A short-lived American casino equipment manufacturer once developed a modern gaming platform in the 1990s. Silicon Gaming set out to significantly advance the entertainment aspect of slot machines. The machine was called the “Odyssey.” It had an immediate cult popularity, which included me. But, it was not enough to save it.
The Odyssey – Ahead of Its Time
Silicon Gaming’s Odyssey, and its futuristic game platform, adorned many casino floors for the few years Silicon manufactured them. It was quite the departure from previous casino video games. Just its appearance made it different. But what was inside was ahead of its time.
The Graphics
Silicon Gaming introduced the futuristic Odyssey slot machine in a large white rectangular cabinet, a system with advanced 3D graphics. They had graphics that were far and away the best in the gaming business at the time. And its large screen made it better than any other slot machine to play at the time.
AGS CEO David Lopez was once quoted as saying, “To be fair, Silicon Gaming is probably light years ahead of the rest of the industry.” Similar graphics started popping up by other manufacturers 10 or 12 years later,
The Games
The Odyssey Touch Screen Video Slot was a multi-game slot machine. The games were fun, each containing different levels of play. For example, when you hit a payoff, you would go into other screens for more winnings. Click on the links to see the Odyssey’s graphics. Here are the games usually available to play:
- VIDEO POKER – different presentation from today’s IGT Multi Hand Games. Numerous video poker variations were available at that time. Players could bet up to 20 coins per play,
- Lucky Draw 4 Hand Video Poker – MULTI-DECK DRAW POKER (front)
- Lucky Draw Poker Variation- It had four hands to play, with the dealt hand shown. Above were the four hands showing the drawn cards. Players ante up and are dealt up to four hands and given the chance to quadruple their winnings. The cards flip for the exchange, and gunshots ring through the air as jackpots are won.
- SLOT MACHINES
- 3 Reel Hold Up (front)
- Silver Bell Express (front) – single line Train Theme – Four random bonuses stopping at old West train stations
- Vacation USA (front, back)
- Eureka! (Miner’s There)- slot machine (front) – 4X4, 9 lines with bonus round. Touching the mining car, sign, cat etc would make them animated like many touch screen games today.
- Big Buckaroo (front, back)
- Cash Cruise (front)
- BLACKJACK
- Top Hat 21 (front, back) single-hand format, with dealer’s hands taking care of dealing game. Double Win feature. At random times, the dealer adds random credits like Mr. Cashman machines. Music is typical of the riverboat era. The graphics are amazing (and kind of creepy at first sight.) Think of “Thing,” from The Addams Family, as a magician dealing with only white gloves.
Silicon Gaming – Trials, Tribulations and Take Over
The company prided itself on its development process. But the tradeoffs made during the development of the Odyssey slot machine led to Silicon’s brief history.
- Silicon Gaming was founded in 1993 in Palo Alto, California.
- The company went public in August 1996.
- In 1997, Silicon had just $9.6 million in revenue and lost $23 million.
- Then, according to a 1998 Forbes article, Silicon Gaming was asking casinos to pay $12,500 for each Odyssey machine – nearly double the cost for games at the time.
- In 2001, Silicon Gaming, the company that made the Odyssey, was bought out by IGT
Manufacturing Ended Quickly
Silicon’s games never did well. They crashed and burned fast. They were way ahead of their time, light years ahead. It’s not uncommon for companies that are light years ahead to fail. Some trailblazers break through, as with Silicon Gaming. But the bad news is their products aren’t always embraced by the players.
For some of us who played the Odyssey for its short casino life, it was one of the best slot machines ever made at the time
My Story with the Odyssey
The first time I played the Odyssey’s Lucky Draw 4 Hand Video Poker, it was at the California Downtown. As is with all first success stories, I hit a Royal Flush, and this multi-game slot became my favorite. A few years later, my wife and I walked into a very empty Desert Inn. Rumors were rampant about Steve Wynn buying it, closing it, and imploding it.
As we walked around the spacious casino floor, there they were: four Odysseys quietly unplayed. You can guess what happened. I played, I hit a “Royal,” I collected, and we walked out.
Takeaway
After that, finding these machines was difficult. Now owned by IGT, parts were hard to come by. Within a few years, they were gone from casino floors everywhere.
Some companies have had great success with new products. Silicon Gaming was one of those barrier breakers. The only problem was that their games were a decade before their time. In my opinion, they should be in the (Gaming) Hall of Fame. The only problem was that the games were a decade before their time.
Don’t it always seem to go That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone…
Joni Mitchell’s 1970 song Big Yellow Taxi.
