Nintendo's First Game Console: the Color TV-Game 6

With 2017 being the 40th anniversary of its release, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at Nintendo's first-ever home game console: the Color TV-Game 6. While most Americans' know the Nintendo Entertainment System and consequently probably know the Famicom that was its Japanese progenitor, not as many are aware that Nintendo had been making other home gaming systems since 1977. The Color TV-Game was a series of consoles that initially copied popular American games like Pong and Breakout, with the Color TV-Game 6 being the first in this series. Developed with Mitsubishi, it would be Nintendo's first entry into electronic home gaming, setting them on a path they've been on continuously ever since.
By the way, yes I did have a cold while filming this :)
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[@orangy57]

hype for tv-color game 6 classic

[@ilonabudziszewska1346]

we need that

[@pepepepinazo9694]

@@ilonabudziszewska1346 NOOOOOW!

[@pepepepinazo9694]

@@ilonabudziszewska1346 I need it NOOOOOW!

[@avocadosfrommexico5482]

@@pepepepinazo9694 only in japan

[@happycoolhayden8767]

Yes.

[@minatimola2663]

We start at 0:00 Quick aside 0:44 tips and tricks 0:51 batterys 1:57 plugging in 2:22 second game 4:50 Last game 5:15 end of playing 5:47 seeing inside 6:22 end 7:35 really ended 7:55

[@infinitecanadian]

The use of batteries does make it that much easier to use this overseas since it doesn't require a specific electrical socket.

[@ModernClassic]

I believe in most of the places where you'd need a different plug, though, you'd also need to convert the video anyway. So it's probably not worth it regardless.

[@infinitecanadian]

That's true, but at least it is one less thing you need to get.

[@ShesSometimesDoubleChocolate.]

Well, plug; not socket. And the consumer wouldn't have to get it; the mfr. should include it for the customer.

[@aarongreenfield9038]

infinitecanadian. Good luck getting that thing through TSA screening!

[@infinitecanadian]

Aaron Greenfield Aaron Greenfield Well, Modern Classic got it through.

[@dani_247]

There's a chance that the display will improve with some cleaning or by replacing old capacitors . With that, better not to mess with such a rare item value

[@fkthewhat]

I wonder if you've just exponentially increased the value of these consoles to those who never knew they were from Nintendo?

[@ModernClassic]

Kinda doubt I'm popular enough for that :) maybe if Techmoan or 8 Bit Guy did this video, but not me yet.

[@happycoolhayden8767]

@@ModernClassic Imagine a Color TV-Game 6 Classic.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

2:00 I love all those patent numbers!

[@theshadowman1398]

Great to see this Nintendo unit in action

[@Claro1993]

5:57 Actually there is a Nintendo branding in the console itself, it’s at the bottom of the console at 1:56 at the big sticker beside the battery compartment though it’s in Japanese.

[@InconsistentManner]

well you can get some AA batteries and use battery adapters. C Cell batteries are getting up there in price like D-Cell. and you can get battery adapters cheap on amazon.

[@LAG09]

The internals look like a pong-on-a-chip (the bigger chip, actually pretty common back then) plus some memory or control logic (the smaller chip). I suspect the story behind it may just have been Mitsubishi developing the pong-on-a-chip and then convincing Nintendo, primarily a toy company back then, to release a product using it.

[@Mistraker]

My parents had some pong clone system that looked a hell of a lot like this, though it was surely something else, as the Nintendo Color-TV Game systems were only released in Japan. But it was essentially identical, with a yellow box with two dials and a few buttons. I think it might also have been battery powered, though I could be mistaken. It might also have had screen overlays.

[@shyrym]

My mom grew up with that tv with pong built in it

[@matturban9103]

Radio Shack had a game too. I think it had a gun.

