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Magnavox Odyssey
Worlds first game console. Prototype known as the "Brown Box" i now at the Smithsonian. 340,000 units sold. -
Pong
A coin-op arcade game by Atari Inc
Based on table tennis
First game to gain widespread popularity - launched the industry boom
Led to a successful patent-infringement lawsuit from the Magnavox Odyssey -
Gran Track 10
A single-player racing arcade game by Atari
Player races against the game clock, accumulating points
Early diode-based ROM was used
Controls, steering wheel, shifter, accelerator, and brake pedals were all firsts for arcade games -
Maze Wars
One of the first FPS
Players wander in a maze
Used tile-based movement
Other players are eyeballs that can be shot or harmed
Players gain points for shooting other players and lose them for being shot -
Coleco Tester
By Coleco - AY-3-8500 chip
Pong variants on a domestic television receiver and available to any manufacturer
Battery-powered and external components were required -
APF TV Fun
Pong clone manufactured by APF formally a electronics developer
Four built-in games (Tennis, Hockey, Single Handball, and Squash)
Had a speaker and two controller knobs
Powered by AC adapter or batteries
Limited success -
Fairchild Channel F
The world's second cartridge-based video game console, after the Magnavox Odyssey
Sold for $169.95
Originally called Video Entertainment System (VES), but when Atari released VCS, it was renamed -
Atari 2600
Popularized game cartridges - popular in the 1980s
Originally Atari VCS; later changed to "Atari 2600" in 1982, after the release of Atari 5200
Two joysticks, two paddle controllers, and a cartridge game - initially Combat later Pac-Man -
Chuck E Cheese's
First family entertainment centers aimed at young children
Pizza restaurant with arcade games, amusement rides, an animatronics show, climbing equipment, tubes, and slides
Helped improve the image of video games -
Space Invaders
Created in Japan - later licensed in US
Shooting game - players defeat waves of aliens with a laser and earn points
So successful it caused a temporary shortage of coins in Japan -
Intellivision
By Mattel Electronics at $299
Four games available and a pack-in game: Las Vegas Poker & Blackjack
First to pose a serious threat to Atari
By 1982 over two million had been sold, earning Mattel a $100,000,000 profit -
Asteroids
Popular and influential game - 70,000 sold by Atari
Vector display and 2D view
Control a spaceship in an asteroid field traversed by flying saucers
Object - shoot asteroids and saucers while not colliding or being hit by counter-fire -
Pac Man
Namco - considered among the most famous arcade games of all time. Became a social phenomenon that sold related merchandise and inspired an animated television series and a top-ten hit single -
Donkey Kong
By Nintendo - platform
Move the character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles
Rescue a damsel in distress from a giant ape - Donkey Kong -
Frogger
Move frogs home by crossing a busy road and navigate a river - skillful players obtain bonuses
A classic - noted for its novel gameplay and theme
Used two Z80 processors
By 2005, sold 20 million worldwide, 5 million in the US -
Galaga
Fixed-shooter game
Control a space ship while aliens fly in formation and come down at the player's ship to either shoot or collide
Players fire at enemies, and once all enemies are vanquished, at which point the player moves to the next stage -
Tron
Game was based on the Disney movie
A computer hacker is trapped inside a digital world and forced to participate in gladiatorial-type games -
Q-Bert
By Gottlieb
Isometric platform with puzzle elements where the player controls the character from a third-person perspective
Object is to make all cubes the same color
Uses a joystick -
Tetris
Tile-matching from the Soviet Union
Name is from the Greek numerical prefix tetra- four segments
Electronic Gaming Monthly's 100th issue had Tetris in first place as "Greatest Game of All Time“ -
Sega Master system
8-bit cartridge-based by Sega
The Master System was released as a direct competitor to the NES
Failed to topple Nintendo, but was popular in European markets
