Philips Odyssey 2001

Summary

In 1972, Magnavox introduced the Odyssey, the first video game console. Philips bought the American company in 1974 and released the Philips Odyssey 2001 in Germany in 1977. It has three hard-wired colour games: Tennis, Hockey and Squash. Although US and European models were often identical apart from their names, the Philips Odyssey 2001 had no US counterpart. The closest is the Magnavox Odyssey 4000, which offers different games. The Odyssey 2001 uses a National Semiconductor MM-57105 chip. Its large case contains only a small circuit board. It has no built-in speakers, as sound is played through the television.