[@johneygd]

Theres 1 (2) identical thing between the nintendo switch and the color tv game,they both use a power storage medium in the form of see batteries or an accu,and while the switch is stated to be a home console to optionally run in portible mode,BUT i hardly could call it a home game console because of it’s high portibility but we can agree that it just like the color tv 6 game does have tv out,we can agree that the switch is nintendo’s first own portible system with tv out,but that’s it. Becides if i was nintendo just put those nintendo color tv 6 game and color tv 15 on the switch online service because those games would be really ideal for multi player online with somebody else around the globe,why nintendo didn’t think of it is beyond me.

[@antonnym214]

great video. I gave you a thumbs-up. Just a minor correction on the color beige. Although it is often thought of as interchangeable for tan, beige has a bit of pink in it. That color there has no pink and is more yellow than anything. According to the Pantone color chart, it is very close to a Pantone 459UP, which would typically be referred to in the "goldenrod" family. Don't let this bit of extra information bother you. You do good work. All good wishes, bro. P.S. I subscribed.

[@ModernClassic]

Thanks for subscribing! Yeah, the color is a little on the yellow side; it's possible that it was a little more "beige" 40 years ago. For me it reminded me of the color of my family's old Dodge Duster, which was called "Sandpebble Beige". But that color is a bit less yellow than this.

[@puckbradley3760]

I own a CTG-15S. Is it possible to connect it to my HD TV?

[@ModernClassic]

If your TV does not have a coaxial input (some do for older cable boxes), you have to go through a VCR (or a separate RF demodulator) and then you can connect to standard composite inputs.

[@puckbradley3760]

Modern Classic awesome, but I don't get analog channels... is there a workaround?

[@iCarlyfan4534]

Ive been subbed for nearly a year HOW do you not have at least 500k subs wtf

[@ModernClassic]

I, uh... am not sure myself. If I knew how some of those other guys doing similar stuff got to that level, I'd do it! Maybe they do paid advertising?

[@bruceblumhagen2878]

Hi...im a recent subscriber....great work! Looking forward to future videos!

[@GeorgiaRidgerunner]

i had a similiar device in the mid 80's ...made by tyco or coleco... it ran of batteries too but had the option for an external ac adapter... quite frankly i played it by myself on a 13 inch black & white goldstar television ( dont judge we were poor as dirt in ga in the mid 80's ) because it was annoying as hell for 2 players to use... dont know whatever became of it ...quite honestly i hadnt even thought about the thing untill i watched this video... thanks for bringing back some fond and not so fond memories

[@retrogamesinformer285]

I wonder how you got this thing to work on that computer monitor knowing there's no RF input on the back, I see a messy setup of cables and converters but I can't properly tell what they are or what they do (?) I managed to win an auction of a Color TV Game Racing 112 deadstock from Japan, I would love to make a video about it showcasing the game and its backstory (it's very rare and barely anyone has ever talked about this piece of Nintendo history the way it should be done), recording the footage directly from the CRT (I don't own a retro computer monitor so I'll have to stick to a regular CRT or an LCD monitor which natively supports NTSC-J low 167Mhz frequencies since I live in Europe and PAL would be incompatible) so if possible, let me know how can I record footage directly from the TV. I was thinking of recording through a VCR, then use a capture card that can record from the VCR and plug the capture card with USB onto my PC and then use the video footage in the editing software of my choice, just a sample, I don't know if it would work unless you know any other way to do so, which you probably do judging by the footage shown in this video... Thanks in advance :)

[@ModernClassic]

Yes, the setup you're considering is basically what I'm doing. RF into VCR into capture device. The one difference is that you have to split the analog cables to also go into a monitor/TV, before it gets to the capture device, because you cannot actually play games as they're displayed from the capture device. There's way too much lag. I could probably clean up my cables a bit but that's why it looks like there's such a mess of them - there really are just a lot of cables, and I have to keep most of them exposed because I need to change plugs around and physically move various cables very often.

