A Brief History of Game Consoles, as Seen in Old TV Ads
Today's Best Tech Deals
Picked by PCWorld's Editors
Top Deals On Great Products
Picked by Techconnect's Editors
1978-1981: Magnavox Odyssey 2, Mattel Intellivision
The four-year stretch from 1978 to 1981 saw the emergence of two significant game consoles: Magnavox's Odyssey 2 and Mattel's Intellivision.
1978: Magnavox Odyssey 2
In 1974, Magnavox merged with Philips and four years later released its own $200 cartridge-based console. Though the new Odyssey 2 (aka the Philips Odyssey 2 or Philips Videopac G7000) had lower specs than the Atari 2600, it produced less-flickery graphics; notable features included an alphanumeric membrane keyboard and voice synthesis.
1980: Mattel Intellivision
For a while, superior graphics and sound made Mattel's $300 Intellivision (and a succession of rebadged versions) the major competitor to the Atari VCS. Mattel's product was the first console to use a 16-bit microprocessor, but poor controllers and--more importantly--a lack of third-party games limited its success. Mattel eventually released an adapter for Atari 2600 games, but the adapter worked only with the later Intellivision II console.
Coupon Codes
-
eBay coupons for December 2019
Get 25% off on Dyson items using this eBay coupon
-
Lenovo coupons for December 2019
$100 off your next purchase - Lenovo discount
-
Microsoft sales for December 2019
Christmas Sale: $200 off the new Microsoft Surface Laptop 3
-
iRobot coupons for December 2019
$510 savings on Roomba i7 + Braava Mop bundle
-
Newegg promo codes for December 2019
50% off Newegg's refurbished outlet
-
HP coupon codes for December 2019
Take $10 off on $50 accessories order with HP coupon code