Baer had received his bachelor’s in television engineering and was familiar with television test equipment that could meet his needs while keeping cost down. In 1966, while working for Sanders Associates, Inc., engineer Ralph Baer began to look into new ways to use television, focusing specifically on interactive games. Heathkit IG-62 Alignment Generator Used with TV Game Unit #1, 1967 Description This ordinary piece of test equipment played an important role in video game history. ID Number 2006.0102.01 accession number 2006.0102 catalog number 2006.0102.01 Data Source National Museum of American History Location Currently not on view Date made 1966 inventor Baer, Ralph H. It still bears many of the court exhibit labels left over from these trials, as may be seen from the photograph.

Like all the Ralph Baer prototypes, TV Game Unit #1 was used as evidence in many patent infringement cases. Though transistors were available, Baer, who had received his bachelor’s in television engineering, choose to use the familiar and proven technology of vacuum tubes for this early test unit. TV Game Unit #1 was designed by Baer and built with the assistance of Bob Tremblay, a technician who worked with Baer at Saunders. Now that he was able to interact with the television, Baer could design increasingly sophisticated interfaces and programs. Called TVG#1 or TV Game Unit #1, this device, when used with an alignment generator, produced a dot on the television screen that could be manually controlled by the user. In 1967, he created the first of several video game test units. In 1966, while working for Sanders Associates Inc., engineer Ralph Baer began to look into new ways to use television, focusing specifically on interactive games.

TV Game Unit #1, 1967 Description From this assemblage of metal, wires and glass tubes, the future of video games would be built.

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