The Story of the First Video Game Cartridge

The humble cartridge is an icon in video game history. But where did it come from? Learn the story behind the first programmable home console - the Fairchild Channel F - and the team behind it. Why couldn't Fairchild capitalize on this revolutionary idea and why did the Channel F console fade into obscurity?

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Introduction
01:05 - Part 1: Desperation Breeds Innovation
13:58 - Part 2: Mavericks
22:54 - Part 3: A Commitment
31:03 - Part 4: A Long Shadow

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#Fairchild #ChannelF #GamingHistorian

[GamingHistorian]

A special thank you to @play_history for his research and writing on this episode, and to Patrons for voting for this topic! It's an important story in video game history, and I'm really happy with how everything turned out. Hope you all enjoy!

[kirbymarchbarcena]

At least, Lawson got the recognition he deserves for his contribution in the gaming industry before his passing

[charlesw]

There's something so fascinating about the early games industry. So many random companies gave it a shot and what we take for granted nowadays was nonexistent back then (normal controllers with dpads or cartridges for example lol)

Nice video!

[SuperFromND]

the channel F boxarts remain some of my favorite in all of gaming, they're SO aggressively mid-70s with their bright neon colors and i love that kind of thing

[seanconnolly]

I got to see Jerry Lawson speak quite a few times at differnet Classic Gaming Expo's over the years and he was an absolutle GEM of a person. I was honeslty devistated when he passed in 2011. Such an "unknwon" name in video game history, but he was freaking amazing. I hope he's resting in peace -- I miss him dearly.

[kutulukutu]

Something about a new Gaming Historian video always makes the day better. Thank you

[darksuns]

"Why does my game hum? Because it don't know the words." I laughed for a minute straight.

[KabukiKid]

Really great segment on the Channel F. My grandfather worked for Fairchild and because he was the best in sales in his department, he won a console and brought it home to my delight. I loved that thing. Definitely was cooler than any of the standard pong systems that were around at the time. Obviously, it didn't last long and I eventually got an Atari and the rest is history. ;-) I still own my system that my grandfather gifted me. I hesitate to ever part with it because of that nostalgic connection.

[shinigamimiroku]

Man, I remember learning about Lawson back in my HS Computer Programming class. Mate was a genius, and he and his team were definitely mavericks. Glad to see this video!

[patrickjmt]

I hardly watch any Youtube channels regularly. I found your channel recently and have been binge watching. Thanks for the great content and all the amazing history and details you add, I simply love it. :)

[Lordx]

It's always a damn shame to remember how the Fairchild, and by association Lawson and the rest of the team, fell into obscurity considering how important and revolutionary they are. Even more so when people like Nolan Bushnell are remembered so fondly.

[brandonwenzel]

I actually managed to snag a Fairchild Channel F last year at a video game convention. It was my purchase of the year. There's something really cool about having such an important piece of video game history.

[industriastroll]

As a bowling machine enthusiast/nerd, it's absolutely wild to learn that the videogame cartridge is loosely related to the Automatic Pinspotter.
Awesome video!

[jesseyules]

I'm fascinated by stories of teams who had the right idea, were first to market but failed due bad timing, being unlucky, or an overlooked design flaw.

[CDRaff]

Thank you for teaching me the term "Pong Console". I was finally able to find the first console I ever played. It was the Radioshack TV Scoreboard 60-3060. I kept looking for stuff like "70s Sports video game" and all I could find were those early handhelds like "Electronic Quarterback".

[KanjoNights]

Man what I would give to see Gaming Historian doing something with GTV Japan. These two are in my mind, the preeminent vintage gaming content creators. The perfect combination of research, pacing, writing, editing. You always walk away having learned something and loving the hobby of vintage gaming even more than you already did.

[BalloonFightWiki]

It feels like the Channel F has been becoming better known lately. I got one a few years ago cause I found a faulty one for cheap, and read up on the extensive homebrewing wiki to try making a game for it. Then there was the google doodle, which seemed to kickstart people looking into it. It's a fascinating system which deserves to be talked about. Thank you for the video!

[HoopsandHipHop]

It doesn’t get better than Gaming Historian. Each new video is an absolute treasure.

[arlasoft]

Love the Channel F, colour graphics in the home in 1976 was amazing considering cutting edge arcade games were monochrome up to 1979. They were so unlucky that Atari came along with the inspired design for the 2600 hardware that got around the high cost of RAM.

We recently released an unofficial videocart-29 featuring four of my homebrews....very exciting when that arrived!

[lukahmad]

Thank you for this knowledge, Norm! Without you, people of my generation might not know about these legends. Jerry Lawson is a genius! Rest In Power <3