While classic retro video game consoles can’t hold a candle to the graphics and game play of modern games, they hold a special place in the memory banks of those of us who were fortunate enough to grow up during the time in which they were introduced. And they each have an important place in the history of the home video game console history.
The first generation of home video game consoles is widely recognized as having begun in the 1972-84 timeframe with the second generation occurring in the 1976-92 timeframe with a clear overlap in the middle. 1972 was the year that the first home video game system called the Magnavox Odyssey was released. 1976 marked the introduction of the Fairchild Channel F which was the first console to use cartridges which became the norm moving forward for future participants Atari, Intellivision, ColecoVision and others.
So this explains the overlap in the first and second generation timeframes: Each generation produced something very important, milestones that future game manufacturers incorporated into their design and thinking as time went on and the video game industry matured and grew. Successful participants in each subsequent generation used what was learned in the past as they designed their machines.
While there are literally dozens of game machines that we could consider, the main retro video game consoles that people remember most fondly include the following:
Atari VCS/2600
Atari VCS/2600, 5200 and 7800 were part of the same family of Atari-made game consoles beginning in 1977 and priced at $199. The systems aren’t entirely compatible with one another which frustrated buyers. The Atari Video Computer System (VCS) was later renamed the Atari 2600 after its part number and quickly became the industry standard despite its relatively pedestrian graphics and game play. While it wasn’t the first commercially available video game system on the market, it was the first very successful one that caught the imagination of the public, and led to the market entry of the other companies that followed, each hoping to grab a piece of this growing industry. Over 30 million consoles were sold.
Intellivision
Intellivision by Mattel entered the market in 1979 as a direct competitor to the Atari VCS and blew the competition away with a better console and controllers along with better graphics, sound and game play. The difference between Atari and Intellivision was night and day and it was reflected in Intellivision’s higher initial price versus Atari: $299 vs $199. Intellivision had a more sophisticated look and feel and the quality of games was noticeable. Intellivision II was later released with a smaller console and removable controllers. Over 3 million Intellivision units were sold.
ColecoVision
When Coleco entered the market in 1982 with ColecoVision, they already had home video game experience with the Coleco Telstar system that was built from 1976-78 and was actually a series of 14 consoles. Coleco also had experience with small handheld video games like Electronic Quarterback, Hockey, Basketball and others. Their overly large product line, the relatively small video game market at the time, and fading success of other products from Coleco almost caused the company to go bankrupt in 1980, two years before ColecoVision’s launch. Fortunately they survived long enough to produce ColecoVision in 1982. In excess of 2 million consoles were sold.
While these are the three main home video game systems that many people remember fondly, there are plenty of other game systems that were built around the same time, many of which are a forgotten part of video game history but deserve mention and some of which deserve to be remembered for the right reasons, too.
Fairchild Channel F
The Fairchild Channel F (the F stands for Fun) home video game console deserves first runner up mention for at least two reasons:
- It was the first video game system to utilize a removable cartridge system.
- It was the first video game system to use a microprocessor.
Retailing for $170 when introduced in November 1976 around one year before the Atari VCS, a total of 27 cartridges were produced for the Fairchild Channel F encompassing sports, gambling, trivia, pinball, action, maze and educational.
I recall playing the Channel F at a local retail store that had it on display. I can’t recall which game(s) I played but I remember the name Fairchild Channel F and the unique looking controller. I don’t recall anything special about the game system and never seriously considered purchasing it. At the time as a kid, I was unaware that it was a revolutionary video game system and saw it simply as one that was inferior to others like Intellivision.
RCA Studio II Home TV Programmer
Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was for many years a major American manufacturer of tvs, VCRs, radios, record players and other electronics. I owned an RCA tv and radio and have fond memories of the products and remember the distinctive red RCA logo and Nipper the dog in their print ads.
Unfortunately, the Studio II was a poorly conceived and unsuccessful product that barely lasted one year when introduced in January 1977, months before the Atari VCS. It wasn’t even called a video game system but rather a home tv programmer and unlike its contemporaries didn’t use joysticks but rather an integrated keypad system that enabled two people to play albeit in close quarters while seated next to each other. Perhaps the biggest drawback was that it only played in black and white.
The Studio II was basically dead on arrival as it entered the market several months after the superior Fairchild F and months before the Atari VCS which was superior to both. It’s a largely forgotten game system that never got off the ground. If anything its crash and burn release focused future video game designers on color only game systems that utilized better, independent hand controllers/joysticks and better game play.
As a child growing up when this game system came out, I have no memory of this system and certainly never played it nor do I know anyone that owned it.
