Overkal – The History of the First Videoconsole in Europe

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A bit of context

Since I became interested in the history of video games at the age of 12, I have always been fascinated by their earliest origins.

Due to my extreme curiosity, it didn’t take me long to discover that one of the earliest and most interesting links to video games came from my own country Spain. It was an obscure and unknown console called Overkal.

An extremely difficult to find and highly coveted Spanish Magnavox Odyssey clone, from an unknown manufacturer and date, believed to date back to 1973, which would possibly make it the first console designed and manufactured outside of the United States and the second console in history. However, there was no doubt that it was the first pirate console in history.

One of the early internet clues about the Overkal comes from David Winter, a collector and enthusiast of documenting prehistoric consoles, who dedicated a page to it on his website Pong-Story in the early 2000s.

David used to acquire rare Pong consoles through second-hand boards and contacting individuals. In this case, he acquired an Overkal from a user on a Spanish forum, who documented on the forum that he had obtained a Spanish clone of the Magnavox Odyssey at the Rastro de Madrid. David paid 400 euros for the Overkal, which caught the attention of all forum users.

By that time, David Winter was collaborating with Ralph Baer (inventor of the Brown Box, i.e., the prototype that became the Magnavox Odyssey), making some videos related to the Odyssey, as well as contributions to his Pong-Story page. Baer had the opportunity to see the Overkal, and this was his opinion:

Still, this is an interesting unit obviously designed by someone who knew what they were doing, a pirated design with switches replacing the jumper connections made by the normal Odyssey p.c. cards.

I like the idea. If he had put in more switches, he could have played not only all of the Odyssey games but some new ones… but that clearly wasn’t the objective, which was to make something that would sell… altogether: Clever, but a freak!

Ralph H. Baer

The first person to seriously document the Overkal was Marçal Mora Cantallops, an Industrial Engineer and computer game writer, owner of the website RetroMaquinitas.com, who published this interesting article with photographs of a console owned by a person who contacted him in 2013.

In RetroGamer (Spanish edition of the retro videogame devoted magazine) issue number 17, from October 2016, Marçal published a research article on the console, providing two important pieces of information, the first being that its manufacturer was Inter Electrónica, and the other that it was launched in the spring of 1974. Without a doubt, they were very revealing pieces of information, although they certainly left you wanting to know more…

On the other hand, for my part, I have tried to gather information and some interesting data for about 8 years with the idea of materializing it someday. But I never carried it out due to a lack of interest in videogames for a time.

However, around June 2023, on a night when I was lying awake unable to sleep due to the heat and mosquitoes, an idea came to my mind that seemed crazy, to try to document the origins of video games in Spain, including of course, the history of the Overkal.

So, I set out to investigate for months to find everything I could about the console, and see how far I could go.

After about 9 months of searching for contacts, interviews, inquiries, searching in archives, magazines, etc… This is the result of that research. Whether it is a lot, or a little, this is at least a part of the history of the Overkal, and some of its creators, whom I intend to vindicate with this article.

Origins

To talk about the Overkal, I believe it is essential to understand the history and philosophy of its manufacturer, Inter Electrónica, the story of how its founder José Gómez Serrano managed to create from humble beginnings, a giant fundamental in the development of radio and television in Spain between the 1950s and 1970s.

José María Gomez Serrano was born in 1898 in Jerez del Marquesado, a town located in Granada.

In 1919, he moved to Barcelona to work in the looms of Can Batiló, owned by Gamón and Gómez. It was there where he began his interest in electronics, while working in the looms he entertained himself by making galena radio receivers.

He associated himself with Mr. Rigau (of Argentine origin), founding in 1929 the small company manufacturing and repairing radio receivers Rigom (acronym of Rigau and Gómez) – National Manufacturing of Radio Sets, Amplifiers, and Accessories, with headquarters at 94 Muntaner Street. Rigau disappeared during the Spanish Civil War. According to José María, he was never executed because he was practically the only one in Barcelona who manufactured and repaired radio sets for unions and committees.

