The first ads for Magicard

[ubersaurus]

I've been trying to track down release date information for VCS games for the better part of a decade now, and had gotten to a point where only a handful of titles still eluded me. One of the worst was the Magicard: the best I'd been able to do was a comment from a 1984 Computer Entertainer newsletter remarking that Commavid had it back in stock for mail-order after it concluded its initial run, when it was available into 1982. So it sounded like it was sold sometime in 1981 (or maybe early 1982), but when, was my question: there weren't really video game magazines until Electronic Games in late 81 and it sure wasn't in there. It hit me last night to check computer hobbyist magazines, and thanks to the Internet Archive's handy OCR search functionality, typing in "Computer Magic" brought up ads that ran in issues of Byte, Micro and Creative Computing between May and September 1981.

This does mean a few interesting things: One, Games by Apollo wasn't the second third-party publisher for the VCS: it was Commavid. Two, Magicard was a much earlier "indie" product for the VCS than I'd realized, as I for one didn't really think about random people actively reverse-engineering the platform so early on. And three, based on the CE comments this thing was "on the market" twice: this initial run through a chunk of 1981 into the next year, and a smaller period in 1984 around the same time Commavid announced Video Life was available by mail order. Really curious what the breakdown on purchases were between those two windows.

 

Byte (May 1981)

 

Micro (June 1981)

 

And Creative Computing (August 1981)

[+bcombee]

The page from BYTE you show also has an interesting bit immediately above the Computer Magic ad, there's an ad for a surplus computer running a 6507, the same CPU as the Atari VCS.  I'd not heard of any other devices using the 6507 before.

[pacman000]

Apollo’s programmer said he started programming the 2600 w/the MagiCard.

 

Here’s the interview: http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_ed_salvo.html

Edited September 21, 2020 by pacman000
Added cite

[Mayhem]

And the original release of Magicard was just the plain circuit board (which i used to own), the version in the shell with label came later.

[high voltage]

 

I want that Desk Top Computer...

[+atari2600land]

$8,270 for a computer?! Who had the money for that?!

[high voltage]

11 hours ago, pacman000 said:

Apollo’s programmer said he started programming the 2600 w/the MagiCard.

 

Here’s the interview: http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_ed_salvo.html

Nice interview, like he was here, there, and everywhere, so he did the ' gaming massacre', Texas Chainsaw Massacre' 

Apollo did the 'first scrolling over a planet', and 'night time'? Sounds like it. 

They also had the first 'female human main character ' in a video game, Billy Sue in Wabbit.

Edited September 22, 2020 by high voltage

[ubersaurus]

Yeah, I’ve been trying to track down Ban Tran, who wrote Wabbit. Maybe one day!

[ubersaurus]

5 hours ago, Mayhem said:

And the original release of Magicard was just the plain circuit board (which i used to own), the version in the shell with label came later.

I don't doubt this is true given how small an operation it was at the start, but can you point me to any proof of that being the case? News to me.

[high voltage]

4 hours ago, ubersaurus said:

Yeah, I’ve been trying to track down Ban Tran, who wrote Wabbit. Maybe one day!

Awesome. Would be great to interview her.

[alex_79]

5 hours ago, ubersaurus said:

I don't doubt this is true given how small an operation it was at the start, but can you point me to any proof of that being the case? News to me.

Chapter 2 of the Magicard manual explains how to safely handle the bare board, which orientation is the correct one, and how to open the cart port dust cover using a fiberglass tool included in the package:

 

Quote

The first step is to assemble your MagiCard system, which is little more difficult than plugging any game cartridge into the game console. With the On/Off switch off, insert your MagiCard into the large slot centered in the cartridge port of the game console. You will need to stick the small sliver of fiberglass board provided into one of the small slots on either side of the larger slot to open the door behind the large slot. Be sure the component side of the Magicard -the side with the plastic electronic parts- is facing up. It is a good idea to always handle your MagiCard by the side edges.

[...]

You can find scans of the manual here on AA:

https://www.atariage.com/manual_page.php?SystemID=2600&ItemTypeID=&SoftwareLabelID=281&currentPage=15&maxPages=138&currentPage=0

I made a PDF version of the manual a few years ago, that you can find in this thread:

https://atariage.com/forums/topic/233941-magicard-pal-conversion-enhanced-version/

Edited September 22, 2020 by alex_79

[ubersaurus]

Thanks!

[high voltage]

11 hours ago, alex_79 said:

 

 

You can find scans of the manual here on AA:

https://www.atariage.com/manual_page.php?SystemID=2600&ItemTypeID=&SoftwareLabelID=281&currentPage=15&maxPages=138&currentPage=0

 

 

138 pages. Biggest manual I've ever re-printed.

Edited September 23, 2020 by high voltage