Philips Videopac+ G7400 Explained

Videopac+ G7400
Manufacturer:Philips
Type:Home video game console
Cpu:Intel 8048 @ 5.91MHz
Memory:6 KB RAM, 1 KB ROM
Display:RF modulator, composite, RGB; 320×238 resolution
Predecessor:Philips Videopac G7000
Successor:Philips CD-i
Philips MSX
Generation:Third generation
Graphics:Intel 8245, EF9340, EF9341
Sound:1 channel, 8 sounds

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 that it was not technologically advanced enough to compete in the marketplace, and the video game crash of 1983 ended all lingering hopes for a release.

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

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

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: The Video Game Theory Reader. Wolf. Mark J.P.. Perron. Bernard. 8 October 2013. Routledge. 978-1-135-20519-5. 312–.
  2. Book: L'Europeo . 39 . November 1983 . Editoriale Domus . it . 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. Book: Colour Television: Theory and Practice. Bali. 1 March 1994. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. 978-0-07-460024-5. 373–.
  4. 1983 CES Odyssey Command Center Promo. January 14, 2012. en. Philips. 1983. the Internet Archive.
  5. Web site: Videopac Collection 1 on Steam . 2023-06-28 . store.steampowered.com . en.