History of video games/Print version/Second Generation of Video Game Consoles

Second generation of video game consoles

Trends

Flooded Market

A huge number of consoles and video games flooded the market. Many of these consoles and games were low quality, and made it difficult for consoles offering innovative features or quality games to compete. This was one factor which lead to the video game crash of 1983.

Digital programmable computers

This generation, many game consoles contained basic 8-bit computers. Rarely 4-bit and 16-bit computers would be used, like in the Game & Watch platform (4-bit) or the Intellivision (16-bit), though this had minimal impact on console graphics which were primarily constrained by other factors. Cartridge based systems became normal during this generation, and the introduction of digital programmable computers allowed game consoles to run software, which permitted more varied games than what the console designers originally intended.

Representative Graphics

This generation saw increased graphical capabilities of home game consoles, leading to less reliance on simple squares and rectangles in conjunction with overlays, and evolving to simple pixel artwork and rarely vector art. The pivotal choice between industry support for raster or vector graphics technology would hugely affect the industry going forward, with many genres of games favoring one or the other. The ultimate success of the use of raster graphics this generation would lead to their dominant use until the fifth generation of consoles. While these graphics would quickly be considered quite outdated by the mid to late 1980's, this step was a huge leap in quality and allowed more arcade style games to be played on home consoles.

This generation saw the first handheld consoles with basic screens. The displays were typically not visible in the dark and were monochrome only, but they still offered an improvement over the previous approach of using a few basic single color lights as output.

References

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  The Acetronic MPU 1000, one of the many consoles based on the 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System

History

The 1292 Advanced Video Programmable Video System was released in either 1976 or 1978.

Technology

The 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System is powered by an 8-bit Signetics 2650AI processor clocked at about 887kHz.

A Signetics 2636N Programmable Video Interface (PVI) chip clocked at 3.58 megahertz is used for graphics, capable of rendering four sprites, a background grid and four score digits. By programming in real-time during each scan of the TV picture, the sprites may be reprogrammed further down the screen. Similarly, score digits may be displayed at both the top and bottom of the screen. All video is generated from 113 registers in the PVI. As such, there is no video RAM in this system. The PVI also provides the programmer with 37 bytes of scratch memory that maybe used for variables. A few games cartridges for these consoles such as chess included an extra 1kB of RAM.

Games

Two games were specific to the Voltmace Database.

System Gallery

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  The Grundig Super Play Computer 4000 variant.
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  Acetronic MPU 1000 PCB

External Resources

• IGDB - 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System page with history and specs.
• Video Game Console Library - Page with history, specs, and photos of variants.

References

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  An APF-MP1000 with controller removed from console.

History

Launch

The APF-MP1000 was released in 1978 to replace the older APF TV Fun line of consoles. Uniquely for the time, the APF-MP1000 could be expanded into the Imagination Machine home computer via use of an add on module called the MPA-10. The full Imagination Machine cost $599 and was released by 1979. This price was considered low compared to competitors. The Imagination Machine was developed by Ed Smith, one of the first African American engineers in the video game industry.

Legacy

Between 20,000, and 50,000 APF-MP1000 consoles were sold.

APF saw its revenue drop 97% between 1981 and the video game crash of 1983. Figures like this show the huge impact of the video game crash on company bottom lines. An Imagination Machine II was said to be planned but was never released.

Technology

The APF-MP1000 uses an 8-bit Motorola 6800 CPU clocked at 3.579 megahertz. This processor is not to be confused with the Motorola 68000, a more advanced processor commonly used on consoles several years following the launch of the MP1000.

The system has just 1 kilobyte of RAM. The Imagination Machine computer upgrade gave the system 9 kilobytes of total RAM.

Notable games

12 games were released for the APF-MP1000.

The system has the game Rocket Patrol built-in to the system.

Gallery

Console

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  The detachable controllers fit snugly on the console top.
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  Cartridge slot, reset button, and power button are built into the console center.
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  The wood grain accent wraps around the unit.
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  Controller cables are attached on the back of the console.
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  The console with controllers removed from the holders.
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  A power jack is on the back of the console.
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  The bottom of the console contains small bumpers to give some clearance to the console.

Detachable controllers

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Internals

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Technology

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  The APF-MP1000 Power Supply.
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  The die of a Motorola 6800 CPU, similar to the one used in the APF-MP1000.

References

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  The Emmerson Arcadia 2001.

History

The Emerson Booth can be seen in this photo of the 1982 Chicago CES. An advertisement for the Arcadia 2001 can be seen prominently on the left part of their booth pillar.

Phillips created an example platform for one of their chipsets, leading to a number of small mostly compatible consoles based on their specifications, one of the most popular being the Emerson Arcadia 2001. Other notable compatible systems included the German Tele-Fever and the officially licensed Canadian console Leisure Vision.

Emerson Radio cooperation released the Emerson Arcadia 2001 in 1982.

Thousands of game cartridges for the Arcadia 2001 were barred from sale due to legal issues.

Technology

Compute

The console is powered by a Signetics 2650A CPU clocked at 3.58 MHz.

The system has 1 kilobyte of RAM. Some materials suggested the Emerson Arcadia 2001 had 28 or 24 kilobytes of RAM, which was not true.

Gallery

Console

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  The Arcadia 2001 with controllers docked.
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  The Arcadia 2001 without controllers.
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  The bottom of the unit containing serial number, regulatory information, and a quality control sticker.
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  Rear of the unit with channel switch, and DC power input.

Controller

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  Each controller is labeled along the bottom. This is the left hand controller.
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  The joystick could be unscrewed, as seen here.
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  Phillips head screws hold the controller together.

Teardown

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  Left and right controllers technically use plugs, but on the inside of the console.
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  Significant RF shielding lines the bottom of the Arcadia 2001.
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  The internals propped open, revealing more RF shielding, as well as cables leading to the front buttons.
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  Bottom of the case.
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  The top of the Motherboard. Note the lack of PCB traces on the top of the board.
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  The bottom of the Motherboard contains a number of hand soldered jumper wires.
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  RF Shielding separates the outside world, the motherboard, and the power supply.
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  A large ferrite ring is used on the power supply cable, which helps noise suppression.
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  The bottom of the motherboard. A mark can be seen in the upper left.
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  The bottom of the motherboard.
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  Die of the Signetics 2650A, the model of CPU used in the Arcadia 2001.
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  A 1975 advertisement for the Signetics 2650 processor, advertising its ease of use. Note that ease of use referred to implementing the hardware, with less attention paid to software.

References

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  The Atari 2600 with joystick.

History

Development

Development of hardware which would become the Atari 2600 had begun by December 1975. The prototype of the Atari 2600 was based on a Jolt card, which used a 6502 processor. Software for the console was developed on a DEC PDP-11 minicomputer, which despite the classification name was a computer about the size of a refrigerator. (And thus much smaller then room sized mainframes)

Atari at CES 1982.

Launch

Logo for the Atari 2600.

The Atari 2600 was launched in 1977. At launch the Atari 2600 cost $199. Atari was able to leverage their strong arcade game brands to create home ports the same games - achieving massive market success.

Early Atari 2600 units featured six switches and heavy RF shielding, which were later reduced to four switches and lighter shielding.

In 1981 VCS cartridges cost as little as $20 and as much as $35.

The launch of the Atari 5200 in 1982 may have harmed Atari 2600 sales, though a lack of coordination within Atari led to the Atari 2600 overshadowing it anyway.

The 2700, a version of the 2600 with support for wireless controllers, was planned for a 1981 release but was scrapped with only a few prototype units being produced.

The Video Game Crash

The combined success of Atari products in the home and in the arcade made the company a captain of industry, and the name Atari itself had become a cultural icon synonymous with video games and high technology. By 1982 Atari products had become so popular that it triggered an early panic among parents regarding possible negative effects of video games. By 1983 some politicians involved in promoting new high tech industries in the United States were labeled as "Atari Democrats", a moniker which shows just how much pull Atari had on the public mindshare. However this influence was not to last long, and Atari as well as the rest of the North American video game industry would soon find itself under an existential threat.

