website/content/museum/magnavox-odyssey-500.md

title, categories, origins, years, params

title	categories	origins	years	params
MAGNAVOX Odyssey 500	Pongs	U.S.A.	1976	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos links related software oc_id source Odyssey 500 /media/museum/photos/magnavox_odyssey500_1.jpg /companies/magnavox MAGNAVOX label value NAME Odyssey 500 label value MANUFACTURER Magnavox label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1976 label value BUILT IN LANGUAGE Smash, Hockey, Tennis label value KEYBOARD 3 knobs for each player (vertical movements, horizontal movements, english effect) label value CPU Unknown label value SPEED None label value CO-PROCESSOR game selection, players graphic selection, power on/off label value RAM On screen label value COLORS Yes label value SOUND Built-in speaker label value SIZE / WEIGHT Unknown label value I/O PORTS RF TV video output label value OS 6 x C cell batteries label value POWER SUPPLY External power supply label value PERIPHERALS No label value PRICE Unknown photos software links 1248 title subtitle text image WITH BOX /media/museum/photos/magnavox_odyssey500_withbox.jpg title subtitle text image CONTROL PANEL We can see here the different switches of the control panel. There are three different playfield (smash, tennis and hockey) and three different player graphics. That's why the box says there is also a Soccer game! It's in fact the hockey game with the Smash player graphics... /media/museum/photos/magnavox_odyssey500_cp_1.jpg title url text www.atariarchives.org http://www.atariarchives.org/bcc2/showpage.php?page=278 This excellent web site has a scan of an old article about some Odyssey systems title url text www.pong-story.com http://www.pong-story.com/odyssey_other.htm Odyssey dedicated page. Excellent website. /museum/magnavox-odyssey-100 /museum/magnavox-odyssey-200 /museum/magnavox-odyssey-2000 /museum/magnavox-odyssey-300 /museum/magnavox-odyssey-400 /software/hockey-628 /software/smash-626 /software/soccer /software/tennis-625 1283 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230614010950/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1283 2023-06-14

The Odyssey 500 was released in 1976, and was very advanced for that time considering the technology used. It was in fact the only system of its kind. As a matter of fact, the white paddles representing the players were replaced by simple color graphics: two tennis players with their rackets (TENNIS game), two squash players (SMASH & SOCCER?), or two hockey players holding their sticks (HOCKEY).

On the control panel, one can find two switches: one to select the playfield (a wall on the left, a central net or two walls with goals), and the other one to select player graphics (as described above). That's why the box claims there is a fourth game, Soccer. It's in fact a combination of the "hockey" playfield and "smash" player graphics!

Promotional text from the box:
- Works on any TV... color or black & white
- Digital on-screen scoring - displays each player's score
- Action sound - for game realism
- Vertical, horizontal, speed & English controls - for exciting action
- Automatic serve - adds greater challenge to each game
- Full color playing fields & players - Only when used with a color TV
- AC adapter included - for economical, battery-free use
- New All-Pro: Smash, Hockey, Tennis & Soccer

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Contributors : www.pong-story.com New All-Pro: Smash, Hockey, Tennis, & Soccer

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