Ralph Baer's patents.

[Blank]

You guys have got to check this list out, it's very impressive.
Link. (http://www.ralphbaer.com/)

It's almost sad to see that credit isn't given to him enough for the inventions he came up with. If it wasn't for the switch from analog to digital, this man would be known by everyone, not just for his work with the Odyssey.

Luckily, I hear his autobiography is coming out soon. I want to see if he says anything regarding Bushnell's strategical buseniss strategies during the deal with Magnavox.

[Blackwolf]

One of the things G4 did right at G-Phoria was give him a lifetime achievement award and announce him as THE father of videogames.

[Captain N]

I did two papers on him Sophmore and Junior year. It's ashame how little credit is given to him. He's a veritable unknown to only the most devout of gamers.

[Blank]

I wonder if it's still possible to find an Odyssey anywhere?

[Emptythought]

I wonder if it's still possible to find an Odyssey anywhere?
sears sold a shitload of them, i still have one(with all of the game "cartridges"!) in my closet, im sure they show up on ebay all the time

[Lord Moon]

Ebay, I just saw a few of them up there.

[Jimmysdown]

Ebay, I just saw a few of them up there.

Better be handy with a soldering iron- bound to be a shitload of cracked flux to re-flow on that puppy.

[KingKRool]

One of the things G4 did right at G-Phoria was give him a lifetime achievement award and announce him as THE father of videogames.

What they did wrong was put him on G-Phoria. I think they gave him a wrestling belt as a trophy.

[Blackwolf]

What they did wrong was put him on G-Phoria. I think they gave him a wrestling belt as a trophy.

I honestly don't care. He finally got the recognition he deserved, no matter how we feel about G4.

It's not about a damn trophy. It's about the fact that people think Nolan Bushnell invented video games.

[Lord Moon]

I honestly don't care. He finally got the recognition he deserved, no matter how we feel about G4.

It's not about a damn trophy. It's about the fact that people think Nolan Bushnell invented video games.

He didn't!? :confused: :shock:

:wink2:

[Blank]

He didn't!? :confused: :shock:

:wink2:

He succesfully harnessed the industry, of course.

Ugh, I know you were kidding, I'm just all flustered. :(

[Jimmysdown]

What's really astounding was the proposal to have games delivered as a service through cable networks- talk about missed opportunity. It's a shame because the corporate establishment had no vision.

What Bushnell did that probably kept his whole dream alive (well, first it was to hate the idea of working for someone else as an engineer ), as if by accident, was to put the Pong prototype in front of the people who would appreciate it.

[Darkness]

What's really astounding was the proposal to have games delivered as a service through cable networks- talk about missed opportunity. It's a shame because the corporate establishment had no vision.

What Bushnell did that probably kept his whole dream alive (well, first it was to hate the idea of working for someone else as an engineer ), as if by accident, was to put the Pong prototype in front of the people who would appreciate it.
I take it you just watched ICONS today, too? :lol:
It was rather interesting.

[agn]

Sega channel existed eons ago and failed.

[Blackwolf]

The Intellivision also had a cablemodem in development. Never went off the ground either.

I have a SEGA channel adapter, was given to me for helping run PC5...Not sure if it ever worked, though. My X-Band modem for the Genesis doesn't work anymore, though...

[Blank]

Sega channel rocked. An old friend of mine use to have it and I would come over to see it. Genius.

[GBPackersfan]

Sega Channel did rock. Mutant League Football was too good for words.

[Ezekiel]

I knew this name sounded familiar when I opened the thread. I think he may have been mentioned in the Ultimate History of Videogames book. Its been so long though so im not sure if thats where I heard his name from or what.

sears sold a shitload of them, i still have one(with all of the game "cartridges"!) in my closet, im sure they show up on ebay all the time

pics please

[Blank]

He is in that book. We're reading that book for one of my classes.

[LazerViking]

I knew this name sounded familiar when I opened the thread. I think he may have been mentioned in the Ultimate History of Videogames book. Its been so long though so im not sure if thats where I heard his name from or what.



pics please

i was tellin you about him one day when i was reading up about him, told you he made the first counsole but you said the college kids did :P

[Ezekiel]

those college kids made the first video game, some space thing with a hyperjump button. at least thats what the book said

[Blank]

those college kids made the first video game, some space thing with a hyperjump button. at least thats what the book said

Hippie college kids actually, it was called Spacewar!

[Ezekiel]

I knew it! Told ya i wasnt lying Joe, I told you I wasnt lying I just knew I heard I just knew! :(

Do you know if there's any emu or game on the net that is actually THAT game? Cuz that would rock something awesome

[Blank]

I knew it! Told ya i wasnt lying Joe, I told you I wasnt lying I just knew I heard I just knew! :(

Do you know if there's any emu or game on the net that is actually THAT game? Cuz that would rock something awesome

Course there is. Pretty good ones actually. Just need to look around in the right places.

[Blackwolf]

those college kids made the first video game, some space thing with a hyperjump button. at least thats what the book said

The distinction here is that Ralph Baer made the first video game that was standalone and accessable to the masses. Spacewar, done by Slug Russell at MIT, required a PDP-1 to play, and was stored on a bunch of punchcards that you had to feed in perfect order every time you wanted to play.

You also needed to reserve the computer (size of a big room) for the time, which is why Spacewar was mainly only played late at night.

[Blank]

The distinction here is that Ralph Baer made the first video game that was standalone and accessable to the masses. Spacewar, done by Slug Russell at MIT, required a PDP-1 to play, and was stored on a bunch of punchcards that you had to feed in perfect order every time you wanted to play.

You also needed to reserve the computer (size of a big room) for the time, which is why Spacewar was mainly only played late at night.

I wouldn't say that Ralph Baer made games accessible. Granted, he may have made the first games geared to the public, but the Odysey was one expensive machine. That's what you get for hand-made hardware.

[Blackwolf]

When I say "accessable" I mean "not requiring a multimillion dollar computer that was the size of a large room".

You could NOT get a PDP-1 and put it in your home. You COULD get Ralph Baer's brown box and put it in your home. Expensive, yes, but you COULD get it.

[Blank]

When I say "accessable" I mean "not requiring a multimillion dollar computer that was the size of a large room".

You could NOT get a PDP-1 and put it in your home. You COULD get Ralph Baer's brown box and put it in your home. Expensive, yes, but you COULD get it.

:smt065

[gavv]

The Intellivision also had a cablemodem in development. Never went off the ground either.

I have a SEGA channel adapter, was given to me for helping run PC5...Not sure if it ever worked, though. My X-Band modem for the Genesis doesn't work anymore, though...

Not in development, they had a service that existed. Granted it didn't go past the original cable comp. that bought and tried it (The PlayCable), but it did go into service (in New Jersey or PA iirc).

gavv