Ralph H. Baer - Videogames: In the Beginning

Ralph Baers story and the ubiquitous catalogue of games, toys and other projects which he pioneered are captured here with youthful enthusiasm and without the personal agendas all too common in the autobiographies of great men; Ralphs phlegmatic tone keeps even the most potentially vitriolic issues in perspective. Videogames: In the Beginning should be a tentpole in the library of any student of electronic games.

Bill Kunkel Videogame Journalist

This work could be the definitive history of the engineering of the videogame. But more than that, it offers a glimpse into the challenges faced by the earliest innovators.

David Crane - co-founder Activision and creator of Pitfall! one of the most successful videogames of all time.

Its great that theres finally a book that reveals why we game developers (from all over the world) owe our careers to Ralph Baer. I feel very fortunate that our industry is not too old to give us a chance to learn about his experiences first hand, and also it gives us a chance to appreciate his first steps, that have now generated billions of hours of fun entertainment for people.

David Perry - President - Shiny Entertainment, Inc.

Videogame pioneer and Odyssey inventor Ralph Baer tells all in amazing detail, staking his claim as the inventor of consumer videogames. A fascinating read for the extreme videophile.

Eugene Jarvis -Videogame Designer: Defender, Cruisin USA

Ralph Baer has done an amazing job of explaining both the bolts and particularly the nuts of the origins of videogames. He blows away the popular myths and finally exposes the truth of where it really came from. No one has cut a wider swath through videogame history.

Howard Scott Warshaw - Creator of Yars Revenge and E.T for the Atari 2600

I can never thank Ralph enough for what he gave to me and everyone else.

Steve Wozniak co-founder Apple Computers

Videogames: In the Beginning, like everything else from the engineer/inventor who wrote it, is tight, intelligent, and meticulously documented. Baer is brilliant, knowledgeable, and, perhaps, a little angry. Can you blame him?

Steven L. Kent author: The Ultimate History of Video Games

Ralph H. Baer

ROLENTA PRESS PO BOX 1365

SPRINGFIELD, NJ 07081-5365

VIDEOGAMES: IN THE BEGINNING

Copyright 2005 by Ralph H. Baer

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.

All names mentioned or images displayed are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

This book has not been approved, authorized, or endorsed by any of the manufacturing companies that are mentioned within.

Published by Rolenta Press

PO Box 1365

Springfield, NJ 07081-5365

www.rolentapress.com

First Edition

First Printing 3000 April 2005

Library of Congress Control Number: 2004115956

ISBN 0-9643848-1-7

eBook Formatting by MrLasers.com

To Dena

who has patiently held house and home together while I spent all hours of the day and night working in the lab.

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Cast of Characters

Introduction

In the Beginning

Who Really Invented Videogames ?

A Matter Of Opinion And A Little Malice, Maybe?

Pongs Genesis

Priorities

And Then Theres Russell

Higginbothams Claim To Fame

End Note

Life at Sanders

September 6, 1966 - Genesis!

Getting Started

1967 - Early TV Game Development - Quiz Games

Improving TVG Unit # 2 - The Pump Chassis

August 1967 - TVG Unit # 3, Our First Product Is Ready!

November 1967: Ping-Pong Games Are Here!

Cable Games

Video Quiz Games

Back on Track - Building TV Game Unit # 6 And The Brown Box

The Brown Box Makes Its Debut

Calling All TV Set Manufacturers!

1971 - Keeping The Licensing Ball Rolling

Making A Maximum Effort In Ft.Wayne

Will The Consumer Like Skill-O-Vision?

Odyssey Rolls Off the Production Line

Flashback: Hard Times In The Defense Electronics Business

Odyssey Makes Its Entrance!

The Birth Of Pong

Winter Of 1972-73 - Upgrading Odyssey

1973 - Rethinking My Act

1974 - Tracking Magnavox

I Become a Freelancer

Tracking Videogame Activity In The Field - And How Sanders Almost Got Into The Arcade Videogame Manufacturing Business

1974: Cable Games Redux

Trying To Get Magnavox Into The Arcade Videogame Business And Super Odyssey

Interactive Video Systems: Working With WPI And ILG

The AY-3-8500 Chip Saga

The Centronics Game Interlude Beware The Mafia!

Monday Nite Football

1976 - History Redux

1976 - The Lawsuits Start

Back to the Magnavox Saga c. 1975

Salvaging Odyssey2

The Telesketch Story

Telesketch Finds A Home At Magnavox

A Short Postscript To The Magnavox Support Story - Interactive Video

The Coleco Story

Colecos Telstar Is Born - But There Is A Problem

We Help Design Colecos Next-Gen Line

Learning To Live With Eric Bromley

Leading Coleco Into Interactive Video Territory

Coping With Tricky Legal Relationships

Dual Image

Using Audio Tape Players In Videogames To Get Superior Sound

Kid-Vid

Pushing New Technology

The TV Alarm Clock And Other Interactive Video Gadgetry

Promoting Advanced Interactive Video Systems At Coleco

Getting Videodisc-Assisted Colecovision Under Way

End Game At Hartford

Atari And Me

Smile, Youre On Camera!

An Encounter With The Nintendo NES

The Nintendo Lawsuit Interlude

Interactive Video technology At Sanders - The IVTS Pinball Videogame

Another Aside: The Precision Rifle Story

1988 - Leaving Sanders... But Not The Videogame And Interactive Video Scene

Closing Thoughts About Videogames

Appendix One: From Touch-Me to Simon

Appendix Two: TV Game Chronology

Appendix Three: A Chronological Summary of My Involvement with Magnavox (1975-1979)

Appendix Four: From Our Loose Notes and Note Books - 1966 to 1972

Appendix Five: Videogame and Interactive Patents

Appendix Six: Schematics and Experiments

Appendix Seven: R.H. Baer Firsts in Chronological Order

Appendix Eight: My Designs

Bibliography

Contributors Bios

Figure 1 - Computer Space

Figure 2 - Magnovox Odyssey

Figure 34 - Paper design using CMOS Integrated Circuits

Figure 58 - Arcade Games Sales & Summary Spreadsheet

Figure 9 - Spacewar

Figure 10 - Tennis for Two

Figure 11 - Sanders Associates Canal Street Building in Nashua, NH.

Figure 12 - Bob Solomon

Figure 13 - Ralph H. Baer

Figure 1418 - Disclosure Document

Figure 19 - The Heathkit IG-62 Generator

Figure 20 - Original Schematic, TV Game 6/9/66

Figure 21 - Vacuum Tube

Figure 22 - Bottom view of TVG#1

Figure 23 - List of Games

Figure 24 - 2/27/67 - Our first Quiz Light Pen

Figure 2530 - Original Memo

Figure 31 - TVG Unit # 2 the Pump chassis

Figure 32 - John Masons Original Idea

Figure 33 - Our first and second (and improved) target shooting guns

Figure 34 - Pumping Game Overlay

Fig 35 - Bill Harrison & Bill Rusch

Figure 36 - RHB withTVG#3 during 1992 deposition