History of video games/Platforms/Elektor TV Games Computer

History

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Development

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Phillips and Elektor jointly developed the system.[1]

Launch

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The kit was released in April of 1979 with that month's edition of Elektor magazine.[2][1] The price ranged between 200 and 300 British pounds.[1]

By November 1979, Elektor reported that the system was well received by its readers.[3][4]

Legacy

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The system is emulated by the WinArcadia and AmiArcadia emulator software.[5]

The system was still referenced in Elektor magazine in September 1982,[6] indicating interest in the platform.

Technology

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The system used a Signetics 2650A as a CPU.[2][1] A Signetics 2636 Programmable Video Interface is used to generate video output as a PAL format video signal.[1]

Long loading times of several minutes were a source of frustration for owners of this system.[6]

Notes

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There is a Wikibook on Signetics 2650 & 2636 programming.

This system is abbreviated as the TVGC.[7]

References

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  1. a b c d e "Elektor TV Games Computer (1979)" (in en). Elektor. https://www.elektormagazine.com/magazine/elektor-200810/18930. 
  2. a b Tišnovský, Pavel (September 17, 2020). "Mikropočítače založené na čipu RCA 1802" (in cs). Root.cz. https://www.root.cz/clanky/mikropocitace-zalozene-na-cipu-rca-1802/. 
  3. "I played TV games (2)" (in en). Elektor. November 1979. https://www.elektormagazine.com/magazine/elektor-197911/58506. 
  4. A third party source would be nice.
  5. "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
  6. a b "Rapid loading games - for the TV games computer" (in en). Elektor. September 1982. https://www.elektormagazine.com/magazine/elektor-198209/44943. 
  7. "Elektor TV Games Computer Gaming Guide". amigan.yatho.com. Retrieved 30 May 2022.