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Merlin's Magic: The Inside Story of the First Mobile Game

Posted by Unknown on from the purchase-additional-beeps-for-99-cents dept.

curtwoodward writes "Long before Steve Jobs kicked off the modern mobile gaming revolution with the iPhone, a Harvard astrophysicist got kids obsessed with chasing electronic lights and sounds with their fingers. Bob Doyle was the inventor behind Merlin, and built the early versions with his wife and brother-in-law. As the more sophisticated cousin of raw memory game Simon, Merlin offered games like blackjack, tic-tac-toe, and even an early music program. Doyle, now 77, got 5 percent royalties on each sale, money that paid for the rest of his projects over the years." Using those royalties, Bob Doyle spends his time writing things online.

13 of 60 comments (clear)

  1. Bob, if you're reading this- by the_skywise · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Christmas Merlin came out I was enchanted with it - I spent *hours* at the toy store in the mall, playing with the demo unit, learning how to program the music player to play the theme to Star Wars. I got one that Christmas and played with it incessantly. Eventually it ended up in a garage sale but several years ago I tracked down an original one on EBay and continue to play magic square on it to this day. (The original - not the remake.)

    Thanks man.

    1. Re:Bob, if you're reading this- by GeekHillbilly · · Score: 3

      I got 1 for Christmas,which I still have and yes,it works perfectly.Still love to get it out and play with it.Thanks,Bob

      --
      The Geek Hillbilly
  2. First touchscreen by hawguy · · Score: 5, Funny

    The Merlin was also the first touchscreen mobile device, it had a High Definition 3x3 pixel screen (plus 2 bonus pixels). But the screen was 1 bit monochrome (not even grayscale), so it never really caught on for watching movies, plus it had no Netflix support. Also, just like the iPhone, it had no MicroSD slot so you were stuck with the onboard memory.

    It's still available (in a new and improved model): http://www.amazon.com/Milton-B...

    1. Re:First touchscreen by Obfuscant · · Score: 4, Informative
      It also used the Intel 4004 4-bit processor that led to the 8008 and 8080 later.

      Unlike the iPhone, you could replace the batteries. Or take them out to make sure it wasn't spying on you while you slept.

  3. First? by hubie · · Score: 3, Informative

    My sister had the Merlin, but before that I had an LED football game, and I remember an auto racing game as well. I know those predated Merlin, and I'm not sure if the ones I had were "first" either.

    1. Re:First? by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 3

      My sister had the Merlin, but before that I had an LED football game, and I remember an auto racing game as well. I know those predated Merlin, and I'm not sure if the ones I had were "first" either.

      I remember the LED football game; it was awesome :)

      It really is all about the game, not the graphics!

    2. Re:First? by Dan+East · · Score: 2

      I picked up an (original) Mattel Football game at a yardsale last summer for 50 cents (and one of those baseball games with the removable wired controller for pitching to the other player, also for 50 cents). I forgot how much fun that game was. I still remembered the nuances of how to play.

      --
      Better known as 318230.
    3. Re:First? by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 3

      Auto Race came out in 1976

      Some people are also thinking of Tomy's "Digital Derby" which was actually all mechanical, but was still loads of fun (batteries not included) -

      http://rctoymemories.com/2012/11/16/tomy-digital-derby-auto-raceway-1978/

    4. Re:First? by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That was one masterpiece of analog electronic game design. I had one, it was lots of fun!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  4. Re:WOW by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ohmygod. Merlin. Absolutely my favorite childhood toy, hands down.

    On Christmas 1979, my parents thought it would be cute to hide it so I'd think I didn't get one. Apparently, they were under the belief that it would somehow make me show more interest in my other gifts. In reality, it had the opposite effect... convinced I didn't get one because there was nothing under the tree whose box was even plausibly the right size and weight, I was *miserable* at dinner on Christmas Eve, and went through 10 minutes of ritualistically and mechanically opening gifts with zero enthusiasm or joy before they "remembered" that they "forgot to bring out one of the gifts". The rest of the evening was quite happy, and Merlin was a constant part of my life until I got my Atari 2600 for Christmas in 1980.

  5. wrong processor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    It actually used the Texas Instruments TMS-1100, another popular 4-bit microcontroller.

    Kevtris figured out how to dump the ROM from the TMS-1100, making emulation of a bunch of games a possibility (including the Microvision handheld LCD game). http://blog.kevtris.org/blogfiles/TMS1000/

  6. Yeah baby! by MobileC · · Score: 2

    I played one to death in a local shop here in New Zealand.

    Then bought it as non-working scrap and fixed it.

    Absolutely loved it.

    --

    Fran
    :):):)
    1st 1st Poster of the new Millennium!

  7. Beep BOOP by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 3, Interesting

    In the spring of 1980 we went on a family roadtrip from Vancouver to Disneyland.

    (Contrary to popular opinion, back in the day airfares were very expensive so many family vacations were car trips. But I digress).

    The Merlin in the backseat entertained we three kids for hours. My dad made one modification before we left: He installed an earphone jack so my parents didn't have to listen to 50+ hours of infernal beeps and boops.

    Amazing machine.