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First generation of video games

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The first generation of video game consoles (1972–1977) were the first consoles in the history of video games. They were dedicated consoles that had built-in games rather than cartridges, and they used discrete logic in the form of transistor–transistor logic (TTL) rather than microprocessors. The first generation includes the Magnavox Odyssey, Home Pong, Coleco Telstar, Nintendo Color TV Game, and other consoles.

Sales figures[]

Console Company Year Sales As of Market Ref Launch price
Nominal Inflation
Color TV Game Nintendo 3,031,000 1979
Color TV-Game 6 Nintendo 1977 1,000,000 1978 Japan [1][2] $36[3] $190
TV Fun Color Model 601 Tomy 1977 11,000 1978 Japan [4] $36[5] $190
Sharp Color TV Game Sharp 1977 20,000 1978 Japan [4] $36[5] $190
Color TV-Game 15 Nintendo 1977 1,000,000 1979 Japan [1][2] $56[6] $290
Color TV-Racing 112 Nintendo 1978 500,000 1979 Japan [1] $57[7] $270
Color TV-Block Kuzushi Nintendo 1979 500,000 1979 Japan [1] $62[8] $270
Epoch series Epoch 3,000,000 1981 [9]
TV Tennis Electrotennis Epoch 1975 90,000 1978 Japan $66[10] $360
Video Game VG-104 Hitachi 1977 10,000 1978 Japan [11] $92[4] $480
TV Game System 10 Epoch / NEC 1977 200,000 1978 Japan [12] $58[13] $300
Epoch TV Baseball Epoch 1978 230,000 1978 Japan [12] $88[14] $420
Odyssey series Magnavox 1,773,918 1981 [15]
Magnavox Odyssey Magnavox 1972 500,000 1975 Worldwide [16] $99.95[17] $750
Shooting Gallery Nintendo 1972 20,000 1975 USA [18][19] $25[20] $190
Odyssey 100 Magnavox 1975 300,000+ 1976 Worldwide [21] $99.95[22] $580
Odyssey 200 $129.95[23] $760
Odyssey 300 Magnavox 1976 900,000+ 1981 Worldwide [15] $70[24] $390
Odyssey 400 $100[24] $550
Odyssey 500 $130[24] $720
Odyssey 4305 $500[24] $2,800
Odyssey 2000 Magnavox 1977 — —
Odyssey 3000 $49.95[25] $260
Odyssey 4000 — —
Atari series Atari 1,703,000 1978
Tele-Games Pong Sears 1975 200,000 1975 USA [26] $98.95[27] $580
Home Pong (C-100) Atari 1975 600,000 1978 USA [28]
Pong Doubles (C-160) Atari 1976 400,000 1976 USA [29] — —
Super Pong $90[24] $500
C-100 Toyo Bussan 1977 3,000 1978 Japan [4] $93[4] $480
Super Pong Pro-Am Atari 1977 500,000 1977 USA [29] — —
Ultra Pong (C-402) $99.98[30] $520
Ultra Pong Doubles — —
Video Pinball (C-380) $129.98[30] $670
Stunt Cycle (C-450) — —
Coleco Telstar series Coleco 1,000,000 1979 [31]
Coleco Telstar Coleco 1976 300,000 1979 USA [32] $50[31] $280
Coleco Telstar Classic Coleco 1976 700,000 1977 USA [31] — —
Coleco Telstar Arcade Coleco 1977 $94.99[30] $490
Coleco Telstar Combat $69.95[30] $360
Coleco Telstar Ranger $52.99[30] $270
Alpha / Colormatic / Deluxe — —
Galaxy / Gemini / Regent
Coleco Telstar Sportsman Coleco 1978 — — — — —
Colortron / Marksman
Ping-O-Tronic series 1,000,000 1983 [33]
Ping•O•Tronic Zanussi 1974 — — Italy — —
Play•O•Tronic Zanussi 1977 21,514 1977 Italy [34] £28,800 ($33)[34] $170
APF TV Fun series APF 400,000 1977 [35]
APF TV Fun Model 401 APF 1976 200,000 1977 USA $90[36][24] $470
APF TV Fun Model 402 APF 1976 200,000 1977 USA $90[36] $470
Executive Games series 83,000 1977
Television Tennis Executive 1975 65,000 1976 USA [37] $60[24] $350
Face•Off Executive 1976 18,000 1977 USA [37] $90[24] $500
Fuji series Fuji Electric 33,000 1978
TV-Game Sportstron Fuji Electric 1977 25,000 1978 Japan [4] $28[4] $150
Video Family G5500 Todaka 1977 3,000 1978 Japan [4] $36[4] $190
Video Fighter G2200 Fuji Electric 1977 5,000 1978 Japan [4] $36[4] $190
Video Action series URL 8,000+ 1977
Video Action URL 1974 3,000+ — USA $499[38] $3,200
Video Action III URL 1976 — — USA $200[24] $1,100
Indy 500 / Video Action IV URL 1976 5,000 1977 USA [39] $130[24] $720
Other consoles 61,000 1978
Takatoku TUG Takatoku 1977 30,000 1978 Japan [4] $93[4] $480
Name Of The Game Allied's 1976 16,000 1978 USA [40][41] $67–100[41][24] $370–550
Lion TV Game[n 1] Lion 1977 9,000 1978 Japan [4] — —
TY-TG40 Matsushita 1977 5,000 1978 Japan [4] $92[4] $480
Tennis Game Machine[n 2] Packel[n 3] 1975 1,000 1975 Japan [4] $440[4] $2,600
Total 12,084,918