Immediately after the Civil War in 1940, Gómez Serrano, along with several partners, founded Iberia Radio, S.A., located at 112-118 Pujadas Street in Pueblo Nuevo (Barcelona). Later, he made his brother Baldomero Gómez Serrano a partner in the company, enrolling him in an industrial school to receive training in electronics. Iberia Radio achieved success by marketing its first radio models.

Around 1946, due to conflicts of interest with his brother Baldomero, he decided to leave Iberia. Baldomero Gómez Serrano took over as director and led Iberia Radio for almost 30 years, until the company’s controversial disappearance in 1975 due to the crisis facing the company, mostly due to numerous labor disputes.

A story that would make for an article on its own. It all began with the destruction of the factory due to a suspicious fire in November 1971, in which 3 firefighters lost their lives. Prior to this, there were 8 other fires since 1962. While facing a serious labor situation, it worsened when, unbeknownst to the workers, Iberia was building a new factory located in Cervera (Lleida), but using labor from the town.

Baldomero Gómez Serrano was accused of various crimes, including fraudulent management, and was imprisoned in 1976.

The History of Inter Electrónica

After leaving Iberia Radio, José Gómez Serrano moved to the United States for a while to work for Philco, with whom he had already established relations while he was director of Iberia. He gained new knowledge and insights into the future of radio, as well as being aware of a revolutionary new technology that would arrive in Spain in the coming years, television.

Some time later, he returned to Barcelona and, on December 15, 1948, he founded, along with several partners, the company Internacional Radio Televisión, S.A., headquartered at 227 Rosellón Street in Barcelona. Part of the initial staff of the company were neighbors from his hometown of Jerez de Marquesado who had moved to Barcelona. José María ensured that his neighbors received training in electronics.

During the 1950s, the company gained enormous presence in the Spanish market by introducing numerous models of radio receivers.

Due to a lack of expertise in manufacturing their own television receiver model, José Gómez Serrano traveled to Italy to the offices of Magnadyne Radio. He gave them permission to use their patents. Thus, Inter introduced its first television model in 1958, the TV-214, based on a Magnadyne television.

As a result, Inter Electrónica had a relationship with the Italian radio and television manufacturer IFIN Magnadyne. This provided the technological basis for Inter’s development, based on Italian patents for its television receivers.

Thanks to the growing demand for television in Spain, continuous innovation, the introduction of new products, and extensive distribution across the country, Inter achieved widespread presence during the 1960s, and the company grew rapidly. Inter became the leading national company in the field of consumer electronics in Spain. The first television in many Spanish households in the 1960s was an Inter.

The technical director of Magnadyne, Giuseppe Zanarini, a veteran radio and television engineer in Italy, moved to Spain around that time to work for Inter as the director of the Laboratory Factory due to the crisis Magnadyne was experiencing in Italy.

In the early 1960s, to ensure technical service coverage in the main Spanish cities, Inter Servicios, S.A. was created, with authorized workshops spread throughout the country. José Gómez Serrano himself used to visit the workshops on the trips he made by car throughout Spain.

At some point, the management of the companies that made up Inter Electrónica passed into the hands of his sons. Pascual Gómez Aparicio took over as the general manager of the company.

Inter consisted of three companies:

• INTER ELECTRÓNICA, S.A. (factory, headquartered at 312 Travessera de las Corts, corner of Ecuador Street. Directed by Pascual Gómez Aparicio)
• INTERNACIONAL RADIO TELEVISIÓN, S.A. (commercial firm and distribution, headquartered at 227 Rosellón Street. Directed by Rafael Gómez Aparicio)
• INTER SERVICIOS, S.A. (technical service workshops, headquartered at 21-25 Capitán Arenas Street. Directed by Antonio Ibáñez, a close friend of Gómez Aparicio family)

José Gómez Serrano became around this time the Honorary President of the company. Due to his long life dedicated to the electronics industry, he was awarded the “Medalla de Plata al Mérito en el Trabajo” (Silver Medal of Labor Merit) in 1966.

The Origin of the Overkal

Santiago Arcocha Noguera was born in Barcelona in 1924. His family was involved in the hospitality sector in the city. In the 1940s, while he was a student, he developed an interest in radio and electronics, a hobby he shared with Rafael Gómez Aparicio, a classmate who became a close friend of his and his family for many years.

