[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"bootstrap:console-categories":3,"$f3e1fn8p19ixu3":38},[4,16,27],{"id":5,"name":6,"alias":7,"photo":8},1,"Handheld Consoles","handheld",{"alt":9,"large":10,"medium":13,"thumb":14,"mini":15},"handheld console category",{"URL":11,"webpURL":11,"width":12,"height":12},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fhandheld-console-category.svg",0,{"URL":11,"webpURL":11,"width":12,"height":12},{"URL":11,"webpURL":11,"width":12,"height":12},{"URL":11,"webpURL":11,"width":12,"height":12},{"id":17,"name":18,"alias":19,"photo":20},22,"Home Consoles","home-consoles",{"alt":21,"large":22,"medium":24,"thumb":25,"mini":26},"home console category",{"URL":23,"webpURL":23,"width":12,"height":12},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fhome-console-category.svg",{"URL":23,"webpURL":23,"width":12,"height":12},{"URL":23,"webpURL":23,"width":12,"height":12},{"URL":23,"webpURL":23,"width":12,"height":12},{"id":28,"name":29,"alias":30,"photo":31},3,"Hybrid Consoles","hybrid",{"alt":32,"large":33,"medium":35,"thumb":36,"mini":37},"hybrid console category",{"URL":34,"webpURL":34,"width":12,"height":12},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fhybrid-console-category.svg",{"URL":34,"webpURL":34,"width":12,"height":12},{"URL":34,"webpURL":34,"width":12,"height":12},{"URL":34,"webpURL":34,"width":12,"height":12},{"id":39,"name":40,"subtitle":41,"alias":42,"updated_at":43,"created_at":43,"description":44,"seo_title":45,"game_related":5,"pc_related":12,"photo":46,"nickname":68,"publish":69,"author":72,"meta":74,"reading_duration":77,"category":78,"related_consoles":75,"related_posts":87},309,"PlayCable: Downloading games through Cable TV in the 80s","Game pass before it was cool","playcable-downloading-games-through-cable-tv-in-the-80s","2026-08-16 22:42:59","\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">Think downloadable console games are a modern invention? Cute. But no. PlayCable Intellivision had this option before it was cool.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">Back in \u003Cstrong>1980\u003C\u002Fstrong>, when everyone was swapping cartridges and the internet was still very far from invading every aspect of our life, Intellivision owners could \u003Cstrong>download videogames directly into their console\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">Yes. In 1980.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">They did it by using \u003Cstrong>PlayCable, \u003C\u002Fstrong>developed by \u003Cstrong>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fen.wikipedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FMattel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Mattel Electronics\u003C\u002Fa> and General Instrument\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">PlayCable was a subscription service for the \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fgamemedium.com\u002Fconsole\u002Fintellivision\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"\">Intellivision \u003C\u002Fa>that distributed videogames through \u003Cstrong>cable television lines\u003C\u002Fstrong>. PlayCable Intellivision subscribers received a special adapter that plugged into the console's cartridge slot and connected to their cable service. Switch it on and, instead of inserting a cartridge, there was a menu filled with games ready to download.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">Sounds suspiciously familiar, huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">At first, there were \u003Cstrong>15 rotating games\u003C\u002Fstrong>, later expanding to 20, and they were changing every month. So players all they had to do was to pick a game, wait for about \u003Cstrong>10–20 seconds\u003C\u002Fstrong>, and the game would be loaded into the adapter's memory. And no physical cartridge required. No trip to the store. Your cable company was the videogame store.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">In 1980.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">But ok, let's be serious. Calling PlayCable the literal Xbox Game Pass of the '80s would be a little too much. There was no internet connection, no cloud saves and no achievements informing your friends that you had just spent six hours trying to beat the same boss. Trying. But never succeeding.