alternatehistory.com

The "Console Wars" of 1975
1975 would see the debut of Atari in the home arcade* market with Pong, a system that was capable of playing the arcade game of the same name. While the product was completed in 1974, it wouldn't be until 1975 when Sears was willing to sell it through their catalogs. Part of its minor success was due to how it was an all-in-one experience as opposed to RCA's Studio and Enhancer. By the end of its lifetime, sales for the Pong unit slightly exceeded 300,000 units.

On the other side, RCA would release an all-in-one system of their own in the form of a re-release of the RCA Studio with the Enhancer built-in, bringing their sales figures up to 650,000 units by the end of 1977.

Notably, 1975 was the last year when RCA and Atari were the only firms in the home arcade market.

*Thanks to RCA's marketing at the time, early video game consoles were referred to as home arcades.

Top