Bally Astrocade
I remember playing the Bally Arcade AKA Bally Astrocade AKA Bally ABA-1000 in a local retail store that had it on display. The pistol grip style controller and Bally name is what I remember most.
Fun fact: The Astrocade/Arcade was built by Midway which was the video game division of Bally Manufacturing which at the time was mostly known for slot machines, pinball machines, health clubs, casino games, and more.
Introduced several months later than planned in April 1978 for $299, it went through several name changes and then was quickly removed from the market due to lack of sales although it ended up selling until 1984 upon being re-released by another company. Using a similar ROM cartridge system as its contemporaries, its initial reputation was that of a good quality system with decent graphics and sound when compared to competitors.
By the time it was released however, it was already competing with Fairchild and Atari and couldn’t distinguish itself in that regard.
APF-M1000
The APF M1000 Microcomputer System was introduced in October 1978 for about $130 and at first glance may have been a system able to go head to head with the Atari VCS due to its superior (visually anyways) controllers with large joystick, keypad and lower price.
In 1979, APF bundled the APF M1000 together with a home computer system and called it The APF Imagination Machine. Retailing for $700 in 1979, it was high-priced system for the time. And this was a time when virtually no one had a computer at home so it was a tough sell at that price point.
As with previously mentioned systems, I remember playing the APF M1000 game console at the same local retailer I referred to above. This store had many games in stock to play with at this time and I played all of them multiple times including this one. I specifically remember the joystick controller being the highlight of the system but as with the Fairchild F described above, I never seriously considered buying this system.
APF filed for bankruptcy in 1983 and as a result the APF M1000 is another largely forgotten system. It should be given credit for the controller if for no other reason that 4 years after the system was introduced, ColecoVision came to market with a somewhat similarly designed controller with a joystick at the top and numeric keypad.
Magnavox Odyssey II
Not to sound like a broken record but yes, I played this system at the same local retailer as mentioned above. As a 10 year old kid, the name Odyssey II led me to believe there had been a previous product called Odyssey that I never did play.
Spoiler alert: The original Magnavox Odyssey was released in 1972 and there were in fact an additional 9 Magnavox Odyssey systems released from 1975-77 (Magnavox Odyssey 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 4305, 2000, 3000 and 4000) before the Odyssey II was released in 1978.
The Magnavox Odyssey is recognized as being the world’s first commercially produced home video game system.
Retailing for $179 at launch, the Odyssey II was similar in price to its contemporaries. Magnavox is a division of Dutch electronics giant Philips and it was Philips that released a European version called Philips Videopac for the EU market.
For me the distinguishing feature about the Odyssey II other than the name was the integrated keyboard. As a kid I wondered what it was for since the retail store I played the game at was only set up for video games. I assumed it had a computer component too. I also recall the simple yet fairly functional joystick controllers and how easily you could move the small stick with your thumb.
I remember specifically playing the Krazy Chase game and that the game titles all seemed to have an exclamation mark after them ie. Krazy Chase! Hockey! Soccer!
The Odyssey is reported to have sold a fairy impressive 2 million consoles and continued selling into 1984 when it was discontinued. Only 47 Magnavox games were designed.
Arcadia 2001
I include the Arcadia 2001 by Emerson in this list due to its striking resemblance as a cheap ripoff of Intellivision. Released in 1982 at a retail price of $99 it was the cheapest of its contemporaries and clearly used Intellivision as its inspiration.
The hand controllers are virtually identical in design. Similar rectangular shape. Similar brown color. Same 12 button keypad with overlays and same side buttons. Same disc directional button although the Arcadia 2001 included a small built in joystick.
That’s where the similarities end however. The system while admirably mimicking the Intellivision controller – and perhaps improving on it with the joystick addition – only lasted on the market for 18 months. Despite its low price, it didn’t seem able to distinguish itself from competitors at the time. It seems the market wasn’t interested in a me too product even if it was 1/3 the price of the product is was mimicking.
Having said that, the Arcadia 2001 ended up being cloned and rebranded dozens of times in various countries under different names and design differences so the brand lives on albeit in different forms.
The Big Hitters Head To Head
By 1980, Intellivision and Atari were the two biggest names in town and were clearly direct competitors to one another. But only one company – Mattel, the manufacturer of Intellivision – dared to show consumers a head to head comparison of Intellivision and Atari game play in a series of tv commercials featuring American writer and amateur sportsman George Plimpton who at the time was Intellivision’s spokesperson. Here’s one video that compared their respective baseball games to illustrate the differences.