Miscellaneous Overlays

 Hi folks!

Before talking and showing misc. overlays, just wanted to say that i'm still working on the new version of OdySim. Since last time, i finally was able to code an Xbox 360 controller (actually, two) to be played either the D-Pad or the left stick for directions and the Y & A buttons for the English. Next is coding the right stick for the English so you can choose either Y/A buttons or the right stick.

Second, i have in my database a Czech Odyssey clone which figured in a magazine in 1977, but when looking at the schematics and block diagrams you see it pretty much based on the Odyssey. I'm still in the process of translating the eight pages and since they are in a low resolution, i can't OCR them so i have to type all the text and translate with the help of Google Translate. More on this later on...

OK now on the subject: Miscellaneous overlays!

In the past 25 years or so, i have collected a lot of information regarding video game consoles/systems but especially the first and second generations, and today i wanted to talk and show some misc. overlays i have seen over the years. Let's stars with the web site: Classic Videogame Station Odyssey. This Japanese web site is one of the oldest i know that talks about all the game consoles/systems released in Japan which started in 1996 on the web (heck! the same year i started "surfing" on the web) and has the biggest list of all consoles/systems released in Japan.

But if you check out their "Brown Box" section, click on "Game" in the bottom of the page or simply click "HERE". About in the middle of the page there is two overlays that stands-out:

 The first one is "Maze" which was one of the games that was played in earlier version of the Odyssey (TV Games Units: TVG #1 to #8) and the second is "Ski" which the web site made a variation of the released game. I already made a homebrew maze-type game way before started the OdySim project so i think i'll add their maze version with mine in a near future. And i'll also include their Ski version with the new release of Ski which will be pretty soon.

Now the next one:

Now this "Ski" variation was made in 2013 which i find very cool but i don't have the full name of the person who designed it (Christine). You can check out the blog  in about the middle of the page and titled "A Videogame With/out Rules". And i'm also adding this one to the next version of Ski.

Now the magazine "Radiorama" (January 1977 edition) which is a electronic magazine that was published in Italy had this cover:

When i saw this at first, i thought they were going to talk about the GBC Odissea since this clone was released in Italy and the magazine is published in the same country, but no... it's part of a reprint from the magazine "Popular Electronics - April 1976" which has the Pongtronic and Space War TV games to build yourself.

But this is strange as the cover has the "Table Tennis" game with white background, a blue wall and two red spots plus the "Volleyball" overlay with both "boxes" in the upper section and a pink "Roulette" overlay but that was for the DIY electronic roulette game in the magazine. The best is the red "Dogfight" variation as i'll add this one with "Dogfight" in the next release.

And the last variation is one from the book called "Videogames" by Len Buckwalter which is another "Ski" variation called "Olympic Ski Trails" which you can see on page 110:

It shows even how do it yourself this overlay from page 103 to 111 and the best is that they (Len and his wife) uses a Magnavox Odyssey 200 to play with the overlay (lol!)

 Well, that's it for the miscellaneous overlays. If you know other overlay variations, please do let me know but no color variations please (example the Table Tennis above). 

So until next, take care! :)

- Sly -