The Arcadia 2001 was a second version of an 8-bit home video game console made by Emerson Radio. It was sold in May 1982 for $99, a few months before the ColecoVision was released. The console was no longer sold after 18 months, and 35 games were released for it. Emerson allowed Bandai to sell the Arcadia 2001 in Japan. More than 30 copies of the Arcadia 2001 were made, even though the system was not successful in the market.
Description
The Arcadia is smaller than other similar systems and uses a standard 12-volt power supply, making it suitable for use in a boat or vehicle. It has two headphone jacks located on the left and right sides of the back panel.
The system includes two controllers similar to those used with the Intellivision system. Each controller has a 12-button keypad and "fire" buttons on the sides. The direction pads have a removable joystick attachment. Many games included BoPET overlays, which are special plastic sheets that can be placed on the controller's keypads. The console itself has five buttons: Power, Start, Reset, Option, and Select.
There are at least three different styles of cartridge cases and artwork designs, with variations in each style. Emerson-family cartridges are available in two lengths—short and long—and are made of black plastic.
Technical specifications
- Main Computer Chip: Signetics 2650 CPU (some versions use a different chip)
- Memory (RAM): 1 kilobyte
- Read-only Memory (ROM): None
- Screen Resolution: 128 × 208 or 128 × 104 pixels, 8 colors
- Video Controller Chip: Signetics 2637 UVI, operating at 3.58 MHz for NTSC systems and 3.55 MHz for PAL systems
- Sound: One channel for beeping sounds and one channel for noise
- Graphics: 4 separate, single-color moving images (sprites)
- Controllers: Two directional joysticks
- Keypads: Two 12-button pads (some versions have additional buttons)
Console variants and clones
Many different versions and copies of the Arcadia 2001 have been made by companies in various countries. These systems usually work well together. In 1982, the Bandai Arcadia was released only in Japan and was allowed to be sold by Emerson. Four special games were made for this system.
In 1982, the Bandai Arcadia, which is a version of the Emerson Arcadia 2001, was licensed and sold in Japan by Bandai for 19,800 yen.
Reception
After viewing the Arcadia 2001 at the summer 1982 Consumer Electronics Show, Danny Goodman from Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games noted that its graphics looked similar to those of the Atari 2600. He stated that the gameplay was good for a system at this price, though no game stood out as particularly original or exciting. He also described the controller, which had a design that combined features of a disc and joystick from the Intellivision system, as "a great idea."
Games
Emerson planned to launch the console with 19 games. Some Arcadia 2001 games are copies of less well-known arcade games such as Route 16, Jungler, and Jump Bug, which were not available on other home systems.
Emerson created many popular arcade games, including Pac-Man, Galaxian, and Defender, for the Arcadia. However, these games were never manufactured because Atari sued its competitors for releasing games that Atari had exclusive rights to. Early marketing materials showed popular arcade games, but these were later released as clones. For example, the Arcadia 2001 game Space Raiders is a clone of Defender, and Breakaway is a clone of Breakout.
A total of 55 games are known to have been released for the Arcadia 2001 and its clones during the system’s lifetime.
Three games developed by hobbyists are known to have been made for the system:
- Frogger
- JTron
- Tetris