The Ultravision

Never-released video games, hardware, and systems like the Ultravision, NEMO, Phantom, etc.

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Zap!
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The Ultravision

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"It's a game! A computer! A color TV!" With that slogan, Ultravision planned to take the consumer electronics world by storm. "People are sometimes petrified when they approach a computer," said Al Orosa, Vice President of Ultravision in a 1983 CES press release. "But everyone's familiar with the television. From there, it's one step after another until the unit becomes comfortable for the buyer to use." The unit in question was Ultravision.

Ultravision, from the Miami-based company of the same name, (also sometimes referred to as "Video Arcade System) was actually a television, a videogame unit, and a computer add on. The eighty-four channel color television was to have a ten inch diagonal screen and input/output jacks to allow hook ups with a video recorder and camera. Weighing in at under ten pounds, the machine ran on AC or DC current. A car lighter adapter cord was to be available so the obsessed user can program in a car or on a boat.

The basic videogame component was to come complete with two sixteen position joysticks with top-mounted fire buttons. The unit accepted only Ultravision's own line of cartridges. But the owner was to have the option of purchasing two add-on modules seperately, one that will allow him/her to play Colecovision games on the Ultravision, and the other for games of the Atari VCS persuasion. The company also planned to release Atari compatible games to further expand interest, however only one ever made it to market - Condor Attack (a bad rip-off of the arcade game Phoenix).
Cartridges Announced for the Ultravision VAS console:

# Baseball Top
# B-52 Bomber
# Condor Attack II
# Dare Devil Driver
# Emergency I
# Football
# Karate II
# Quest for the Idol II
# Space War
# Spider Kong II
# Swimming Contest
# Unexpected Dangers
What a cool looking system this was. Ahh, what could have been...

Image
http://www.atarihq.com/museum/nonatari/ultravision.php
One burning question that will remain with him until his dying days....."Was my victory really worth the price I had to pay?"

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megasdkirby
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Re: The Ultravision

Post by megasdkirby »

I remember reading about it when Dom purchased those CIB copies of Condor Attack back in the day.

It looked like a fantastic console. The ability to have everything "out of the box" was awesome. Too bad it did not materialize...

But a prototype MUST be around somewhere, because of the picture. Unless it was just a concept drawing.

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Zap!
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Re: The Ultravision

Post by Zap! »

megasdkirby wrote:I remember reading about it when Dom purchased those CIB copies of Condor Attack back in the day.

It looked like a fantastic console. The ability to have everything "out of the box" was awesome. Too bad it did not materialize...

But a prototype MUST be around somewhere, because of the picture. Unless it was just a concept drawing.
Even if it is a dummy system that never worked, it was still made and may exist somewhere in some warehouse. Or, it could be lost or even destroyed on purpose by the company when it was apparent it wasn't going to get made.
One burning question that will remain with him until his dying days....."Was my victory really worth the price I had to pay?"

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john13
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Re: The Ultravision

Post by john13 »

Ultravision, from the Miami-based company of the same name, (also sometimes referred to as "Video Arcade System) was actually a television, a videogame unit, and a computer add on. The eighty-four channel color television was to have a ten inch diagonal screen and input/output jacks to allow hook ups with a video recorder and camera. Weighing in at under ten pounds, the machine ran on AC or DC current. A car lighter adapter cord was to be available so the obsessed user can program in a car or on a boat.

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