The VG5000μ is a computer created by Philips in 1984. It was manufactured in Le Mans by Radiotechnique (RTS) and marketed under the Philips, Radiola and Schneider brands.
Not compatible with any other machines, it offered VG5000 BASIC (derived from Microsoft BASIC-80) as the operating system upon boot, with Logo available on cartridge.
Graphic ability was limited to a semigraphic symbol display, with the equivalent resolution of 320 x 250 pixels in 8 colors.
It had some hardware compatibility with the Philips VG 8000, such as power supply connectors, cassette player interface and cartridges.
History Aimed at schools, it was unsuccessful and production ended in 1986. 300 000 units were sold in 1984 according to an internal Philips report, with 500 000 predicted for 1985. There are about forty games available for the system.
As of 2022, enthusiasts remain active in developing new homebrew software and emulators for the system.
Peripherals
Several peripherals were developed to support the VG5000μ operation:
VY0030: cassette player VG5200: joystick interface VU0001: joystick (see Magnavox Odyssey 2) VU0011: RF modulator VU0022: power supply VG5216: 16KB RAM memory expansion with joystick and printer ports VU0031: 16KB RAM memory expansion VW0010: 40 column printer VW0020: 80 column printer VW0030: 80 column printer
Specifications Zilog Z80A processor running at 4 MHz RAM: 24KB, including 16KB of system memory (expandable to 48KB) and 8KB of dedicated memory for the video processor ROM: 18KB, including 16KB containing the VG5000 BASIC (derived from Microsoft BASIC-80) and 2KB of character bitmaps built into the video processor Video processor: SGS Thomson EF9345P Graphics: semigraphics based on 8 × 10 pixel characters (equivalent to 320 × 250 pixels) in 8 colors Sound: 1 voice, 5 octave range Keyboard: Built-in 63 keys AZERTY keyboard with BASIC keywords Ports: DIN5 cassette player connector (1200/2400 baud), DIN8 SCART connector Expansion: 2×25 pins bus connector
List of video games
There are 33 commercial video games for Philips VG5000.ArcadeitaliaVG5K
TitleRelease yearPublisherBackgammon1984PhilipsBris de Glace1984PhilipsCitadelle1984PhilipsDivertissements1984PhilipsFootball1984PhilipsGlouton1984PhilipsHélicoptère1984PhilipsLa Carotte Malicieuse1985VIFI-NathanLa Moto Infernale1984PhilipsLa Pierre Philosophale Chapter 1 - La Pierre Philosophale198?Elite DiffusionLa Pierre Philosophale Chapter 2 - La Clef de l'Ile198?Elite DiffusionLa Pierre Philosophale Chapter 3 - La Porte du Jardin des Hesperides198?Elite DiffusionLa Pierre Philosophale Chapter 4 - La Porte des Gnomes198?Elite DiffusionLa Pierre Philosophale Chapter 5 - La Porte des Pieuvres198?Elite DiffusionLa Pierre Philosophale Chapter 6 - La Porte du Harpie198?Elite DiffusionLa Pierre Philosophale Chapter 7 - La Porte du Gouffre198?Elite DiffusionL'abeille1984PhilipsLe Fou Volant1984PhilipsLe Labyrinthe et la Princesse1985Edisoft, LoricielsLe monstre1984PhilipsMes Premiers Mots Croises Vol. 1 - Francais-Vocabulaire1985VIFI-NathanMes Premiers Mots Croises Vol. 2 - Francais-Vocabulaire1985VIFI-NathanMicros Jeux Cocktails de Jeux1985VIFI-NathanMission Omega1984PhilipsMonkey Academy1984PhilipsObjectif Delta1984PhilipsPreterite Star1985BelinReversis1984PhilipsSimulateur de Vol1984PhilipsStaroc1984PhilipsTortues1984PhilipsUS Rallye1984PhilipsViking1984Philips
References
External links Old Computers: le greniers informatique French VG5000μ fan site Logiciels et développement 2017 (VG5000μ) My VG5000 - site dedicated to the VG5000 micro Emulation of VG5000 The VG5000 shop pages dedicated to programming the VG5000