A major Christmas 1982 title, ET, was rushed into development and given only five and a half weeks of development time. A contributing factor to the glut of systems and games on the market came from Atari requiring retailers to overstock their systems. The game performed poorly on the market and caused massive financial harm to Atari.

Landfill

Atari cartridge unearthed at the Alamogordo, New Mexico landfill dig in 2013.

In September 1983 Atari disposed of surplus cartridges in a Alamogordo, New Mexico landfill. This fact became an urban legend as time went on, until it was confirmed in a landfill dig. Cartridges were found following 30 feet of digging. The recovery project caused many to look at archeology in a new light, due to the recovery of something relatively recent.

Later life and discontinuation

Following Nintendo's revival of the American video game market, Atari relaunched the system as the Atari 2600 Jr. in 1986. The system was discontinued in 1992, making the 2600 among the longest lasting consoles on the market.

Legacy

The Atari 2600 remained an iconic gaming system long after it was discontinued.

In 2021 various Atari 2600 games were used to demonstrate machine learning techniques at the organization Uber AI.

In 2021 It was announced that Atari would begin producing new Atari 2600 cartridges as part of the Atari XP line.

Myths

Due to its cultural prominence, a number of historically inaccurate myths have emerged regarding the system. One such false myth is that the blind musician Stevie Wonder was a spokesman for the system, though he was not.

Technology

Compute

The NTSC 2600 palette.

The Atari 2600 used a MPU (CPU), the 8 bit MOS 6507 (Low cost version of the MOS 6502) clocked at 1.19MHz. This processor was bottlenecked somewhat by poor IO performance. A special chip is used to assist with graphics and sounds called the Television Interface Adapter (TIA) which contains about 10,000 transistors and handles two (first version) or three (Later revision) sprites. The Atari 2600 had 128 bytes of RAM, and up to a 4KB ROM.

Some games, such as Pitfall II, used expansion chips to enhance the graphical and audio capabilities of the Atari 2600.

Because of it's limitations, developers resorted to a number of tricks to make the most of the system performance. As an example, some skilled commercial developers and skilled Demoscene creators would later be able to push to Atari 2600 to perform pseudo 3D Games or simple 3D via raycasting.

Controller

A third party motion sensing controller that used mercury switches, the Le Stick, was released for the system. This is a notable example of an early motion controller for a home console.

Notable games

Over 500 games were released for the Atari 2600.

1977

Illustration of the Atari 2600 game Combat. Actual graphics were bitmap, and thus the rotated tanks would look blockier on real hardware.

• Combat - Launch title and common pack-in cartridge, based on the arcade hit games Tank (1974) and Jet Fighter (1975).

Video Olympics screenshot.

• Video Olympics - Launch title

1978

• Super Breakout - port of the 1975 arcade game (see Pong and Breakout), using full-color graphics, instead of the black and white of the original version.

1979

• Superman

1980

• Space Invaders

Adventure

Adventure was an early game in the Action adventure genre. This game contained the first example of an Easter Egg in a game, the name of it's programmer Warren Robinett, as a way to protest Atari's decision not to credit programmers.

1981

• Asteroids
• Missile Command
• Laser Blast
• Freeway
• Kaboom!

1982

• Pitfall!
• Yars' Revenge
• Donkey Kong - Port
• Pac-Man - Port
• Frogger
• Demon Attack
• Atlantis
• Megamania
• Cosmic Ark
• Centipede
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

River Raid

River Raid was an early console game to use procedural generation to save limited console resources.

Notably, this game became the first to be banned in West Germany in 1984 as it portrayed paramilitary content.

Read more about River Raid on Wikipedia.

1983

Pepsi Invaders

Pepsi Invaders is among the rarest games for the system with only 125 copies produced by Coca-Cola working with Atari.

Read more about Pepsi Invaders on Wikipedia.

Gallery

Console variants

Wood veneer

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  A four switch Atari 2600 with wood grain finish.
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  The cartridge slot is located in the top bulge of the unit.
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  The back of the unit contains two controller ports.
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  The back of the unit also contains the power jack, and some less used switches.

Wood veneer light sixer

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  A wood veneer Atari 2600 with six switches.
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  The extra switches on the left and right are used to control player difficulty.
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  The back switches are not present, leaving only the power jack and two controller ports.
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  The controller ports on this unit are further down than on four switch units.

All Black

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  A 1982 model four switch Atari 2600 without a wood finish, the first to be labeled the Atari 2600.
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  This model is sometimes unofficially nicknamed "Darth Vader" due to sharing a color scheme with the Star Wars character, another icon during the run of the Atari 2600.
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Sears Tele-Games Video Arcade

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  The Sears Video Arcade has a marble finish.
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  The Sears Video Arcade uses six switches.
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Controllers

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  The iconic Atari 2600 Joystick offered simple movement controls and an action button.
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  A Paddle Controller used for Pong-like games.
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  The Driving Controller is nearly identical to the paddle controller, but has a car icon on it and uses different mechanics.
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  The Keypad Controller was used for some games that used overlays, notably BASIC Programming, a cartridge allowing to write small 2600 programs.
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  The Atari Video Touch Pad.
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  The Sears Video Arcade II controller offered a paddle and two buttons.
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  The Atari Track Ball helped bring the arcade feel of Centipede and Missile Command to the home.
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  The Atari Mindlink Controller at the National Videogame Museum in Frisco Texas.

Accessories

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  The Atari 2600 AC adapter takes AC electricity from mains and turns it 9 volt, 500 mAh DC current.
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  The Starpath Supercharger is an adapter allowing to run much bigger games from audio cassette.
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  The Spectravideo CompuMate (German Universum HEIMCOMPUTER variant pictured) was a membrane keyboard allowing to turn the Atari 2600 into a primitive computer running BASIC.

Development

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  The Atari 2600 Prototype
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  Atari cartridge patent from 1979.
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  Atari 2600 schematic from patent.
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  CX40 exploded diagram from patent.
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  CX40 joystick movement mechanism diagram from patent.
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  Atari wireless controller patent.
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  An Atari 2800.

External Resources

• Atari Museum - Atari 2600 section.
• AtariAge - Atari 2600 section.
• Atari Mania - Atari 2600 section.
• Old Computers - Atari 2600 page
• The Strong National Museum of Play National Toy Hall of Fame - Atari 2600 page.
• Science Museum Group (UK) - Atari 2600 Page.
• Retro Games UK - Atari VCS page.

References

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  The Atari 5200 with controller attached.

History

Atari 5200 Joystick schematic.

Launch

Atari 5200 Logotype.

The Atari 5200 was released in the United States of America in the summer of 1982 at a cost of $270.

The console struggled in the market, as regular consumers did not like that the 5200 could not play their old 2600 games they owned. While backwards compatibility as a concept was novel to game systems at the time, a lack of support for old games harmed sales. Complicating matters, poor coordination by Atari lead to 2600 games flooding the market after the Atari 5200 release, which probably harmed the success of the system by not only reducing the incentive to upgrade, but also by releasing major games that would be incompatible with the 5200.

Legacy

Production of the Atari 5200 ceased by May 21st, 1984 as Atari announced the successor system - the Atari 7800. Over one million Atari 5200 consoles were sold.

Technology

The Atari 5200 was based on the Atari 400 computer and used an 8-bit 6502C CPU clocked at 1.79 megahertz. The Atari 5200 has 16 kilobytes of RAM. The Atari 5200 had 2 kilobytes of storage for its BIOS.

By being based off of Atari home computers, game ports from these computers to the 5200 were supposed to be easier. The trade off was a radically different architecture from the prior Atari 2600, potentially resulting in less portability between the two.

Notable games

Wikipedia has a list of Atari 5200 games.

Special Editions

A special version of the 5200 was made for use in hotels.

Gallery

4 Port Console

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  The Atari 5200 features four ports on the front of the console, an improvement of the two port back mounted ports of the Atari 2600.
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  The console has a storage compartment in the back.
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  This compartment is sized to store two standard controllers.
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  The bottom of the Atari 5200 features a cable management system to reduce clutter. The expansion port can also be seen.

Controllers

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  The large trak ball controller.

Other items

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  The 5200 Switchbox, which somewhat uniquely handles AV and power.
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  The Atari 5200 Power Supply, which plugs into the switchbox instead of the console.
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  An Atari 5200 Cartridge. Ends of the cartridges are unlabeled, a common complaint among owners.

