BSS 01


The BSS 01 is a dedicated first-generation home video game console that was released in 1980 or 1981 only in East Germany.

Etymology

The word BSS 01 is derived from the German word Bildschirmspiel 01, meaning Screen Game 01 or Video Screen Game 01. The console is also known as TV-Spiel or RFT TV-Spiel. RFT stands for Rundfunk- und Fernmelde-Technik which is a manufacturers' association of various telecommunication companies in East Germany.

History

In the 1980s, video games in East Germany were to introduce children and young people to technology and show that the GDR was a progressive country.
The BSS 01 was manufactured between 1979 and 1980 by the to the Kombinat Mikroelektronik Erfurt belonging VEB Halbleiterwerk Frankfurt. It is the only video game console that was released in East Germany and was sold from 1980 or 1981 to 1984 for 500, 550 or 620 East German marks. According to a 1984 catalog, the price of the console dropped to 330 East German marks in 1984. The BSS 01 sold about 1,000 times in its first production series, about 800 units of them are black and about 200 units are white. There were no more production series.
In the ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, you can play on an old chair in the style of the 1980s on a tube TV with the BSS 01.

Successor

A successor of the BSS 01 named BSS 02, probably with color output instead of black-and-white, was planned, but then discarded for the production of radio clocks. Whether prototypes, sketches etc. of the BSS 02 exist is unknown.

Technical specifications

The BSS 01 has a width of 32.5 cm, a height of 5.5 cm, a depth of 17.5 cm and a mass of 1.3 or 1.5 kg. It is based on the AY-3-8500-7 chipset from General Instrument. The sound is played through an internal mono speaker, rather than the TV set. The output was black-and-white via the TV's RF port on channel 3. Power was supplied to the BSS 01 via a power cord with 220 V, 2 W and 75 Ohm.

Versions

There are different colored versions of the BSS 01. Depending on the material stock, the plastic colors of the console could differ slightly from each other, for example, in the housing color, the paddles or used on the right buttons. However, the buttons on the left side are always black and the on/off switch on the top right is always red.

Games

Due to the integrated AY-3-8500 chipset from General Instrument, the BSS 01 is able to play the following four games:
The throw-in of the ball could be set to automatic or manual. After the first player reaches 15 points, each of the games was over.