

Ralph H. Baer, Inventor of First System for Home Video Games, Is Dead at 92 - jrlocke
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/08/business/ralph-h-baer-dies-inventor-of-odyssey-first-system-for-home-video-games.html

======
nkozyra
I spent a good portion of my elementary school years pining for a Nintendo
Entertainment System. My parents really couldn't afford one (or didn't want me
to have one). My dad always had random computers around, so I did my best with
things like the TI-99 or whatever archaic thing I could find.

One day I was randomly going through our shed - which was filled to the brim
with total junk - and found a box that was the Magnavox Odyssey (can't recall
the model). Like most people, I had no idea what this was, but still wondered
why my dad didn't mention anything about this when I whined about not having a
Nintendo.

So I bring it inside. It kind of looks like an Atari, pretty archaic by my
young and inexperienced eyes. It has a few games. Wikipedia suggests they were
multiple cartridges, but I don't remember that.

Upon firing it up (I remember it needed batteries), I was astonished at how
... capable it was. It wasn't an NES, but given I had never heard of it and it
seemed better than the 2600 in several ways, this was a total surprise.

Within a year I had my NES, in a classic Christmas Story-esque "what's that
over there" move my dad liked to pull. But I can't imagine too many other
systems of the time tiding me over beyond the mysterious and shockingly
_decent_ Odyssey.

~~~
freshyill
After reading this page, I can kind of see why your old man wouldn't bother
telling you about it.

[http://elblancosretroworld.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-
magnavox...](http://elblancosretroworld.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-magnavox-
odyssey.html?m=1)

I've got a similar Christmas Story-esque story about getting ghe SNES… my dad
said "there's no more Nintendos coming into this house!" Turns out that meant
they had already bought it. And yes, I've already put the same exact thing
into motion with my kid and the Xbox One.

~~~
fit2rule
But .. why would you give your kid a machine they can't do anything with but
consume content? Wouldn't something like a Kano be a better gift for a kid
these days? The XBox generation have very little clue about computers, alas ..

~~~
shiven
The Kano might be more like getting a set of Lego bricks, back in the day,
instead of the (S)NES. Your parent's peers might have said the exact same
thing about 'consuming content' reagrding the Nintendo!

------
JohnTHaller
His creation of the original tech behind hooking up video games to televisions
enabled me to learn programming at age 10 (courtesy of a Commodore 64 hooked
up to an old 13" black and white) and began my interest in gaming (courtesy of
an Odyssey 300).

------
DigitalSea
RIP Mr. Baer. We have arguably lost someone who did more for modern console
gaming than most people realise. A really smart and talented guy who produced
entertainment devices ahead of their time. Us modern gamers have a lot to be
thankful thanks to this legend.

------
bane
For those who don't know what he invented:
[http://elblancosretroworld.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-
magnavox...](http://elblancosretroworld.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-magnavox-
odyssey.html)

~~~
thret
Bane, the video from that article is awesome:
[http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/video/titles/12590/...](http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/video/titles/12590/stories-
from-the-vaults-pong)

------
wslh
His personal page: [http://www.ralphbaer.com/](http://www.ralphbaer.com/)

------
drawkbox
>He received a 2008 Game Developers Choice Pioneer Award. "Thank you very
much," he said at the time. "I appreciate the honor, and I'm still cranking
out stuff. Goodbye."

The fact that Ralph Baer was mid 80s at the time and still 'cranking out
stuff' is the best.

[http://gamasutra.com/view/news/231730/Obituary_Ralph_Baer_fa...](http://gamasutra.com/view/news/231730/Obituary_Ralph_Baer_father_of_video_games_passes_away.php)

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oliyoung
Larry “Major Nelson” Hyrb was posting about his passing on Twitter this
morning, including this fantastic photo of Mr Baer still in the workshop at
92.

[https://twitter.com/majornelson/status/541707579605282816](https://twitter.com/majornelson/status/541707579605282816)

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FunCaptcha_Jim
Sad day, his contributions have been huge.

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dang
Url changed from [http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/7/7349715/ralph-baer-
father-...](http://www.theverge.com/2014/12/7/7349715/ralph-baer-father-of-
video-games-dies-at-92), which points to this.

Edit: and again from
[http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/231730/Ralph_Baer_father_...](http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/231730/Ralph_Baer_father_of_video_games_passes_away.php),
because the NYT has more information.

