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Merlin (console)
Early handheld electronic video game / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Merlin (also known as Merlin The Electronic Wizard, stylized as MERLIN) is a handheld electronic game first made by Parker Brothers in 1978.
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Quick Facts Also known as, Developer ...
![]() Merlin playing Magic Square | |
Also known as | Merlin The Electronic Wizard |
---|---|
Developer | Parker Brothers |
Manufacturer | Parker Brothers |
Type | Handheld electronic game |
Generation | First generation |
Release date | 1978 |
Units sold | >5 million |
CPU | Texas Instruments TMS1100[1][2] |
Memory | 48 bytes of RAM[3] |
Display | Matrix with 11 LED buttons |
Sound | Played through internal speaker |
Input | 11 LED buttons + 4 buttons + on/off switch |
Power | Batteries: 6 AA batteries Power supply: AC adaptor (nominal: 9 Volt DC at 75 milliamps / maximum: 10.5 Volt DC at 5 milliamps / minimum: 7.5 Volt DC at 150 milliamps) |
Mass | 250 gram (no batteries)/391 gram (with batteries) |
Website | theelectronicwizard |
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The game was invented by former NASA employee Bob Doyle, his wife Holly, and brother-in-law Wendl Thomis.[4] Merlin is notable as one of the earliest and most popular handheld games, selling over 5 million units during its initial run, as well as one of the most long-lived, remaining popular throughout the 1980s. A version of the game was re-released in 2004 by the Milton Bradley Company.