Spectravideo QuickShot I

The US company SpectraVision developed and published games for the Atari 2600, the VIC-20 and the ColecoVision game console. Due to a name dispute, the company soon changed its name to Spectravideo International.

In addition to software, Spectravideo also released hardware, such as the CompuMate add-on for the Atari 2600. It turned the 2600 into a simple home computer that you could write programs on. Spectravideo came out with its own range of home computers in 1983, and the SVI models were fairly popular even in Finland due to the active efforts of the importer. The later models adhered to the MSX standard. Spectravideo’s manufacturing was in Hong Kong, which was a special administrative region under the United Kingdom at that time.

Some sources refer to the QuickShot I, introduced in 1982, as “the world’s first ergonomic game controller”. While it has a more contoured design than the Atari CX40 and a fire button has been added to the end of the stick, it is technically very close to the Atari and features similar membrane switches.

The QuickShot II updated the design, making the grip handle even more pronounced and adding an index finger fire button as well as automatic fire to help with shooting. Switches were replaced with a new design where the lower end of the stick pressed down on metal strips that were bent upward. This solution was marginally more durable and sensitive than the membrane switches held in place by plastic tape. The basic model of the QuickShot II is on display in the glass case below.

The QuickShot II Turbo is the final version of the QuickShot II; advertisements stated that its microswitches will last for at least one million engagements. In practice, however, these were “open microswitches”, which do not correspond to the genuine industrial microswitches in terms of durability – and are not actually microswitches at all. Nevertheless, the QS II Turbo with its hood scoop looked the part and became very popular. Even though the original Spectravideo brand ceased operations in 1988, Turbos continued to be offered in the Anttila mail order catalogue at least until 1997.