Internals

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  The Power and AV cable curves through a notch in the motherboard.
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  The Atari 5200 uses hefty RF shielding.
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  4 controller ports are connected directly to the Motherboard.
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  Metal shielding on the Motherboard is used with the RF shielding to isolate noisy components.
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  An unused expansion port is on the right.
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  A passive heatsink can be seen on the left.
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  Chips on the motherboard are arranged in rectangular banks.

History

Development

Allan Alcorn at GDC 2008.

The Atari Cosmos was devised by Roger Hector, Allan Alcorn, and Harry Jenkins. The Atari Cosmos casing was designed by Roy Nishi.

The development of the Cosmos lead to internal hologram manufacturing breakthroughs at Atari, allowing them to go from individually making each hologram to mass-producing them at a cost of several cents per hologram.

The Atari Cosmos was essentially a fully developed product with at least 3 working units and more dummy units produced, but was not released to the public. A unit at the 1981 New York Toy Fair garnered significant interest and 8,000 preorders. Marketing positioned the Cosmos as a high end product worthy of a high price tag, which coupled with low production costs would have made the Cosmos very profitable for Atari. However wishy washy feelings from Management lead to the Atari Cosmos being scrapped.

Legacy

Despite never seeing a release the Atari Cosmos had a huge impact on gaming, as it's failure to launch resulted in some of Atari's most talented staff, including Pong creator Allan Alcorn and key R&D staff such as Roger Hector leaving the company. Roger Hector would later bring his talents to the Sega Technical Institute (STI), and Namco.

The Atari Cosmos had an impact on the broader world as well. The Cosmos would have also been one of the first commercial uses of holograms in a consumer product. Some of the Atari staff working on mass-producing holography would leave Atari to apply their expertise security holograms instead, such as those used on credit cards. Similar holograms would find use in applications fighting fraud and counterfeit items.

Technology

The COPS411 CPU powers the Atari Cosmos.

The Atari Cosmos used changeable two image holographic backgrounds, an interesting choice which decisively differentiates the Atari Cosmos from its contemporary competition. The idea is similar in concept to the overlay strategy used by other consoles to give color to monochrome games, but used to create a simple holographic background instead of a colored foreground. Gameplay graphics are generated in the foreground by a comparatively mediocre matrix of 42 red LEDs (7 LED wide, 6 LED tall resolution) giving the console a low resolution, even when compared to contemporary handhelds. Two incandescent lightbulbs are positioned to allow manipulation of the hologram. From this the Cosmos can effectively control two backgrounds from the hologram, either the left side or the right side.

The console has 9 built in game types which were selected by the cartridge pressing a button when inserted keeping cartridge costs low. Thanks to the holographic background, "New" games could be cheaply and easily made by using a new hologram with an existing game type. Thus while gameplay would be static, visuals would be updated. This also removed the need for game development to include programming after launch.

The Atari Cosmos takes 10.5 volts of AC Power at 750 milliamps. The console is often described as a tabletop console, as it does not use a battery, and thus while easily portable, can't be used while away from a power outlet.

The system has a model number of EG500.

External Resources

• Video Game Kraken - Atari Cosmos page with history and photos

References

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  The Bally Professional Arcade alongside a controller.

History

The City of Chicago in 1974, where Midway was based.

The Bally Arcade was originally developed by Midway. Midway had been producing machines for amusement arcades since 1958, giving the console significant pedigree.

Announced in 1977, the Bally Astrocade was launched in April 1978 at a cost of $299. Cartridges cost as little as $24.95 and as much as $39.95. The launch of the console was somewhat botched by an initial attempt to sell the console through mail order and specialty computer shops rather then at traditional retail outlets. The Bally Astrocade was known for its high end graphical capabilities while on the market as late as 1982.

Columbus, Ohio in 1980.

A Bally Astrocade was used in the development of the early digital art piece Digital TV Dinner by Jamie Faye Fenton, which was broadcast on television in 1978. While not a game itself, this early piece of digital art utilized game glitches to create a meaningful artistic experience worthy of public distribution. This was also among the first notable exhibitions of glitch art.

The Astrocade was later acquired by Astrovision, a company based in the city of Columbus in Ohio, roughly around 1980. The system was on the market until 1984 or 1985, a fairly long time on the market for a console of this generation.

Technology

The Bally Astrocade has an 8-bit Z80 CPU clocked at 3.579 megahertz. The Astrocade has 4 kilobytes of RAM. The system has an 8 kilobyte ROM which is loaded with four software applications.

Early models of the system were especially prone to overheating, though all units suffered from cooling issues.

Gallery

Console

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  Bally Professional Arcade from the front left.
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  Bally Professional Arcade from the back right.
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  Bally Professional Arcade from the back left.
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  Bally Professional Arcade from the back right.
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  The Bally Professional Arcade controller.

Internals

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  Bally Professional Arcade opened up from the front left.
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  Bally Professional Arcade opened up from the front right.
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  Bally Professional Arcade opened up from the back left.
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  Bally Professional Arcade opened up from the back right.
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  Bally Professional Arcade deconstructed.
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  Bally Professional Arcade RF shield.
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  Bally Professional Arcade bottom panel.
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  Bally Professional Arcade top panel.
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  Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the front left.
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  Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the front right.
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  Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the back left.
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  Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the back right.
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  Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the front left.
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  Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the front right.
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  Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the top.
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  Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the top.
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  Bally Professional Arcade motherboard from the bottom.
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  The Plexiglass cover for the Bally Professional Arcade.

References

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  The Bandai Supervision Console

History

Not to be confused with the later, but unrelated, Watara Supervision handheld game console.

The Bandai Super Vision 8000 was released in 1979 for 60,000 yen as the first cartridge based system released in the Japanese market.

Bandai acquired rights to sell the Intellivision in the Japanese market and discontinued the Bandai Super Vision 8000 less than a year after launch to focus on the Intellivision.

Technology

The Bandai Super Vision 8000 uses a NEC D780C (Z80 compatible) 8-bit CPU clocked at 3.58MHz. The system uses a General Instrument AY-3-8910 coprocessor.

Game library

• Beam Galaxian
• Gun Professional
• Missile Vader
• Space Fire
• PacPacBird
• Submarine
• Othello

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  Packaging for the system.
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  An NEC D780C-1, a similar processor to the one used in the Bandai Super Vision.

References

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  The original Epoch TV Game Cassette Vision.
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  The smaller Epoch TV Game Cassette Vision Jr.

History

The Cassette Vision saw a Japanese only launch on June 30th, 1981. The Cassette Vision was sold for 13,500 yen, and games were sold for 4,000 yen. The Cassette Vision sold over 400,000 consoles and was the most popular console in Japan for a time. The system was held back in part by internal factors, as Epoch only had a single NEC TK-80 computer to be used for game development, limiting the Cassette Vision's library.

The Cassette Vision was discontinued in 1984. and would be followed by the improved Super Cassette Vision.

Technology

An NEC D777C CPU was included on Cassette Vision game cartridges. This hardware was considered dated at the time.

Cartridges for the system had a storage capacity of 2 kilobytes.

Game library

Cassette Vision game cartridges cost around 4,000 yen each.

• Astro Command
• Galaxian - Despite the name this game is actually based on Moon Cresta, and not the more popular game also known as Galaxian. This was a launch title.
• Kikori no Yosaku
• Baseball - A launch title.
• New Baseball
• Battle Vader
• Big Sports 12
• PakPak Monster
• Monster Mansion
• Monster Block
• Elevator Panic

Gallery

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  The gun for the original Cassette Vision. The design appears to be based off of the Mauser C96.
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  A real Mauser C96 handgun, said to have inspired the Cassette Vision gun.
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  An NEC TK-80 (Training Kit) computer, similar to the solitary TK-80 Epoch staff used to develop games for the Cassette Vision.
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  A slightly different version of the NEC TK-80.
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  A die shot of an NEC D777 with top metal present, similar to the one used in the Cassette Vision game cartridges.
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  A die shot of an NEC D777 with top metal removed, similar to the one used in the Cassette Vision game cartridges.