He began his professional career by assisting his mother in the family’s apartment business. Later, he worked in the healthcare sector, initially as an ambulance driver and later as a nurse. According to his son, he was a curious and restless person who always liked to stay informed about all the latest developments of the time.

Due to his family ties and business interests, he regularly traveled to America, especially Argentina, which was his wife’s native country.

It was possibly between the second half of 1972 and the first half of 1973 when Santiago Arcocha encountered the Magnavox Odyssey. Considering his significant interest in the electronics sector, this encounter may have occurred at a trade fair or convention related to electronics during one of his trips to America, or perhaps it was mentioned to him by an acquaintance. We will never know for sure.

However it happened, Santiago studied the design of the Odyssey and made modifications, allowing for selectable games through switches and permanently attached controllers. This design, named “Dispositivo electrónico para la modulación y gobierno del haz en un tubo de rayos catódicos” (Electronic Device for Modulating and Controlling the Beam in a Cathode Ray Tube) (ES4144191A), was patented under the name of Santiago Arcocha Noguera on May 7, 1973, in Madrid.

Taking into account his friendship with the Gómez Aparicio and Serrano family, it’s evident that at some point he offered his patent to Inter Electrónica to carry out his idea, which eventually became the Overkal. The name was taken from a radio receiver model introduced by Inter Electrónica in 1951.

As an interesting side note, on February 12, 1974, electronic engineer Mario Verneda Galobart filed a patent for the Magnavox Odyssey (literally) under the name “Juego electrónico para aparatos de televisión” (Electronic Game for Television Sets) (ES200406U).

However, Santiago Arcocha’s patent agent filed a claim with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office on November 15, 1975, as it was a very similar design. The claim was accepted, rendering Mario Galobart’s patent invalid. It’s ironic to think that the “improved” copy of a design would take precedence over the original console design.

Development and Demonstration of the Overkal

The realization of the Overkal was carried out during the second half of 1973 by Santiago Arcocha Noguera himself. The Factory Laboratory of Inter Electrónica, led by engineers Giuseppe Zanarini and Ramón Coderch, might also have been involved in the console’s design, at least according to some Inter employees I interviewed.

Nevertheless, Santiago Arcocha himself registered the industrial designs of the console and controls’ cases on December 4, 1973 (I0078920 and I0078921, respectively). With this information, it is assumed that the console was practically finished in late November or early December 1973.

On the other hand, the instruction manual must have been prepared during December 1973. The booklet was submitted on December 27 of that year to the Barcelona Legal Deposit Office with the number B-54487-73, in the name of Inter Electrónica.

At Inter Electrónica, it was customary to demonstrate new brand products to employees shortly before they were commercially launched to gather initial impressions. The Overkal was no exception in this regard; it was demonstrated among Inter employees, including one testimonial I interviewed who was a workshop manager in Córdoba and a workshop inspector for the Western Andalusia region (in Inter Servicios, workshop inspectors were assigned to specific areas in Spain).

Between January and February 1974, he traveled to Barcelona with several workshop managers to the SIT, Servicio de Información Técnica (Technical Information Service), which was a large facility owned by Inter, equipped with an academy to train workshop managers so they could engage in possible future repairs of the new products introduced by Inter. In other words, to acquire a deeper knowledge of the devices. That time, they went to receive a presentation course on the TVC-430 color television model that they were going to introduce in the coming months.

During that visit to the academy, they were able to witness a setup with a 14-inch black-and-white television and a strange white apparatus “shaped like a hat” with controllers, displaying two players and a ball moving from one end to the other on the screen. Additionally, there were some transparencies that could be attached to the screen. They had never seen anything like it before. This sparked extreme curiosity, and they asked what all this was about. The response from the academy manager was:

This is something we have ‘in trial.’ We’re not sure if it’s going to be commercialized, but we believe so. At the moment, there are very few units that will be distributed in Barcelona.

But when the time comes, don’t worry, we’ll call you for a training course that I have prepared, and I think you’ll find it very interesting.