Sales history[]

Year Sales
Odyssey [42] Epoch Tennis [12] Atari Pong Coleco Telstar [43] Nintendo Color TV Game [1][12][44]
Atari Sears Toyo Game 6 Game 15 Racing Kuzushi
1972 69,000 — — — — — — — — —
1973 158,000
(+89,000)
1974 287,000
(+129,000)
1975 367,000
(+80,000)[16] 		10,000[45] 50,000[46] 150,000[47]
1976 40,000
(+30,000) 		—
1977 90,000
(+50,000) 		— 3,000[4] 500,000 300,000
1978 203,000 300,000[32] 1,000,000
(+500,000) 		1,000,000
(+700,000) 		500,000
1979 2,500,000 500,000
1980 3,000,000

Notes[]

  1. ↑ ライオン歯磨きキャンペーン用TVゲーム Lion Hamigaki Kyanpēn-yō TV Game
  2. ↑ テニス・ゲーム・マシン Tenisu Gēmu Mashin
  3. ↑ パッケル測器 Pakkeru Sokki

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Sheff, David; Eddy, Andy (1999), Game Over: How Nintendo Conquered the World, GamePress, p. 27, ISBN 978-0-9669617-0-6, Nintendo entered the home market in Japan with the dramatic unveiling of Color TV Game 6, which played six versions of light tennis. It was followed by a more powerful sequel, Color TV Game 15. A million units of each were sold. The engineering team also came up with systems that played a more complex game, called "Blockbuster," as well as a racing game. Half a million units of these were sold.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Horowitz, Ken (2020-07-30). "Video Killed the Electromechanical Star". Beyond Donkey Kong: A History of Nintendo Arcade Games. McFarland & Company. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-4766-4176-8.
  3. ↑ Voskuil, Erik (April 9, 2011). "Nintendo Color TV-Game 6 (カラー テレビゲーム 6, 1977)". Before Mario. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  4. ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 4.18 "The Ultimate Chronological Table of Japanese Home Videogame Systems". Classic Videogame Station Odyssey (CVS Odyssey) (in Japanese). 2013-07-13.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://infoconsolas.com/en/color-tv-game-block-kuzushi-nintendo-en/
  6. ↑ Voskuil, Erik (January 22, 2012). "Nintendo Color TV-Game 15 (カラー テレビゲーム 15, 1977)". Before Mario. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  7. ↑ Voskuil, Erik (May 28, 2011). "Nintendo Color TV Game Racing 112 (任天堂 カラー テレビゲーム レーシング 112, 1978)". Before Mario. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ Voskuil, Erik (May 6, 2011). "Nintendo Color TV Game Block Kuzushi (任天堂 カラー テレビゲーム ブロック崩し, 1979)". Before Mario. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Retro-Gaming: Die allererste japanische Videospielkonsole feiert 40. Jubiläum". 2019-01-22. Archived from the original on January 22, 2019. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  10. ↑ M.B. Mook (2016). Perfect Guide of Nostalgic Family Computer (in Japanese). Tokyo: Magazine Box. pp. 99–100. ISBN 9784906735891.
  11. ↑ https://thegamescholar.com/2020/06/10/the-forgotten-epic/
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 "昔(1970年代）のテレビゲームは何台売れた？ (How many old (1970s) video games sold?)". Classic Videogame Station Odyssey (CVS Odyssey) (in Japanese). 2014-01-09. Archived from the original on 2014-01-09. Retrieved 16 April 2021. {{cite web}}: More than one of |archivedate= and |archive-date= specified (help); More than one of |archiveurl= and |archive-url= specified (help)
  13. ↑ https://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/63203/Epoch-TV-Game-System-10/
  14. ↑ https://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=2&c=798
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Plaintiffs' Proposed Findings Of Fact For Their Prima Facie Case". Magnavox v. Mattel. United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. 1982-06-22. p. 70. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Smith, Alexander (November 27, 2019). They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry. Vol. 1: 1971 – 1982. CRC Press. pp. xviii–xx. ISBN 978-1-138-38990-8.
  17. ↑ Nowak, Peter (December 20, 2011). Sex, Bombs, and Burgers: How War, Pornography, and Fast Food Have Shaped Modern Technology. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 132. ISBN 9780762776108. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  18. ↑ Picard, Martin (December 2013). "The Foundation of Geemu: A Brief History of Early Japanese video games". Game Studies. 13 (2). ISSN 1604-7982.
  19. ↑ https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/92331-first-home-console-light-gun
  20. ↑ https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/06/01/odyssey-35-years-later