External Resources

• Video Game Console Library - Cassette Vision page with history, technical information, and photos.
• Old Computers Museum - NEC TK-80 page.

References

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  The Children's Discovery System. Note the unique keyboard, which features ABCD layout on one side, and function keys on the other.

History

Development

Dickson Plaza at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Mattel brought on Professor Dr. Gordon Berry of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an educational consultant for the system.

Launch

The Children's Discovery System was launched in 1981 at a cost of $125.

Legacy

The Children's Discovery system was discontinued in 1984.

Technology

The Display of the Children's Discovery System has a matrix LCD with a 16 by 48 pixel resolution.

The system has an integrated membrane keyboard.

Notable games

• Math I
• Arcade Action I
• Words I
• Art
• Music
• Words II
• Arcade Action II
• Memory and Logic
• Geography I
• Foods
• Fractions I
• Fractions II
• Science I
• Presidents
• Computer Programming
• Spelling Fun

External Resources

• Computer History Museum - Children's Discovery System page.
• Handheld Museum - Mattel 1981 Toy Fair Catalog clipping.
• RAM OK ROM OK - Children's Discovery System page.

References

History of video games/Platforms/ColecoVision/ColecoVision

History

The Colorvision was launched in 1984 and sold under multiple brands.

The Colorivsion was discontinued in 1985.

Technology

Two C type batteries were needed to power the Romtec Colorvision.

The Romtec Colorvision uses 2 C type batteries and game cartridges containing an LCD screen. The game cartridges contain no software, but simply indicate which games built into the console should run.

The integrated circuit on the motherboard is epoxied.

Game library

• Beasts Planet
• Horror House
• Jungle Boy
• Monster Chase
• Submarine

External Resources

• Handheld Museum - Colorvision page.
• Video Game Kraken - Colorvision by Romtec page.
• Game Medium - Colorvision page.
• Handheld Empire - Colorvision page.
• Electronic Plastic - Colorvision page.

History

Background

The game of Mah-Jong has existed since at least the 1800's. Mah-Jong became a popular game in Japan from the 1920's on, following its introduction from China. Thus Nintendo would try to bring a portable electronic version of the popular board game to market.

Launch

Nintendo launched the Computer Mah-Jong Yakuman in 1983 for 16,800 yen.

The Computer Mah-Jong Yakuman was succeeded by the Nintendo Game Boy, which would feature the return of the Computer Mah-Jong Yakuman brand as the 1989 GameBoy Yakuman cartridge. Unusually for a Nintendo console, the system has been poorly documented, and relatively little is known of its history.

Technology

The Computer Mah-Jong Yakuman uses a black and white dot matrix LCD.

The Computer Mah-Jong Yakuman supported a link cable for multiplayer, becoming one of the first consoles to support a console to console communication standard by default.

The Computer Mah-Jong Yakuman is powered by four AA batteries. The system could also take 6V DC input.

The console bore the model number MJ 8000.

Gallery

• 
  A game of Mah-Jong on a traditional board. Nintendo Computer Mah-Jong Yakuman adapted Mahjong into a portable multiplayer video game.
• 
  The system was powered by 4 AA batteries.

External Resources

• Handheld Museum - Computer Mah-Jong Yakuman page.

History

The Digi Casse was released by Bandai in 1984. The Digi Casse saw a European release sometime about 1986. The console was sold with two game cartridges.

Technology

The Digi Casse is powered by two LR44 button cells, such as these.

The Digi Casse is powered by two LR44 watch batteries.

Notable games

Japan

• Express Home Delivery
• City Turbo Race
• Hageransu
• Mt. Fuji Explosion

Europe

• Pelican
• Penguin
• Submarine
• Frog & Insects

External Resources

• Handheld Museum Digi Casse A page.
• Handheld Museum Digi Casse B page.
• Game Medium Digi Casse page.

References

• 
  The Entex Select-A-Game console in a styrofoam case.

History

The Entex Select-A-Game was released in 1981 for $54.99. Unlike most portable consoles of the time, it was designed to be used with two players, but could also be used by a single person.

The use of games that were clear clones of other games on the console caused significant legal issues for Entex.

Technology

Like many systems of the time, the CPU is located in game cartridges.

The Entex Select-A-Game uses a Vacuum Florescent Display (VFD) with a resolution of 7 by 16 oval elements that could display red and white.

The system used 4 C batteries.

Notable games

The Entex Select a Game with Space Invader 2 loaded.

• Space Invader 2
• Pacman 2
• Baseball 4
• Football 4
• Basketball 3
• Pinball

External Resources

• Video Game Kraken - Entex Select-A-Game page.
• Handheld Museum - Entex Select-A-Game page.

References

• 
  An Epoch Game Pocket Computer, experiencing case degradation from age.

History

1984 saw the Japanese release of the Epoch Game Pocket Computer, known as the Pokekon for short. Having failed commercially in Japan, it did not see an international release.

Technology

Compute

The Epoch Game Pocket Computer had an 8-bit NEC uPD78C06 CPU clocked at 6 megahertz.

The system 2176 bytes (About two kilobytes) of RAM and four kilobytes of built in ROM, with cartridges having either 8 kilobytes or 16 kilobytes of ROM.

General

The LCD has a resolution of 75 by 64 pixels and can show two shades.

4 AA batteries give an impressive 70 hours battery life. Not only was this impressive at the time, the power efficiency of the console remains one of the best in the history of portable game consoles.

Software

The Epoch Game Pocket Computer has built in system software, such as its paint program.

Game library

Built in

• An 11 tile puzzle game
• A raster graphics editor

Cartridges

• Astro Bomber
• Block Maze
• Pocket Computer Mahjong
• Pocket Computer Reversi
• Sokoban

Gallery

• 
  A Game Pocket Computer with a cartridge inserted.
• 
  A Game Pocket Computer with no cartridge inserted.
• 
  The back of the system is bare.
• 
  A dial is kept on the this side.

External Resources

• Video Game Kraken - Game Pocket Computer page.
• Chris Covell - Epoch Game Pocket Computer page.
• Handheld Museum - Epoch Game Pocket Computer page.
• Game Medium - Game Pocket Computer page.

References

• 
  Fairchild Channel F
• 
  Fairchild Channel F II

History

Pro Football for the Fairchild Channel F.

Jerry Lawson

Fairchild Semiconductor Engineer Jerry Lawson made an early arcade cabinet called Demolition Derby, which prompted Fairchild Semiconductor to quietly expand into the game industry.

While working on the Fairchild Channel F, Lawson made the first real game cartridges, which contained software and could expand the RAM of the System. Because of this Jerry Lawson is recognized as one of the most important figures in early gaming technology history for his invention of the cartridge, as well as one of the first African American engineers in the video game industry.

Laswson's philosophy on games favored games that were skillful and grew the player. He is remembered as an important early video game and computer industry figure in general, and became a symbol of African Americans in the gaming industry.

Launch

Fairchild Channel F logotype.

The Fairchild Channel F was released in November of 1976 at a cost of $169.95.

The system was acquired by Zircon and relaunched around 1981 as a budget system.

In 1981 Channel F cartridges cost as little as $18.95 and as much as $29.95.

Legacy

A Fairchild Channel F in a museum.

The Fairchild Channel F was discontinued in 1984, coinciding with the video game market crash in the United States, but having been on the market for an exceptional amount of time. Around 250,000 Channel F consoles were sold.

Following the Fairchild Channel F, Jerry Lawson would pursue other ventures, including an early attempt at console based network play.

Technology

The Fairchild Channel F used Fairchild Semiconductor's own 8-bit F8 processor clocked at 1.7897725 megahertz. It could process about 0.14 million instructions per second (MIPS). Importantly, the F8 processor eliminated the need for many support chips required by competing processors, and allowed for horizontal integration, making it a very economical choice for use in the Channel F.

The Fairchild Channel F had 64 bytes of RAM and 2 kilobytes of video RAM.

The original Fairchild Channel F used an internal speaker, while the model II used television speakers.

Games

A novelty at the time, some Fairchild Channel F games supported computer players, as well as pause functionality, which was known as "Hold" on games for the system.

1978

Video Whizball

One of the first games to include an "Easter egg".

