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History of video games/Platforms/Magnavox Odyssey²

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  • The Magnavox Odyssey² and with two controllers.
    The Magnavox Odyssey² and with two controllers.

History

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Launch

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The Magnavox Odyssey² was preceded by the original Magnavox Odyssey game console and the Odyssey series of dedicated consoles. Unlike those consoles, the Magnavox Odyssey² featured a full computer, and could run games on cartridges.

The Magnavox Odyssey² was launched in 1978 at a cost of $100.[1] Early titles often had poor support for the keyboard and other system features, though support improved over time.[2] A voice module was also released, which was another feature which was panned for its poor integration with games.[3]

Legacy

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Magnavox Odyssey² production ended in March of 1984,[4] correlating with the Video Game Crash. The system had been on the market for a fairly long time, indicating company investment in the system.

The system was followed by the Philips Videopac+ G7400 in European markets, though this successor system too was scrapped during the Video Game Crash.

Technology

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An Intel 8048 similar to the one used in the Magnavox Odyssey²

The CPU of the Magnavox Odyssey² was an 8-bit Intel 8048 clocked at 1.79 megahertz.[1][5] The system had 64 bytes of RAM and 128 bytes of video RAM.[1][5]

The Odyssey² has a built in membrane keyboard with 49 keys.[6]

Notable games

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  • Quest for the Rings - An early video game to use a companion board game.[2][7]
  • Stone Sling[7]
  • Turtles[7]
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Console

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    The Odyssey² has a QWERTY keyboard built in.
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    The power button and cartridge slot are on the top of the console.
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    The rear of the console has its power jack. This version has removable joysticks.
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    Ventilation holes line the back of the unit.
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    The bottom of the Unit has patent and FCC information.
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    A clearer view of the power jack.

Internals

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    The console interior, with the motherboard mounted to the top half of the console.
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    Most of the console internals beneath the keyboard is empty space, with sporadic structural supports.
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    The interior with the motherboard removed, exposing the cartridge slot, button leads, and keyboard ribbon cable.
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    The keyboard top. The keyboard itself is quite thin due to being a Membrane Keyboard.
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    The keyboard bottom. The traces and contact points are visible.
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    The Motherboard, referred to as a main board on the unit. The keyboard ribbon connector and the cartridge connector are visible.
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    Several Intel chips are visible on the motherboard.
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    Motherboard bottom. A single capacitor bridges a gap.

References

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Wikipedia has related information at Magnavox Odyssey 2  and List of Magnavox Odyssey² games

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Magnavox Odyssey²

Parts of this page are based on materials from:
 Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia.
  1. ↑ a b c "History of Consoles: Magnavox Odyssey 2 (1978) Gamester 81". Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  2. ↑ a b Kunkel, Bill; Katz, Arnie (21 November 1981). "THE VIDEOGAMES: HOW THEY RATE (Published 1981)". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/21/style/the-videogames-how-they-rate.html. 
  3. ↑ "Home Video Games: Video Games Update". www.atarimagazines.com. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  4. ↑ "The Odyssey2 Timeline! - The Odyssey² Homepage!". www.the-nextlevel.com. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
  5. ↑ a b "Home Page". Video Game Console Library. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  6. ↑ "When Video Game Consoles Wanted (and Failed) to Be Computers". www.vice.com. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  7. ↑ a b c "List of Magnavox Odyssey² games". Wikipedia. 25 January 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
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