Odyssey Game System (2021)

Saw an Odyssey in a closed shop window one evening back in the mid 70's. 11-year-old me knew instantly that I was looking at the future. (Did not know that a part of my future career was also being suggested to me.) The name told you out was the future (think, "2001, A Space Odyssey") as well as that oh-so-futuristic font on the packaging.

A year or two later, with the family at a friend-of-the-family's place and they had this new video-game machine hooked up to their TV. I think ti was the first time I played a video game.

I was trying to determine which the machine they had (I distinctly remember the odd controller shape). It turns out it was a "Fairchild Channel F" [1] machine. Looks like that may have been the first machine with cartridges.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairchild_Channel_F

Thx for posting this. I was a young kid when the Odyssey came out, but I have a vague memory of really wanting to rip it apart and figure out what was inside (foreshadowing a career in engineering; surprising I don't do more reverse engineering.)

Our family resisted buying the Odyssey (despite the kids begging the parents) or the Fairchild F or Atari Pong. I think my dad broke down when he discovered there was a blackjack cartridge for the VCS.

Man I'd love a Ken Shirriff breakdown of the Odyssey and its game cards.

I had the Odyssey2 as a kid and hated it, mostly because it wasn't an Atari 2600 (I was five or six at the time).

I do remember the game Quest for the Rings very fondly though.

1972 Magnavox Odyssey promotional film

https://youtu.be/jLGBtkKPj2U