Tuesday, 19 May 2020

New Ski & Submarine video

Hi folks,

Stuart Feldhamer and his wife made another new video of Ski & Submarine, you can watch it here:


It's so fun to see a couple playing the OdySim! ;)

Also, i have recently updated many files on my Archive account, especially the "Magnavox Odyssey Archive". You can check out anything i have put there and download what you want or all in one file.

Just click on the link: https://archive.org/details/odyssey-archive

I have uploaded all what is contained in the Odyssey box (manual, cards, tokens, paperworks, etc) and also "free" games, some extra games like Soccer and Percepts, the Shooting gallery manual (thanks to ManCaveArcade), patents, many clones manuals (missing only the GBC Odissea and Kanal 34), Odyssey box scan, Apex Blue Card and manuals...and the Videojuel instruction manual.

Still haven't finished scanning so check it out from time to time for updates.

I will do a review very soon of "Hunting Adventure" as i received the game a few days ago and later on (once i received it), a review of Game Pack #2 from Vibrant Media Labs.

I have received many issues (mostly small issues) concerning a lot of games and some suggestions from Stuart and JDGP030302 that it will take some time before i can go thru all of them. I was scanning like a madman during a few days and i'm trying to finish my game room setup in the meantime and also, trying to repair an tabletop arcade called "Golden Poker Double Up" as all the letters and some sprites are reversed (that's another story for my MAME/MESS blog).

So until next, take care folks! :)

- Sly -

Monday, 18 May 2020

www.magnavox-odyssey.com is no more....

Hi folks,

This is with regrets that i inform you that the web site "magnavox-odyssey.com" or  the "Online Odyssey Museum" of Ulf Svensson has gone into oblivion a few days ago.


This was a pioneer web site for the past 15 years or so anything related to the Magnavox Odyssey and clones. Even if it was out of date as it wasn't updated for at least 5 years, it was "THE" web site reference to any collectors and curious about the "Holy Grail" of all game consoles/systems.

At least, most of the web site has been preserved on archive.org and can access it with their Wayback machine web site here: https://web.archive.org/web/*/www.magnavox-odyssey.com

I wrote "most" of it's web site because all the big files are never kept on Wayback, only small files as they are keeping millions of web sites on their server from recent sites to long forgotten ones.

Hopefully that Ulf will upload his web site one day but until then, just click in the previous link if you need to browse it. :)

- Sly -


Friday, 8 May 2020

The G.B.C. Italiana Odissea

Hi again folks,

Third post today...i'm on fire!! LOL!! Do some of you knows or heard about the G.B.C. Italiana Odissea ? This one is an Magnavox Odyssey clone released in Italy in 1975 but this is the second release in Italy as the Magnavox Odyssey (export) was available in 1974 in Italy.

Even after all these years, not one Italian or worldwide collector has one or showed (in pictures or video) the G.B.C. Italiana Odissea except for a minor review in the magazine "Sperimentare" (in English: Experiment) dated October 1975 on page 863:



You can see that in the middle of the first photo is a TV displaying "Ping-Pong" (aka Table Tennis) and on the left is a Rifle Gun. On the second photo (which is closer), now we can see a "dude" playing with the Odyssey (i think that's the representative of G.B.C. Italiana) and under the TV is written: Il nuovo gioco elettronico (which translate to: The new electronic game).

But...i don't get it...if G.B.C. Italiana called it the "Odissea", so why it plainly says "Odyssey" ?! The only thing i can think of is that they rename it to "Odissea" a few days afterwards before they announced it in the next Sperimentare (Novembre 1975) in the back of the cover:


A full page advertisement in color! Now we see the name "Odissea" and not "Odyssey" and shows all twelve games we all know with a weird acception taht Ping-Pong (Table Tennis) has a blue background screen and a red spots ?!??!!

And just above the color game images, we can read: "* Un fucile elettronico, fornito a richiesta, permette di realizzare altri 4 giochi." (translated: * An electronic rifle, supplied on request, allows you to create 4 more games."). So they also offer the Rifle Gun to play for more games, as we saw the same Rifle Gun in the first picture posted above.

