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TV Game Unit #8, 1968

National Museum of American History
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Object Details

patent holder
Baer, Ralph H.
inventor
Baer, Ralph H.
Description
What do you do after you invent the video game? Try to make it better!
While preparing their video game system prototype, the “Brown Box” to be presented to potential investors, Ralph Baer and his colleague Bill Harrison created TV Game Unit #8. They wanted to demonstrate a more advanced technology that would allow the user’s paddle to determine, in the direction and speed of the game ball, when the two would collide. This would allow for games such as baseball and more realistic hockey game play.
This TV Game Unit #8 interfaced with the "Brown Box," but proved too expensive to pursue in these early stages. Since it was not going to be shown to investors just yet, it was never covered with brown wood grain self-adhesive vinyl to match the "Brown Box." A few years later, this technology was key when Baer and his colleagues started to design and build arcade games.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Ralph H. Baer
1968
ID Number
2006.0102.07
catalog number
2006.0102.07
accession number
2006.0102
Object Name
game chassis
Physical Description
aluminum (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 3 1/4 in x 12 1/4 in x 10 1/4 in; 8.255 cm x 31.115 cm x 26.035 cm
Related Publication
Baer, Ralph H.. Videogames: In The Beginning
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Computers
Popular Entertainment
Baer
Family & Social Life
Computers & Business Machines
National Museum of American History
Record ID
nmah_1302003
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ab-f0a8-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

Related Content

  • The Father of the Video Game: The Ralph Baer Prototypes and Electronic Games

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  • The Father of the Video Game: The Ralph Baer Prototypes and Electronic Games:Video Game History

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Brown Box With Baseball Chassis
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