However, this would be the first and last contact this testimonial had with the Overkal. They never heard about that device again, and the promised training course was never mentioned or held. To my surprise, fifty years later, this testimonial still vividly remembered that single encounter.

It is evident from all this that, in some way, Inter did not attach much importance to the console, as it was referred to in their own words from the previous quote as a “trial.” To the extent that they did not prioritize training their own technical employees about the console. However, at least we know that the Overkal was going to be commercialized shortly, possibly placing the launch date not much later than that encounter, i.e., in February or March 1974.

The previous quote also suggests the possibility that the console was initially sold in Barcelona before being sold throughout Spain, although we will see that this is something that practically did not happen.

Apart from this, another important detail, and one that to this day is one of the biggest mysteries surrounding the Overkal, is the absence of manufacturer mention on the box, in the instructions, warranty booklet, or even on the console itself. Despite all the time I spent trying to talk to Inter employees and investigating on my own, I have never figured out why. Although I probably suspect that it could be due to several reasons, listed from most to least likely:

• It may be a measure to avoid potential legal repercussions with Magnavox or Sanders Associates. The Odyssey’s patents are engraved on the plastic base of the console, so they may have noticed this detail while designing the Overkal.
• They didn’t want Inter’s name associated with the unserious idea of ​​selling a “toy” to play with the television.
• Since it was an experiment, they didn’t want Inter’s name involved to avoid damaging their reputation as a serious television manufacturer, in case of something wrong happen.

Or it could be a mix of some, or all of them, or none. We may never know.

What is undeniable is that it is not a coincidence; it is a deliberate decision that took place while planning and designing the Overkal, to the extent that the company providing technical support (Inter Servicios, S.A.) is mentioned with the initials I.S.S.A in the console’s warranty booklet, as can be seen below.

Release of the Overkal

The Overkal was commercially launched in the first quarter of 1974, at a price believed to be around 9000 or 10000 pesetas. The earliest known acquisition date comes from a unit purchased at El Corte Inglés (Spanish department stores) in July 1974 from the wedding list of Tatiana Delgado’s parents, a video game programmer. El Corte Inglés was a regular distributor of Inter Electrónica products at that time.

Contacting her, she kindly mentioned that her parents were residents in Madrid at that time, so it is very likely that the distribution of the Overkal outside of Barcelona occurred not much later, simply as an initial punctual distribution.

However, the first mention of the Overkal in the written press was not found until November 24, 1974, in a Christmas offer advertisement from Almacenes Capitol (department store from Barcelona) published in La Vanguardia newspaper. The console appears again in another Almacenes Capitol advertisement on December 1, 1974. No other mention of the Overkal has been found in any written press medium, even at advertising level.

I consulted all issues from 1973 to 1974 of the publication “Revista Española de Electrónica,” directed by Pascual Gómez Aparicio (director of the Inter factory as mentioned earlier), and there are no mentions of the Overkal. From what I have been able to ascertain, it is absent in gift and toy magazines and catalogs, as well as in fairs and conventions in the sector in Spain between 1974, 75, and 76.

However, in early 2024, I was able to locate a mention of the Overkal in the toy Christmas catalog of El Corte Inglés from 1975. This indicates that the console was still on sale at least in December 1975 and January 1976.

Promodisa (Promodis, S.A.)

In 2015, user Adrián Morcillo tweeted about acquiring a promotional brochure for the Overkal, in which it was mentioned that it was sold by mail by the company Promodisa, at the full price of 9400 pesetas (with a 10% discount, meaning the full price was 10450 pesetas), or at the price of 2490 pesetas with 8 monthly payments of 995 pesetas, both cases adding 150 pesetas for shipping costs.

Marçal Mora, in his research for Retro Gamer, reported that Promodisa was a company dedicated to selling products by mail. It was founded on November 19, 1973, as a subsidiary of the Barcelona-based publishing house Seix Barral. Promodisa was one of the distributors of the Overkal.