[@retrogamesinformer285]

Ohhh I see now, thanks for clearing my doubt. By the way, do you recommend an RF splitter in particular? Also, can I just plug the RCA cable straight into the RF splitter and use standard RF cables for it? I totally understand the convenience of doing that, I didn't want to sound rude, my intent was to understand what was going on behind the scenes ;)

[@ModernClassic]

It's not the RF you split, it's the composite video coming out of the VCR. The RF stays plugged in to the VCR, and then the VCR signal gets split. So you can either use an RCA splitter box (easy to find on Ebay) or you can use some really basic female to female Y adapters, which is what I have. The reason I went with the Y adapters is that I'm connecting and disconnecting from them constantly to use different consoles, some of which go through the VCR and some don't, and it's just simpler/easier (and doesn't require power). But those Y adapters are hard to find even online; I got lucky and had a store near me that happened to have some leftovers. So you may need to just stick with a composite video splitter box. Make sure what you get is a *splitter* (or sometimes called a "distribution" box) and not a switchbox. You need all the outputs active at the same time. Splitters and switchboxes can look very similar and have similar descriptions.

[@TrustaMann]

How did you hook it up to a non-Japanese Television set

[@sa3270]

Japanese use the same TV standard as America, only the channel numbers are different I think.

[@Everything-Wii]

​@@sa3270no, the rf signals are a bit different. Sometimes. They are for the famicom and nes anyway.

[@Lagib28]

I had a pong clone console by a company named Hanimex that had all the same features as this one, except that the controllers were removable, on short coiled cables, and they were sliders, not knobs. It also ran on batteries, but it had a jack for a power supply, which was not included. I believe that Hanimex was a Japanese camera company.

[@ModernClassic]

The original Atari models ran on batteries too - I think this was common at the time - but also had a power jack for a power supply you could buy separately. Not even having a jack is probably uncommon, although I'm not that deep into Pong clones (some people are) so I'm not sure. How well did it play with sliders?

[@Lagib28]

Modern Classic As I remember, it was a bit wonky, but not unplayable.

[@kdegraa]

Are you from Australia? I believe Hanimex was an Australian company importing various consumer items from overseas for sale in Australia.

[@Lagib28]

No, not Australian. I'm from Chicago. The clone console was a store purchase here. A college friend had a Hanimex/Practika 35 mm camera too. I just assumed it was a Japanese company.

[@HsienKoMeiLingFormerYANG]

Hanimex did work with Tōkyō Kōgaku, Sedic and Royal Camera Company.

[@Victoria3232-j7o]

People often mistaken The famicom nes as Nintendo's 1st game console the 1st and 2nd generation of consoles is what i like to call the wild west era of console's anyone can get in anyone can rip off there competitors system's.

[@ShesSometimesDoubleChocolate.]

Console's _what_? System's _what_? Which possession of the console and of the system did you mean? And where did you get the idea that the Famicom would've come before this? It obviously did not.

[@branaa09]

He's talking out of his ass, the TV Game 6 came out in 1979 I believe, the Famicom or Family Computer came out in 1984 a year after Mario Bros. in the arcade. Hence, why we have Super Mario Bros. come out in 1984 in Japan and 1985 in America. Besides the TV Game 6, Nintendo also created a TV Games 16 and a Racing 112 game.

[@Atlink]

If you look at those two square potentiometers/rheostats, it looks like those are used for Ch.1 and Ch.2 (the same as the TV output channel). I'm willing to bet money that with some slight adjustments, you could probably alleviate the ghosting that occurs. Just a guess.

[@ModernClassic]

Channel 1 and 2 in NTSC-J correspond to 95 and 96 in NTSC-U, which is what I'm using. There's not really anything that can be adjusted. Most likely the exact frequency this thing is putting out is right at the edge of the Japanese spec, which would put it further from the exact frequency that 95/96 are on here.

[@ShesSometimesDoubleChocolate.]

That's an interesting border size, because if this is from the mid-'70s like you said, then it's interesting that the color 8-bit Commodore computers look like this in 40-column mode, even including the faint little vertical lines every so often across the screen (except that they don't have the ghosting).