And then, the month after, they re-plublished the same advertisement (slightly modified) in the Sperimentare December 1975 on the back cover but in black & white:



And after that, nothing more...because by then, there was another game console which been more popular and was the first game console made in Italy...yep, you guessed it, the Zanussi/Seleco Ping-O-Tronic:



And guess what appeared in the Sperimentare January and February 1976 ?



A Do-It-Yourself "Ping-Pong Elettronico"! So looks like the "Odissea" sales has been screwed.

So that's still leaves the big question: Has the G.B.C. Italiana Odissea has been sold (at all) ??

Well, before i reveal the response, i can tell for sure that the instruction manual of the Odissea has 36 pages and it features 16 games! Yes...16 games! Here's the list of the games:

* Ping-Pong (aka Table Tennis)
* Tennis (hope i don't need to translate this one ?! lol!)
* Football Americano (aka Football)
* Hockey
* SCI (aka Ski)
* Il Sotto Marino (Submarine) (is called: Battaglia Navale in the advert)
* Il Gatto E Il Toppo (Cat and Mouse)
* La Casa Degli Spettri (Haunted House)
* Il Gioco Analogico (Analogic)
* La Roulette (Roulette...pretty obvious...lol!)
* Gli Stati Uniti (States)
* Simone Dice (Simon Says)

Ok, but there's 4 games missing, and they are:

* Il Safari Preistorico (Prehistoric Safari)
* Combattimento Aereo (Dogfight)
* Arrivano i Nostri (Shootout)
* Tiro Al Bersaglio (Shooting Gallery)

The same four games for the Rifle Gun, so no exclusive games (like Soccer). But how the %?%?& that i know the names of the games ?! Well because i'm waiting for this from Italy:









Your not seeing a mirage or day dreaming, it is the instruction manual of the "Odissea" so for now, this is the only proof that G.B.C. Italiana sold the Odissea and once i have received it, i'm gonna tear it and use it to make confettis....HELL NO!!! LOL!!!

What i'll really do is scan the whole manual and put it as a PDF file in the Magnavox Odyssey Archive (on Archive.org) so anyone can read the manual and especially, to preserve it digitally.

So until then, take care folks!

--- Sly DC ---

OdySim update May 2020

Hi again folks,

As a few weeks ago, i had 6 original Odyssey game to do for the OdySim and recently, i have released Interplanetary Voyage and W.I.N. so that's leaves these: Baseball, Wipeout, Invasion and Brain Wave, but seems that while coding the last two i made a few "rules" mistake as i wanted to
release the last 6 remaining so bad that i haven't implied all the game rules for each games properly.

So as today (May 08, 2020), all the 4 games remaining plus the last two official released are suspended for the time being as i have to recheck and read carefully each game rules so that they apply for each proper game. Just Interplanetary Voyage has some rules not implied but the game cartridge is not properly simulated (as i don't have a copy of the cart#12) so i assumed that it's playing like i have coded it (BIG mistake) and also the homebrew port of Gosub is suspended as it is the second game to use the cartridge #12.

So since i don't have a cartridge #12, i've decide to make (temporary) my own cart#12 with a cart#4 plus two jumpers really soon and to watch how the game cart behaves so i can simulate properly cartridge #12 (cannot do something without the proper tools & know-how).

I will release Donkey Kong from the Arcade Pak #1 real soon as this brew is almost done (just need to finished the game cards) and i've already done another homebrew game but this one is "on hold" until further notice from the author himself. At least it's totally approved and tested by the author! :)

Stuart Feldhamer sent me a new report of almost 2 pages(!) of issues related to Football as it's has many minor issues but some "rules" are not implied as i never thought someone would play this game fully by the rules (my fault!) and a very minor issue for Hockey which i already have corrected (but not uploaded yet). I know i'm not perfect, even very far from perfect and i'm not afraid to admit it and to admit my mistakes but we are all human...n'est-ce pas ? ;)

And also JDGP030302 sent me some issues for W.I.N., Percepts and Interplanetary Voyage but especially the "English" control. I did told him (and now all of you) that the English in the OdySim is intended to be auto-centering itself as many people doesn't know how to play or never played with a real Odyssey. But JDGP030302 told me that in Brain Wave, the ball needs to "curve" and not go strait once you let go of the English buttons in OdySim.

