---
title: MAGNAVOX Odyssey 300
categories:
- Pongs
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1976'
cpus:
- General Instruments AY-3-8500
params:
  name: Odyssey 300
  image: /media/museum/photos/magnavox_odyssey300_1s.jpg
  logo: /media/museum/logos/magnavox_odyssey300_logo.gif
  company: /companies/magnavox
  company_name: MAGNAVOX
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: Odyssey 300
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Magnavox
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1976'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: Tennis, Smash, Hockey
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: two built-in knobs
  - label: CPU
    value: General Instruments AY-3-8500
  - label: SPEED
    value: None
  - label: CO-PROCESSOR
    value: game selection, skill level (1, 2 or 3), power/reset
  - label: RAM
    value: On screen
  - label: COLORS
    value: Black & white
  - label: SOUND
    value: Built-in speaker
  - label: SIZE / WEIGHT
    value: Unknown
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: RF TV video output
  - label: OS
    value: 6 ''C'' batteries
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: External power supply (9v)
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: 'No'
  - label: PRICE
    value: 69$ (USA, 1977)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - software
  - links
  - docs
  photos:
  - title: ODYSSEY 300
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/magnavox_odyssey300_1.jpg
  - title: FUNCTION SCHEME
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/magnavoc_odyssey300_sketch.jpg
  links:
  - title: www.atariarchives.org
    url: http://www.atariarchives.org/bcc2/showpage.php?page=278
    text: This excellent web site has a scan of an old article about some Odyssey systems
  - title: www.pong-story.com
    url: http://www.pong-story.com/odyssey_other.htm
    text: Odyssey dedicated page. Excellent website.
  docs:
  - title: ODYSSEY 300 - INSTALLATION AND GAME RULES
    url: null
    cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/magnavox_odyssey300_manual_cover.jpg
    text: |-
      **ODYSSEY 300 - INSTALLATION AND GAME RULES**\
      written by Magnavox

       compiled/archived by Olivier Boisseau\
       type of document : PDF\
       size : 1.6 MB\
       source : www.old-computers.com
  comments:
  - author: Dan Cochran (Leesport, PA)
    date: Thursday 14th July 2011
    text: Oh wow, I got one of these for Christmas around 75/76. Everyone was transfixed (for about two days). Like other dedicated-chip game systems, its major drawback was lack of other games to play. Boredom set in within a year. But what thrill when I first played it!
  related:
  - /museum/magnavox-odyssey-100
  - /museum/magnavox-odyssey-200
  - /museum/magnavox-odyssey-2000
  - /museum/magnavox-odyssey-400
  - /museum/magnavox-odyssey-500
  software:
  - /software/hockey-621
  - /software/smash-619
  - /software/tennis-620
  oc_id: 1281
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230614011037/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1281
    date: '2023-06-14'
---

After both Atari and Magnavox released their first pong systems ([Odyssey 100](/museum/magnavox-odyssey-100/), [Odyssey 200](/museum/magnavox-odyssey-200/), [Pong](/museum/sears-pong-model-25796/)) in 1975, Magnavox continued with the Odyssey 300 in 1976, which was one of the first system to use a single game chip containing the major circuitry of a PONG system. This system was Magnavox' answer to [Coleco Telstar](/museum/coleco-telstar/), the first game to use the GI AY-3-8500 chip.

From the manual:\
"Odyssey 300 literally turns your TV screen into a challenging electronic playground, and it attaches to any size or brand... black and white or color.\
Odyssey 300 features games of Hockey, Tennis and Smash, and as an extra challenge has switchable skill levels of Novice, Intermediate and Expert which automatically adjusts the player size, speed of the ball and deflection of the ball."