Gallery

Cartridge

• 
  Black Jack cartridge.
• 
  Cartridge contact pins.
• 
  Cartridge internals, showing the printed circuit board and two integrated circuits.

SABA Videoplay

• 
  SABA Videoplay, the German version of the Fairchild Channel F
• 
  Controller internals.

Technology

• 
  The Fairchild F3850 CPU, the heart of the F8 platform and similar to the chip used in the Channel F. This chip, an F3850PC 8621D△, was made in Malaysia.
• 
  PCB for the derivative Grandstand Video Entertainment Computer. Chips on this board come from Singapore, and a QA mark can be seen. Strangely, most metal on the circuit board has not been etched off, with only areas around the traces having been removed.

References

• 
  The Gakken Compact Vision TV Boy featured a truly unique design.

History

Gakken Founding

Gakken was founded in April of 1946 to provided educational services during the post World War II reconstruction of Japan. Gakken began making educational electronic kits in the 1970's.

Launch

The Gakken Compact Vision TV Boy was released in Japan in October of 1983 for 8,800 yen.

Legacy

The Gakken Compact Vision TV Boy is mostly remembered for its unique design. This strange control scheme is both credited as a factor in the failure of the console, while simultaneously hailed as a bold design that has its own fans.

After the Compact Vision TV Boy, Gakken would not completely exit the gaming industry. It continued to manufacture 4-bit educational computers capable of extremely simple games in the 1980's. A new model in this 4-bit computer line, The Gakken GMC-4, was released as recently as 2009, which included several simple games game, and could be reprogrammed to play new games. Importers charged $39.95 for the GMC-4 system in 2009.

Technology

The 8-bit Motorola MC6801 Microcontroller is kept on the game cartridges. A Motorola MC 6847 video display generator and 2 kilobytes of RAM resides in the console. This approach gave the Gakken Compact TV Boy some of the advantages of systems that kept the computer in the cartridge, as well as the cost saving advantages of reusing hardware between games.

Game library

• Frogger
• Urban War Year 200X
• Super Cobra
• Robotan Wars
• Mr. Bomb

Excite Invader

Excite Invader was a 1983 game inspired by Space Invaders, and considered to be among the best for the system. The name of this game is sometimes listed as "Excite Invaders".

External Resources

• Video Game Kraken - Gakken Compact Vision TV Boy page.

History

The PCB for Mario Bros Game & Watch system shows the relatively spartan internals.

Development

Gunpei Yokoi came up with the idea for the Game & Watch while watching a businessman fiddle with a calculator while traveling on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train). A chance incident requiring Gunpei Yokoi to drive Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi to a meeting allowed him to pitch the idea, with approval being suddenly granted after a week of consideration.

Sharp produced the electrical components used in the Game & Watch. Engineers were split between hardware and software roles for development of the Game & Watch units. Development pace for the Game & Watch series was frantic, and developers were usually focused on quickly developing new units. While at least some of the developers of the Game & Watch were not informed of hard sales numbers, they were pressed into the sales at busy times to sell their own console in stores, which helped them better understand what their customers wanted.

Legacy

Game & Watch Logotype.

The D-Pad pioneered on the Game & Watch units was reused in subsequent Nintendo consoles, such as the Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System. The Game & Watch series sold 43.4 million units worldwide, with 30.53 million consoles sold outside of Japan, 12.87 million consoles sold inside Japan, and with 9 models of the console being attributable to selling over a million sales each.

The Game & Watch line would see several continuations into the 2020's, either as in game homages, special edition themed consoles, software complications or even hardware releases such as the Nintendo Mini Classics series, and the Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. console.

Technology

Game & Watch consoles reused calculator chips, and simply used displays with graphics rather than numbers to achieve the desired effect.

The 4-bit Sharp SM5X series of microcontrollers served as the processor for Game & Watch units.

The clock functionality was implemented with the use of a crystal oscillator.

Due to their uncomplicated electronics and rugged design Game & Watch units tend to be reliable.

Game library

• 
  Donkey Kong and Green House Game & Watch consoles while closed.
• 
  Donkey Kong II also used a dual screen clamshell design.
• 
  Donkey Kong III uses a unique two player hockey puck controller system.
• 
  Mario's Cement Factory
• 
  Turtle Bridge
• 
  Climber
• 
  Climber
• 
  Crab Grab
• 
  Fire Attack
• 
  Fire
• 
  Balloon Fight
• 
  Manhole
• 
  Wide Screen Manhole
• 
  Popeye
• 
  Snoopy Tennis
• 
  Spitball Sparky
• 
  Vermin
• 
  Helmet
• 
  Judge
• 
  Punch-Out!!
• 
  Octopus
• 
  Game and Watch systems being sold at Super Potato in 2013.
• 
  Nintendo Mini Classics are keychain systems made during and after 1998 that typically include remakes of Game & Watch games.

Development

• 
  1984 Patent
• 
  1985 Patent

Clone consoles

• 
  Sea Ranger
• 
  Elektronica IM from the Soviet Union.

References

• 
  The Intellivision console with one controller extended.

History

Development

Reunion of the Blue Sky Rangers in 2011, people who worked on Intellivision games.

The Intellivision is based on the General Instrument GIMINI 8900 platform.

Test marketing for the Intellivision occurred in the area around Fresno, California in 1979.

Launch

Intellivision logotype.

The Intellivision was released in 1980. In 1981 the system cost $299.95. Cartridges for the system cost between $24.95 and 34.95 in 1981.

An internal group of highly paid, hardworking, and secretive team of developers known as the Blue Sky Rangers worked on producing games for the Intellivision through at least 1982. A 1982 Ford concept car featured a built in Intellivision.

The Intellivision and the Atari 2600 competed fiercely in the market, leading to the first major console war.

Legacy

The Intellivision lasted on the market until 1990. The Intellivision sold over 3 million consoles.

Mattel's next console was the HyperScan in 2006, though there is little relation beyond the parent company between these consoles.

Technology

Compute

The Intellivision had a 16 bit General Instrument CP1610 CPU with 10 bit instructions clocked at 894.886 kilohertz (About 0.89 megahertz) and 1352 bytes of total RAM.

The Intellivision output at a resolution of 160 by 196 pixels with 16 colors.

Software

PlayCable

The Intellivision had an online service called PlayCable that operated from 1980 to 1983 that allowed downloading games over a cable TV connection.

Third Party Lockout

The Intellivision II was released in 1982, featuring a ROM that tried to keep third parties who were not licensed from making games for the system. This was among the first lockout methods used on a major console, and would refuse to boot unless a Mattel copyright screen was shown, though because this was implemented while the console had already been on the market, it caused incompatibility with some prior official games. The system was not effective in stopping unauthorized third parties from publishing Intellivision games.

Notable Games

125 games were released on the Intellivision.

Gallery

Mattel Intellivision

• 
• 
• 
• 

Sears Tele Games Super Video Arcade

• 
  The Sears Tele-games had a marble finish.
• 
• 
• 

Redesigns

• 
  Intellivision II
• 
  INTV System III

Accessories

• 
  Intellivision controller
• 
  The Intellivoice module.

References

• 
  The Interton Video Computer 4000 with controller.

History

A screenshot of Ballspiele, a pong clone for the Interton Video Computer.

The Interton Video Computer 4000 was released in Germany in 1978 and was discontinued in 1983. It is a prominent member of a family of consoles called the Advanced Programmable Video System.

Technology

The Interton Video Computer 4000 uses a Signetics 2650A CPU with a Signetics 2636 Programmable Video Interface (PVI).

Uniquely, the Interton Video Computer 4000 had 37 bytes of RAM included within the PVI. Some games cartridges such as Chess include an external 1kB RAM chip. Up to 6 kilobytes of ROM was inluded on the cartridges.

Notable games

• Car Races
• Monster Man
• Super Space

Gallery

Console

• 
  The Interton Video Computer 4000 with controllers docked on the console.
• 
  The console with controllers removed. Indents are placed in the casing to hold controllers in place.
• 
  The rear of the console, showing ports. A dial for sound is cleverly hidden in one of the controller slots.
• 
  The spartan bottom of the console.
• 
  Ports are simple, consisting of straight pins.

