The First Video Game Console Ever

We’re going to talk about the first ever home video game console: the Magnavox Odyssey. We’re going to talk about how it’s inventor, Ralph Baer, came up with the idea, and how that led to the 40 billion dollar industry that has allowed our YouTube channel to survive and thrive.

I wouldn’t be playing 100 Gigabyte games on my computer if it weren’t for the Odyssey, which doesn’t look all that impressive by today's standards. In fact, we think most peeps would rather play a live action board game than lay an overlay over their TV screens and play a precursor to Pong. Retro gaming is a wonderful pastime, as long as you don’t go too far back.

On the other hand, imagine living in a time where there was no such thing as a console. Imagine looking at your TV in 1951 and saying to yourself: “hey - I’d like to play that” when no such thing had ever been done, and then 21 years later in 1972, that’s a reality. And then imagine fast forwarding to the last year of your life in 2014 and there are video games consoles very widely available in which you can play video games in which you can immerse yourself in a realistic simulation of the war you actually fought in 64 years prior. Amazing, no?

00:00 Intro
00:23 Ralph Baer: The Early Years
03:47 The Odyssey
06:39 Magnavox: What are they up to now?
07:17 Consoles: Greatest vs. First
08:00 Outro

Written by: Jean Bernard
Narrated by: JB
Edited by: JB

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[randallcromer]

My love for video games started with pong and it lives on to this day. I remember playing pong by myself against myself with one controller in one hand and another one in the other. Hours after Hours I would play and I got so good that I couldn't beat myself with either hand.

[dp]

Thank you Mr Ralph Baer. Video games saved me from drugs and depression.

[Riz]

Lots of people always think the Atari 2600 was the first console who obviously haven't done their research on the history of gaming

[ahansparsh]

Ralph Bauer: No studies, no problem. Lets game!
My mom: First study, then game!

[chadedwinsteinhauer]

I got my first video game system in 1981 for Christmas forms dad.... It was an atari playing system that said JC Pennies on it... JC Pennies made their own models of popular electronics.... So I have been playing video games for 41 years(and it all got boring, although I was great at video games.... So I got my second VR, an Ocuus quest 2... I am enjoying playing again.... peace Guys
Much Love... ~Chad Edwin

[greenghoul]

There's something beautiful about how primitive the Odyessy is and what it would lead to, there's always a first for everything

[terryrodbourn]

my Dad won one at 1973 Christmas party raffle from his company party and we became a my older brothers best friends to play the games duck hunt and other games in town!

[mmahadyounus]

Thank you Ralph Baer for creating gaming consoles

[Metaphor]

I love the episodes like this. I want to write episodes like this for you guys

[jamesburke]

give the poor old fella PTSD from cod. what an amazing man and an inspiring story. The programmer for the odyssey was also an amazing person.

[lipyliamyt]

Cool.i did not know who made the magnavox odessy

[AlbanianGladiator]

idk why but old consoles just have something better the just feel better for some reason

[jakeb_playz]

The gamer: Ralph Baer passed away in 2014
Also The gamer: What is Magnavox Odyssey up to now?

[drinkduff]

I helped Homer go on an Odyssey.

It was on a MagnetBox.

If anyone gets that tell me.

[smasksson]

Its one older by the same person its the brown box

[nicholasantonson]

The 80th commmet of this video April 16th 2022

[iSamYTBackup]

this video has been blocked by UMG on copyright grounds

[isaiahrobinson]

Is the Magnavox Oddesey the first video game console ever.

[k.h.]

Colecovision had no influence on atari, it came out 5 years later

[Househoppper]

you are way to much of a modern gamer it frustrates me