Philips Videopac+ G7400

"Odyssey 3" redirects here. For other uses, see Odyssey III (disambiguation).
Videopac+ G7400
Philips Videopac+ G7400 console
ManufacturerPhilips
TypeHome video game console
GenerationThird generation
Released1983 (1983)
CPUIntel 8048 @ 5.91MHz
Memory6 KB RAM, 1 KB ROM
DisplayRF modulator, composite, RGB; 320×238 resolution
GraphicsIntel 8245, EF9340 (VIN), EF9341 (GEN)
Sound1 channel, 8 sounds
PredecessorPhilips Videopac G7000
SuccessorPhilips CD-i
Philips MSX

The Philips Videopac+ G7400 is a third-generation home video game console released in limited quantities in 1983,[1] and only in Europe; an American release as the Odyssey³ Command Center was planned for the Odyssey series but never occurred. The G7400 was the successor to the Philips Videopac G7000, the European counterpart to the American Magnavox Odyssey².[2] The system featured excellently tailored background and foreground graphics.[3]

The G7400 could play three types of games: all normal G7000 games, special G7000 games with additional high-res background graphics that would appear only when played on the G7400, and G7400-only games with high-res sprites and backgrounds.

Odyssey³

There were plans to release the G7400 in the United States as the Odyssey³ and later as the Odyssey³ Command Center; the system was demonstrated at the 1983 Consumer Electronics Show,[4] and some prototypes have been found. The Odyssey³ was never released, mostly because company executives concluded it was not commercially feasible due to the video game crash of 1983.

The Odyssey³ was to feature a real mechanical keyboard, unlike the membrane keyboard found in the G7000 and Odyssey², as well as a built-in joystick holder for dual-joystick games. Prototypes for a 300 baud modem and a speech synthesizer are known to have been made, and a laserdisc interface was planned to allow even more advanced games.

Specifications

  • CPU: Intel 8048, 5.91 MHz
  • RAM: 6 KB + 192 Byte
  • ROM: 1 KB
  • Display: 320×238×16 (Intel 8245 for G7000 compatible 128x64 16 color graphics and Thomson EF9340 [VIN] and EF9341 [GEN] )
  • Audio: 1 channel, 8 sounds
  • Input / Output: RF modulator, Péritel/SCART connector (with RGB), joystick port(s), ROM cartridge port
  • Expansion
    • The Voice – Speech synthesis unit, compatible with G7000
    • Chess Module – Increased the G7400's computing power such that it could play chess, also compatible with G7000
    • Microsoft BASIC Home Computer Module (C7420) – Similar to above, with the purpose of converting the G7400 into a "real" computer, not compatible with G7000. An additional Z80 CPU with 16 KB RAM and 16 KB ROM.

Legacy

The Videopac Collection Volume 1 was released on Steam on November 24, 2022. It uses O2EM for emulation and includes the G7400 versions of the games when applicable.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Wolf, Mark J.P.; Perron, Bernard (8 October 2013). The Video Game Theory Reader. Routledge. pp. 312–. ISBN 978-1-135-20519-5.
  2. ^ L'Europeo (in Italian). Vol. 39. Editoriale Domus. November 1983. pp. 282–. Il tutto, tradotto dal computerese, significa che invece di programmi si tratterà di una nuova consolle per far girare i programmi stessi, più precisamente il Philips G7400 Il vecchio Philips Videopac aveva il difetto di essere il videogioco con la ...
  3. ^ Bali, S.P. (1 March 1994). Colour Television: Theory and Practice. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. pp. 373–. ISBN 978-0-07-460024-5.
  4. ^ 1983 CES Odyssey Command Center Promo. Philips. January 14, 2012 [1983] – via the Internet Archive.
  5. ^ "Videopac Collection 1 on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
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