TV Tennis Electrotennis

Lore & Background

The TV Tennis Electrotennis connects wirelessly to a television set through a UHF antenna, a unique feature for its time. The console was developed and released by Epoch Co. on September 12, 1975, for 19,000 Japanese yen, and was sold only in Japan. Sales figures vary by source, with estimates of about 10,000, 20,000, or 3 million units sold in its lifetime, including approximately 5,000 units in the first year.

Reader's Guide

The TV Tennis Electrotennis holds significance as the first video game console released in Japan, preceding the North American release of Home Pong by several months. Its wireless broadcast functionality later influenced Nintendo designer Masayuki Uemura, who considered adding similar wireless capability to the Famicom (Nintendo Entertainment System) but ultimately did not pursue it to keep system costs low. The console's successor was the TV Game System 10 from 1977, which included a light gun shaped as a plastic replica of a Mauser C96; that replica was also usable with Epoch's next console, the Cassette Vision, released in 1981.

Did You Know?

• The TV Tennis Electrotennis was the first video game console released in Japan.
• It connects wirelessly to a TV via a UHF antenna.
• Sales figures vary widely, with estimates of 10,000, 20,000, or 3 million units.
• Its wireless feature influenced Nintendo's Masayuki Uemura during Famicom development.