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Replay: The History of Video Games

Page 58

by Donovan, Tristan


  Atari Pong

  See Sears Tele-Games Pong

  Atari ST

  Manufacturer: Atari Corporation

  Year released: 1985

  Origin: USA

  Type: Personal computer

  The first home computer to support the MIDI electronic music standard and became widely used by professional electronic music acts such as 808 State. The Amiga’s main rival in Europe.

  Atari VCS 2600

  Manufacturer: Atari Inc.

  Year released: 1977

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console

  The system that popularised the cartridge-based console. Released in Japan as the Atari 2800 in 1983. Combat, a remake of Atari’s 1974 coin-op Tank, was built in.

  Auto Race

  Manufacturer: Mattel Electronics

  Year released: 1976

  Origin: USA

  Type: Handheld game

  The first handheld video game. Used LED lights for its visuals.

  B

  Ball

  See Game & Watch

  Bally Professional Arcade

  Manufacturer: Bally, Astrocade

  Year released: 1978

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console

  Designed by Dave Nutting Associates. In 1982, Bally sold the rights to Astrocade, who relaunched it as the Astrocade.

  Bandai Intellivision

  See Intellivision

  Bandai SuperVision 8000

  See SuperVision 8000

  Bandai TV Jack 1000

  Manufacturer: Bandai

  Year released: 1977

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Part of Japan’s home Pong boom of 1977. Bandai’s first step into the video game business.

  BBC Micro

  Manufacturer: Acorn Computers

  Year released: 1981

  Origin: UK

  Type: Personal computer

  Line of home computers commissioned by the BBC.

  Brown Box

  See Magnavox Odyssey

  Casio Loopy

  Manufacturer: Casio

  Year released: 1995

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Short-lived console aimed at female players. Included a built-in thermal printer that allowed users to print colour stickers. It could also capture images from videocassette recorders.

  C

  Cassette Vision

  Manufacturer: Epoch

  Year released: 1981

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Until Nintendo released its Famicom, this was Japan’s leading console.

  CD32

  Manufacturer: Commodore

  Year released: 1993

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console

  A CD-based console reincarnation of Commodore’s Amiga computer.

  CD-i

  Manufacturer: Magnavox, Philips

  Year released: 1991

  Origin: Netherlands

  Type: Home console

  Released under the Magnavox brand in North America.

  CDTV

  Manufacturer: Commodore International

  Year released: 1991

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console/Personal computer

  Sold as a console but could be turned into a Amiga computer.

  ColecoVision

  Manufacturer: Coleco

  Year released: 1982

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console

  Its initial success was cut brutally short by the US video game crash.

  Color TV Game 6

  Manufacturer: Nintendo

  Year released: 1977

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Nintendo’s first games console containing six Pong-style games.

  Color TV Game 15

  Manufacturer: Nintendo

  Year released: 1978

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Yet another Pong console with 15 variations on offer.

  Color TV Game Block Breaker

  Manufacturer: Nintendo

  Year released: 1979

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Home version of Nintendo’s 1978 coin-op game Block Breaker.

  Color TV Game Racing 112

  Manufacturer: Nintendo

  Year released: 1978

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Console offering a selection of driving games. The console’s casing was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto.

  Commodore 64

  Manufacturer: Commodore International

  Year released: 1982

  Origin: USA

  Type: Personal computer

  The best-selling home computer model of all-time with around 17 million sold worldwide. Included the SID sound chip that was on of the most advanced for its time.

  Commodore PET

  Manufacturer: Commodore International

  Year released: 1977

  Origin: USA

  Type: Personal computer

  One of the first mass-produced personal computers. PET stood for Personal Electronic Transactor. Came encased in 1970s futuristic plastic that fused keyboard, monitor and computer together. The PET lacked the graphical capabilities of its key rival the Apple II, being monochrome and only capable of displaying ASCII characters.

  D

  Data General Nova

  Manufacturer: Data General

  Year released: 1969

  Origin: USA

  Type: Minicomputer

  Created by a team of former Digital Equipment Corporation staff.

  DEC GT40

  Manufacturer: Digital Equipment Corporation

  Year released: 1972

  Origin: USA

  Type: Terminal

  Vector graphics terminal that connected to the PDP-11 minicomputer.

  Dendy

  Manufacturer: Steepler Company

  Year released: 1993

  Origin: Russia

  Type: Home console

  Pirated copy of Nintendo’s NES console. Became very popular in the former USSR. The games on sale were usually illegal copies of games available in Japan and the US.

  Donkey Kong

  See Game & Watch

  Dreamcast

  Manufacturer: Sega

  Year released: 1998

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Sega’s final console. Featured an in-built 56k dial-up modem. A keyboard and mouse was also available.