Controller

• 
• 
• 
• 
  Controller overlay

Internals

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

External Resources

• Old Computers Museum - Interton Video Computer Page featuring history and specs.
• pre83 - Advanced Programmable Video System page with history and specs.

History

The Leisure Vision is a licensed Canadian version of the Arcadia 2001 that was launched in 1982 and discontinued in 1984. While the system is considered a landmark release in Canadian consoles, little more is known about it.

Technology

The Leisure Vision uses a Signetics 2650A clocked at 3.58 megahertz, with a Signetics 2637 co processor.

The Leisure Vision has 1 kilobyte of RAM.

Game library

The Leisure Vision is said to have a somewhat larger library than the standard Arcadia 2001 compatible systems.

References

• 
  The Magnavox Odyssey² and with two controllers.

History

Launch

The Magnavox Odyssey² was preceded by the original Magnavox Odyssey game console and the Odyssey series of dedicated consoles. Unlike those consoles, the Magnavox Odyssey² featured a full computer, and could run games on cartridges.

The Magnavox Odyssey² was launched in 1978 at a cost of $100. Early titles often had poor support for the keyboard and other system features, though support improved over time. A voice module was also released, which was another feature which was panned for its poor integration with games.

Legacy

Magnavox Odyssey² production ended in March of 1984, correlating with the Video Game Crash. The system had been on the market for a fairly long time, indicating company investment in the system.

The system was followed by the Philips Videopac+ G7400 in European markets, though this successor system too was scrapped during the Video Game Crash.

Technology

An Intel 8048 similar to the one used in the Magnavox Odyssey²

The CPU of the Magnavox Odyssey² was an 8-bit Intel 8048 clocked at 1.79 megahertz. The system had 64 bytes of RAM and 128 bytes of video RAM.

The Odyssey² has a built in membrane keyboard with 49 keys.

Notable games

• Quest for the Rings - An early video game to use a companion board game.
• Stone Sling
• Turtles

Gallery

Console

• 
  The Odyssey² has a QWERTY keyboard built in.
• 
  The power button and cartridge slot are on the top of the console.
• 
  The rear of the console has its power jack. This version has removable joysticks.
• 
  Ventilation holes line the back of the unit.
• 
  The bottom of the Unit has patent and FCC information.
• 
  A clearer view of the power jack.

Internals

• 
  The console interior, with the motherboard mounted to the top half of the console.
• 
  Most of the console internals beneath the keyboard is empty space, with sporadic structural supports.
• 
  The interior with the motherboard removed, exposing the cartridge slot, button leads, and keyboard ribbon cable.
• 
• 
  The keyboard top. The keyboard itself is quite thin due to being a Membrane Keyboard.
• 
  The keyboard bottom. The traces and contact points are visible.
• 
  The Motherboard, referred to as a main board on the unit. The keyboard ribbon connector and the cartridge connector are visible.
• 
  Several Intel chips are visible on the motherboard.
• 
  Motherboard bottom. A single capacitor bridges a gap.

References

• 
  A Microvision handheld game console. The device is rather large compared to later handhelds.

History

Development

Milton Bradley was founded in 1860 to make board games, making it one of the oldest companies to have a major impact in the video game industry.

Jay Smith designed the Microvision and would later design the Vectrex.

Launch

Microvision logotype.

The 1979 release of the Microvision was the first major portable console to use swappable cartridges, allowing a single system to play multiple games.

The Microvision is seen in the 1981 movie Friday the 13th Part 2, a significant early appearance of a handheld game console in popular culture.

Legacy

The Microvision was discontinued in 1981, though one game saw a Europe only release in 1982. The failings of the Microvision design were lessons for Nintendo employees during the design of Game and Watch and Game Boy consoles.

Technology

Depending on the model, the Microvision took one or two 9-volt batteries, such as the one shown here.

Unlike most modern consoles but similar to many other consoles at the time, the Microvision contained processing elements on each game cartridge, not the console itself, though the clock speed used was always at 100 kilohertz (0.1 megahertz). Cartridges either used an Intel 8021 CPU or a Texas Instruments TMS1100 CPU.

The Microvision had a grey and black LCD with a resolution of 16 pixels by 16 pixels, and a size of 2 inches. The screen ages poorly, and is prone to damage from screen rot.

Cartridges were known to be quite fragile and especially vulnrable to electrostatic discharge.

Early Microvision consoles required two 9 volt batteries, though later models only required a single 9 volt battery.

Notable games

A screenshot of Blockbuster for the Microvision running in an emulator.

1979

• Block Buster
• Bowling
• Baseball
• Connect Four
• Mindbuster
• Pinball
• Star Trek: Phaser Strike
• Vegas Slots

1980

• Baseball
• Sea Duel

1981

• Alien Raders
• Cosmic Hunter

1982

• Super Block Buster

Gallery

Microvision Console

• 
  Microvision
• 
  The back view of the Microvision. A Made in USA label is molded into the plastic.
• 
  A Microvision console, with an additional game plate visible.
• 
  A Microvision with no game inserted.
• 
  Microvision console and game boxes on display at E3 2011.

Microvision Games

• 
  A Microvision game.
• 
  The back of a Microvision game.

Internals

• 
  The bottom of a Microvision Motherboard, featuring a single chip, three capacitors, and two resistors can be seen.
• 
  The top of a Microvision Motherboard, showing the screen.
• 
  The motherboard top with LCD cover installed.
• 
  Microvision rear casing.
• 
  Microvision front casing.
• 
  A disassembled Microvision, showing the internals.
• 
  Casing with Motherboard installed
• 
  Microvision cartridge partially disassembled.
• 
  A Microvision cartridge circuit board. Unlike most consoles, the CPU resided on the individual game cartridge.

External Resources

• Computer History Museum - Microvision page.
• Centre for Computing History - Microvision page.
• Video Game Kraken - Microvision page.
• Handheld Museum - Microvision page.

References

Neckermann was a mail order company based in Frankfurt, Germany.

History

A Neckermann sign in 1965.

The Palladium Tele-Cassetten Game was released by Neckermann in West Germany in either 1977 or 1978. The system was sold as the MBO - Teleball Cassette and as the Hanimex - Optim 600.

Little more is known about the history of this console.

Technology

General Instrument chips were used in game cartridges.

The system could output color graphics, and used a built in speaker for audio.

The system saw two different case designs used over the course of its production.

Included controllers were analog. Up to two controllers could be used, and an optional digital controller could be used for one tank game. The system could have potentially accepted a light gun.

Game library

• Ball & Paddle
• Car race
• Cycling
• Shooting Gallery
• Tank battle
• Submarine
• Wipeout

External Resources

• The Liberator - Offers a history of the console, as well as console photos including of the console interior.

References

• 
  The Palmtex Portable Videogame System.

History

Launch

Logotype for Home Computer Software Inc. and the Super Mirco logotype.

The Palmtex Portable was released in 1983.

The Palmtex Portable was among the first clamshell console designs.

Legacy

According to the Video Game Kraken only 5,000 Palmtex Portables were sold out of the 30,000 units total were produced. Remaining units were possibly destroyed.

Technology

The Palmtex Portable uses cartridges with the system LCD built into the cartridges. Overlays gave color to otherwise monochrome graphics.

The system is very fragile.

Game library

• Aladdin's Adventures
• React Attack
• Outflank - Reversi

External Resources

• Video Game Kraken - Palmtex Portable Videogame System page.

History

Tomiyama Toy Seisakusho was founded in 1924, and was known for it's model air planes. From the 1940s onwards the company began to expand into more general toys and games. In 1963 the company changed it's name to Tomy.

The Pyūta Jr was launched in Japan in April 1983 at a cost of 24,800 yen as a console version of the Tomy Pyūta (Tommy Tutor).

Though it was not successful on the market, the system now has a positive reputation due to its aesthetically pleasing design. The console is also notable as Tomys main attempt to enter the home console gaming market.

Technology

The die of a TMS9995JDE processor. This model is similar to, though slightly different than, the TMS 9995NL found in the Pyuta Jr.

The Pyuta Jr uses a 16 bit Texas Instruments TMS 9995NL CPU clocked at 2.7 megahertz with 16 kilobytes of RAM and 16 kilobytes of video RAM.

