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History of video games/Platforms/Unisonic Champion 2711

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History edit

Development edit

 
New York City in 1977, where Unisonic Products Corporation was Headquartered.

The system was developed and manufactured in Japan beginning near the end of 1977.[1] However Unisonic Products Corporation itself was headquartered in New York City in the United States of America.[1][2]

The system was marketed with a simple endorsement from sports commentator Jimmy the Greek, real name Jimmy Snyder.[1]

Launch edit

The system was released in the United States of America in 1978.[3]

The system saw a Japanese release in February of 1979 under the new name of Casino TV Games.[3][1]

Legacy edit

It is estimated that only around 500 Champion 2711 consoles were produced,[4] with some collectors only being able to confirm the existence of 13 consoles.[1] The system is remembered today for it's particular quirks which lead to low quality games.[4] The system represents a transitional time in the development of video game consoles, and shows the struggles of attempting to transition from production of dedicated consoles to early cartridge based consoles.

Despite it's obscurity emulation support for the system was eventually added to MESS 0.167.[5] Associated project MAME 0.167 was released on October 28th, 2015.[6]

Technology edit

The Unisonic Champion was powered by the capable 16-bit CP1610 CPU clocked at 2 megahertz.[7][1] The system also had 512 bytes of RAM through twin TMS4043NL chips, containing 256 bytes of RAM each.[1] However the system was limited by it's unorthodox GPU, the General Instrument AY-3-8800-1.[7] Because of this chip, the Unisonic Champion 2711 was uniquely limited to text and playing card graphics.[8] The system output at a resolution of 213 pixels by 132 pixels in 4 set colors of white, black, green, and red.[7][1] The system could generate simple audio tones.[9]

The system is contained on a densely packed green PCB.[1]

The Unisonic takes DC power in at 15 volts and 1 amp.[1]

Gallery edit

  •  
    Pinout for the CP1600 CPU
  •  
    Unisonic was familiar with the electronic cardgame market, having produced this 1977 Blackjack computer.

References edit

 

Wikipedia has related information at Unisonic Products Corporation  and Jimmy Snyder (sports commentator)

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Unisonic Products Corporation

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j "Unisonic Champion 2711 FAQ". Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  2. ↑ "Unisonic Products Corporation". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  3. ↑ a b Manikas, Pantelis. "Unisonic Champion 2711". The voice of the gaming community. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  4. ↑ a b Robson, Paul (2012-12-21). "Worst.Console.Ever: The Worst.Console.Ever". Worst.Console.Ever. https://worstconsole.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-worstconsoleever.html. 
  5. ↑ Dc, Sly (2016-06-01). "LÖVE M.E.S.S. & M.A.M.E.: Unisonic Champion 2711". LÖVE M.E.S.S. & M.A.M.E.. https://discreteconsoles.blogspot.com/2016/06/unisonic-champion-2711.html. 
  6. ↑ "MAME | Previous Releases". www.mamedev.org. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  7. ↑ a b c "Champion 2711 |Pre-83". pre83.com. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "Every Video Game Console Ranked From WORST To BEST". Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  9. ↑ "Unisonic Champion 2711". Retrieved 9 June 2021.
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