First Generation Consoles

Defining The First Generation

The Magnavox Odyssey, Coleco Telstar, Atari Home Pong, and Color TV-Game 6 on a grid background.

The First Generation in the context of video game consoles refers to the period of time from 1972 to 1980. This period is defined by the release of first generation video game consoles, beginning with the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972 and ending with the release of Nintendo's final Color TV-Game system in 1980. First generation consoles were defined by their technical capabilities: most only had the ability to draw a few simple geometric shapes on a TV screen, which were typically not in color. Unlike future generations, first generation consoles had their games physically built into the circuitry of the system itself, and were therefore usually only capable of playing a single game per console. First generation technology would eventually be surpassed in 1976 with the invention of microprocessor based consoles capable of running games from ROM cartridges. This innovation marked the beginning of the second generation of video game consoles, although consoles operating off of first generation technology continued to be produced for a few years after.

The Most Notable Consoles

The Magnavox Odyssey

The Magnavox Odyssey, the first ever video game console.

Made by Magnavox

Released: 1972

Price: $99.95

Sold: 350,000

The Magnavox Odyssey was the first video game console ever created. It possessed the ability to draw three dots and one line to a TV screen and came with swappable game cartridges.

For more information about the Odyssey, check out OdysseyNow.

Atari's Home Pong

Atari's Home Pong Console sitting next to its colorful packaging.

Made by Atari

Released: 1975

Price: $98.95

Sold: >500,000

Home Pong only contained a single game, based on the popular arcade game Pong. Its success would usher in a wave of copycat consoles by prospective console developers across the world.

Coleco Telstar

The first model in Coleco's Telstar series, one of the most successful Pong clones released.

Made by Coleco

Released: 1976

Price: $50

Sold: >1,000,000

Coleco's Telstar series of consoles originally began as a Pong clone before branching off into other games. What it lacked in innovation, however, it made up for in affordability, leading to very high sales.

Color TV-Game

The Orange Color TV-Game 6 console connected to a TV playing a Pong-like game.

Made by Nintendo

Released: 1977

Price: $36-62

Sold: 3,000,000

Nintendo's first ever console, the Color TV-Game series was only ever released in Japan, but despite this it was still the highest selling console of the first generation. The first units featured full colored versions of Pong with adjustable settings.

Odyssey Series

Two consoles from the Odyssey series: the Odyssey 2000 and Odyssey 100.

Made by Magnavox

Released: 1975

Price: $100 (roughly)

Sold: 1,200,000

While the original Magnavox Odyssey was relatively successful, it was expensive to produce and not very profitable. The Odyssey series was a line of derivative consoles which simplified the design of the original Odyssey to make it cheaper to manufacture.

Other first-gen consoles:

  • 1974 - Ping-O-Tronic
  • 1974 - VideoSport MK2
  • 1975 - TV Tennis Electrotennis
  • 1976 - Philips Odyssey series
  • 1976 - APF TV Fun series
  • 1976 - Tele-Games Speedway IV
  • 1977 - Telescore 750
  • 1977 - TV Game System 10
  • 1978 - Epoch TV Baseball

and more...

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