[game_preservation] Release date of the Odyssey?

[Benj Edwards]

Excellent work, Frank and everybody.  I did come across the following 
article references in my search through the Magnavox legal papers last 
night:

Article on Magnavox ODYSSEY from the Wall Street Journal for May 11, 
1972 (CDIPX 7B, MPX 78)

Article on Magnavox ODYSSEY from the Television Digest for May 15, 1972 
(CDIPX 1C, MPX 79)

Article on Magnavox ODYSSEY from Time Magazine for May 22, 1972 (CDIPX 
7D, MPX 80)

Those were submitted as evidence for the 1984 Activision v. Magnavox 
trial.  The WSJ article was already mentioned by Brian, but I thought 
I'd include it for completeness (it's interesting to know what the 
lawyers knew about).

On a related subject, with all these attachments flying around, perhaps 
we should set up an archive of scans of source material like this that 
would be free for any researcher to access.  Mainly so future historians 
(presumably those not connected to this group of people) don't have to 
go through what we just did to figure out (and confirm) the launch date 
of a particular machine.

There may be copyright issues, but I'd be willing to risk hosting select 
newspaper and magazine clippings on my server.  It could be a big date 
and fact archive with numbers like launch dates and retail prices that 
only come from hard sources.

Regards,
Benj


On 8/9/2012 12:59 PM, 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 

> <http://newspaperarchive.com>.

>

>

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

> <http://MO5.COM>, Président <samurai at mo5.com <mailto: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 <http://MO5.COM>, Président

>

>     -- 

>

>

>

>     	

>

>

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

>     <http://MO5.COM>, Président" <samurai at mo5.com

>     <mailto: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, AssociationMO5.COM <http://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

>     <mailto: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

>     <mailto: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

>     <mailto: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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-- 
Freelance Writer / Editor in Chief VC&G
http://www.benjedwards.com
http://www.vintagecomputing.com

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