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Period: to
1970s
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Intel 4004
Federico Faggin headed the Intel team that created the world's first commercially released microprocessor, released in March 1971. This integrated circuit was the most advanced of its time, and paved the way for future inventions and advancedments in computing technology. -
Magnavox Odyssey
Based on the "Brown Box" prototype built by Ralph Baer, and released in September 1972, the Magnavox Odyssey was the first home video game console. At an asking price of $99.99 (~$600 adjusted for inflation in 2020) it sold 350,000 units, and only ever had 12 games developed for it. It laid the ground work for other companies to capitalize on the innovations. One noteworthy Odyssey innovation that appeared in later consoles was the light gun. -
Pong
Created by Allan Alcorn while working for Atari. While Pong was not the first video game, unlike it's predecessors it was easy enough to be played in bars. It would be impossible to oversell the importance of this simple table tennis simulator to proving financial viability of video games as a whole, in doing so it ushered in a wave of arcades and game companies throughout the world. -
Altair 8800
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry System (MITS) released in January 1975 the Altair 8800. Based on the Intel 8080, the term "Personal Computer" was coined to describe the Altair, now viewed as the first commercially successful home computer. The first product Microsoft (then Micro-Soft) released was an interpreter to use the programming language BASIC on the Altair. -
Space Invaders
Created by Tomohiro Nishikado, Space Invaders is one of the greatest commercial successes in the history of video games. Adjusted for inflation, Space Invaders has grossed over $13 billion since its release in June 1978 (July in North America). Popularizing shooting mechanics in video games, and revolutionizing game scoreboards by inventing the ability to save the highest scores, much of competitive arcade gaming culture originated with the release of Space Invaders.