Though the system uses a DE-9 socket for controllers, the system is electrically incompatible with controllers from other systems.

Games

44 games were released for the Pyūta Jr.

External Resources

• Video Game Console Library - Tommy Pyuuta Jr. page.
• Old Computers Museum - Tommy Tutor page.

References

• 
  The RCA Studio II Home TV Programmer

History

Background

The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was founded in 1919 and quickly became a consumer electronics titan, having introduced some of the first consumer color television sets to the market in 1954. In fact, RCA had been in such a powerful position that it helped set the standards for color television in the United States of America, and by extension other NTSC countries. Indirectly this would have massive implications for the technologies adopted by the video game industry on its own, and is likely the largest single impact on the video game industry attributable to RCA's industry leadership.

By the late 1970's RCA was not as successful as it once had been due to a lack of solid leadership, and began to seek success in different segments of consumer electronics including their CED media format, and the RCA Studio II home video game console.

Development

Development of the system began in 1969 as the FRED (Flexible Recreational and Educational Device) personal computer, spearheaded by Joseph Weisbecker. This is quite remarkable, as the only other game console in development at the time was the Magnavox Odyssey Brownbox prototypes, which were not based around a proper computer. Poor management at RCA lead the company to not capitalize on this computer for some time, and by the time they did the first generation of video game consoles had already hit the market, and were being replaced by more advanced second generation systems. The Studio II was a version of the FRED.

A related early home computer design, the COSMAC ELF, had also resulted from the work of Joseph Weisbecker.

Joyce Weisbecker, one of Joseph Weisbecker daughters, is believed to have become both one of the first female game developers and is also perhaps the first independent console game developer with her work developing the TV Schoolhouse I quiz game for the system as an outside contractor in 1976.

RCA Studio A, a recording studio. The RCA Studios were the namesake of the RCA Studio series of game consoles.

Despite the name, there was not a product released named the RCA Studio I. The name is instead based on RCA's recording studio naming scheme.

Launch and Legacy

The RCA Studio II was released in January 1977 for about $150 US Dollars. The system was quickly discontinued in February 1978 having been a commercial failure.

A color capable and sound enhanced RCA Studio III was designed by 1977. However the failure of the Studio II lead to RCA leaving the console to its Hong Kong based partner Conic Group, which released the console in a number of countries outside the United States of America under other brands in 1978. Some software for the RCA Studio II and the RCA Studio III is compatible across both systems.

A higher spec RCA Studio IV was planned. A January 1st, 1978 tape made by Joseph Weisbecker containing data for the final interpreter software has lead hobbyists to make a working version of this console in software.

Between 53,000 and 64,000 consoles were sold, with fewer cartridges sold then consoles. RCA as an independent company would not last much longer, following a merger with General Electric in 1986. Despite this, the RCA brand would be used on at least one more console. In Summer of 2002 (RCA DRC300N) and June 2003 (RCA DRC480N) two RCA brand Nuon enhanced DVD player was released, though the both systems are incapable of playing commercial titles and could only be used for homebrew gaming.

The Library at the College of New Jersey.

At least one tape related to the development of the RCA Studio series is held by the Sarnoff Collection held at the College of New Jersey in Trenton, New Jersey.

Technology

The RCA Studio II uses RCA's own RCA CDP1802 processor, clocked at 1.78 megahertz. The CDP1802 was also developed by Joseph Weisbecker, giving the RCA Studio II the rare advantage of sharing a designer of both the console and the processor inside of it. Furthermore a degree of horizontal integration was present as a result of RCA using their own processor design in their console. This revolutionary processor was the first to use power efficient complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology, and was also a pioneer a RISC like methodology in early microprocessors.

An RCA CDP1861 support processor handles graphical output. The system was limited to black and white graphics, which proved to be a major downside for the console. The system has 512 bytes of RAM, and 2 kilobytes of ROM.

The RCA Studio II and RCA Studio III typically execute software through an interpreter, a very forward thinking design for 1977. This is similar to the CHIP-8 on the COSMAC ELF, though RCA Studio series and COSMAC ELF software are not compatible. Had RCA continued to make consoles and video games, they likely could have maintained backwards compatibility at minimal cost thanks to this technical decision, as future devices would only need the interpreter to be rewritten for their specific hardware.

The console uses a hand drawn PCB designed around through hole components for a motherboard, a fairly typical design for the time. This style of design enhances reliability and made the board easier to repair, especially compared to the then new technology of surface mounted components.

The system used a combined power supply and RF switch, a rare design choice which is similar to the later Atari 5200. This critical part has a high failure rate and is the Achilles heel of maintaining a working RCA Studio II.

Styrofoam casing embossed with the RCA brand was used to protect the Studio II in the box.

Notable Games

Built in software

• Bowling
• Addition
• Doodle
• Patterns
• Freeway

Cartridges

• TV Arcade Series: Speedway/Tag
• TV School House I
• TV School House II: Math fun
• Star Wars

Gallery

Games

• 
  Speedway, a game developed by Joyce Weisbecker.
• 
  Bowling on the RCA Studio II.

RCA Studio II

• 
  The RCA Studio has two controllers built into the console itself.
• 
  A single clear button is in the center of the unit.
• 
  A signle cable is built into the unit at the back of the console.
• 
  Metal spikes are adjacent to the cartridge port.
• 
  A long cable is included with the unit.
• 
  Sound toggles, Channel select, and five screws are on the bottom of the console.

RCA Studio II internals

• 
  Cables run from the motherboard to the case top.
• 
  The internals of the RCA Studio II are well organized.
• 
  Hand drawn traces line the motherboard.
• 
  Space is saved by the speaker on the bottom of the motherboard. The RF modulator extends to the top of the board.

Related RCA Photos

• 
  The RCA CDP1802 Processor. This chip is specifically an CDP1802ACE RCA 240.
• 
  Die of a CDP1802 processor. (Specifically, a RCA Z CDP1802ACD)
• 
  Pinout of an RCA CDP1802 chip.
• 
  Register model of the RCA 1802.
• 
  A 1976 COSMAC ELF with Pixie graphics display.
• 
  A closer view of the 1976 COSMAC ELF.
• 
  An even closer view of the 1976 COSMAC ELF.
• 
  David Sarnoff in 1956. The smart leadership of Sarnoff guided RCA to success from its formative years to his retirement in 1970.

External Resources

• Video Game Kraken RCA Studio II page - Includes prototype photograph and detailed historical information.
• Video Game Kraken RCA Studio III page - Includes photographs and detailed historical information.
• Video Game Kraken Toshiba Visicom C 100 page - Includes photographs and detailed historical information.
• Old Computers Museum RCA Studio II page - Includes history and specifications.
• Video Game Console Library - RCA Studio II page - Includes photos and history.

References

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  The Entex Adventure Vision tabletop console.

History

The Entex Adventure Vision was released in 1982 at a cost of $79.99.

A minimum of 10,000 units were produced, though some sources give sales figures of as high as 50,000 consoles sold. The system was discontinued about a year after launch. The system is incredibly fragile and prone to failure, which coupled with a small production run make still functioning units rare.

Despite its obscurity, the Adventure Vision stands out in an era flooded with copycats and clones for its unique, if flawed, design choices.

Technology

Compute

An Intel 8048 CPU, similar to the CPU used in the Adventure Vision.

The Entex Adventure Vision uses an Intel 8048 CPU clocked at 733 kilohertz.

A National Semiconductor COP411L microcontroller clocked at 52.6 kilohertz handles audio for the Adventure Vision.

The Adventure Vision has one kilobyte of RAM with an additional 64 bytes in the Intel 8048. A BIOS is stored in one kilobyte of ROM.

Display

The display consisted of 40 red LEDs and an oscillating mirror that reflected those lights to a glass panel fifteen times a second. This mechanism makes the console rather fragile. Some have noted the similarity of the display to the mechanism used in the later Virtual Boy, 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.

Hardware

Similar 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, an excellent accessibility feature.

Game library

Only four game cartridges were made for the Entex Adventure Vision. All games for the Adventure Vision were ports of existing arcade games.