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">However, the core idea is pretty much the same: \u003Cstrong>pay a subscription and gain access to a regularly changing library of downloadable games\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">But you couldn't have multiple games installed at once. The PlayCable adapter contained only \u003Cstrong>8K of RAM\u003C\u002Fstrong> and had no permanent storage, meaning every game disappeared after the system was switched off. Want to play again tomorrow? Download it again. But games used to be small so there was not a lot of waiting time.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">Unfortunately, PlayCable's futuristic ambitions didn't guarantee success. Equipment was expensive for cable operators, newer Intellivision games ended up becoming too large for the adapter's limited memory, and the videogame crash of 1983 certainly didn't help. The service disappeared in \u003Cstrong>1984\u003C\u002Fstrong>.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">But its legacy lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">Decades before Game Pass, \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fgamemedium.com\u002Fconsole\u002Fplaystation\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"\">PlayStation \u003C\u002Fa>Plus or digital storefronts become the norm, someone had already looked at a television cable and thought about selling videogames through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\u003Cp style=\"text-align: left\">And somehow, it worked.\u003C\u002Fp>","PlayCable: Gamers Were Downloading Games Through Cable TV in 1980'",{"alt":47,"large":48,"medium":53,"thumb":58,"mini":63},"PlayCable Intellivision",{"URL":49,"webpURL":50,"width":51,"height":52},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FPlayCableIntellivision.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FPlayCableIntellivision.webp",1920,1080,{"URL":54,"webpURL":55,"width":56,"height":57},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FPlayCableIntellivision-md.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FPlayCableIntellivision-md.webp",889,500,{"URL":59,"webpURL":60,"width":61,"height":62},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FPlayCableIntellivision-thumb.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FPlayCableIntellivision-thumb.webp",356,200,{"URL":64,"webpURL":65,"width":66,"height":67},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FPlayCableIntellivision-mini.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FPlayCableIntellivision-mini.webp",75,42,"Sofia Evangelidou",{"date":70},{"start":71},"2026-08-16T22:42:59.000000Z",{"id":28,"username":73,"nickname":68,"alias":73},"sofia-evangelidou",{"indexing":75,"description":76},null,"Before Game Pass, there was PlayCable. Read how Intellivision gamers downloaded games through cable TV in 1980, decades before digital stores existed.",2,[79,83],{"id":80,"name":81,"alias":82},10,"Console History","console-history",{"id":84,"name":85,"alias":86},9,"Gaming History","gaming-history",[88,119,153,182],{"id":89,"name":90,"alias":91,"photo":92,"nickname":109,"publish":110,"author":113,"reading_duration":116,"category":117},142,"Crazy for Otto, crazy for the Ms.","crazy-for-otto-crazy-for-the-ms",{"alt":93,"large":94,"medium":99,"thumb":103,"mini":106},"MS PAC MAN crazy otto animation system extra",{"URL":95,"webpURL":96,"width":97,"height":98},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FMS-PAC-MAN-crazy-otto-animation-system-extra.png","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FMS-PAC-MAN-crazy-otto-animation-system-extra.webp",1030,578,{"URL":100,"webpURL":101,"width":102,"height":57},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FMS-PAC-MAN-crazy-otto-animation-system-extra-md.png","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FMS-PAC-MAN-crazy-otto-animation-system-extra-md.webp",891,{"URL":104,"webpURL":105,"width":61,"height":62},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FMS-PAC-MAN-crazy-otto-animation-system-extra-thumb.png","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FMS-PAC-MAN-crazy-otto-animation-system-extra-thumb.webp",{"URL":107,"webpURL":108,"width":66,"height":67},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FMS-PAC-MAN-crazy-otto-animation-system-extra-mini.png","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002FMS-PAC-MAN-crazy-otto-animation-system-extra-mini.webp","Mario",{"date":111},{"start":112},"2026-05-03T12:28:00.000000Z",{"id":114,"username":115,"nickname":109,"alias":115},5,"mario",4,[118],{"id":84,"name":85,"alias":86},{"id":120,"name":121,"alias":122,"photo":123,"nickname":109,"publish":141,"author":144,"reading_duration":145,"category":146},274,"THE FIRST EASTER EGG IN VIDEOGAMES","easter-egg-101",{"alt":124,"large":125,"medium":129,"thumb":133,"mini":137},"pong game retro easter egg art background",{"URL":126,"webpURL":127,"width":51,"height":128},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fpong-game-retro-easter-egg-art-background.