Author Topic: What was your first home TV game ?  (Read 35450 times)

level42

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What was your first home TV game ?
« on: April 28, 2012, 09:52:39 AM »
So, it must be a TV game, not a hand-held.

This is how my brother and I started out:



An Audio Sonic TVG-4. The same model was also sold under the name "Poppy" (I just found out on the internet).

Next was a 4 switch Atari 2600 with woodgrain front.



That one is still on my parents's attic and I keep saying I must dig it up the next time I go there.....but always forget  :-\

I think we only had about 6 or 7 games or so. The only one's I clearly remember are Combat (included with the system) Pac Man and one I got for my birthday (don't remember which): Demon Attack. I used to rent games a lot in those days.

level42

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2012, 09:54:14 AM »
By the way I would love to find that Audio Sonic back too on the attic at my parents but I don't remember if it is still there.....

Tup

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2012, 10:04:42 AM »
Wow, this topic brings back some sweet memories. A long long time ago (around '75 - '76) my father came home with this Pong-like game from Philips. Brilliant! Later, much later we got the same Atari 2600 like you, AndrĂ©. I actually did dig it up a few weeks ago also on my parents attick. It still worked!! Showed Space Invaders and Pacman to my son (3.5 years old) and my nephew (9 years). Son was impressed, nephew thought it was lame. It's all in the upbringing  ;D

level42

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2012, 10:32:26 AM »
Hah, that Philips game looks a bit like the transformer I had for my model trains (which is also on my parent's attic :D)

I bet my 2600 still works too. The only thing that I remember is that I "amputated" the 2nd joystick port out of it for some electronics project I did while at electronics school (MTS).
I figured then that I could get that part for free from that old-garbage TV game........ :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
The same reasoning why most of these games got thrown away.

However, I can still get the part from the US and fix it :)

In all honesty I have to say that the vast majority of games on the 2600 can't hold my attention for more than half a minute any more. This is a bit strange because lots of the Atari 8 bit home computer games I can still play every day. Somehow there was a huge gap between these two systems, not surprising  but there are exceptions of course like Demon Attack (which is almost identical on the A8) and Yar's Revenge (which strangely never appeared on the A8 format).

It's weird because I clearly remember walking through a street and seeing a 2600 on a salon-table in a house. That was when this system was brand new (for us) and still at full price. I don't remember exactly how much they were at the start here, but it was beyond a realistic price for what my parents would allow. Only after the first price cut we got one, I don't remember who actually paid for it, probably my dad and my older brother, maybe I chipped in some too....Think my bro did holiday jobs and being "paperboy" at those times so he had some money, I was still too young for that at that time...

After that I worked holiday jobs to buy my computer systems, often my parents chipping in a part too...

By the way, let this be a thread with lots of memories about those games.

One thing I clearly remember about the Audio Sonic was at a birthday of one of my parents we dug up that game, it was already "ancient" at that time (Probably it was in my A8 "era") and my niece and I were playing it like nuts and were laughing out load at a certain moment, we were trying to do loads of tricks like extremely fast moving the "bat" from down to up while STILL managing to hit the ball....it was just one of those moments you can laugh over nothing for a very long time. At one point we managed to get the ball "caught" between our bats....the randomness was so sucky that at a certain position of both bats the ball would bounce between them endlessly....

muddymusic

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2012, 11:37:30 AM »
I had one of these. Literally minutes of fun  :D

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Etienne MacGyver

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2012, 12:35:19 PM »
I remember that my father came home one day after work and brought this pong tv game home.

It was a promotional item from a dutch bank "ABN"

I remember that it ran on batteries, but you could also connect an adapter.

Later my first "console" was the Philips Videopac. folowed by the "new" Atari 2600 (which is the 2600 jr afaik)

on the 2600 I had Jungle hunt, Pole position, Pit fall 2, Pacman, Space invaders, Moon Patrol, Decathlon, and yes... E.T.
I played everything like crazy exept for E.T.  :P

After that came the C64 for me, i did not have the "breadbox" but the new "White" model.

I currently don't have any of them anymore..   :-\
« Last Edit: April 28, 2012, 12:38:05 PM by Etienne »

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #6 on: April 28, 2012, 12:41:37 PM »
Did you have the G7400 or the G7000 ?

That "ABN game" is pretty funny ! Shame you don't have it anymore.

Etienne MacGyver

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #7 on: April 28, 2012, 12:45:32 PM »
Not sure about the videopac,

But looking and judging from the pics i see online , it must be the 7400

I clearly remember the big red powerswitch  :D


polaris

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #8 on: April 28, 2012, 12:54:14 PM »
I had one of these. Literally minutes of fun  :D



I recognize that. Did you get a gun that never worked too!  :D
just keeping an eye on things

chubsta

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #9 on: April 28, 2012, 01:24:25 PM »
Like most everyone else, my dad came home one day in the early 70's with a 'pong' game, can't remember which one, but all it did was pong. Later we got one that had a light-gun, and eventually my brother bought an Atari 2600.

I still regularly play the 2600 now, as well as the all-time classic that is Demon Attack, which has to be my most played game of all time, i still play pitfall, demolition herby and often decathlon, which i feel is far better than track and field!

liquidx

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #10 on: April 28, 2012, 02:13:48 PM »

This thing, it had cartridges but it was basically all pong-like games or extremely basic ones:






More info:  http://www.the-liberator.net/site-files/retro-games/hardware/Hanimex-TVG-070C-TV-Game-Programmable/hanimex-tvg-070C-tv-game-programmable.htm


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Superully

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #11 on: April 28, 2012, 02:50:09 PM »
first home tv game was a vectrex! bought it in 1983 - and still have it to this day, including the purchase slip from back then. in the meantime, i have greatly expanded my vectrex cartridge collection though, i'll try to get some pics up if you're interested! i still think the vectrex is the best home console ever devised!!!
all i need is ... PONG - and a select few others: TOUCH ME, DRAGON'S LAIR, JOUST, ROBOTRON, MR DO, SAN FRANCISCO RUSH THE ROCK!!!

Belike

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #12 on: April 28, 2012, 03:28:44 PM »
I remember when we bought my first Atari 2600 with my Father in Vienna around 1982-83.
We were behind the iron curtain those days and allowed to cross the Austrian border once in every 3 years, so this Atari was a very big shot in Hungary among my friends.
We had the chance to buy 3 games packed together for a nice price, we took Phoenix, Kangaroo and Yars Revenge.
I still have this machine with the original box and tons of games, it is a nice memory for me from my father.
It was placed to my workshop with my other, later consoles.










Sorry for the crap pics, I have a card reader in my printer and it is broken, so I couldn't use my camera, just my phone.

polaris

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #13 on: April 28, 2012, 03:51:08 PM »
first home tv game was a vectrex! bought it in 1983 - and still have it to this day, including the purchase slip from back then. in the meantime, i have greatly expanded my vectrex cartridge collection though, i'll try to get some pics up if you're interested! i still think the vectrex is the best home console ever devised!!!

I think a separate thread on your vectrex collection would be good to see, it's an interesting console and the fact you've had it from new makes it special  :spaceace:
just keeping an eye on things

Digimon

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Re: What was your first home TV game ?
« Reply #14 on: April 28, 2012, 08:33:38 PM »
mine was the same TUB has.

and of course I still have it with all availible games;-)
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