Exceedingly rare original Video Action I gaming console released by Universal Research Laboratories in 1974-1975. The heavy console, 24˝ x 5˝ x 15.75˝, features a large game control base with four paddle controls and a central paddle display button. The front panel of the lower base features a knob for “Game Volume,” an on/off “Game Switch,” a ‘Game On’ indicator light, and a speaker vent, and the back panel contains a “Slo-Blow Fuse,” power cord, control cable receptacle, and a TV receptacle. Includes its original cardboard “Video Action” box by Universal Research Laboratories, which features various wear and stains. The console is in fine, untested condition. Accompanied by a printed copy of the Video Action I user manual.
Released by Universal Research Laboratories (URL) as part of the early wave of Pong-style games, the impressive Video Action (VA-I) represents one of the earliest home gaming consoles to hit the mass market—and it was assuredly the largest and heaviest, weighing in at 23.5 lbs. A follow-up to the Magnavox Odyssey, the first commercial home console, the VA-I is considered a distinctly rare collector's item due to its limited production run and its dearth of background and manufacturing information. Indeed, unearthing information about the VA-I remains quite the task, with collectors and historians often relying on advertisements, catalogs, and personal testimonies from message boards and conventions to piece together the VA-I's actual history and impact. A mythological beast from the dawn of home video game entertainment, the VA-I remains an elusive and significant console rarely found on the public market.
Bidder note: This item is erroneously listed in our printed catalog as a Video Action II (VA-II) gaming console.
