| Manufacturer: | RCA |
| Developer: | RCA |
| CPU: | RCA 1802 microprocessor, 1.78 MHz |
| Memory: | 512 bytes RAM |
The RCA Studio II is a home video game console made by RCA that debuted in January 1977. The graphics of Studio II games were black and white and resembled those of earlier Pong consoles and their clones. The Studio II also did not have joysticks or similar game controllers but instead used two ten button keypads that were built into the console itself. The console was capable of making simple beep sounds with slight variations in tone and length.
One distinct feature of the Studio II was its five built-in games.[3] Another was its use of a switchbox that relayed both the modulated RF signal of the console's video to the television set while powering the console with DC power. This type of switchbox would not be seen again until the Atari 5200.
The Studio II was not a successful product; the previously released Fairchild Channel F made it obsolete at launch and it suffered a final decisive blow when the superior (to both) Atari 2600 console was released only 10 months later. After poor Christmas sales in 1977, RCA ceased production of the Studio II and offloaded excess inventory to Radio Shack in a fire sale.
In 1978, RCA announced low Christmas sales, and cut production of its Studio II system. While losses were not announced, RCA laid off 120 workers at its plant that produced the system in North Carolina. Some analysts blamed the fact the RCA Studio II's games were in black and white, and could not compete with systems offering color.
Latest Releases on RCA Studio II
TV Schoolhouse I
TV School House I is an educational game that contains quizzes in social studies and mathematics. The game comes with two booklets (one elementary and...
TV School House II: Math Fun
TV School House II: Math Fun is an educational game for one or two players. The game involves solving a sequence of ten problems where players are awa...
TV Mystic Series: Biorhythm
The 18V700 Biorhythm cartridge simultaneously displays physical, emotional, and intellectual biorhythm charts for any 32-day period, starting with wha...
TV Casino Series: TV Bingo
Following the release of the RCA Studio II, RCA started to work almost immediately on the RCA Studio III. The main reason being that the RCA Studio II...
TV Casino I: Blackjack
TV Casino I: Blackjack is a card game based on the Las Vegas version of Blackjack. It can be played by one or two players against a dealer. Each playe...
TV Arcade Series: Speedway/Tag
This cartridge consists of two games. Speedway is a racing game for two players. The game is viewed from a top-down perspective and each player has...
TV Arcade Series: Gunfighter/Moonship Battle
TV Arcade Series: Gunfighter/Moonship Battle is a cartridge that contains two different games. Gunfighter is a shoot-out game set in the wild west ...
TV Arcade IV: Baseball
TV Arcade IV: Baseball is an adaptation of the sport for two-player. When one player is batting the other pitches and controls the movement of the fie...
TV Arcade III: Tennis/Squash
Tennis/Squash is the RCA Studio II's version of Pong and features two variations of it. Tennis is a two-player game and plays like the original Pon...
TV Arcade II: Fun with Numbers
TV Arcade II: Fun with Numbers is a cartridge containing three games: - Guess the Number (1 Player): The game randomly determines a three-digit num...
TV Arcade I: Space War
Space War consists of two shooting games: Horizontal Intercept and Vertical Intercept. In Horizontal Intercept, the player has to destroy enemy spa...
Patterns
Another drawing program, this time enabling the user to create a doodle that can be infinitely repeated on-screen by the system, inverting all the pix...
Freeway
A racing game where the player drives a car in a straight freeway and must steer to avoid collisions with other cars. Accidents will only slow the pla...
Doodle
A simple program that allows the user to draw (doodle) on the screen. With the RCA Studio II being monochrome, the player can only draw white pixels o...
Bowling
A simplistic top-down rendition of bowling for (exactly) two players. The ball moves automatically up and down the lane and the players just need to c...
Addition
A math educational game for one or two players. The goal is to simply add 3 digits that show up on the screen simultaneously and press the according b...