Video Games Invaded the Home TV Set] by Ralph Baer
* {{cite web |url=http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=378141 |title=A History of Home Video Game Consoles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226012027/http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=378141 |archive-date=December 26, 2007}} by Michael Miller

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061120012048/http://www.thedoteaters.com/stage1.php The Dot Eaters: Bits From the Primordial Ooze]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080306005508/http://classicgaming.gamespy.com/View.php?view=Articles.Listcgexpo2000%2Fbaerkeynote%2F ClassicGaming Expo 2000: Baer Describes the Birth of Videogames]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120204211456/http://www.1up.com/features/videogames-turn-40 Video Games Turn 40 (1UP.com)]

{{First generation game consoles|state=expanded}}
{{History of Video Games}}

[[Category:First-generation video game consoles| ]]
[[Category:Video game consoles by generation|01]]
[[Category:1970s in video gaming|.Consoles01]]
[[Category:1970s toys|Video game consoles01]]