VTech CreatiVision
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The Video Technology CreatiVision was a hybrid computer and video game console introduced by VTech in 1981. The hybrid unit was similar in concept to computers such as the APF Imagination Machine, the older Video Brain computer, and to a lesser extent the Intellivision game console and Coleco ADAM computer, all of which anticipated the trend of video game consoles becoming more like low-end computers.
The CreatiVision was distributed in many European countries and South Africa, as well as in Australia under the Dick Smith Wizzard name. Other names for the system (which were likely clones) included the FunVision Computer Video Games System and Hanimex Rameses. All CreatiVision and similar clones were designed for use with PAL standard television sets.
The CreatiVision console sported an 8-bit Rockwell 6502A CPU at a speed of 2 MHz, 1kb of RAM and 16kb of Video RAM, and had a graphics resolution of 256 x 192 with 16 colors and 32 sprites. The console had 2 integrated joystick/membrane keypad controllers (much like the Colecovision) which, when set in a special compartment on top of the console, could be used as a makeshift computer keyboard. The CreatiVision had interfaces for a cassette player, an extra rubber keyboard, floppy disk drive, parallel I/O interface, modem (likely unreleased), Centronics printer and one memory expansion module for use with the Basic language cartridge. [1]
The CreatiVision, like many video game consoles and computers, was discontinued in 1984 due to the infamous Video game crash of 1983.