[@ModernClassic]

The vertical lines are only present on certain sub-models of the C64/128... I am not a C64 expert and I don't remember which ones, but I have read complaints about this in the past. I don't believe the C64 I have has that problem. I think it's probably the later models that suffer from it (not necessarily just the C64C and 128, though; I think I remember some later breadbin models having it too). The borders are probably just to compensate for overscan. Even the 16 bit computers that came in the late 80's had really thick borders, although if the C128 doesn't in 80 column mode (I don't have one), then it's probably because they assume people aren't using a TV for that mode. I'm not sure why other computers didn't make that same adjustment; even my Apple IIGS has thick borders when using its own matching RGB monitor.

[@Smartphonekanalen]

It's a giant step from this to Zelda :) It's probably possible to get rid of the ghosting.

[@intel386DX]

digital knobs?! , that is bullshit ! what are thay thinking :D , anyway et leest it is in color :P

[@fat_sonic]

Once I saw that a tv console that requires batteries, I instantly liked this video

[@minatimola2663]

Start 0:00

[@florianfeith]

What Type of Monitor is that?

[@ModernClassic]

It's a Magnavox RGB Monitor 40. There's also an RGB Monitor 80 that has a tighter dot pitch, but those are harder to find.

[@ShesSometimesDoubleChocolate.]

It's one that doesn't tolerate random capital letters. ;-D And the type: Oh, standard-definition CRT (cathode-ray tube). Oh, did you want to know the *brand* and *model* instead?

[@florianfeith]

Nice one (-; Yeah maybe I should improve on my English. On the other hand I think it's ok as long as it's better than your German is. BAM! (-; No offense. Actually I was physically smiling while reading your comment.

[@Ariscott56]

Maxx Fordham shut up

[@ShesSometimesDoubleChocolate.]

Florian, whom were you trying to reply directly to?

[@kchalu]

Please do more on the Apple //c. I’m looking to buy one and would love to learn more about it.

[@theproanimator8447]

they should have made The Color TV Video Game System as a Second Generation console, because the Second Generation of consoles was when you could really call them video game consoles,

[@yebii_]

love this video but the high pitched noise at 2:23 is horrible lol

[@paiger6058]

I want one for my nintendo collection

[@jamescostigan5765]

Now do one on color game 15

[@AnimalFacts]

An Arduino is more than powerful enough to recreate this system.... 🙂

[@matthewpalmer9820]

Doesn't mean it'll play the same.

[@AnimalFacts]

Matthew Palmer True

[@PerKroon]

About the poor video quality: Can't that have to do with NTSC-J conversion?

[@ModernClassic]

I doubt it... I've never seen that with another Japanese system. Some systems just have better output than others, even with inherently crappy RF. (The Intellivision, for example, has RF output that I find hard to tell from composite.)

[@PerKroon]

Okay great to know. Here we don't have PAL and any NTSC looks like crap even with proper converter.

[@ModernClassic]

Just checked for my own knowledge because I didn't think there really was a difference between NTSC-J and NTSC-U, and I suppose there might be a slight mismatch between the channel frequencies. (Japanese channel 1 corresponds to US channel 95, but maybe it's not an *exact* match of the entire frequency range.) From what I can gather channel 1 in Japan is in the 90-96mhz range, whereas channel 95 (the corresponding US channel) is specifically on 91.25mhz. So I guess it's possible that the TV-Game 6 could be at the extreme high or low end of the 90-96mhz range. Other Japanese consoles I have show no such ghosting or other artifacts, though, so maybe they're closer to the US 91.25mhz. I would think that a good RF encoder would aim for the very middle of the range, to cover any slightly out of spec TV's better.

[@shmupshmuppewpew5260]

You'll never catch up to those fast balls.

[@robintst]

Digital dials on a Pong clone? Jesus, Nintendo, you had one job...