Humm...i wanted to add later on the "true" English option in OdySim but looks like i'll have to do it as soon as possible. So once that is done, people will be able to choose between "auto-centering" (novice) or "true" (pro) English, but that may take quite a while (hopefully not) so that's one of the reason i'm suspending the release of the four original games remaining.

Or...what i could do for starters i'll make the necessary corrections to the games that have issues, finish/release Baseball, Wipeout and Invasion and keep Brain Wave for last and do some homebrews in the meantime. Sometime you need to take one or two steps back to better move forward, and this is the case.

Until next, take care folks! :)

--- Sly DC ---

Hunting Adventure, Zombie Outbreak, Space War and Multicard!

Hi folks,

Even with the pandemic still going on worldwide (all my sympathies to all who lost a loved one/member of family/friend), the Magnavox Odyssey community (collectors/homebrewers) has been quite active during this period as many of us have more time while being confined at home.


ManCaveArcade (Odyssey Evil) who's made a comeback in the community after a few years, is now releasing not one but 5 new games and on those 5, Hunting Adventure (which at this very moment i'm writing this post has three games left to sell. If you want a copy, go HERE and reserve one before they all go bye-bye) which is a shooting game made for the Rifle Gun (the 1st homebrew for the Rifle Gun). You can read all about it on this AtariAge forum.


He (ManCaveArcade) is already working and taking orders for his third game: Zombie Outbreak. This is another shooting game for the Rifle Gun BUT it will use a totally new game cartridge for the Rifle Gun and this game is only for 1 player. Click on the previous link to read (or order) about this game. For the 3 others homebrews that ManCaveArcade will release, we have to wait and see.



Now, another homebrewer "Mikebloke" which has released freely his first homebrew game called "Space War Demake" is a port of the Space War from the Fairchild Channel F. You can print your own overlay and instruction on the previous link and also, read all about the game.


Now Mikebloke is offering a multicard for the Magnavox Odyssey which replaces all the game cartridges from #01 to #12, so if you are missing one or some game cartridges, this is the opportunity to get an "all-in-one" cartridge for about $25 USD/20 Euros. You can read/order HERE.

(not the final product BTW)

And this is a news at the last minute as i received an email while writing this post, that ManCaveArcade is offering to print boxes for "FREE" Odyssey homebrew games and the first game to be offered a box (and also an overlay & instruction) is "Space War" demake. 

 
You can read all about it HERE. Even homebrewers is collaborating with each other...i love this community! 

Thinks that wraps it up so until next, take care folks! :)

--- Sly DC ---

Saturday, 2 May 2020

Magnavox Odyssey Archive

Hi folks,

I finally uploaded the Videojuel manual after 16 months! (better late than never) and i also uploaded many Magnavox Odyssey manuals and clones, some free games, etc. Here's the list:

* HiRez Overlays.zip (Has all 11 Pack-in overlays in Hi-Rez + Soccer)


Odyssey instruction manual & clones:
------------------------------------
* ITT Odyssey (Germany-1973).pdf
* LEH Videojuel (Argentina-1975).pdf
* Magnavox Odisea (Mexico-1972).pdf
* Magnavox Odyssey (Export-1974).pdf
* Magnavox Odyssey (France-1974).pdf
* Magnavox Odyssey (US-1972).pdf
* Overkal (Spain-1973).pdf
* Panoramic Telematch J5 (Argentina-1975).pdf
* Planil Odyssey (Brasil-1975).pdf

I was so lucky to download a copy of the Videojuel before the link
went to oblivion!


Service Manual (i scanned it at 600dpi)
* Magnavox Odyssey 1TL200 BLAK & BK12 Service Manual.pdf


(Also those extra games i scanned at 600 dpi)
* Magnavox_Odyssey-Baseball.pdf
* Magnavox_Odyssey-Invasion.pdf
(more to come in the future)


And here's a back-up of three Odyssey "free" homebrews:
-------------------------------------------------------
* Peacekeeper Command-O.zip
* Red vs. Blue.zip
* Space War.zip

You can get these files individually here:
https://archive.org/download/odyssey-archive

Or in a Zip file or Torrent file:
https://archive.org/details/odyssey-archive

Have fun! :)

--- Sly DC ---