From what I was able to gather from speaking with Santiago Arcocha’s son (inventor of the Overkal), he mentioned that his family had a relationship with Verón Editores , and apparently also with Editorial Juventud, as he mentioned receiving several Tintin comics as a gift when he was a child due to the friendship with the editorial director (The Adventures of Tintin were published in Spain by Juventud), but they have no relationship (at least as far as we know) with the Seix Barral publishing house, so the idea that the Overkal was sold by Promodisa could have come from Inter, who knows.

The date and legal deposit number found on this brochure (bottom-right corner of the last page) suggest that the Overkal was first sold by Promodisa around mid-1975, pending a request to the National Library of Catalonia for the date of presentation of the legal deposit number. It’s interesting how this detail was not considered before.

The existence of other brochure with an order form, unpublished until the publication of this article, shows that Promodisa, like El Corte Inglés, continued to sell the Overkal in late 1975 and early 1976, judging also by the legal deposit numbers (the brochure’s is from late 1975 and the order form is from early 1976).

Considering all the aforementioned, it is evident that the Overkal had a relatively long commercial life for an “experiment,” but considering certain aspects, it is not too difficult to understand how this happened…

The “Success” of the Overkal

In 2017, I found an Overkal for sale on Wallapop (Spanish selling and buying second-hand app). I usually ask sellers of these consoles when and where they acquired them. Luckily, the seller was the original owner of the console and kindly shared his memory with me:

The console was purchased on the eve of Reyes Magos Day in 1977 at midnight, as stores used to close very late on that date. I went to dinner with my parents, and as we left a bar, we saw the “toy” in the shop window of an appliance store. Both my father and I liked it, so he bought it as a gift for Reyes. It wasn’t planned to buy it; my father simply took a liking to it and purchased it on the spot.

Estratur was a rather large neighborhood appliance store where they sold refrigerators, stoves, televisions, etc. I don’t know why the console was in the shop window, as it was an item that frankly didn’t fit there.

It was purchased at Estratur on Paseo de Fabra i Puig. They also had another smaller store on Rubén Darío Street; both were in the Sant Andreu neighborhood.

Sant Andreu was not a neighborhood of high economic power; on the contrary, it was a working-class neighborhood. Factories like Pegaso (next to Estratur), La Maquinista, Fabra i Coats were located in this neighborhood.

I don’t know where they sold it, as we were unaware of the existence of this device; we discovered it by chance.

He also shared this invoice with me, dated January 6, 1977, at a price of 6000 pesetas, approximately a third less than the original sale price in 1974.

He also sent me this warranty postcard, never seen before.

On the other hand, the consoles that I have found for sale in second-hand boards almost always showed discounts. Such is the case with this Overkal from Marçal Mora, with various El Corte Inglés stickers on the box, the result of going through several markdowns. As well as another console with the price handwritten, indicating it was a clearance.

Taking all this into account, it is evident that Overkal sales were slow and sporadic. There were units gathering dust on the shelves, and most of them were sold slowly in clearances and offers.

But of course… How is it possible that the Overkal, being such a revolutionary device for its time and even sold in El Corte Inglés, can be so rare and unknown?

Well, because for a “toy,” a family entertainment, it was very expensive; the minimum wage in Spain in 1974 was equivalent to a third of the console’s price. The distribution of the console, despite being relatively widespread by being distributed by El Corte Inglés, the lack of mention and presence in catalogs, magazines, electronics fairs and conventions, in addition to little or no advertising as we saw above, did not help to sell many units. It’s really obvious to mention also that the idea of connecting a device for playing TV was foreign.

It’s clear that Inter Electrónica did not provide sufficient support, which was even justified from a business perspective, considering that commercially it was an experiment, which they probably knew in advance was not going to sell well.

Argentina Connection

Contains excerpts and photos from the article “Videojuel, the story of the first Argentine video game console created and designed in La Plata” written by Martín Arrúa for 0221.com.ar

I recommend taking a look.

It seems surprising, but despite not achieving much success in Spain, Overkal was a console that was highly influential in the development of the first successful console in Argentina, or at least indirectly.

Between late 1974 and early 1975, technician Mario Luis Díaz, owner of Laboratorio Electrónico Hiroshima, a local business he opened in 1966 in the La Plata neighborhood of Buenos Aires, dedicated to the sale and repair of appliances, radios, and TVs, began designing the Videojuel console, also a Magnavox Odyssey clone.