[@misterkite]

Wow.. I knew about the Game & Watch series, but had no idea that Nintendo had any consoles before the famicom. While searching for more information on the TV Game-6. I discovered that Nintendo also had multiple sequels! There's the カラーテレビゲーム15 (Color TV Game-15) which has wired paddles (and mostly the same pong-based games), and the レーシング112 (Racing-112) that has a steering wheel and gear shift. edit: and since you're an Arkanoid fan, you might be interested in the breakout clone nintendo made, designed by miyamoto even. nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Color_TV_Game_Block_Breaker

[@ModernClassic]

Yeah, I had wanted one of the Block Breaker systems before I even bought the TV Game 6, because I just love the look of it. But, it doesn't have any big claim to fame beyond that, and I hadn't been able to find one in really good condition with the box. But I might still get one at some point because I just think it has a style that's really all Nintendo of that time period. The TV Game 6, despite being groundbreaking as Nintendo's first console, really looks like a Pong clone. The Block Breaker system looks like its own thing.

[@misterkite]

Where did you get your TV Game 6? I want one for much the same reasons you have one (bonus, it's the same age as me), but so far the only place I've been able to find it is a few auctions on jauce.com

[@happycoolhayden8767]

@@ModernClassic Imagine a Color TV-Game 6 Classic, a Color TV-Game 15 Classic, Color TV-Game Racing 112 Classic, a Color TV-Game Block Breaker Classic, a Computer TV-Game Classic, 2 Color TV-Game 15 controllers, 2 Color TV-Game Racing 112 controllers and a steering wheel for the Switch when they Color TV-Game to Switch Online along with GameBoy, GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance & GameCube.

[@primeoctober]

I dare someone to port Doom to this console

[@barbudoru]

The high-frequency squeal starting at 2:23 is damn annoying. Thumbs up otherwise, great content as usual!

[@ModernClassic]

Huh, I don't hear it. That's coincidentally the exact cut where the CRT first appears in the video, though, so I wonder if you're hearing the high frequency hum of that. We all had to live with that all the time back in the day! Maybe my ears became inoculated to it over the years. I'm surprised the microphone I use could even pick that up, though. It might be that my speakers and headphones can't reproduce it.

[@barbudoru]

I think it correlates with the CRT too, it fades out starting at 3:20 and back in at 3:37. Supposedly your ears became less able to hear high frequency sound as you age, I'm quite impressed that I can still hear it at 30. Here's a spectrum analysis of the moment when the CRT first appears - at 2:23, notice the peaks around 12 and 16KHz: imgur.com/a/QJzgr

[@ModernClassic]

I'm not sure about the 12khz peak, but 16khz is right where CRT whine is... so part of it's almost definitely that. Well, next time I use the CRT I will see about filtering that out. I just don't even hear it anymore, so I had no idea it was even there on this video.

[@vwestlife]

Kids these days always complain about the 15.7 kHz CRT flyback whistle because their high-frequency hearing hasn't declined with age yet, and they didn't grow up surrounded by CRT TVs so they're not used to it. I don't filter it out in my videos because doing so would add a lot of extra work (I would need to export the audio track, filter it, re-import it, and synch it up with the video), and the result would not be an accurate representation of the experience of using a CRT.

[@barbudoru]

VWestlife Hi, nice of you to chime in. Oddly enough, I was never aware of the whistling in any of your videos (and I've seen quite a few) - must be because of the changes in my sound setup recently. Having grown up in Eastern Europe, CRT TVs were a common sight around here until late in the '00s, so I am acutely aware of the flyback sound.

[@HCoRE8]

I don't see any Nintendo branding on it though?

