RCA Studio II
Encyclopedia
The RCA Studio II is a videogame console made by RCA
that debuted in January 1977. The graphics of Studio II games were black and white and resembled those of earlier Pong
consoles and their clones. The Studio II also did not have joystick
s or similar game controllers but instead used two ten button keypads that were built into the console itself. This made two player games difficult because the players would be forced to hold the console and sit extremely close. The console was capable of making simple beep sounds with slight variations in tone and length.
One distinct feature of the Studio II was its five built-in games. Also unique to the Studio II was its use of a switchbox that relayed both the modulated RF signal of the console's video to the television
set while powering the console with DC
power. This type of hookup would not be seen again (or thereafter) until the Atari 5200
used a similar video signal and power connection method.
The Studio II was not a successful product; it was already obsolete by the time it hit the market when compared to the previously released Fairchild Channel F
, and had its "final nail in the coffin" when the superior (to both) Atari 2600
console was released only 10 months later. It was discontinued in 1979.
The name "Studio II" is a reference to RCA's then-famous recording studios. The RCA Studio II was named as to represent a second studio in which artists could create productions for RCA.
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
that debuted in January 1977. The graphics of Studio II games were black and white and resembled those of earlier Pong
Pong
Pong is one of the earliest arcade video games, and is a tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics. While other arcade video games such as Computer Space came before it, Pong was one of the first video games to reach mainstream popularity...
consoles and their clones. The Studio II also did not have joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
s or similar game controllers but instead used two ten button keypads that were built into the console itself. This made two player games difficult because the players would be forced to hold the console and sit extremely close. The console was capable of making simple beep sounds with slight variations in tone and length.
One distinct feature of the Studio II was its five built-in games. Also unique to the Studio II was its use of a switchbox that relayed both the modulated RF signal of the console's video to the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
set while powering the console with DC
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
power. This type of hookup would not be seen again (or thereafter) until the Atari 5200
Atari 5200
The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, commonly known as the Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc. as a higher end complementary console for the popular Atari 2600...
used a similar video signal and power connection method.
The Studio II was not a successful product; it was already obsolete by the time it hit the market when compared to the previously released Fairchild Channel F
Fairchild Channel F
The Fairchild Channel F is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in August 1976 at the retail price of $169.95. It has the distinction of being the first programmable ROM cartridge-based video game console...
, and had its "final nail in the coffin" when the superior (to both) Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
console was released only 10 months later. It was discontinued in 1979.
The name "Studio II" is a reference to RCA's then-famous recording studios. The RCA Studio II was named as to represent a second studio in which artists could create productions for RCA.
System specs
- RCA 1802RCA 1802The RCA CDP1802, also known as the COSMAC , is an 8-bit CMOS microprocessor introduced by RCA in early 1976. It is being by Intersil Corporation as a high-reliability microprocessor...
microprocessor, 1.78 MHz - 2 KBKilobyteThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
ROM (includes the five built-in games) - 512 bytes RAM
- RCA CDP 1861 "Pixie" video chip, 64x32, monochrome graphics
Studio II cartridge game titles
- Baseball
- Bingo (extremely rare, possibly only a prototype)
- Biorhythm
- Blackjack
- Fun with Numbers
- Gunfighter / Moonship Battle
- Spacewar
- Speedway / Tag
- Tennis / Squash
- TV Schoolhouse I
- TV Schoolhouse II
External links
- History of Home Video Games - RCA Studio II
- The Dot Eaters article, featuring the RCA Studio II
- Emma 02 including RCA Studio II Emulator