Color TV-Game

Background By the late 1970s, Nintendo began moving away from toys and playing cards and into the rapidly-growing video game market. This decision was based on the smash success of the arcade video game Space Invaders (1978) by Taito and the 1973 oil crisis making toys expensive to produce. Nintendo's first foray into video gaming was the arcade game Computer Othello in 1978. This was followed by games such as Sheriff, Space Fever, and ''''. Most of these were unsuccessful but made Nintendo view video games as its next major market. The home console market also rose in popularity, particularly in North America with the release of Atari's Pong system in 1972. Nintendo had no prior experience in manufacturing electronics, and had previously contracted Mitsubishi for production of EVR Race, so this continued. For this, Magnavox sued Atari and other Pong console manufacturers for copyright infringement. Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi specified that the consoles be produced quickly and with cheaper parts to reduce production costs. He wanted a competitive edge by making the systems cheap for the consumer to purchase. The TV-Game 6 and 15 required little production time due to their simplicity. Mitsubishi made minor changes and corrections to the systems before they were released. Color TV-Game 6 (1977) The Color TV-Game 6 was launched on June 1, 1977. It retailed at a price of , significantly lower than competing systems. Nintendo used this as a marketing tool. Color TV-Game 15 (1977) One week later on June 8, Nintendo released the Color TV-Game 15. It retailed for , roughly 50% more than the TV-Game 6. Essentially, the TV-Game 15 is an enhanced version of the TV-Game 6. Both consoles house the same fifteen games; however, only six are accessible on the TV-Game 6 without modification. Color TV-Game Racing 112 (1978) The third unit, the Color TV Game Racing 112, was published on June 8, 1978. It is significantly larger than the previous two units, with a larger shipping box to accompany it. Racing 112 was set to be released at , but was lowered to to ensure competitiveness. Color TV-Game Block Kuzushi (1979) Color TV Game Block Kuzushi was released on April 23, 1979, at ¥13,500. The system was produced by Nintendo, allowing its name to be prominently displayed. Rival company Epoch released the TV Block console in Japan, which was successful and gave way to steady competition by other companies, including Nintendo. Nintendo held competitions in department stores to promote the Block Kuzushi, where winners received a congratulatory note and a medal. Computer TV-Game (1980) The final console, the Computer TV-Game, was released on December 12, 1980. Because dedicated consoles were decreasing in popularity, the Computer TV-Game was only produced in limited quantities, making it extremely rare. Miyamoto again designed the system's white-colored casing and the packaging. This makes it an arcade-perfect rendition, an uncommon sight during the early 1980s. and solidified the company's presence in the video game hardware market. ==Legacy==

The Color TV-Game series was very successful for Nintendo, and was a commercial hit. Nintendo sold one million units each of Color TV-Game 6 and Color TV-Game 15. One half million units each of Racing 112 and Block Kuzushi were sold. Their success prompted Nintendo to continue pursuing the video game console market, leading to the creation of the Family Computer and the Nintendo Entertainment System. Erik Voskuil, writing for his blog Before Mario, believes that part of the reason for the success of the Color TV-Game series was its low price point, far below the competition. Luke Plunkett of Kotaku acknowledged the consoles for their importance as Nintendo's first foray into the market, and for it being influential for its next system. Plunkett also said the series was successful for their low price, as it established Nintendo's "consoles must be sold at a profit" attitude that continued onward. PC Magazines Benj Edwards noted that the Color TV-Game 6 and Color TV-Game 15 units in particular gave Nintendo faith in the market due to their commercial success. He noted that the Block Kuzushi marked the debut of Shigeru Miyamoto, an important figure within the company. Nintendo has referenced the Color TV-Game systems and their built-in games in other franchises. Alleyway, a launch game for the Game Boy, is believed to be based on the Color TV-Game Block Kuzushi. Jeremy Parish said that Alleyway is a throwback to Block Kuzushi, due to it having been cemented in Nintendo's corporate roots. It is part of 9-Volt's stage, which comprises microgames featuring older Nintendo video games. A Color TV-Game 6 microgame appears in 9-Volt and 18-Volt's stage in WarioWare: Smooth Moves. When summoned, it spawns a pair of paddles that launch a ball across the stage, which will inflict damage on fighters that touch it. In late 2020, a Nintendo 3DS game developed by Butterfly called The Queen TV-Game 2 was influenced by the console series name along with gameplay broadly based on Color TV-Game 6. ==Notes==