He worked on it in his shop from 8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., and it was by no means an easy task. It’s worth considering not only the technology available in Argentina at the time and the lack of resources Díaz had, but also all the complications he faced.

He encountered problems with some unions, which, for various reasons, hindered the development of the Videojuel. There were also other anecdotal incidents, like the time the police arrested him for having a rifle in his hands. However, it wasn’t a real rifle; it was a plastic one that Mario had designed for one of the console’s games. Luckily, a friend of his who was a policeman managed to get him out of jail. It’s worth noting that Argentina in 1975 was in a turbulent socio-political situation.

Mario’s idea with the console wasn’t just to create a device for children to entertain themselves with, but one with which they could have fun while learning. This intention is reflected in the introductory text of the instruction manual.

Additionally, this console took inspiration from some elements of the Overkal, to the point where some texts and illustrations in the Videojuel instructions are taken almost verbatim from the Overkal manual. The transparent overlay for the “Fútbol” game, which was an exclusive game designed for the Overkal not found in the Odyssey, was also copied by the Videojuel.

This suggests that Mario Luis Díaz, in addition to the Odyssey, had contact with the Overkal. However, when I had the opportunity to interview him, he told me he was not familiar with that console. Considering that almost 50 years have passed, it’s understandable that he may not remember. Although it’s very clear that they must have also been aware of the Overkal based on the evidence I’ve just presented.

The console’s casing, instruction manual, letters, and overlays were designed in a photographic studio that Mario himself owned.

The Videojuel was showcased at an exhibition periodically held at the Albert Thomas industrial school in the La Plata neighborhood to showcase new technological products. It had a display with 14 consoles for playing. The Videojuel captured the interest and attention of both children and adults. Those present were amazed by the rifle and the color provided by the overlays.

This caused huge crowds to visit his shop shortly afterward, requiring him to set up two televisions with two consoles on a counter so that four people could play.

At the insistence of his friends, he decided to register the Videojuel with the Argentine Model and Design Registry on October 21, 1975.

However, since one of the agents at the Registry was an employee of the Argentine radio and television firm Panoramic, he took notice of its design. Influenced by the Videojuel, they designed a console with a briefcase-shaped casing in which the controllers and power transformer were stored, but which did not have overlays or accessories. It had a game selector using buttons, which is similar to the Overkal. This design (which was also a Magnavox Odyssey clone) called “Dispositivo de entretenimiento y destreza conectable a receptores de televisión” (Entertainment and Skill Device Connectable to Television Receivers) had been filed on August 6, 1976.

Shortly after, Telematch de Panoramic console was being marketed, becoming a resounding success in Argentina, selling several thousand units.

Due to the overwhelming competition, distributor network, and the advantage of a company the size of Panoramic, combined with Mario Díaz’s economic problems, he was forced to stop commercializing his console. Only 150 units of the Videojuel were produced.

Frustrated by this, he decided to take Panoramic to court. In Mario’s words, he sought recognition for being the first in Argentina to create a video game console, and therefore to prioritize its registration and invalidate the one presented by Panoramic. However, since it was an invention model, those at Panoramic argued that since it wasn’t a patent, their registration didn’t constitute any infringement. Mario didn’t want any financial compensation, but he wanted justice for the work he had done. However, he ended up withdrawing the lawsuit due to the death of his lawyer.

Mario Luis Díaz went to live in Brazil for a while. He tried to convince the executives of Sharp’s Brazilian subsidiary to commercialize his invention; however, he was unsuccessful.

Meanwhile in Spain…

The first appearance of video games in Spain happened in the amusement field, through the introduction of Sega, S.A.’s Ping-Pong, a Pong clone from Atari introduced in the spring of 1973. It was based on the Alca Ping-Pong. Sega, S.A. was founded in Spain in October 1968 with capital of Sega Enterprises.

Soon after, as a result of the frenzy for this game, various Spanish arcade manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon, such as Centromatic, Euromatic, Petaco, and Famaresa, manufacturing and even importing Pong machines. The price of these types of machines was considerably higher in Spain than regular electromechanical and pinball game machines, due to the use of PCB electronic boards (usually imported, which were aggravated by import duties) and black-and-white televisions.

