[game_preservation] Release date of the Odyssey?

[Henry Lowood]

Frank,
Also checked NY Times. The Magnavox announcement, "Magnavox Unveils TV 
Game Simulator" is dated 11 may 1972.
"Simulator?"  That's interesting.
The earliest display ad is in November - Christmas ad, I guess.
Interestingly, I also noticed a hit for the want ads in 1974 -- no way I 
was searching through the NY Times want ads, but that was probably a 
used one up for sale.
Henry

On 8/9/2012 10:51 AM, Frank Cifaldi wrote:

> Correction: I've got one from August 28 now, can you go earlier than that?

>

> On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 10:47 AM, Frank Cifaldi <fcifaldi at gmail.com> wrote:

>

>> 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

>>>

>>>


-- 
Henry Lowood
Curator for History of Science & Technology Collections;
   Film & Media Collections
HSSG, Green Library, 557 Escondido Mall
Stanford University Libraries, Stanford CA 94305-6004
650-723-4602; lowood at stanford.edu; http://www.stanford.edu/~lowood