Game Console
Magnavox Odyssey 2
Sold as the Odyssey² in the United States and the Philips Videopac G7000 in Europe, this console was Philips’ entry into the home gaming market. It featured a built-in keyboard, encouraging both play and learning, and came with quirky, colorful games that stood out from its competitors. With its distinctive speech module (an add-on that could make the console “talk”), the Odyssey²/Videopac showed how early systems were already experimenting with ways to make games more interactive.
The Magnavox Odyssey 2 (stylized as Magnavox Odyssey2), also known as Philips Odyssey 2, is a home video game console of the second generation that was released in 1978. It was sold in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000, in Brazil and Peru as the Philips Odyssey and in Japan as Odyssey2 (オデッセイ2 odessei2). The Odyssey 2 was one of the five major home consoles prior to the 1983 video game market crash, along with Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Intellivision and ColecoVision.
In the early 1970s, Magnavox pioneered the home video game industry by successfully bringing the first home console to market, the Odyssey, which was quickly followed by a number of later models, each with a few technological improvements (see Magnavox Odyssey series). In 1978, Magnavox, now a subsidiary of North American Philips, decided to release an all-new successor, Odyssey 2.
In 2009, the video game website IGN named the Odyssey 2 the 21st greatest video game console, out of its list of 25.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey_2
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Short Info
Also known as:
-
- Philips Odyssey 2 (United States)
- Philips Videopac G7000 (EU)
- Philips Odyssey (Brazil/Peru[1])
- Odyssey2 (Japan)
Developer: Magnavox, Philips
Manufacturer: Magnavox, Philips
Product family:
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- Magnavox Odyssey series
- Philips Odyssey series
Type: Home video game console
Generation: Second generation
Release date:
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- NA: September 1978
- EU: December 1978
- JP: September 1982
- BR: May 1983
Lifespan: 1978–1984
Introductory price: US$179 (equivalent to $862.94 in 2024)
Discontinued: 20 March 1984
Units sold: 2 million
CPU: Intel 8048
Memory: 192 bytes RAM (64 in the CPU, 128 external), 1024 bytes ROM in the CPU
Removable storage: ROM cartridge
Display: Intel 8244
Graphics: 160×200 pixels, 16 colors (4-bit RGBI)
Controller input: Joysticks
Predecessor: Magnavox Odyssey/Philips Odyssey 2100
Successor: Philips Videopac+ G7400
