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Not much information
about this Laser. It doesn't seem to belong to any "Vtech family"
and it is the only Vtech computer of that time with the Laser 3000 to
use a 6502 cpu.
In June 1983, Video Technology presents a prototype of the Laser 2001
(and the Apple-II-compatible Laser 3000 the same day) wich can use Colecovision
and Atari VCS 2600 cartridges ! But when you look at the expansions drawing
from the manual, it seems that Colecovision compatibility is done by plugging
a real Colecovision system to the Laser 2001! Useless... In the same way,
the VCS 2600 compatibility was obtained by using the VCS2600 expansion
of the Colecovision!
The Laser 2001 is apparently compatible with the Vtech Creativision
game system, released the same year. It seemed like Vtech tried to
promote a new range of systems which included the Creativision as the
low range system and the Laser 2001 as the more serious product, a "professional
computer". But both systems can use the same cartridges. At the back
of the Creativision box, there is a picture of the Expansion Module N°1,
used to play Colecovision cartridges. It surely remained at a prototype
state due to legal rights, but it's possible that it could have been used
with the Laser 2001 too.
The Laser 2001 has
a graphic resolution of 256 x 192 pixels in 16 colors, which is a good
thing in 1983. In addition, the graphic symbols can be redefined. To operate
all this features, the Laser 2001 use 16k of Video RAM.
There are two joystick
ports (Atari standard) on the right of the front panel. This is a good
thing, and far more clever than most of the other machines that have their
joystick plugs on the back panel.
A 128k 5"1/4
disk drive and a backup expansion card were also available, in addition
of the "classic" Vtech expansions (printer, joysticks, tape-recorder,
memory expansion).
The Laser 2001 was
also sold by Salora under the name Salora Manager in scandinavia and by
Sanyo Corp. in some other countries.
The Laser 2001 is actually a pretty rare machine.
____
Thanks to Dieter Koenig for the pictures and info
about the Creativision game system.
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