Philips Magnavox The Brown Box

About

This machine paved the way for the video games of today. In 1967, Ralph Baer and his colleagues at Sanders Associates, Inc. developed a prototype for the first multiplayer, multiprogram video game system.; In an oral history interview (copies available in the Archives Center at the National Museum of American History), Ralph Baer recalled, “The minute we played ping-pong, we knew we had a product. Before that we weren’t too sure.; ”Originally called TV Game Unit #7, much like the "Pump Unit" before it, it became far better known by its nickname, “The Brown Box.”; The name comes from the brown wood-grain, self-adhesive vinyl used to make the prototype look more attractive to potential investors.; The "Brown Box" could be programmed to play a variety of games by flipping the switches along the front of the unit, as can be seen in the picture.

References

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