Socrates Educational Video System

[den68]

anybody have any info on this thing?

I picked one up yesterday for $5 bucks. I got the main unit and keyboard, the Touch Pad and the voice cartridge. No hookups but it can run on 6 D batteries and I was able to hook it up with a coax cable I got at the dollar store.

It has 8-bit graphics and a bunch of built in programs, letters, numbers, music, drawing. I couldn't get the Touch Pad to do anything. I imagine it's for additional carts.

I did a few searches but didn't find much. It's not really a game system but I'm sure someone here knows about it.

[Arcade Antics]

I've seen 'em now and then. I usually equate it with an etch-a-sketch that hooks up to the TV, but I'm not sure why. :lol:

Russ probably has a good rundown on it.

Now if you'd asked about the Tomy Tutor... :wink:

[digitalpress]

I've got one too, and I know Achika recently picked one up. There's also a mouse for it in addition to what you have. Four games, all educational. 8-bit processor. Manufactured by V-Tech. That's about all I know about it, as a game system it's shyte. :infinity:

[den68]

I think I'll stick it in a box and tuck it away in a corner with my Pico and Action Max!

[stayrunner]

I got to get me one for my collection, even though it would just sit in storage!

[Querjek]

I saw one of these at an Ohio Thrift but but didn't pick it up as I couldn't see paying $4.94 for an "educational" game system.

[§ Gideon §]

anybody have any info on this thing?
I've owned one for over 12 years!

Games I recall came in combo carts, with about 5 games per cart. I remember playing Amazing Mazes, Hang Man, the musical notation game, and plenty of standard clone games. Amazing Mazes, I believe, was a separate cart. It was an Adventure-like game--a real video game, not really "educational". If I remember correctly, Amazing Mazes included not only the main game, but other games involved mazes as well.

Now that I think about it, I'd be interested in knowing how the speech chip worked. If it were in fact a synthesized text-to-speech voice, would that make it far ahead of its time? Well, maybe it's just a batch of samples, but that would produce a terribly convoluted system, so I'm hoping otherwise.

I've still got everything at home. My parents hang on to it out of consumer instinct: At the time, it was considered a large purchase... So, we've kept it all--box, manuals, carts, etc.

Den68, please describe the touch pad that you got. The only controller that I ever used was the keyboard (which had alphabetical ordering as opposed to qwerty). The keyboard had two pads at the end, each with an 8-way directional and fire button. The pads were detachable, and they held on to the keyboard unit with two, short cords.

My first memory of this system is opening it on Christmas morning. I was eyeing the mysterious present from the moment I saw it. Well, when it came time to open it, I tore back the wrapping paper a little bit, and I knew it was a video game system. I jumped up and shouted, "Super Nintendo! Super Nintendo!" and started to dance about the room. LOL. It must have been an awkward moment for my parents when I went back to the box and finished opening it! Oh well, I tried my best to make them feel better about my little performance. Consequently, I ended up playing it a lot...

Socrates the Robot kicks Microsoft Sam's ass any day or the week!

[Sega Hitman]

I found one at a thrift recently. It was labeled $14.99 (written right on the box, those bastards), but it was half off day at this place. I figured $7.50 wasn't a bad deal for any system. It came with box, manual, other paperwork, and one complete game. It never came with hookups apparently. It's certainly a console though, I was really surprised to find NOTHING about it anywhere.

I'm curious about it now though. There was an ad mine came with that pictures like 20 games or so. Are you sure there were only 4 games Joe? What games have you found too? I wasn't able to find a list.

-Hitman-

[crashdummycow01]

*sigh*.. i feel dumb lol.. i used to have one.. and got rid of it before i was really into collecting gaming stuff..

but i used to play it alot.. kinda.. it wasnt that fun lol.. but i had the base unit.. some cartidge that goes in the side, a keyboard with two tethered controllers built in..

it was a more educational gaming system.. like i said, it wasnt that fun.. but i got rid of it like .. early last year.. right before we moved :(

but i had mine with all pieces,cords, styro foam [<<thats not how thats spelled is it?], the instruction manuals and the box.. yea i prolly shoulda kept that ((>.<)).

actually now that i think about it, my parents probably threw it away or gave it away.. like they do all of my stuff that they think isnt worth keeping .. GRR.. like they threw away a small computer i had, an old word processor that i had, the SOCRATES, and a meteor.. or meteorite that i had.. :(