Search the Community

A few years back I bought the RCA Studio II multi-cart which came with the AV mod for the RCA Studio II. I have no technical skills whatsoever, so I was wondering, if I were to buy a spare RCA Studio II console, would someone here be willing to install the mod for me? I would send the console and mod components to you, of course I would also pay for shipping both ways as well as parts and labor, just name your price. Let me know and I'll start hunting down a Studio II on eBay as I'd like to keep my current unit in original form.

Hi, a while ago I got Sheen 1200 Micro Computer (Australia clone of RCA Studio II) with 2 cart games. It does power up and tune picture no problem. I understand to start game you have to put cart game in and press CLEAR button. After these and try press 1 button to start the game and nothing happen. Even the games built in console. Did I do anything wrong or something not right? Any help would be great!

Not sure if I can afford one, but I'd like to buy an RCA Studio II console with at least 1 game since I just received my multi-cart, and of course now I want to play it. Send me a private message if you have one you'd like to sell. Thanks for looking.

I'm looking to buy an RCA Studio II console with the power supply and switchbox. Please PM me.

I recently received an RCA Studio II from eBay, that was untested. It came with the original PSU and switch box. I bought this adapter from Radio Shack to connect to my flat screen: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062054&locale=en_US I connected everything, switched the switch box to RCA Studio II and nothing happened. The red LED light on the console didn't light up at all. I was wondering if it was the RCA PSU. I read that an Atari 2600 PSU works with the RCA Studio II. I tried that, and again nothing. Is there anything I can do to troubleshoot the system? Also please keep in mind that I'm a newbie when it comes to retro-electronics. Thank you!

Another console has been added to my small growing collection. In box it is missing a power supply and essential power and signal switch box. An Atari 2600 PS should be suitable and schematics are available for the unique switch box.

From the earliest times of home video gaming and computing, many companies and people tried to make money from this growing market. It was easy in the 70's with semi-analog Pongs then ready-to-use AY chips and the like; then come the "programmable" era. Still, companies tried to make systems. Fair tries or ridiculous attempts, most of those systems would only last one year or even less before vanishing from the markets. Famous examples include the RCA Studio II, the 1292 AVPS/Interton VC 4000 (tho, it's so old and was sold as late as 1982... it's quite borderline), or the Watara Supervision. Note that I don't consider systems like the 3DO or the Virtual Boy as such. Sure they didn't make much of an impact on the market and are quite rare today, but they are also well know amongst retrogamers, and most would like at least to try them. Here we're talking about systems that make most people saying "I never ever heard of that" or "Wow, you got one of THOSE? Why do you keep it?" Well, if you have one or more of those, show them, and maybe tell use more about? Here is a tour of some of those systems I own : Hanimex HMG 7900 This system is a clear example of a company going for the greedy aspect of video gaming. The box art is very cheesy... text says "Programmable game computer with microprocessor"; the display is a whopping 60*52 pixels, 8 colors; sound is a mono channel integrated buzzer, the gamepad bear a 4 direction joystick, one action button and one analog potentiometer. All of this would let you think this system was released somewhere in the late 70's? Well, maybe it was created at the time, but this beast hit the market in 1983. Clearly, this system have no other purpose than to be a cheap gaming system, a concept that would attract many people and still do today. With such drastic limitations, the games are clearly poor, tho at least, the ones I have are playable. One proof of this system being just for money : some versions of the system include a second joystick port. Other versions (sold by other companies, as it was one of those "buy the concept and stick your name on it") only have one build-in gamepad! Anyway, none of the 11 games include a 2 player mode. Well, about the games? They are all clones of famous games of the time. Pac Man, Space Invaders, etc... The Advision Home Arcade "Adventure on screen" It's just one of the many variants of the Emerson Arcadia 2001. Which is really nothing but a 1292 AVPS with a new graphic chip and more RAM. The interesting thing on that one is that it can play US Emerson games as there is no region lock out and the games are physically identical (which isn't the case with the ITMC variant for example). BitCorp Gamate : I mentionned the Watara Supervision as an example of "famous obscure" system. Well, the early 90's saw more than the Watara trying to grab on the success of the Game Boy. The BitCorp Gamate is probably, quality wise, one of the best. Sadly, poor distribution, game of various quality and a terrible screen, plus the more successfull Supervision, killed the Gamate in less than 3 years. It came out in 1991, and even in Asia, sales stopped in 1993. Technically, it's totally up to compete with the Game Boy : same screen size (144*160 pixels) 4 shades of grey; equivalent CPU, same RAM. Only the audio might be better on the Game Boy, but the Gamate have a decent 8 bits sound chip (probably a very classic AY-3-8912 but it's hard to say). The games come on cards, much like the Sega Mycard for the Master System and PC-Engine/Turbografx-16 games. Mega Duck : You know you're facing something great when the name is so ridiculous. Sold in some European countries (France and Netherland for sure, as the 3 companies that sticked their names on it are from France and Netherland), it was also released in South America, maybe the USA, under an even better name : "Cougar Boy". I like the box because of the selling catchphrases. "Compact video game concept : with moving background for increasing the visual effect" (note that isn't a lie as the system include an hardware plane display that allow any programmer to put a moving or still background without the need to program it from scratch, much like most systems would include an hardware tiles and sprites display). It came out in 1993. Being that it's again one of those "name it" game system, all games are from Asia. More specifically, most, if not all, were programmed by Sachen. Unlike their NES games, they are fairly decent and plays well. Again, it's a complete Game Boy ripoff : same CPU, same RAM, same screen, etc. Unlike the Gamate, this time the screen is almost ghosting free. The build quality is fairly decent, even if the unit feel a bit big and childish. Well, that's a lil tour of some osbcure system I own.