Arcadia 2001
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Arcadia 2001Emerson Arcadia 2001 Logo.png
Emerson-Arcadia-2001.jpg
An Arcadia 2001
Manufacturer    Emerson Radio
Type    Home video game console
Generation    Second generation
Release date    May 1982; 38 years ago
Lifespan    18 months
Introductory price    US$99
Discontinued    1984
Media    ROM cartridge
CPU    Signetics 2650
Memory    1 KB RAM
Graphics    128 × 208 / 128 × 104, 8 Colors
Controller input    2 x Intellivision-style controller (12 button keypad and 'fire' buttons on the sides)
Power    12 volt

Arcadia 2001 is a second-generation 8-bit home video game console released by Emerson Radio in May 1982 for a price of US$ 99, several months before the release of ColecoVision. It was discontinued only 18 months later, with a total of 35 games having been released.[2] Emerson licensed the Arcadia 2001 to Bandai, which released it in Japan. Over 30 Arcadia 2001 clones exist.

The unrelated Arcadia Corporation, manufacturer of the Atari 2600 Supercharger add-on, was sued by Emerson for trademark infringement. Arcadia Corporation then changed its name to Starpath.

Description

The Arcadia is much smaller than its contemporary competitors and is powered by a standard 12 volt power supply so it can be used in a boat or a vehicle. It also has two outputs (or inputs) headphone jacks on the back of the unit, on the far left and far right sides.

The system came with two Intellivision-style controllers with a 12-button keypad and 'fire' buttons on the sides. The direction pads have a removable joystick attachment. Most games came with BoPET overlays that could be applied to the controller's keypads. The console itself had five buttons: power, start, reset, option, and select.

There are at least three different types of cartridge case styles and artwork, with variations on each. Emerson-family cartridges come in two different lengths (short and long) of black plastic cases.
Technical specifications
Arcadia 2001 motherboard

    Main Processor: Signetics 2650 CPU (some variants run a Signetics 2650A)
    RAM: 1 KB
    ROM: None
    Video display: 128 × 208 / 128 × 104, 8 Colours
    Video display controller: Signetics 2637 UVI @ 3.58 MHz (NTSC), 3.55 MHz (PAL)
    Sound: Single Channel "Beeper" + Single Channel "Noise"
    Hardware Sprites: 4 independent, single color
    Controllers: 2 × 2 way
    Keypads: 2 × 12 button (more buttons on some variants)

Bandai Arcadia
Bandai ArcadiaBANDAI.svg
Manufacturer    Bandai
Type    Video game console
Generation    Second generation
Media    ROM cartridge
CPU    Signetics 2650 @ 3.58 MHz
Predecessor    Bandai Super Vision 8000
Successor    Bandai RX-78

In 1982, the Bandai Arcadia, a variant of the Emerson Arcadia 2001, was licensed and distributed to Japan by Bandai for a price of 19,800 yen. There were four Japan-exclusive games released by Bandai.

    Doraemon
    Dr. Slump
    Mobile Suit Gundam
    Super Dimension Fortress Macross

Reception

After seeing the Arcadia 2001 at the summer 1982 Consumer Electronics Show, Danny Goodman of Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games reported that its graphics were similar to the Atari 2600's, and that "our overall impression of the game play was favorable for a system in this price range, though no cartridge stands out as being an exciting original creation". He called the controller offering both Intellivision-like disc and joystick functionality "A great idea".
Games

Emerson planned to launch the console with 19 games. Some Arcadia 2001 games are ports of lesser-known arcade games such as Route 16, Jungler, and Jump Bug, which were not available on other home systems.

Emerson actually created many popular arcade titles including Pac-Man, Galaxian and Defender for the Arcadia, but never had them manufactured as Atari started to sue its competitor companies for releasing games to which it had exclusive-rights agreements. Early marketing showed popular arcade games, but they were later released as clones. For instance, the Arcadia 2001 game Space Raiders is a clone of Defender, and Breakaway is a clone of Breakout. Photo of Emerson Arcadia Motherboard below.

Console variants and clonesMany variants and clones of the Arcadia 2001 have been released by various companies in different countries. These systems are mostly compatible with each other. In 1982, the Bandai Arcadia was released only in Japan. Four exclusive games were released for the system.

Bandai Arcadia

In 1982, the Bandai Arcadia, a variant of the Emerson Arcadia 2001, was licensed and distributed to Japan by Bandai for a price of 19,800 yen. There were four Japan-exclusive games released by Bandai.

Doraemon

Dr. Slump

Mobile Suit Gundam

Super Dimension Fortress Macross