Ralph Baer and the BrownBox

[Husky_Khan]

I recall hearing parts of the story before, but forgot the name. But Ralph Baer was a German born American citizen who was an engineer and inventor who might be best known for inventing one of the first home video game consoles, the 'Brown Box,' which was patented in the early 1970's. It proved so popular at said Patent Office that every examiner on that floor of the building wanted to give videogaming a try. The rebranded Magnavox Odyssey was released to the public in May of 1972 and sold over 340,000 units. He also helped create the first light gun.

The reason this popped up in my mind however was because the US Mint apparently decided to honor Ralph Baer with a special 'American Innovation Dollar.' The American Innovation Dollar is a series of dollar coins that was started in 2018 and planned on being in production through 2032 honoring American innovators and innovations from various US States and territories.

Baer sketched out his idea for the gaming console in 1966 outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City. He brought his idea to Sanders Associates—now part of BAE Systems—a defense contractor in Nashua, N.H., where he worked. An intrigued manager gave Baer US $2,500 for materials and assigned two engineers from the company to help him develop a prototype.

The Brown Box, a soundless multiplayer system, included clear plastic overlay sheets that could be taped to the player’s TV screen to add color, playing fields, and other graphics. The console ran games off printed-circuit-board cartridges.

In 1968 the company licensed the system to television maker Magnavox, which named it the Odyssey. The company offered it in the United States in 1972 and sold 130,000 units the first year.

Baer’s 1971 patent on a “television gaming and training apparatus,” the first U.S. patent for video game technology, was based on the Brown Box.

U.S. Mint Honors Game Developer Ralph Baer

His Brown Box predates the Playstation, Xbox, and Wii

spectrum.ieee.org

Gamer nerds and coin collecting nerds can now rejoice.