RCA Studio II
Developer: RCA
Year Released: 1976
Generation: 2nd
RCA had watched bitterly as rival TV manufacturer Magnavox, successfully released the world’s first video game console, Odyssey, 5 years earlier. They had initially been approached by Ralph Baer, and unfortunately had turned him down before he went on to successfully collaborate with Magnavox.
In an attempt to enter the new and lucrative market, RCA released the RCA Studio II. It was the second programmable video game system in the world, following the Fairchild Entertainment System released a few months earlier.
The RCA Studio console played games through cartridges. Games were in black and white even though many colour systems had already been released. It had an internal speaker however the volume couldn’t be changed. It is no surprise it was not very successful.
The Studio II was out dated even by the standards of 1977. The release of the Atari 2600 later that same year sealed its fate.