As far as we know, nobody cared to clone the Odyssey 2.)Īdditionally, the Odyssey 2 had a 128-byte static RAM chip. (Cloning could be accomplished by reverse-engineering the Intel 8244 chip and creating a new chip with similar functions, but copying the contents of the 8048 internal ROM would be illegal.
#Magnavox odyssey specs software#
The fact that the Intel 8048 microcontroller had a proprietary software burned inside it by Magnavox and the use of a proprietary audio and graphics controller, this made it impossible for other companies to clone the Odyssey 2. The graphics and sound were controlled by an Intel 8244 chip (or Intel 8245 in the European version of the Odyssey 2), which wasĪ custom-made integrated circuit, meaning that Intel developed it exclusively for Magnavox and only sold it to this company. Additional ROM memory was available in the game cartridges and was where the game was stored.
#Magnavox odyssey specs code#
In the 8048’s embedded ROM, Magnavox stored the basic code for the console to work (similar to a computer’s BIOS). This microcontroller was clocked at 1.79 MHz and had 27 I/O lines. This made the system cheaper to build, as systems with a regular microprocessor would require these components externally. This microcontroller was a “computer on a chip,” providing a CPU, 1 kB of ROM, 64 bytes of RAM, a timer, and an oscillator (clock generator) on a single chip. The Odyssey 2 was based on an Intel 8048 microcontroller, a member of Intel’s MCS-48 family. (A clone of the Colecovision called Splicevision was released but was amateurish-looking and never gained enough market share.) With the Brazilian government prohibiting external competition, the Philips Odyssey had record sales there. So, while in other countries the Odyssey 2 had several competitors, in Brazil it only competed with clones of the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision, which was manufactured in Brazil by Sharp.
#Magnavox odyssey specs plus#
Since Philips, the owner of Magnavox, had big manufacturing facilities in Brazil, the Odyssey 2 was a perfect fit to be manufactured locally, plus it wouldn’t face a lot of competition. Even after this ban was lifted, they still face 100% tariffs to this day.) This barrier was created by the military government that was in power at the time in order to develop the local industries. (Of course, some people could smuggle “forbidden” products into the country. Until 1992, Brazilians were forbidden to import electronics all consumer electronics products had to be manufactured in Brazil. Many people find it amusing that Brazil was the country where the Odyssey 2 was the most successful. The Odyssey 2 was designed in the United States. (Magnavox, an American company, was owned by the Dutch giant, Philips.) For the debut of our new “Museum” section, we will dissect this video game console and explain, in-depth, how it worked. The Magnavox Odyssey 2, which was released as Philips Videopac G7000 in Europe and as Philips Odyssey in Brazil, was a video game console released in 1978 in the United States.
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