Arcadia 2001
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| Manufacturer | Emerson Radio Corp. |
|---|---|
| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | Second generation |
| Lifespan | 1982[1] |
| Media | ROM cartridge |
| CPU | Signetics 2650 @ 3.58 MHz |
The Arcadia 2001 is a second-generation 8-bit console released by Emerson Radio Corp. The game library was composed of 51 unique games and about 10 variations. The graphic quality is similar to that of the Intellivision and the Odyssey².
The Arcadia was not named after the company of the same name. Arcadia Corporation, manufacturer of the 2600 Supercharger, was sued by Emerson for trademark infringement. Arcadia Corporation then changed its name to Starpath.[2] Emerson licensed the Arcadia 2001 worldwide, and over 30 Arcadia clones exist.
Description
The Arcadia is much smaller than its contemporary competitors and is powered by a standard 12-volt power supply so it can be used in a boat or a vehicle. This portability feature, however, requires a portable television, which was extremely rare in the early 1980s. It also has two outputs (or inputs) headphone jacks on the back of the unit, on the far left and far right sides.
The system came with two Intellivision-style control pads, but with a lighter touch on the side 'fire' buttons. The control pads have screw holes in their centers, so that one could transform them into a joystick, as with the later Sega Master System's controller. Most games came with BoPET overlays which could be applied to the controllers. The console itself had five buttons: power, start, reset, option, and select.
There are at least three different types of cartridge case styles and artwork, with variations on each.[citation needed] Emerson-family carts come in two different lengths of black plastic cases; the short style is similar to Atari 2600 carts in overall size. This family uses a unique "sketch" type of picture label. MPT-03 family cart cases (see below) resemble Super NES carts in size and shape, except that they are molded in brown plastic. Their labels look much more modern and stylized, with only a minimal picture on each. There is also a family of what seems pirate carts, that look nothing like the others in shape, size or label artwork. The different labeled versions, however, all used the same cartridges.
Market Failure
The Emerson version of the console was essentially considered dead on arrival in the USA. The system came out at nearly the same time as the Atari 5200 and the ColecoVision were released. In addition, Atari's use of exclusive rights to many games made it virtually impossible for Emerson to get popular games to the console.
Emerson actually created many popular arcade titles including Pac-Man, Galaxian and Defender for the Arcadia and had them manufactured. However, Atari started to sue its competitor companies for releasing games to which it had exclusive-rights agreements[citation needed] and Emerson was left with thousands of manufactured games that could no longer be sold[citation needed].
Variants
The Arcadia 2001 was licensed to many different companies and sold under different names. However, not all consoles are compatible due to differences in cart slots and cases.
| Name | Manufacturer | Country | Compatibility family |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advision Home Arcade | Advision |  |
Emerson console |
| Arcadia | Bandai |  |
Emerson console |
| Arcadia 2001 | Emerson |  |
Emerson console |
| Cosmos | Tele-Computer |  |
Emerson console |
| Dynavision | Morning-Sun Commerce | |
MPT-03 console |
| Ekusera | P.I.C. | |
MPT-03 console |
| Hanimex MPT-03 | Hanimex | |
MPT-03 console |
| HMG-2650 | Hanimex |  |
Emerson console |
| Home Arcade Centre | Hanimex | |
Emerson console |
| Intelligent Game MPT-03 | Intelligent Game | |
MPT-03 console |
| Intercord XL 2000 System | Intercord | |
Emerson console |
| Intervision 2001 | Intervision |  |
Ormatu console |
| ITMC MPT-03 | ITMC | |
MPT-03 console |
| Leisure-Vision | Leisure-Dynamics |  |
Emerson console |
| Leonardo | GiG Electronics |  |
Emerson console |
| Ormatu 2001 | Ormatu Electronics BV |  |
Ormatu console |
| Palladium Video Computer Game | Neckermann | |
Palladium console |
| Polybrain Video Computer Game | Polybrain | |
Palladium console |
| Poppy MPT-03 Tele Computer Spiel | Poppy | |
MPT-03 console |
| Prestige Video Computer Game MPT-03 | Prestige | |
MPT-03 console |
| Robdajet MPT-03 | |
MPT-03 console | |
| Rowtron 2000 | Rowtron |  |
MPT-03 console |
| Schmid TVG-2000 | Schmid | |
Emerson console |
| Sheen Home Video Centre 2001 | Sheen |  |
Ormatu console |
| Soundic MPT-03 | Soundic |  |
MPT-03 console |
| Tele Brain | Mr. Altus | |
Palladium console |
| Tele-Fever | Tchibo | |
Emerson console |
| Tempest MPT-03 | Tempest | |
MPT-03 console |
| Tobby MPT-03 | Tobby | Tobby | MPT-03 console |
| Trakton Computer Video Game | Trakton | |
Palladium console |
| Tryom Video Game Center | Tryom | |
MPT-03 console |
| Tunix Home Arcade | Monaco Leisure |  |
Emerson console |
| UVI Compu-Game | Orbit Electronics | |
Orbit console |
| Video Master | Grandstand | |
Orbit console |
Bandai Arcadia
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| Manufacturer | Bandai |
|---|---|
| Type | Video game console |
| Generation | Second generation |
| Media | ROM cartridge |
| CPU | Signetics 2650 @ 3.58 MHz |
| Predecessor | Bandai Super Vision 8000 |
| Successor | Bandai RX-78 |
In 1982 the Bandai Arcadia, a variant of the Emerson Arcadia 2001, was released in Japan by Bandai. There were four Japan-exclusive game releases developed by Bandai which were the only known Arcadia titles written by other companies than UA Ltd.
- Doraemon
- Dr. Slump
- Mobile Suit Gundam
- Super Dimension Fortress Macross
Technical specifications
- Main Processor: Signetics 2650 CPU running @ 3.58 MHz
- Some variants run a Signetics 2650A
- RAM: 512 bytes
- ROM: None
- Video Display: 128 × 208 / 128 × 104, 8 Colours
- Video Display Controller: Signetics 2637 UVI
- Sound: Single Channel "Beeper" + Single Channel "Noise"
- Hardware Sprites: 4 independent, single color
- Controllers: 2 × 2 way
- Keypads: 2 × 12 button (more buttons on some variants)
Games
Many of the games for the Arcadia 2001 are ports of lesser-known arcade games such as Route 16 and Jungler.There are 46 games for this system.
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Emulation
- WinArcadia and AmiArcadia emulators.
- The Emerson Arcadia 2001 Emulator The first (DOS) emulator.
- MESS: Multiple Emulator Super System.
References
- ^ Forster, Winnie (2005). The encyclopedia of consoles, handhelds & home computers 1972 - 2005. GAMEPLAN. p. 57. ISBN 3-00-015359-4.
- ^ The Dot Eaters - Player4 Stage3 - Classic Video Game History
External links
- The Dot Eaters entry on the Arcadia 2001.
- www.old-computers.com Emerson Arcadia 2001 museum entry.
- www.old-computers.com Article about Arcadia 2001 and "clones".
- MESS wiki Arcadia 2001 documentation and games snapshots