• Defender - Shooter. This game was included with the Adventure Vision.
• Super Cobra - Shooter
• Space Force - Similar to Asteroids.
• Turtles - Similar to Pac Man.

References

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  A Tele-Fever console and controller.

History

The Tele-Fever was developed by the coffee maker company Tchibo as a late Arcadia 2001 compatible. The system was briefly launched in Germany in 1986 and cost 99 Deutsche Marks

The Tele-Fever would not be the last console released under the brand of the coffee maker. Tchibo released another console in 2019 when they released a handheld retro style game console for 14.99 euros. However aside from the company, this handheld had little to do with the Tele-Fever console.

Technology

The Tele-Fever used an 8-bit Signetics 2650 CPU clocked at 3.58 megahertz.

The system has 1 kilobyte of RAM.

Gallery

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  The die of a Signetics 2650 chip, similar to that used in the Tele-Fever.

References

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  A red TomyTronic 3D.

History

The Tomytronic 3D was released in 1983. The handheld console used binocular style housing and was one of the first gaming systems to create a stereoscopic effect.

Technology

The Tomytronic 3D used external light through a window to light up the twin LCD displays used by the console.

The system was made in Japan.

Game library

The handheld was a dedicated console, containing one of the following games depending on the model.

• Planet Zeon
• Skyfighters
• Thundering Turbo
• Shark Attack
• Jungle Fighter
• Sky Attack
• Sherman Attack

Gallery

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  A Thundering Turbo Tomytronic 3D.
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  Alternate view.

External Resources

• Handheld Museum - Page covering the Tomytronic 3D.

References

Miami, Florida in 1979, the city where Ultravision was based.

History

Ultravision, Inc. of Miami, Florida began advertising the system with a teaser in an issue of Electronic Gaming in November 1983.

The system was formally announced at CES 1983 as the Ultravision Video Arcade System (VAS) was a hybrid video game console with a color television built in and home computer functionality slated for a summer 1983 release. The price of the system was to be $999.

Financial issues caused the system to be shuttered shortly afterwards in summer of 1983.

Technology

A major design goal of the system was to make personal computing more approachable, rather then simply being a single purpose game console.

The VAS was to ship with 64 kilobytes of RAM, which could be doubled to 128 kilobytes with an expansion. Add ons were planned to allow for compatibility with existing Atari 2600 and Colecovision games.

The built in 10" color television supported 84 channels.

Games

A picture promoting 12 games for the system was released.

• Air-Sea Attack
• B-52 Bomber
• Baseball Best
• Condor Attack
• Dare Driver
• Emergency!
• Karate
• Quest for the Idol
• Space War
• Spider Kong
• Swimming Met
• Unexpected Dangers

External Resources

• Video Game Console Library - Features history, as well as photos and marketing material.

References

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  A Vectrex console

History

The Vectrex logotype.

Development and Launch

The Vectrex game Blitz

Development of the system began in 1980, as a way for the company Smith Engineering to use surplus one inch cathode ray tube displays that several employees found at an electronics store while out for lunch. Initially a handheld, the system was redesigned in 1981 to have a nine inch display and be a tabletop unit. Debuted at CES in 1982 and received positively, the console launched in November of that year at a cost of $199.

Crash

Initially the system sold well, which lead to it being acquired by Milton Bradley, and further leading to the price of Milton Bradley stock doubling. The Vectrex saw its national launch in Spring of 1983.

Due to the Video game Crash of 1983 sales suffered. In 1983 price of the system was reduced twice, once to $150, and then again to $100. These issues were compounded by poor sales of the Vectrex internationally.

Discontinuation

Most histories cite the discontinuation date of the Vectrex as 1984 following the large costs the system incurred on Milton Bradley, about 16.5 million dollars, and their subsequent 1984 merger with Hasbro. Some sources claim that it was Hasbro who made the decision to discontinue the system. However two articles in the New York Times of early 1984 claim it was discontinued prior to the acquisition in late 1983. Other contemporary sources seemingly paint a different picture, though perhaps not a mutually exclusive one, with at least one late 1984 magazine article discussing the recent discontinuation of the system, and a then current demand for remaining stock. A January 30th, 1984 Wall Street Journal article reported the Vectrex had been discontinued recently.

Renewed Interest

An association football (Soccer) game running on the Vectrex, an example of the vector graphics the system was capable of.

Following the discontinuation of the Vectrex, Smith Engineering regained the rights to the system and attempted to redevelop it as a handheld in 1988. The revised system was scrapped due to a price exceeding $100. A surviving and operational portable system system exists at the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas.

Jay Smith required the rights to the system in 1996 and released the rights to the Vectrex to the public for non profit use in 1996. Hobbyists created upgrades for the system, such as a 2017 project that adds a 32 bit coprocessor expansion to improve system graphics. In early May 2020, an open source clone of the Vectrex called Scopetrex was designed, and can to be used with an oscilloscope as a vector display.

Technology

The Vectrex CPU was a Motorola 68A09 clocked at 1.6MHz. The Vectrex had 1 kilobyte of RAM, split across two four bit chips. Software cartridges contained 8 kilobytes of ROM.

The built in display is a monochrome Samsung 240RB40, which has a size of 9 inches by 11 inches. A General Instrument AY-3-8912 is used for audio. A prototype for Vectrex with a monitor capable of displaying one of three different colors at a time was made, but never released on the market.

The Vectrex was the first home console to use an analog controller. The joystick was self centering. An optional second controller could be used. An optional light pen and 3D Glasses were released for the system.

Notable games

A Starhawk Vectrex cartridge.

28 games were released for the system during its production.

1982

• Armor Attack
• Mine Storm
• Rip Off
• Scramble
• Solar Quest

1983

• Spike - Featured voice synthesis and a mascot character.
• 3D Crazy Coaster

Mr. Boston's Clean Sweep

A limited production game meant to promote liquor, with only 4 or 5 copies known to exist.

Gallery

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  Motherboard view

History

Not to be confused with the later, but unrelated Gamate.

The VTech 3D Gamate was released in 1983, and featured a screen designed for stereo viewing.

Little more is known about the console, however it holds a distinct role as an early stereoscopic gaming device.

Technology

The 3D Gamate uses cartridges. The Cartridges themselves contain the stereoscopic screens.

Notable games

Released

Three official games were released for the 3D Gamate.

• Escape
• Formula 500
• Death Corridor

Unreleased

• Viking Invasion
• Bonk
• Flying Saucers

External Resources

• Game Medium - VTech 3D Gamate page.

References

• 
  The VTech CreatiVision.

History

The VTech CreatiVision was launched in 1981. The console attempted to serve as both a game console and a computer system.

The VTech CreatiVision sold poorly and was discontinued in either late 1985 or early 1986.

The VTech CreatiVision was followed by the VTech Socrates.

Technology

The VTech CreatiVision uses an 8-bit Rockwell 6502A CPU clocked at 2 megahertz. This chip was a version of the MOS Technology 6502, a common processor used in game consoles and home computers of the time.

The CreatiVision could display 32 sprites.

The system is equipped with 1 kilobyte of RAM and 16 kilobytes of video RAM.

Notable games

• Air/Sea Attack
• Planet Defender
• Sonic Invader

Gallery

Australian Dick Smith Wizard

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  The Dick Smith Wizard with controllers installed.
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  The Dick Smith Wizard with controllers removed.
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Accessories

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  Each controller contains a joystick and half a keyboard.
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  The controller back is not a simple flat back, but contains a depressed cavity.
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  When placed side by side, the controllers become a usable keyboard.
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  The Vtech CreatiVision Power Supply featured a barrel jack with 5 internal pins.

Internals

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  The console internals are tightly packed on the motherboard.
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  Casing is primarily plastic, with metal used for screw mounts.
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External Resources

• Video Game Console Library - History and specs for the CreatiVision.
• Video Game Kraken - Detailed history for the CreatiVision.

History

The VTech Variety was released in 1983. Little more is known about the history of the console.

Technology

The CPU and LCD for the System is located on the cartridge.

Notable games

At least six games were released for the VTech Variety. Some game cartridges had dual layer LCDs to contain two games in one package, increasing portability.

External Resources

• Handheld Museum - VTech Variety