Page 18 - Old School Gamer Magazine Issue #41 FREE Edition

EARLY CONSOLES ONLINE DIALING UP TO GET DIALED IN
What is modern technology
if not an extension of the human need for connections? Electrical connections and circuitry serve to form tools like telephones, satellites, and televisions to further satiate our need to connect in some manner. In that spirit, it was only
a matter of time until humans would invent methods whereby
our machines could connect to
one another for the purpose of information sharing.
Video gamers and the gaming industry as a whole have always been on the forefront of driving
by Brian Lesyk
existing technologies forward, oftentimes surpassing their originally-intended purpose. While online gaming has become commonplace in later console generations, we’d be remiss if we didn’t take the time to explore its earliest roots.
Intellivision Play Cable (1981 - 1984)
Mattel’s Intellivision system was a console of many industry firsts - it was the first home console
to feature a 16-bit processor, it was the first to offer a screen
burn-in prevention feature after a period of inactivity, it was the first to provide a pause feature,
it had the first controller to incorporate the use of a thumb pad style of directional interface, and it was the first to feature digitized voice audio (first with Major League Baseball in 1979, but also later achieved in greater effect via the optional Intellivoice add-on module). Another
pivotal innovation was that the Intellivision was the very first video game console to introduce an online service.
Known as the PlayCable, Intellivision’s pre-internet
venture was the brainchild of Mattel and General Instrument. Predominantly known for their manufacturing of cable TV equipment and semiconductor technology, General Instrument was also responsible for producing the Intellivision chip set. PlayCable was launched as an online service in 1981, although
at that time the definition of “online” was quite different than today. With a PlayCable adapter and an Intellivision console, a player was able to download playable games via their cable television service provider. For
a monthly subscription fee,
the user could select from up
to 20 game titles. This library
of games would change from month to month. Some cable providers actually rented out
the PlayCable adapter as part of the subscription package. The PlayCable operated by deciphering signals transmitted via the
cable service provider alongside standard television signals. Game
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OLD SCHOOL GAMER MAGAZINE • ISSUE #41