VTech CreatiVision


The Video Technology CreatiVision is a hybrid computer and home video game console introduced by VTech in 1981 and released in 1982. The hybrid unit was similar in concept to computers such as the APF Imagination Machine, the older VideoBrain Family Computer, and to a lesser extent the Intellivision game console and Coleco Adam computer, all of which anticipated the trend of video game consoles becoming more like low-end computers.

History

The CreatiVision was distributed in many European countries, including most German-speaking countries like West Germany, Austria and Switzerland and also Italy and Sweden, South Africa, in Israel under the Educat 2002 name, as well as in Australia and New Zealand under the Dick Smith Wizzard name. Other names for the system include the FunVision Computer Video Games System, Hanimex Rameses and VZ 2000. All CreatiVision and similar clones were designed for use with PAL standard television sets, except the Japanese CreatiVision which was NTSC and is nowadays much sought after by collectors. However, the US release was planned but never sold efficiently.
The CreatiVision console sported an 8-bit Rockwell 6502 CPU at a speed of 2 MHz, 1KB of RAM and 16KB of Video RAM, and had a graphics resolution of 256 × 192 with 16 colors and 32 sprites. The console had two integrated joystick/membrane keypad controllers which, when set in a special compartment on top of the console, could be used as a computer keyboard. The CreatiVision had interfaces for a cassette player, an extra rubber keyboard, parallel I/O interface, floppy disk drive and modem and one memory expansion module for use with the Basic language cartridge. Any Centronics-compatible printer could be connected to the I/O module if present.
The CreatiVision was discontinued in late 1985/early 1986.
A computer was produced by VTech in 1984-1986, based on CreatiVision hardware and was compatible with most of its games: Laser 2001, which is also sold in West Germany and was brought to France.
It was also available in Finland through Salora, with the name of Manager. The Manager had a Finnish keyboard layout and character set.
A module allowing to play ColecoVision games were designed for use with the CreatiVision Mark-2 model. Before being produced, the module was modified internally and released for use on the Laser 2001 and Salora computers only. A special adaptor would be needed to make the Coleco-module work on the CreatiVision Mark-2.

List of games

In some regions, the console and its games were distributed by different companies, such as Cheryco in Japan, and Hanimex in Australia. VTech reissued several previous existing games in 1985.
There were ' titles known to have been released.
#TitleAKA titleGenreClone ofRelease year
1Submarine
Air/Sea Battle		Fixed shooter1981
2Astro PinballPinball-1982
3Auto ChaseCar ChaseMaze, DrivingRally-X1981
4BASIC Interpreter 1.0--1982
5Chopper RescueScrolling shooter1983
6MazePac-Man 1982
7MazePac-Man1981
8Deep Sea AdventureScrolling shooterDefender1982
9LocomotivePlatformerBurgerTime1983
10PuzzleLoco-Motion1982
11Music MakerMusic-1983
12Planet DefenderEarth Defense Force
Galaxy Defender		Scrolling shooterDefender1981
13PlatformerDonkey Kong1982
14SoccerSports-1983
15InvadersFixed shooterSpace Invaders1981
16Stone AgePuzzlePengo1984
17Tank BattleMulti-directional shooterCombat 1981
18Who's for Tennis?'Sports-1981