Ever wondered how and/or when the first video game controller was invented? Ralph H. Baer was considered the father of video gaming. He invented the Magnavox Odyssey which was released in 1972. He created video game joysticks in 1967.
Who Was Ralph H. Baer?
According to wiki, he became interested in electronics during WWII. After the war, he became an engineer and came up with the idea of video games on a TV screen in 1966. He eventually invented the "Brown Box" which became the basis of the Magnavox Odyssey, the world's first video game console. He continued to work on other console ideas and game units. He even co-invented the Simon game. He was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 2006. He had over 150 patents.
The Magnavox Odyssey
So what was the Magnavox Odyssey like? It sold for $100 dollars when released in 1972. 3 dots would appear on the screen, controlled by the 2 paddle controllers. For visual effects, plastic overlays were placed on the TV screen. Board game like accessories came with the console like paper money and dice. If you wanted the first light gun controller ever made, it was sold separately.
28 games were made for this console, including a ping pong game. Atari came out with Pong months later. Magnavox sued and won the lawsuit. In fact, over 20 years they won several lawsuits winning a total over $100 million. The console was discontinued in 1975.
Now that you know when the first video game controller was invented, are you curious about how they work. Read the article, "How Do Video Game Controllers Work?"
Source
(2019, August 6). Joystick. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joystick.
(2019, September 7). Magnavox Odyssey. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey.
(2019, September 8). Ralph H. Baer. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_H._Baer.
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