  E

  EDSAC

  Manufacturer: University of Cambridge

  Year released: 1949

  Origin: UK

  Type: Vacuum tube computeront>

  The first computer with memory.

  Elektronika 60

  Manufacturer: Elektronika

  Year released: Unknown, probably late 1970s

  Origin: USSR

  Type: Minicomputer

  Soviet clone of the Digital Equipment Corporation’s PDP-11 minicomputer.

  ENIAC

  Manufacturer: University of Pennsylvania

  Year released: 1946

  Origin: USA

  Type: Vacuum tube computer

  The first programmable multi-purpose computer.

  Epoch TV Block

  Manufacturer: Epoch

  Year released: 1979

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  The Japanese version of Atari’s Video Pinball console

  Epoch TV Tennis

  Manufacturer: Epoch

  Year released: 1975

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Japan’s first games console – a version of the Magnavox Odyssey.

  Exelvision EXL100

  Manufacturer: Exelvision

  Year released: 1984

  Origin: France


  Type: Personal computer

  Created by a group of former Texas Instruments employees.

  F

  Fairchild Channel F

  Manufacturer: Fairchild Semiconductor, Zircon International

  Year released: 1976

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console

  The first console to use cartridges. Zircon International bought the rights in 1979 and launched a redesigned version, the Channel F System II.

  Famicom

  See NES

  Famicom Disk System

  Manufacturer: Nintendo, Sharp

  Year released: 1986

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console add-on

  A disk storage device for the Famicom, the Japanese version of the NES. Offered more memory for games than cartridges and the possibility to save games. Sharp released the Twin Famicom, an all-in-one Famicom console and Famicom Disk System, in the same year as the Disk System was released.

  FM-7

  Manufacturer: Fujitsu

  Year released: 1982

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Personal computer

  One of Japan’s most popular computers during the 1980s.

  FM Towns

  Manufacturer: Fujitsu

  Year released: 1989

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Personal computer

  A multimedia-based PC for the Japanese market. A home console version of the computer, the FM Towns Marty, was launched in 1991.

  Football

  Manufacturer: Mattel Electronics

  Year released: 1977

  Origin: USA

  Type: Handheld game

  Portable LED game.

  G

  Game & Watch

  Manufacturer: Nintendo

  Year released: 1980

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Handheld game

  Nintendo released 60 Game & Watch games between 1980 and 1991.

  Game Boy

  Manufacturer: Nintendo

  Year released: 1989

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Handheld console

  The original was monochrome. 1998’s Game Boy Color added basic colour visuals. The Game Boy Advance, launched in 2001, was a full upgrade of the handheld.

  Game Boy Advance

  See Game Boy

  Game Boy Color

  See Game Boy

  Game Gear

  Manufacturer: Sega

  Year released: 1990

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Handheld console

  A portable Master System.

  Gamecube

  Manufacturer: Nintendo, Panasonic

  Year released: 2001

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Panasonic released a DVD-playing version, the Panasonic Q, in Japan. The Wii can play Gamecube games.

  Genesis

  See Megadrive

  H

  Halcyon

  Manufacturer: RDI Video Systems

  Year released: 1985

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console / Personal computer

  The Halcyon was a Laserdisc player, games console and home computer. It cost $2,500 and just two games were released before RDI Video Systems closed down.

  Hector 1

  Manufacturer: Micronique

  Year released: 1983

  Origin: France

  Type: Personal computer

  A souped-up version of Micronique’s 1981 computer the Victor Lambda, which in turn was based on the US-made Interact Computer that was launched in 1979.

  Hitachi TV-Game VG-104

  Manufacturer: Hitachi

  Year released: 1977

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Part of Japan’s 1977 home Pong boom. Monochrome visuals and four built-in games.

  I

  IBM 1130 Computing System

  Manufacturer: IBM

  Year released: 1965

  Origin: USA

  Type: Minicomputer

  IBM minicomputer that made computing affordable to smaller businesses.

  IBM 701

  Manufacturer: IBM

  Year released: 1952

  Origin: USA

  Type: Vacuum tube computer

  One of the first computers produced in quantity rather than being custom-made.

  IBM 7094

  Manufacturer: IBM

  Year released: 1962

  Origin: USA

  Type: Mainframe computer

  Transistor-based update of the IBM 709 mainframe, which used vacuum tubes.

  IBM PC

  See PC

  Imlac PDS-1

  Manufacturer: Imlac Corporation

  Year released: 1970

  Origin: USA

  Type: Minicomputer

  One of the first, if not the first, computers with a graphical user interface. Used a light pen instead of a mouse to point and a foot pedal to click.

