# History of video games/Platforms/Merlin
## History
### Development

The Merlin was developed by former NASA employee Dr. Bob Doyle and his astrophysicist wife Dr. Holly Doyle in the 1970's. In 1977 Bob Doyle was working on an electronic tic tac toe game, but was told by a marketing employee to make something that wasn't boring. The case was designed by Arthur Venditti, who had also named the Nerf Ball.
Speaking to Washington Post reporter Tom Zito in 1978, Robert Doyle lamented not having long term storage for the Merlin due to the limitations of technology at the time. Doyle also hoped to use voice activated technology in the future. Reporter Tom Zito himself would later work on the Control Vision console.

### Launch

The Merlin was launched by Parker Brothers in 1978. The Merlin cost $25 dollars or $35 dollars. In 1979 the Merlin continued to sell well.
In 1982 the Master Merlin was launched. In 1996 the screen based system Merlin, the 10th quest was released. A smaller, more power efficient Merlin was released in 2004.

## Technology

The Merlin is powered by a 4 bit Texas Instruments TMS1100 processor. When ordered in bulk, the TMS1000 was inexpensive, and cost around $2.
The Merlin has 48 bytes of RAM and two kilobytes of ROM.

## System Gallery

* A 1978 Merlin Electronic Wizard.
* A 1982 Master Merlin.
* A Commemorative Gold Merlin mounted on a plaque.
* A TMS1100 microcontroller in a Merlin. Red display LEDs can be seen.

## External Resources

* Centre for Computing History - Merlin the Electronic Wizard page.
* Computer History Museum - Merlin page.
* Handheld Museum - Merlin page.
* Handheld Museum - Master Merlin page.
* Handheld Museum - Merlin the 10th quest page.

## References

* ↑ Forman, Ethan. "Brokers look to reposition former Parker Brothers building". Salem News. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
* ↑ Datamation. Technical Publishing Company. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
* 1 2 "Handheld video game:Merlin: The Electronic Wizard - Parker Brothers". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
* ↑ Thompson, Jacqueline. Future Rich: The People, Companies, and Industries Creating America's Next Fortunes. W. Morrow. ISBN 978-0-688-04039-0. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
* 1 2 3 4 "Xconomy: Bob Doyle and the Magic of Merlin, the First Mobile Game - Page 2 of 2". Xconomy. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ "Obituary of Arthur Venditti Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Homes". ccbfuneral.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* 1 2 3 Zito, Tom (19 December 1978). "Wired-Up Wizards". Washington Post. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ Noble, Barbara Presley (20 December 1992). "At Work; Here's a Switch -- Keep the Job (Published 1992)". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ "Interview: Ben Herman, former SNK Playmore USA president". Retrieved 20 November 2020.
* ↑ The Washingtonian. Washington Magazine, Incorporated. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
* ↑ New Products and Processes. Newsweek, Incorporated. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
* ↑ Muir, John Kenneth (2 September 2016). "The Electronic Wizard: Remembering MERLIN (Parker Bros; 1978)". Flashbak. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ "Parker Brothers Merlin, The 10th Quest". www.handheldmuseum.com. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ S, Scott. "Milton Bradley's Merlin:The Electronic Wizard". Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ "Dave From EEVBlog Takes A Look At The Merlin Game From 1978!". Xadara. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ "The TMS1000: The First Commercially Available Microcontroller". Hackaday. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
* ↑ "The Chip Collection - STATE OF THE ART - Smithsonian Institution". smithsonianchips.si.edu. Retrieved 12 November 2020.