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