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The Wide Angle: 10 Defunct TV Technologies

By Alyssa Danigelis

TV Pow!

Maybe "powpowpowpowpowpowpowpowpow" should be turned into a ring tone.

8. 1978: TV Powww!
Sivowitch concedes that beyond the classic 1970s game Pong, the Smithsonian's historical video game collection is rather small. In 1978, the television show "TV Powww!" aired on 79 stations and brought the arcade into living rooms. During short segments, kids called into their local television station for a chance to play and win prizes. While the caller was on the phone, a Pong-like video game would appear on the TV screen. When the caller said "pow!" someone back at the station aimed for the target onscreen, only the analog delay made the timing off. "Fortunately, spazzy kids conquered the problem by shrieking 'powpowpowpowpow powpowpowpow' into their telephones," vintage gadget blogger Bohus Blahut reminisced on RetroThing.com.

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The Wide Angle: 10 Defunct TV Technologies

TV Pow!

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