VTech CreatiVision
| Company type | Consumer electronics |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video game console, Computer |
| Founded | 1981 |
| Founder | VTech |
| Defunct | 1986 |
| Fate | Discontinued |
| Successor | Laser 2001 (derived computer) |
Area served | Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Israel, Japan (NTSC version) |
| Products | Hybrid computer and home video game console |
| Owner | VTech |
| Parent | VTech |
The VTech CreatiVision is a hybrid device that functions both as a computer and a home video game console, introduced by VTech in 1981 and launched commercially in 1982 during the era of the second generation of video game consoles. Retailing at 295 Australian Dollars in Australia, this system combined computing capabilities with gaming, similar to the APF Imagination Machine and VideoBrain Family Computer. Production ceased by early 1986.
History
The CreatiVision was distributed throughout Europe—including German-speaking regions, Italy, South Africa—and Israel under the name Educat 2002. In the markets of Australia and New Zealand, it was marketed as The Dick Smith Wizzard. Other official VTech-branded versions included the FunVision Computer Video Games System, Hanimex Rameses, and the proposed but likely unreleased French model called VZ 2000. All these variants were designed for PAL television standards except for a Japanese NTSC version released by Cheryco, which has since become a collector’s item. Although a release for the US market was planned, it did not achieve commercial success.
Equipped with an 8-bit Rockwell 6502 processor running at 2 MHz, the console contained 1 KB of RAM, 16 KB of VRAM, and supported graphics at a resolution of 256 × 192 pixels with a palette of 16 colors and up to 32 sprites. It featured two built-in joystick/membrane keypad controllers that could be docked on top of the unit to serve as a keyboard. Expansion peripherals included interfaces for cassette players, external keyboards, parallel I/O ports for printers, floppy disk drives, modems (likely never released), and memory upgrades for BASIC programming cartridges.
By late 1985 or early 1986, VTech had discontinued the CreatiVision system.
From 1984 to 1986, VTech introduced the Laser 2001, a computer derived from CreatiVision hardware that maintained compatibility with most games. It was sold in West Germany and France. In Finland, the device was marketed by Salora under the name Manager, featuring a keyboard layout tailored for Finnish users.
A compatibility module enabling ColecoVision game support was developed for the CreatiVision Mark-2 model, which included hardware modifications to accommodate this feature. Nevertheless, this module was only released for the Laser 2001 and Manager computers. Using it on the CreatiVision Mark-2 required a special adapter.
List of games
In various regions, different companies handled distribution of the console and its software—for example, Cheryco in Japan and Hanimex in Australia. In 1985, VTech reissued several existing titles.
There were Template:Table row counter officially released games.
| # | Title | Alternate title(s) | Genre(s) | Based on | Year released |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Air/Sea Attack |  SubmarineTemplate:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showallAir/Sea Battle |
Fixed shooter | 1981 | |
| 2 | Astro Pinball | Pinball | None | 1982 | |
| 3 | Auto Chase | Template:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showallCar Chase | Maze, Driving | Rally-X | 1981 |
| 4 | BASIC Interpreter 1.0 | None | None | 1982 | |
| 5 | Chopper Rescue | Scrolling shooter | 1983 | ||
| 6 | Crazy Chicky | Crazy Paku |
Maze | Pac-Man (modified gameplay) | 1982 |
| 7 | Crazy Pucker[lower-alpha 1] | Maze | Pac-Man | 1981 | |
| 8 | Deep Sea Adventure | Scrolling shooter | Defender | 1982 | |
| 9 | Locomotive | Platformer | BurgerTime | 1983 | |
| 10 | Mouse Puzzle | Puzzle | Loco-Motion. | 1982 | |
| 11 | Music Maker | Music | None | 1983 | |
| 12 | Planet Defender | Earth Defense Force (Chikyū Bōeigun)\nTemplate:Country data AUSTemplate:Namespace detect showallGalaxy Defender. |
Scrolling shooter | Defender. | 1981 |
| 13 | Police Jump | Platformer | Donkey Kong' | 1982 | |
| 14 | Soccer | Sports | None | 1983 |
External links
- CreatiVEmu: Central Hub for CreatiVision Emulation
- Creativision Datasette Interface Details
- Video Game Console Library catalog listing
- 20th Century Retro Games resource (Collection of VTech CreatiVision models and their regional editions)
- Retrospective: The Story of Dick Smith’s Wizzard (AUSRETROGAMER E-Zine, published May 9, 2016)
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