Atari2008
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Posts posted by Atari2008
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Yikes, I can't believe it's been over a year since I started this thread as a way of sharing some interesting information I'd discovered about the Studio II, and that it's been a while longer than I'd realized since I'd posted anything new here. So, having just read through the whole thread and realized that it seems to have suddenly halted, it's now time to relate what else I've discovered since the last substantial postings:
1) Bingo is still unconfirmed as having been a US release, but it does seem likely at this point. Too much circumstantial evidence hints at this for any other conclusion to be drawn.
2) Andy Modla, who programmed many (though not all) of the US Studio II games, has not returned my emails in many months. He did confirm having programmed Bingo in earlier messages, and also indicated that he still has stuff (including prototypes) from his time with RCA. Quite obviously whatever he still has, in addition to whatever he remembers, is of immense interest. I strongly advise that some sort of concerted effort be made to interview him or even to offer to buy whatever he might still have. He did indicate a willingness to be interviewed in his few responses to me. Contact info for him is easy to come by online, and he also happens to be an talented photographer. He needs to be Priority One for us if we're to move forward with this team effort.
3) Terry Laudereau of ARESCO, who ran the Studio II programming club, is probably still alive, though apparently she went blind many years ago and has not had any involvement with computers or programming for many many years. I've been unable to contact her. Nobody I've been able to reach has any idea of ARESCO, including neighbors of the house where it was located. I actually drove out and asked around. Perhaps somebody else will have better luck. Similarly, almost all of the names from the programming club newsletters have turned out to be dead ends, likely literally in many cases. I'm still looking into a few. I was however able to contact the "V.A. Samek" (real name Vitres Samek) to whom the newsletters had originally belonged, and spoke briefly with him on the phone. He was quite surprised that anyone would contact him about an old computer setup he got rid of years ago, and only vaguely remembers having had a Studio II. And nothing of Bingo, of course.
4) Several older collector contacts of mine (including some who helped me find some very rare Arcadia games a while back) who tend to avoid forums have indicated that they're familiar with the Bingo game, and one who asked not to be named (and whose full name I don't even know) confirmed that he too had seen it at the Philly Classic show the time it appeared, and that he remembered a store display too. Not that such was in doubt at this point.
5) I've been in continuing touch with Fauxscot this whole time. He does still work full time for a living taking on interesting technical projects. The multicart will likely happen at some point in the near future, but we'll have to wait for the time being. I'm certain after all these years we can wait a little longer.
6) Fauxscot did put me in contact with a friend of his who just happens to be the man who hired him for RCA back in the day, and who I was able to exchange some very informative and rewarding phone calls and correspondence with. In addition to being gracious enough to send me his personal Studio II system (and near-full set of games) he also revealed some very interesting details, including:
- The origin of what would become the Studio II goes back to at least 1975 if not earlier. Before it was ever turned into a home console, RCA test marketed an arcade machine consisting of 5 games/programs at several New Jersey shopping malls in 1975. He even saw and experienced them firsthand on some business trips up North to RCA's main locations. He did not recall (at least, not when I asked) the name of the machines, but confirmed that the games were the same that would later be the 5 built-in to the Studio II system. He also confirmed that these short-lived market tests were not successful, and that RCA's plans to enter the arcade industry with these multi-game machines were quickly abandoned in favor of turning the system into a home game console. If nothing else, this explains the outdated feel of the Studio II in 1976 terms, it does feel more like 1974/1975 game styles.
- The boxes, stickers, and instruction manuals for the games (and presumably the printed materials for TV Schoolhouse I) were apparently printed elsewhere up North and shipped in bulk down to the Swannanoa plant where the cartridges were assembled and the games were then packaged together. Where exactly they were manufactured and printed (presumably at Deptford) he was uncertain of.
- He did seem to be familiar with there having been a Bingo game for the system, and was familiar with what I meant when I asked about certain games having oversized boxes with extra contents. Yet more circumstantial evidence for it having actually existed.
7) Most of what I'm still focusing on is trying to track down the remaining members of the programming club. Unfortunately, none seem to have any online presence and I've yet to hear back from the few who I've been able to find contact info from. I'll report back if I do establish contact with any.
Wow, thank you for this update! Definitely well worth the wait. Thank you for all your hard work to uncover this amazing information. I'm excited to read about future discoveries as well as the upcoming multi-cart. This is beyond awesome!
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Wow. I had a Genesis growing up, wanted the Sega CD too. This brought back warm memories, the Spidey one anyway. I'm going to watch Altered Beast now.
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I think I paid $35 for my FZ-10, because it wasn't in mint condition and didn't come with a controller. Not the best scenario, but it can be done without spending $150.