Known at that time as “ping-pong,” it caused a sensation due to its novelty, simplicity of gameplay, and its placement in public and highly frequented places such as bars and shops (something that in Spain is never lacking). It marked the first encounter with video games for many people. However, “ping-pong” was only a fad that lasted until 1975 when most manufacturers in the amusement business abandoned the production of this type of machines.

Segasa (which was renamed to Sonic during those years to avoid legal issues with Sega) was practically the only company that bet on the so-called “video machines” sector, manufacturing licensed machines from Atari, Midway, Williams, and Taito.

The “video machines” experienced a rebirth in 1979 with the arrival of Space Invaders and Galaxian, with many Spanish companies in the arcade sector joining the video machine trend. Unlike before, this wasn’t just a passing trend but something that was going to stay. This undoubtedly marked the beginning of the so-called “golden age” of arcades, which took place between the late 1970s and the mid-1980s.

Introduction of Video Game Consoles in Spain

The next attempt in Spain to manufacture a video game console came from the Valencian company Togisa, S.A., which released the Teletenis Multijuegos in 1976.

Unfortunately, due to ignorance and lack of awareness, this console is often classified as a “second-rate” console, specifically a late 1970s Pong-type console. However, it is actually a device predating this era and quite interesting. The system used TTL chip technology and employed cartridges, with a catalog of 8 games.

Its most notable feature is that the console had a telescopic antenna, allowing it to be tuned into a television from the console’s tuning control, making it a wireless console. Alongside the Japanese Epoch Electrotennis, it was one of the few consoles to feature this technology, although the Epoch device required an external device for tuning, whereas the Teletenis Multijuegos had it built-in.

The device was designed by engineer Luis Beut Torres, based on the design of the German Interton Video 2000 and the Philips Video Spiel consoles. Not many units were manufactured.

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Home gaming in Spain achieved its first significant success in 1977 with the introduction and commercialization of consoles based on the AY-3-8500 chip from General Instruments (Pong In A Chip), which integrated variants of the “Pong” game.

Due to the simplicity and low construction cost enabled by the use of this chip, many entrepreneurs began manufacturing their own video game consoles. This created intense competition, leading to price wars and a diversity of options, making these devices affordable and widely distributed, entering many households from Spain.

National companies such as Togisa, Alreac, Master Electronics, Iedosa, Bianchi,… Some of them with previous backgrounds in electronics or the toy industry jumped on this “trend” that would last for some years. Foreign companies like the German Interton also ventured into release consoles in Spain. Imported consoles from Asia also arrived.

However, the future of the video game sector, sooner or later, would be consoles based on microprocessor with interchangeable ROM cartridges. The first console to use cartridges in history was the Fairchild Channel F, introduced in the US by Fairchild Semiconductor in November 1976.

In Europe, it was marketed by the electronic company Saba as Videoplay in 1977.

To our knowledge, it never had an official release in Spain, although there is mention of it in this article from Mercatronic in December 1977, dedicated to video games.

Between 1978 and 1982, consoles with cartridges based on the Audiosonic 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System were introduced. In Spain, systems such as the Interton VC 4000, Video Play and Tele Computer by Aureac, the TRQ H-21, and the Palson Tele Computer appeared.

But the big revolution in all of this, as is well known, was created by Atari with its legendary Video Computer System or VCS (later renamed Atari 2600) launched in the United States in 1977.

While it had been timidly introduced in the European market and sold relatively well in the United States, it wasn’t until 1980, with the release of the Space Invaders adaptation, that the Atari 2600 began to have significant success.

In Spain, it was initially sold in 1979 in bazars and department stores through imports. The Atari 2600 was officially launched in Spain in 1980, distributed by the Malaga-based company Audelec, S.A. (Audio-Electrónica, S.A.)

Despite slow initial sales due to its high price of 25,000 pesetas, demand multiplied by 5 during the Christmas of 1980, selling the around 5,000 units they had in stock. By 1981, Atari-Audelec had established itself as a leader in the emerging video game industry in Spain. They created a new paradigm.