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fpong-game-retro-easter-egg-art-background.webp",960,{"URL":130,"webpURL":131,"width":132,"height":57},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fpong-game-retro-easter-egg-art-background-md.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fpong-game-retro-easter-egg-art-background-md.webp",1000,{"URL":134,"webpURL":135,"width":136,"height":62},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fpong-game-retro-easter-egg-art-background-thumb.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fpong-game-retro-easter-egg-art-background-thumb.webp",400,{"URL":138,"webpURL":139,"width":66,"height":140},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fpong-game-retro-easter-egg-art-background-mini.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fpong-game-retro-easter-egg-art-background-mini.webp",38,{"date":142},{"start":143},"2026-05-01T15:25:00.000000Z",{"id":114,"username":115,"nickname":109,"alias":115},17,[147,148,152],{"id":80,"name":81,"alias":82},{"id":149,"name":150,"alias":151},12,"Gaming Development","gaming-development",{"id":84,"name":85,"alias":86},{"id":154,"name":155,"alias":156,"photo":157,"nickname":68,"publish":175,"author":178,"reading_duration":77,"category":179},295,"Why did Nintendo laugh at Microsoft’s face for an hour?","why-did-nintendo-laugh-at-microsoft-s-face-for-an-hour",{"alt":158,"large":159,"medium":163,"thumb":167,"mini":171},"nintendo es and japanese flag",{"URL":160,"webpURL":161,"width":51,"height":162},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fnintendo-es-and-japanese-flag.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fnintendo-es-and-japanese-flag.webp",1200,{"URL":164,"webpURL":165,"width":166,"height":57},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fnintendo-es-and-japanese-flag-md.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fnintendo-es-and-japanese-flag-md.webp",800,{"URL":168,"webpURL":169,"width":170,"height":62},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fnintendo-es-and-japanese-flag-thumb.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fnintendo-es-and-japanese-flag-thumb.webp",320,{"URL":172,"webpURL":173,"width":66,"height":174},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fnintendo-es-and-japanese-flag-mini.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fnintendo-es-and-japanese-flag-mini.webp",47,{"date":176},{"start":177},"2026-01-01T16:46:00.000000Z",{"id":28,"username":73,"nickname":68,"alias":73},[180,181],{"id":80,"name":81,"alias":82},{"id":84,"name":85,"alias":86},{"id":183,"name":184,"alias":185,"photo":186,"nickname":68,"publish":200,"author":203,"reading_duration":77,"category":204},306,"The Future of Gaming","the-future-of-gaming",{"alt":187,"large":188,"medium":191,"thumb":194,"mini":197},"gaming consoles",{"URL":189,"webpURL":190,"width":51,"height":52},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fgaming-consoles.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fgaming-consoles.webp",{"URL":192,"webpURL":193,"width":56,"height":57},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fgaming-consoles-md.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fgaming-consoles-md.webp",{"URL":195,"webpURL":196,"width":61,"height":62},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fgaming-consoles-thumb.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fgaming-consoles-thumb.webp",{"URL":198,"webpURL":199,"width":66,"height":67},"https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fgaming-consoles-mini.jpg","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia.gamemedium.com\u002Fgaming-consoles-mini.webp",{"date":201},{"start":202},"2021-10-15T16:09:43.000000Z",{"id":28,"username":73,"nickname":68,"alias":73},[205,206],{"id":80,"name":81,"alias":82},{"id":84,"name":85,"alias":86}]