History of video games/Platforms/Entex Adventure Vision
-
The Entex Adventure Vision tabletop console.
History
editThe Entex Adventure Vision was released in 1982 at a cost of $79.99.[1][2]
A minimum of 10,000 units were produced,[3][4] though some sources give sales figures of as high as 50,000 consoles sold.[2] The system was discontinued about a year after launch.[5] The system is incredibly fragile and prone to failure, which coupled with a small production run make still functioning units rare.[3][5]
Despite its obscurity, the Adventure Vision stands out in an era flooded with copycats and clones for its unique, if flawed, design choices.
Technology
editCompute
edit
The Entex Adventure Vision uses an Intel 8048 CPU clocked at 733 kilohertz.[2][6]
A National Semiconductor COP411L microcontroller clocked at 52.6 kilohertz handles audio for the Adventure Vision.[2][6][7]
The Adventure Vision has one kilobyte of RAM with an additional 64 bytes in the Intel 8048.[2] A BIOS is stored in one kilobyte of ROM.[6]
Display
editThe display consisted of 40 red LEDs and an oscillating mirror that reflected those lights to a glass panel fifteen times a second.[1] This mechanism makes the console rather fragile.[3] Some have noted the similarity of the display to the mechanism used in the later Virtual Boy,[2] the primary difference being that this display in the Entex Adventure Vision is not stereoscopic.
The resolution of the red monochrome display is 150 by 40 pixels.[4]
Hardware
editSimilar to the Vectrex, the Adventure Vision is a table top unit, self contained with its own display built in, but too unwieldy and large to be used as a proper handheld. The system is designed for ambidextrous use,[2] an excellent accessibility feature.
Game library
editOnly four game cartridges were made for the Entex Adventure Vision.[5] All games for the Adventure Vision were ports of existing arcade games.
- Defender - Shooter. This game was included with the Adventure Vision.[5]
- Super Cobra - Shooter
- Space Force - Similar to Asteroids.
- Turtles - Similar to Pac Man.
References
edit
| Parts of this page are based on materials from: Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia. |
- ↑ a b "2 Rare Video Game Consoles You've Probably Never Heard Of". Fanbyte. 12 January 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ↑ a b c d e f g "Entex Adventure Vision". Video Game Console Library. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ↑ a b c "Entex Adventure Vision". www.handheldmuseum.com. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ↑ a b "Extremely rare Adventure Vision system up on eBay". Engadget. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ↑ a b c d Dunn, Jeff. "Chasing Phantoms - The history of failed consoles". gamesradar. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
- ↑ a b c "Dan B's Atari Adventurevision Tech Page". www.atarihq.com. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- ↑ "Entex Adventure Vision". thegamesdb.net. Retrieved 3 December 2020.