Photo: EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images
8 years have passed since the death of Raph Baerwho was the creator of the first video game console.
Baer died when he was 92 years old in New Hampshire, USA.
To talk a little about his life, it must be said that Baer was a German engineer who created the “Brown Box”, considered the first video game console to early 70’s.
Baer fled with his family from Nazi Germany in 1938, he was from Jewish origin.
He ended up arriving in the United States, where he obtained the title of radio technician at the National Radio Institute.
Before the 60’s He was part of Sanders Associates and with it his start in military electronics.
This company had the objective of designing anti-submarine systems and electronic anti-radars.
Baer was already planning a great invention, that console that It would break paradigms.
A dream come true
But it was not until August 1972 when he made that dream come true, although it would not go on the market until two years later.
With the name of Odyssey, the specialized company Magnavox made the dream come true Baer’s reality.
This game console allowed duck hunting on the television thanks to the light points. He was nicknamed “Thomas Edison” by the magazine “Popular Electronics”.
The first video game, as it is known, appeared in its second attempt, called Chase Game. there the player I had to hunt someone else.
Baer became much more famous with the mythical game of Table tenniswith him, the German engineer achieved his stardom.
But the Odyssey was not the only invention that Baer brought to this industry. of video games.
Baer also developed light gun peripherals for the mentioned console.
He worked for the little ones in the toy store space, he designed the famous Simon, which was later manufactured by the Milton Bradley company.
More than 50 patents were registered by Baer in the United States, but there are talks of more than 100 in all the world.
It was in 2006 when he decided to donate all his prototypes and documentation of the inventions to the “Smithsonian” institution, based in Washington, USA.
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