1978 · Magnavox · US · console
Magnavox Odyssey² / Philips Videopac
The main early competitor to the Atari 2600 in North America and Europe (where it was huge as the Philips Videopac G7000).
Also sold as Philips Videopac
A curiosity Easy to run ▶ Watch on YouTube ↗
The main early competitor to the Atari 2600 in North America and Europe (where it was huge as the Philips Videopac G7000). Famous for its flat membrane keyboard and distinctive, colorful sprite design.
Magnavox included a built-in keyboard to market the machine as an educational/computer hybrid. Ed Averett famously programmed 24 of the system’s best games single-handedly.
Under the hood
- CPU
- Intel 8048 microcontroller @ 1.79 MHz
- Sound chip
- Intel 8244 custom sound registers (noise and tones)
- Graphics
- 160 × 200, 16 fixed color palette with 64 built-in hardware character glyphs
- Media
- ROM Cartridges / Built-in 49-key membrane keyboard
What it cost
about a quarter of a month’s pay in 1978 · about $861 today
| US launch list price ($179 with built-in alphanumeric keyboard) |
$179 (1978)
Released in Europe as the Philips Videopac G7000. |
|---|---|
| Typical street price | — No verified mass-market street price recorded yet. |
| Units sold | ≈2,000,000 estimate Approximately 2 million units worldwide. |
Why it mattered
Magnavox included a built-in keyboard to market the machine as an educational/computer hybrid. Ed Averett famously programmed 24 of the system’s best games single-handedly.
Emulating it today
| Emulators | O2EM (libretro), MAME |
|---|---|
| Setup effort | Easy to run (2.5 on this site's scale) |
| Controls | A standard modern controller covers the ordinary controls, though unusual accessories may need custom mapping. |
| Runs on a handheld | Yes |
Requires the `o2rom.bin` (or `g7400.bin` for European Videopac+) BIOS in the system folder. Handled smoothly by RetroArch O2EM core. The emulator names above are starting points, not a promise that every title or accessory behaves identically. Computer platforms usually add model selection, disk handling and keyboard setup even when CPU emulation itself is mature.
system firmware or BIOS
Requires `o2rom.bin` (1024 bytes, CRC32 `8016a315`) in your `bios/` directory for RetroArch O2EM.
How many files you need: 1. Start with the firmware for the exact model and region you are emulating; some families need additional revisions for later models.
Where it stands legally: Firmware normally remains copyrighted. The clean route is to extract it from hardware you own unless the rights holder offers a download or licensed package.
Firmware details checked 2026-08. Emulator requirements change — see Libretro documentation for the current list.
Where the software is
Preservation catalogues describe verified dumps; they do not grant permission to download commercial software. A curated, correctly matched set is easier to use than an undifferentiated archive.
Copyright: Commercial software remains copyrighted unless its owner explicitly released or relicensed it. Homebrew, public-domain programs and current reissues should be treated separately from abandoned commercial titles.
This site names preservation projects and explains what they are. It does not link to ROM downloads.
Where to start
- K.C. Munchkin! Maze Action
So good and distinct from Pac-Man that Atari sued Magnavox over copyright.
- Pick Axe Pete! Platformer
Fast-paced gold mining platformer with bouncing boulders.
- Killer Bees! Arcade Shooter
Control swarms of stinging bees against robotic Beebots.
- Attack of the Timelord! Fixed Shooter
Supported the rare "The Voice" speech synthesizer add-on.
- UFO! Space Shooter
Defend against incoming laser hunter-ships in an energy shield.
The verdict
Quirky early console with a membrane alphanumeric keyboard and charming custom character graphics. Has a few genuinely fun arcade-style games like K.C. Munchkin! and Pick Axe Pete!
The strongest software can be rewarding, but original controls and setup assumptions may matter more than screenshots suggest.
- Worth it if
- Players curious about the first cartridge consoles and willing to learn how the original machine worked.
- Not for
- Anyone who wants a large, instantly accessible library and no model, firmware or control decisions.
Scored 2/5 for fun today and 3/5 for historical importance. Those two scores decide the label at the top — a machine can matter enormously and still be no fun.
Read more & watch
- Emulation General Wiki
- ▶ YouTube: Watch Magnavox Odyssey² / Philips Videopac retrospectives, demos & reviews ↗
This page is 50% complete against the facts we try to record for every system. Gaps are shown as gaps.