  21. ↑ "Agreed Statement of Facts". Magnavox v. Chicago Dynamic Industries Et al. US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. 1976-11-03. pp. 10–3. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  22. ↑ "Buffums Advertisement". No. Vol. 91 No. 280. Pomona, California: Progress Bulletin. 1975-11-06. p. 3. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  23. ↑ "Ken Crane's Advertisement". Tele-Vues. Long Beach, California: Independent Press Telegram. 1975-12-14. p. 96. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  24. ↑ 24.00 24.01 24.02 24.03 24.04 24.05 24.06 24.07 24.08 24.09 24.10 https://books.google.com/books?id=auMDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80
  25. ↑ Youngstown Vindicator. Youngstown Vindicator. 19 Dec 1977.
  26. ↑ Baer, Ralph H. (2005). Videogames: In the Beginning (PDF). Rolenta Press. pp. 10–3. ISBN 978-0-9643848-1-1. Archived from the original on 2025-10-19.
  27. ↑ Wish Book for the 1975 Christmas Season. Sears. 1975. p. 412. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
  28. ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=u-O6EAAAQBAJ&pg=PP61
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 https://mcurrent.name/atarihistory/wci_games.html
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 30.3 30.4 The Montreal Gazette. 3 December 1977.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 Herman, Leonard (1997). Phoenix: the fall & rise of videogames (2nd ed.). Union, NJ: Rolenta Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-9643848-2-5. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2012. Like Pong, Telstar could only play video tennis but it retailed at an inexpensive $50 that made it attractive to most families that were on a budget. Coleco managed to sell over a million units that year.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Toy Industry Anticipates High Sales". The Windsor Star. 12 February 1979. p. 23. Retrieved 3 August 2023. Coleco first introduced its Telstar game computer in June, 1976, before other toy companies had turned to electronics. About 300,000 Telstar units have been sold since, Clarke said.
  33. ↑ "Riapre Sèleco, e la tv torna a parlare l'italiano". Tom's Hardware (in Italian). August 1, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "Zanussi - Ping-O-Tronic Advertisement". Pongmuseum.com. August 27, 2009. Archived from the original on April 27, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  35. ↑ "The Imagination Machine - Georgia State University News -". Georgia State News Hub. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Video games. Put your backhand on TV, By Cindy Morgan, Popular Mechanics, Oct 1976, Page 80, Picture and listed in table: ...APF TV Fun / Price: $90 / Number of Players: 1-2 / .../ Color: no / ... / Remarks: Manual or auto-serve; ball angle selection...
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 https://www.pong-story.com/executivegames.htm
  38. ↑ https://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.com/2013/11/urls-video-action-first-us-consumer.html
  39. ↑ https://www.pong-story.com/url.htm
  40. ↑ http://www.pong-story.com/allieds.htm
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 http://allincolorforaquarter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/allied-leisures-name-of-game-home-video.html
  42. ↑ "How Many Units Were Sold? Playing the Numbers Game with Video Games". The History of How We Play. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2023-11-24.
  43. ↑ Herman, Leonard (1997). Phoenix: the fall & rise of videogames (2nd ed. ed.). Union, NJ: Rolenta Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-9643848-2-5. Retrieved 16 February 2012. Like Pong, Telstar could only play video tennis but it retailed at an inexpensive $50 that made it attractive to most families that were on a budget. Coleco managed to sell over a million units that year. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help)
  44. ↑ http://kotaku.com/5785568/nintendos-first-console-is-one-youve-never-played
  45. ↑ Koyama, Yusuke (2023-06-02). History of the Japanese Video Game Industry. Springer Nature. pp. 41–2. ISBN 978-981-99-1342-8.
  46. ↑ Booth, John (27 June 2012). "Timeline: A Look Back at 40 Years of Atari". Wired. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  47. ↑ Ellis, David (2004). "Dedicated Consoles". Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games. Random House. pp. 33–36. ISBN 0-375-72038-3.


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