[game_preservation] Release date of the Odyssey?

[Frank Cifaldi]

We're not all librarians! :)

Henry, can you check to see if there is a Magnavox ad that mentions the
Odyssey dated earlier than August 30?

On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 10:14 AM, Henry Lowood <lowood at stanford.edu> wrote:


>  Frank,

> Correction: Article is available *on-line* (for pay) at

> newspaperarchive.com.  :)   It's available at various places on microform

> and paper.

> I checked the Chicago Tribune database, and they have a 1 July 1972

> article on the Odyssey. I have attached it.  This article is saying

> "expected" release in "late August" in Chicago and 18 other market areas.

> Henry

>

>

> On 8/9/2012 9:59 AM, Frank Cifaldi wrote:

>

> BREAKING NEWS!

>

> Via the July 27, 1972 edition of The Daily Herald (Chicago):

>

> "Available to Magnavox dealers in August, Odyssey's initial price tag of

> just under $100 will include 12 different games."

>

> This was in a report about Magnavox's annual zone meeting for its dealers.

> There you go!

>

> Article is available (for pay) at newspaperarchive.com.

>

> On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 9:37 AM, Philippe Dubois, association MO5.COM,

> Président <samurai at mo5.com> <samurai at mo5.com> wrote:

>

>

>  **

>

> Thanks everyone for your answer.

>

> The biography of M.Baer just came out in France this month through the

> edition "Pix'n Love", i'm sure it will be delightful to read it in details

> ;)

>

>

> Best regards,

>

> -----------

>

> Cordialement,

>

> Philippe Dubois, Association MO5.COM, Président

>

> --

>

>

>

>

> On Aug 9, 2012 11:25 AM, "Philippe Dubois, association MO5.COM,

> Président" <samurai at mo5.com> <samurai at mo5.com> wrote:

>

>

>    Hi everyone !

>

>       How can it be possible for M.Baer, with all the respect i have for him,

>

>  not to know the exact date the Odyssey was publicly launch and available in

> stores ?

>

> Because he had nothing to do with that. Remember, he was with Sanders.

>

> The Odyssey's launch, distribution, etc. was a Magnavox issue.

>

> What about the date when M.Baer showed up the tennis game to M.Bushnell so

> he went into the idea of cloning this as "Pong" ?

>

>

>     He didn't show anything, Magnavox did.

>

>

>

>    Best regards,

>

>     -----------

>

>     Cordialement,

>

>     Philippe Dubois, Association MO5.COM, Président

>

>     --

>

>         Maybe we just have different philosophies but I'm going to have to

>

>  strongly disagree here. The only thing we know as solid fact right now is

> that sometime between May 3 and August 30, the Odyssey was in at least one

> store. Saying "by August" is safe, I agree, but I fail to see how saying

> the first sale was in August is any safer than saying the first sale was in

> July. We just don't know.

>

>

>        On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 9:02 AM, Bill Loguidice <bill at armchairarcade.com> <bill at armchairarcade.com>

>

>  wrote:

>

>

>      August is safest at the moment because the ad is thus far our earliest

>

>  proof of a unit physically being in a store. Again, it doesn't mean it was

> for sale - it could have been a demo unit - but even if it wasn't

> necessarily in stock, it was likely available for order. If we have some

> type of earlier proof a unit was in a store, we can revise the estimate.

> That's why I personally think August is "safe" and the best available time

> period. If someone can dig up earlier availability at a Magnavox dealer,

> all the better...

>

>

>      ===================================================

>

>     Bill Loguidice, Managing Director; Armchair Arcade, Inc.

>

>     ===================================================

>

>     Authored Books and Film; About me and other ways to get in touch

>

>     ===================================================

>

>           On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 11:36 AM, Frank Cifaldi <fcifaldi at gmail.com> <fcifaldi at gmail.com>

>

>  wrote:

>

>

>      Why is August the safest estimate? And do we want a "safe estimate" or

>

>  do we want an exact range?

>

>

>        On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 8:30 AM, Bill Loguidice <bill at armchairarcade.com> <bill at armchairarcade.com>

>

>  wrote:

>

>

>      I think right now August is still our safest estimate, though you're

>

>  right, it could certainly have been released sooner. Even the ad - which at

> least proves the system was at dealers by August - doesn't necessarily mean

> it was for SALE in August (it's a relatively modest "come see" - you would

> think they would advertise something so "cool" with the TVs and indicate

> its actual availability).

>

>

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>

> --

> Henry Lowood

> Curator for History of Science & Technology Collections;

>   Film & Media Collections

> HSSG, Green Library, 557 Escondido Mall

> Stanford University Libraries, Stanford CA 94305-6004650-723-4602; lowood at stanford.edu; http://www.stanford.edu/~lowood

>

>

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