Good to hear! I'll just track eBay, if I can get it for less I'll definitely make the jump. I'm assuming the Panasonic is the most reliable model? I was going with that also based on nostalgia since it's what I remembered from the commercials back in the day. I wasn't even aware there were other manufacturers.
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You really should find one. Can't remember the last time I was this impressed with a system.
You are making quite the case...I haven't been impressed with a system in a while.
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It is really nice to see the 3DO getting love after all these years. I don't know why but for whatever reason this system that I coveted when I was 10 years old has been brought back to my consciousness. I do agree, finally getting my hands on one, since I never even saw one in person, would be quite awesome. It's a bit beyond my range at $100-$150 but of course far less than the $700 price tag it carried when I was a kid.
Seriously considering owning one. -
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I wasn't really aware of the system until I was in middle school. By then the system was gone. That would be really awesome to finally get what you couldn't have when you were a kid. I had a similar experience with the Sega Saturn. I wanted one so badly, and begged my parents for one but I never got one. By the time I had saved enough of my own money to buy a system for the fifth generation, the Sega Saturn was gone, so I picked up an N64. I loved the N64, great system, but I still kick myself for not being able to have a Saturn back in its hayday. I still remember drooling over screen shots of Sonic R and Daytona USA in gaming magazines, haha.
I became aware of the system when it first came out, I was in the 6th grade. I remember seeing the commercials and thinking the games looked really cool, in particular Jurassic Park. I had a Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo at the time so I was excited about the next big thing. It was too pricey, so my parents didn't get it for me. My dad got me an Atari Jaguar 3 years later, it was cheaper and on its last legs by then, but the library left a sour taste in my mouth. I also had an N64! So it would be cool to finally get a system I wanted back then but couldn't afford, at least for the experience if anything. And it sounds like it has cool games and quite the following.
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Yeah, but it's worth it. Honestly, haven't felt so much excitement from a classic console that I had no nostalgia from since the Sega Master System. I honestly can't believe I missed out on this originally. It kinda ticks me off, because I would have totally supported this console if I knew more about it back then.
They sold about 5 million units world wide, and people tend to keep these things. That's why I think their value seems to be fairly high. The good news is that most of the games are pretty affordable. I know it can run burned games, but I really don't feel the same towards having a burned disc. There's something special about having the real thing in its original packaging.
Thank you for sharing that. I actually wanted a 3DO back in the day when I saw the commercials but my parents couldn't afford it. I wish I had gotten one at the time too. I'll look into it, would be nice to finally get to experience it. I agree, I'd rather have the original games in their packaging, a burned disc wouldn't feel the same for me, I want the full experience.
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You'll spend about 120-150 (that includes shipping) anymore for one now a days. More if you get games with it. Goldstars can be gotten for cheap, but that's because no one wants them as they're very unreliable.
That's what I saw on eBay, they seemed pretty pricey.
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$60 to $100, depending? Ebay, expect to pay more if it's CIB (since everything is jacked up there).
Not bad. Thanks!
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Congrats! I've been thinking about getting one of these. It's nice to hear that it had a good library of games. Gex seems fun. How much do these go for?
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I learned of this system a few months ago, and became quite obsessed with it. I found a few links, I'll post them later when I'm at my computer. There is also a flash cart in the works for it. I wanted a console really bad but the boxed ones I've seen on eBay have gone for $300-$400. It's an obscure machine but one seems to go up on eBay about once a month.
The games seem pretty lackluster although their Space Invaders clone is fun and shows the system is capable of more.
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I'm offering for sale my Magnavox Odyssey 2 with 7 boxed games and 4 Videopac manuals. The system comes with everything, the joysticks, RF cable and power supply. It's fully functional and in good physical condition. The games are as follows:
KC Munchkin
Volleyball
UFO
Speedway/Spinout/Cryptologic
Las Vegas Blackjack
War of Nerves
Alien Invaders Plus
All of the games are complete in box, but KC, Volleyball, and UFO the boxes are opening up a bit as you can see in the photos. The other four games, the boxes are much tighter and pristine. I'm also including the four Videopac manuals in the photo.
PM me an offer if you're interested.
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Great day to be an Atari fan!!!
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I recently been getting more and more games into my collection of 30 different systems. I'm sorry if this is the wrong thread but this was the best I could think of. Anyway, its all starting to well.....get big! My collection is 30 systems and over 400+ games. For those of you who have more experience, how much is TO much? Should I just focus on a few systems or should I just slow down collecting all together for a while? The thing is I'm only 20 years old. I have a wall full of electronics! You should see it! Im proud of it, but I was just recently thinking, what do you guys do with collecting?
