Odyssey:Odyssey Series Wiki Magnavox Odyssey 4305

Magnavox combined video games from the Odyssey with the T991 television chassis to provide the first color TV with built-in Odyssey. The advantages of incorporating the game circuitry as part of the TV were many. By driving the video output stages directly, the players and the ball can be different colors without complex chroma circuitry. Alignment is not required since there is no RF oscillator. The tuner, IF amplifiers, and video amplifiers are not used. The TV volume control can change the loudness of the sound.

Model BG4305 comes with two removable control handles on extension cables. Both handles have a rotary control that moves the vertical position of its respective player. The left-hand control has a pushbutton used to reset the score at the end of the game. The button on the right-hand control selects the desired game.

Three different game formats are available with two skill levels for each game. When the TV is turned on, and the game/TV switch is set to game, the screen will display one of the three formats. The pushbutton on the right-hand control selects the game to be played and the skill level. When a game is first selected, the ball speed is slow and the players are small. When the button on the right-hand control is pressed again, the game stays the same, but the ball speed doubles as does the size of the players. If the game on the screen is tennis, (see above photo) the four succeeding button actuations select "Hockey" and "Smash". That is, there are two actuations per game. Each game is displayed first as slow ball, small players; then fast ball, large players. The sixth press of the button returns the sequence to tennis, slow ball, small players.