Magnavox Odyssey²

Magnavox Odyssey²
Basic Information
Type(s)	Home Console
Manufacturer(s)	Magnavox
Predecessor(s)	Magnavox Odyssey
Competitor(s)	Fairchild Channel F and Atari 2600
Unit(s) sold	2 million
Technical Information
Supported Media	Cartridge
Input(s)
2 x Magnavox Odyssey 2 Controllers, Cartridge Input, Power Switch, Keyboard
Output(s)
RF Output
North American Release
1978
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The Magnavox Odyssey², (pronounced Two, not Squared) was a 1978 home video game console developed by Magnavox. The Odyssey² was a rather unique game system in that it featured a built-in flat membrane-style keyboard, similar to that of low-cost computer systems like the Atari 400 and the Timex-Sinclair 1000. This allowed for both educational games and possible strategy games to be developed for the system. The Odyssey² was also referred to as the Philips Videopac G7000 in Europe.

Technical Specifications

• CPU
  • Intel 8048 8-bit micro-controller running at 1.79 MHz
• Memory:
  • CPU-internal RAM: 64 bytes
  • Audio/Video RAM: 128 bytes
  • BIOS ROM: 1024 bytes

• Video:
  • Intel 8244 custom IC
  • 160×200 resolution (NTSC)
  • 16-color fixed palette; sprites may only use 8 of these colors
  • Four 8×8 single-color user-defined sprites; each sprite's color may be set independently
  • Twelve 8×8 single-color characters; must be one of the 64 shapes built into the ROM BIOS; can be freely positioned like sprites, but cannot overlap each other; each character's color may be set independently
  • Four quad characters; groups of four characters displayed in a row
  • 9×8 background grid; dots, lines, or solid blocks

• Audio:
  • Intel 8244 custom IC
  • Mono
  • 24-bit shift register, clockable at 2 frequencies
  • Noise generator
  • NOTE: There is only one 8244 chip in the system, which performs both audio and video functions.

• Input:
  • Two 8-way, one-button, digital joysticks. In the first production runs of the Magnavox Odyssey and the Philips Videopac G7000, these were permanently attached to the console; in later models, they were removable and replaceable.
  • QWERTY-layout membrane keyboard
• Output:
  • RF Audio/Video connector
  • Péritel/SCART connector (France only)
• Media:
  • ROM cartridges, typically 2 kB, 4 kB, or 8 kB in size.

• Expansion modules:
  • The Voice - provides speech synthesis & enhanced sound effects
  • Chess Module - The Odyssey² didn't have enough memory and computing power for a decent implementation of chess on its own, so the C7010 chess module contained a secondary CPU with its own extra memory to run the chess program.

Gallery

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  Magnavox Odyssey 2

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  Magnavox Odyssey 2 Box

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  Magnavox Odyssey 2 Controller

See also

• List of Magnavox Odyssey 2 video games
• List of Magnavox Odyssey 2 peripherals