Where did the consoles? Devices that lived to see – for now – the eighth generation, have been with us for over 40 years. Who was the man who invented them and the common ancestor looked like the Xbox and PlayStation?
It started with the radar
The beginnings of a ton of video games in the mists of history. Who was the first? It all depends on the definition of – if we seek the common ancestor of the entire industry, which display image on the screen , we must go back to 1947 years. Then the two engineers, Thomas T. Goldsmith Jr. I Eastle Ray Mann, has developed a patented invention a year later called Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device, based on the device display to visualize the radar.
The player that supports this machine was controlled by turning the rocket, which had hit the plane. In practice, this meant shooting line to dot (for more on the early history of video games can read the article “What was the first computer game in the world?”).
Not only stupid programs!
However, if you ignore the technological prehistory and look for precursor of digital entertainment in the modern sense of the word, the ancestors will be two – in the case of slot machines is the precursor of Computer Space, and in the case of equipment for home use – Console Magnavox Odyssey.
Its creator was Ralph Baer. Born in 1922 in Germany had to – because of Jewish origin – to immigrate to the United States. He won there, radio technology education .
During the Second World War he served in the interview, and after the war he worked in companies related to radar and telecommunications technology. In the ’60s Baer came up with the idea to spice up TV users by offering them something special. As he recalled years later:
(…) going to pull out of television sets more than just watching stupid programs.
Brown Box and the Magnavox Odyssey
Initially, Ralph ideas swirling around tuning the TV set, but eventually constructed something else. It was a external device connected to the TV called Brown Box.
Consoles Brown Box and the Magnavox Odyssey
Brown Box was prototype console later and after selling rights to the company Magnavox appeared on the market as the Magnavox Odyssey. Importantly, the console from the beginning offered a few games, like tennis or volleyball.
To switch between titles consisted of, among others, the imposition on a television screen transparent overlay with the drawn elements of the field or the court, and switch the display of graphics followed by changing the cartridge.
Soon after, first developed for the console, an optional accessory, cooperating with two games – it was a light gun called the Shooting Gallery. Sold in 1972 gave rise to console the entire industry, but has not achieved great success .
Although the different versions were sold until 1976, and a few hundred thousand customers were sent. copies , is a breakthrough in the field of electronic entertainment has brought only sold by Atari Pong, building on the idea, developed a few years earlier by Ralph Baer.
The success of Atari was thus – by the way – the success of the company Magnavox that Pong earned on the sale thanks uiszczanym by Atari license fees.
Versatile inventor
What time did this person from whom it all began? After the sale of the rights to the console Ralph Baer moves on to other inventions . Helped including in the development of Telstar console, and then developed an electronic game Simon, Simon, and Maniac Super consisting in playing and counting sounds.
In later years, led the team involved in the simulators that use VHS technology, developed a bike computer speakers, and a postcard saying electronic mascot – a teddy bear, which spoke with the characters displayed on the TV cartoon , controlled placed in the recording of voice commands.
For his achievements in 2004 was honored by President George W. Bush medal National Medal of Technology. Despite his advanced age remained professionally active, until 2013, working on various inventions in the field of electronics. He died on 6 December 2014, leaving behind 150 patents from different disciplines – from electronic entertainment after detecting submarines.
The best summary of the achievements of this remarkable man are his own words . We highly encourage you to watch the following, a short film that was recorded two years ago. It’s amazing how inspiring can be 90-year-old.
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