However, I’m holding back some information here for an article I’m writing about Atari, Inc. in Spain, which I’ll be publishing soon…

What happened to Inter? And the inventor of the Overkal?

In the mid-1970s, Inter entered into negotiations with the German electronic brand Grundig for a merger of both companies, allowing Grundig to establish itself in Spain.

It was around this time that Inter also pioneered another technology, color television. The TVC-366 model was introduced in 1974 (based on the British Thorn 3500 chassis), being one of the first color television receivers manufactured in Spain.

1978 was an important year for Inter, as the agreement with Grundig was formalized, and the brand merged to become “Inter-Grundig”. However, a tragedy struck the company, as José Gómez Serrano, the founder and mentor, died with his wife in a tragic traffic accident.

The Inter brand would eventually disappear, becoming only Grundig, although the company continued to be called “Inter-Grundig, S.A.”

Around the 1980s, the Travessera de las Corts factory was renamed Fabricante Europeo de Televisores, S.A. (FETESA), manufacturing televisions for other brands.

In the early 1990s, the factory was closed due to the relocation of many electronics brands established in Spain. The building was demolished, and in its place, a residential block was constructed in 1996, with a mechanical workshop on the ground floor.

The Gómez Aparicio family left the electronics industry to focus on the hospitality sector, becoming the owners of the Gallery Hotel in Barcelona, ​​located on Rosellón Street, very close to Inter’s former offices. Pascual passed away in 2014.

On the other hand, the inventor of the Overkal, Santiago Arcocha, continued his work in the healthcare sector until his retirement in the early 1980s. He focused on his hospitality business located on the road between Cardedeu and Cànoves i Samalús, the rural hotel Can Manteuet, which he managed with his son. Santiago passed away in 2007 at the age of 83.

Conclusions

There is no doubt that this research has taught me many things, but undoubtedly the most important is that you should never underestimate the possibilities of finding new information, no matter how much time has passed.

It is logical to think that because there has never been a real and dedicated interest in the origins of video games in Spain, there is much information that is absolutely confusing and remains undocumented.

It took 50 years to document and justify who the inventor of the Overkal was. In a way, it makes me feel powerless to think that Santiago Arcocha is not alive to know that his creation is now the subject of interest and fascination not only in Spain but internationally.

At least, I have been able to do him justice in his memory as the father of (now indeed) the first European console, as well as the first in the world to design a pirate console.

My tribute to Inter Electrónica and to all those who were involved in the development of radio and television in Spain is also evident. I cannot forget Mario Luis Díaz, an absolute visionary whom I have had the opportunity to speak with, whom I also intend to vindicate, and to whom I will dedicate an extensive article soon.

It is undeniable that there are elements of this whole story that will be lost forever, but I never lose hope of finding more, and I will continue to do so, as long as my personal situation, motivation, and free time allow me.

For me, this article is still not finished, and it never will be, so it’s no wonder it may receive an update at some point. Whether it’s little or much information, it should always be appreciated.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading. If you would like to support me, please share this article. I would be very happy to see my work spread.

Special Thanks

I want to thank all the people who have been able to help me in this research in some way. I cannot mention everyone, but I want to thank:

• José María Gómez Torres
• Santiago Arcocha Noguera, Jr.
• Adrián Morcillo
• David Jorge
• Marçal Mora
• Tatiana Delgado
• Martín Arrúa
• Sly DC
• Mario Luis Díaz
• Raffotek
• Inter former employees i was able to interview, who wants to be anonymous.

Without you, without your contributions, this would never have been possible.

MARTIN F. MARTORELL

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References

Info and photos taken from:

• “Overkal” of Marçal Mora (retromaquinitas.com)
• “I.S.S.A Overkal” of David Winter (pong-story.com)
• “Inter S.A. Barcelona” of El blog de Moebius (moebius-bcn.com)
• Oficina Española de Patentes y Marcas (OEPM) (oepm.es)
• Retro Ordenadores Orty (retroordenadoresorty.blogspot.com)
• Recreativas.org
• Radiomuseum.org

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