VTech CreatiVision

VTech CreatiVision

VTech CreatiVision rebranded as a Dick Smith Wizzard
Manufacturer	VTech
Generation	Second generation
Retail availability	1981 (Hong Kong)
Discontinued	Early 1986
Media	cartridge
CPU	Rockwell 6502 @ 2 MHz
Storage capacity	cassette tape
Graphics	Texas Instruments TMS 9928/9929
Controller input	joystick/membrane keypad controllers
Successor	VTech Laser 2001

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 VideoBrain Family 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 (all officially produced by VTech themselves) include the FunVision Computer Video Games System, Hanimex Rameses and Dick Smith VZ 2000. All CreatiVision and similar clones were designed for use with PAL standard television sets, except the Japanese CreatiVision (distributed by Cheryco) which was NTSC and is nowadays much sought after by collectors.

The CreatiVision console sported an 8-bit Rockwell 6502 CPU at a speed of 2 MHz, 1KB of RAM and 16KB of Video RAM, and had a graphics resolution of 256 × 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 was discontinued in late 1985/early 1986.

External links

• CreatiVEmu: CreatiVision Emulation Central