[@ModernClassic]

Only the box has the actual logo, but somebody else pointed out that it says Nintendo in kanji on the bottom. (任天堂)

[@TransCanadaPhil]

Those are bad paddles. I remember having a pong machine and also having paddle controllers for my Commodore Vic 20. The thing I liked about paddles, and indeed their entire virtue over a joystick in certain games, was the absolute positioning and analog nature of them. After awhile, you'd get so good at just "knowing" exactly how to position the paddle anywhere along the entire path in an instant. You'd get the "feel" of exactly how much you'd have to twist them to get to a particular spot, and you could do it as fast as your own reflexes allowed. Wheres these paddles are horrible since as you mentioned they have a constant speed and you can't use them to position the paddle instantly like you can on real analog paddles. Even for the day, this pong clone isn't very good. All the other pong clone machines I had played during those days and the 8-bit computers that had optional paddles had proper analog control.

[@ModernClassic]

Yeah, this is the first one I've ever used that had digital paddles. It feels very wrong. I definitely would not have bought this. But I wonder how many Japanese buyers would have even realized that it's not the way it's supposed to be.

[@televisionandcheese]

cool

[@sa3270]

Nintendo could put this on Nintendo Switch Online.

[@dr666demento]

In the early to mid 70's Japan was not known for it's quality - it was known for it's cheapness. Just like China today.

[@WebVManReturns]

But Doc! All the best stuff is made in Japan.

[@dr666demento]

That's true now, but until the 80's Japan competed mostly on price, but from about 1980 on they no longer could, so they focused on quality and innovation - and that's why they're a leader in both to this day. South Korea had to go through the same thing when they replaced Japan as the cheapness leader. It wasn't until the 90's that Korea started getting some respect. China OTOH may never shake that 'cheap crap' label.

[@100percentSNAFU]

I remember in the early 90's my friend's girlfriend had a Hyundai. She was literally the only person I knew who had one. What a boxy piece of junk it was, but boy have they come a long way. It was quite literally at the time considered just a small step above a Yugo. I will say though that my family has several Goldstar (now known as LG) devices. A microwave that lasted seemingly forever, and a 13" analog dial television that I still have today and it still works. Not bad for being from a seemingly "no-name crappy little Korean company ". At one point I also owned a Goldstar portable CD stereo which I had for quite awhile and I remember being pretty decent.

[@Featsofgrace]

I want

[@aarongreenfield9038]

Can it run Crysis?

[@wojiaobill]

your left hand won! does that mean youre a lefty?

[@ModernClassic]

Nope... But maybe I'm right brained :) (right brain controls the left hand).

[@ShesSometimesDoubleChocolate.]

One what, Will? Oh, don't you mean "WON"? If so, then editing that (even on the phone, which is possible) should take less clicks of keys, etc. than it would to just tell me why you might not want to do so. ;-)

[@wojiaobill]

oops i hadnt noticed. wrote when i was drunk :-)

[@wojiaobill]

(i drink a lot, im an alcoholic! yay!)

[@suzieli7912]

woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@timothymenamin2109]

Pong e lishish

[@ShesSometimesDoubleChocolate.]

Huhh?

[@JamieCowan-cc5xc]

Dude this console was not released in usa😂😂😂

[@Lokomotifer]

Maybe he buy that console from cobbler

[@JamieCowan-cc5xc]

Maybe he did but he had to fly to Japan 🤣👍

[@Idontwantayoutubehandle.]

Is it bright or does it need retrobrighting

[@Mayala285]

Nice im first, great content man 😄👍

[@nathanbrutal4183]

GamingNerds101 You didn't even watch the video so how do you know?

[@Mayala285]

NathanBrutal dude I didn't just see one video I have been basically subscribed to his channel for months. 😆

[@Mayala285]

NathanBrutal also content is probably meaning plural which also means more of his videos and topics.

[@nathanbrutal4183]

GamingNerds101 Good, point, I'd still have watched the video first either way.

[@Mayala285]

lol

[@andrewgarcia1664]

Why are my ears bleeding

[@freeculture]

After about 20 years of being exposed to these frequencies, you won't hear them anymore xD

[@Synthematix]

only a permanent high pitched whine in your head, crt damage

[@Ariscott56]

And I can't believe Nintendo copied off of Atari

[@freeculture]

Then you wouldn't believe it when Nintendo approached Atari to market their Famicom in America either...