  Intellivision

  Manufacturer: Mattel Electronics, Bandai

  Year released: 1979

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console

  Bandai released it in Japan. Also home to PlayCable, the world’s first downloadable games service, which was the result of a partnership between General Instrument and Mattel. The service, launched in 1981, supplied games via cable TV although the games could not be stored on the Intellivision.

  Interton VC-4000

  Manufacturer: Interton

  Year released: 1978

  Origin: West Germany

  Type: Home console

  One of many European consoles released in the late 1970s and early 1980s that were based on the 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System, which was created by another West German firm: Radofin.

  iPhone

  Manufacturer: Apple Inc.

  Year released: 2007

  Origin: USA

  Type: Smartphone

  Touchscreen smartphone that became an outlet for thousands of downloadable games. Its phone-less sister product, the iPod Touch, can also play most of these games.

  K

  KIM-1

  Manufacturer: MOS Technology

  Year released: 1976

  Origin: USA

  Type: Kit computer

  Created by microprocessor firm MOS Technology prior to its purchase by Commodore International.

  Konix Multisystem

  Manufacturer: Konix

  Year released: Never released

  Origin: UK

  Type: Home console

  Was to be a UK rival to the Megadrive and Super NES. Its peripherals were set to include a light gun with recoil and the Power Chair, a motorised seat designed to mimic the hydraulics used in arcade games such as Out Run. Also known as the Slipstream. Its release was cancelled in August 1989.

  L

  Lisa

  Manufacturer: Apple Computer

  Year released: 1983

  Origin: USA

  Type: Personal computer

  The first personal computer with a graphical user interface.

  M

  Macintosh

  Manufacturer: Apple Computer

  Year released: 1984

  Origin: USA

  Type: Personal computer

  The first popular personal computer with a graphical user interface.

  Magnavox Odyssey

  Manufacturer: Magnavox

  Year released: 1972

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console

  The first video game console, developed by Sanders Associates as the Brown Box. Sold with plastic overlays to put over the TV screen to enhance its primitive graphics. It was also home to the first light gun controller, Shooting Gallery.

  Magnavox Odyssey2

  Manufacturer: Magnavox, Philips

  Year released: 1978

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console

  Released in Europe as the Philip
s Videopac G7000 (Philips C52 in France). Also released in Brazil as the Philips Odyssey.

  Magnavox Odyssey3

  Manufacturer: Magnavox, Philips

  Year released: 1983

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console

  Never released in North America but did get a brief release in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7400.

  Magnavox Odyssey 100

  Manufacturer: Magnavox

  Year released: 1975

  Origin: USA

  Type: Home console

  The first of several home Pong consoles relsed by Magnavox.

  Master System

  Manufacturer: Sega

  Year released: 1985

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Outsold the NES in Europe. Also popular in Brazil, where it was distributed by Tec Toy. Originally released in Japan as the Sega Mark III.

  MBX Expansion System

  Manufacturer: Milton Bradley

  Year released: 1983

  Origin: USA

  Type: Personal computer add-on

  Originally planned as a stand-alone console, Milton Bradley eventually turned the MBX into an add-on for the TI-99/4A home computer. Featured speech synthesis, voice recognition and an analogue joystick that also allowed 360o rotation. Discontinued almost as soon as released after Texas Instruments quit the home computer market. Versions for the Atari VCS 2600 and Atari 5200 consoles were also mooted.

  Megadrive

  Manufacturer: Sega

  Year released: 1988

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Home console

  Called the Genesis in North America. The Sega CD add-on, also known as the Mega CD, allowed users to play CD-ROM games.

  Merlin

  Manufacturer: Parker Brothers

  Year released: 1978

  Origin: USA

  Type: Handheld game

  Multi-game handheld that doubled as a musical instrument. Created by former NASA scientist Bob Doyle.

  MicroVision

  Manufacturer: Milton Bradley

  Year released: 1979

  OrigiSA

  Type: Handheld console

  The first handheld console. Created by Jay Smith who later designed the Vectrex console.

  MK14

  Manufacturer: Science of Cambridge

  Year released: 1977

  Origin: UK

  Type: Kit computer

  Clive Sinclair’s first venture into the computer business.

  MSX / MSX2

  Manufacturer: Various (designed by ASCII Corporation and Microsoft Japan)

  Year released: 1983

  Origin: Japan

  Type: Personal computer

  Touted as a home computer standard and produced by a bewildering number of manufacturers across the world including Casio, Daewoo, GoldStar, Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Sony, Spectravideo and Yamaha (to name just a few). The MSX2, the second generation version of the computer, was introduced in 1986. Eventually the line was discontinued in 1995.

  N

  Nascom 1

  Manufacturers: Nascom Microcomputers

  Year released: 1977

 

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