This is a good question segasaturn, and I appreciate you posting it. It's one that I've struggled with myself even though I hardly have a collection as large as yours or that of many people on here. I have 2 Channel F's with a total of 16 games, a Magnavox Odyssey 2 with a total of 6 games, 2 Atari 2600's with maybe 50 or so games, and my latest acquisition an RCA Studio II with 7 games. Sometimes I get overwhelmed and feel it's too much. Mostly because my apartment isn't that big, I share it with my girlfriend, and I don't have the money to get shelves and stuff to display everything properly, plus I don't want to get buried by games, even though I love them. Also, I do have a bit of an insatiable appetite and crave rare systems that are pricey so finances can come into play.
I agree that's subjective. Collect as many or as little as you feel comfortable with. I also find that sometimes my interest in certain systems comes and goes, so I've thought of a rotation. Hook one or two up for a period of time, when I get bored, rotate and put the rest in the closet. Also I think finances limits how much you can get. They key thing I learned is to have fun, and as long as you're doing that and it's not taking away from life or other things, go for it.
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Here's a pic of the sealed games I own. I won't open them though, so the only two I can play are Defender and Super Cobra. I need to find two others I can play.
They look awesome! Congrats! Good luck hunting down loose copies to play. Nice Nintendo collection too.
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Yes I am! I also have two sealed Adventurevision games to go along with it (I once sold them, then worked out a deal with the buyer).
Awesome! Which games do you have? I've played AdventureVision in emulation and have found it quite fun. I enjoyed Defender and Turtles a lot, but out of the 4 games I did enjoy all of them. interesting machine.
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Got this bad boy on Wednesday for $650 from a fellow AA member, and couldn't he happier!
Awesome! Looks great and good price. Hope you're enjoying!
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I'm curious, is there any news on the Multi-Cart front? The homebrews were really amazing, and it would be awesome to be able to play them on the actual hardware.
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Yeah, it was entertaining. I never had any other cartridges for it though. I actually traded it for a yamaha branded bike frame back around 80/81 to a friend. My step-dad was pissed and made me trade it back though. LOL
I've been playing with the other carts, I've been having fun. That's funny that your dad made you trade the bike back! LOL
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I recently bought an RCA S2 boxed collection from him and the transaction was as smooth as can be. His communication was great, he shipped everything quickly and it was packaged very carefully. The condition of everything was great. A very professional and personable seller to do business with. I highly recommend!!!!!!!!!
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Sorry to double post but sure there is.There is the Sega SG-1000,Amstrad GX-4000 and the FM Towns Marty.I'll list my favorite games from my personal collection.
Fm Towns Marty
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Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis
Monkey Island II
Ultima VI
Wing Commander II
Splatterhouse
super street fighter 2
Bubble Bubble
After Burner
SG-1000
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Girl's GardenShinnyushain Tooru Kun
Doki doki Penguin Land
monaco GP
Hustle ChumyLode RunnerZippy RaceBomb jack
CastleH.E.R.O.
Flicky
Zaxxon
Amstrad GX-4000
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Burnin' Rubber
Robocop 2
Switchblade
Pang
Plotting
Thanks for this post! Yeah, I think the novelty would wear off with the AdventureVision, plus I'd be afraid of the spinning mirror breaking too. I like having rare consoles but that one is a bit too rare.
Thanks for the rare but fun consoles list! I haven't heard of most of them so I'll look into them, looks like they do have fun libraries. The SG-1000 I've heard about since a lot of those games have been ported over to the Colecovision as homebrews. Looks fun!
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I'm excited for the Channel F cover! I have the Atari 2600 one and Barb and Jerry do amazing professional work!
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Man, what a blast from the past. My parents bought me one brand new in 1979/1980 when Radio Shack was blowing them out. I did actually enjoy that bowling game.
No idea what ever happened to it, tossed out long ago I assume.
That's awesome. I love hearing from people who actually owned one of these less popular systems back in the day. People seem to have enjoyed the bowling game, I've played it, it's actually pretty fun.
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No. Sadly it got water soaked a long time ago with done other pong systems and my then small collection of game magazines (first year of Nintendo power, first few issues of EGM, GamePro, Sega Visions, Game Player, VG&CE-I was mad at that crappy shed).
The switch box ended up in my PC parts drawer. One of the fork terminals is off but last I used it the thing worked.
Sorry to hear of your collection that got water soaked! I had a lot of stuff I collected in my childhood in a shed that got wet and moldy so I know the feeling.
Sometimes Studio II's come up on eBay without the switchbox, you could add one of those to your collection if you wanted.
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RCA Studio II GOLD MINE! An interview with the Studio 2 Production Manager!
in Classic Console Discussion
Posted
AGREED!!! So. Awesome.