--- title: Video Technology LASER 200 / 210 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - Hong Kong years: - '1983' cpus: - Zilog Z80 A params: name: LASER 200 / 210 image: /media/museum/photos/vtech_laser200_2.jpg logo: /media/museum/logos/vtech_laser200_logo.gif company: /companies/video-technology company_name: Video Technology specs: - label: NAME value: LASER 200 / 210 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Video Technology - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: Hong Kong - label: YEAR value: November 1983 - label: END OF PRODUCTION value: '1985' - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: Microsoft Basic - label: KEYBOARD value: |- QWERTY, 45 rubber keys\ Basic instructions and graphic symbols - label: CPU value: Zilog Z80 A - label: SPEED value: 3.58 MHz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: Motorola 6847 (video processor) - label: RAM value: |- 2 KB (Laser 200) / 6 KB (Laser 210/ VZ 200 / Salora Fellow)\ Up to 64 KB with memory addons - label: VRAM value: 2 KB - label: ROM value: 16 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 32 x 16, 8 colors (Mode 0) - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 128 x 64, 4 colors (Mode 1) - label: COLORS value: '8' - label: SOUND value: 1 voice, 3 octaves - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 29 x 17 x 4 cm / 800 gr - label: I/O PORTS value: |- Tape-recorder (600 bauds)\ RF video out\ Composite video out (DIN)\ Memory upgrade port\ Expansion port - label: POWER SUPPLY value: 10-12v, 800ma - label: PRICE value: |- $99 USD\ 196 (France, december 84) tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - software - emulators - links - docs photos: - title: DICK SMITH VZ-200 subtitle: '' text: |- Same case as the Laser 200, but with more memory (8k). [Thanks to S. Walgenbach for the picture](http://www.homecomputer.de) image: /media/museum/photos/vtech_vz200_1.jpg - title: THE LASER 210 subtitle: '' text: |- Same case as the Salora Fellow, different from the Laser 200. [Thanks to S. Walgenbach for the picture](http://www.homecomputer.de) image: /media/museum/photos/vtech_laser210.jpg - title: THE SALORA FELLOW subtitle: '' text: |- Different case from the Laser 200, but the same one as the Laser 210. [Thanks to S. Walgenbach for the picture](http://www.homecomputer.de) image: /media/museum/photos/vtech_salora_fellow.jpg - title: THE LASER 200 subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/vtech_laser200.jpg - title: REAR OF THE LASER 200 subtitle: '' text: |- From left to right: Power supply | Tape-recorder | Monitor | Memory expansion port | Peripheral port | Video output image: /media/museum/photos/vtech_laser200_back.jpg - title: INSIDE subtitle: '' text: |- A poor quality manufacturing Thanks to **www.zonadepruebas.com** image: /media/museum/photos/videotech_laser200_inside_1.jpg adverts: - title: FRENCH ADVERT (SEPT. 83) subtitle: '' text: '"The incredible Secam color micro-computer !"' image: /media/museum/pubs/vtech_laser200_fr-pub_2.jpg - title: FRENCH ADVERT (JULY 84) subtitle: '' text: '''''The Laser 200, a Secam color micro-computer really very suprising''''' image: /media/museum/pubs/vtech_laser200_pub_couleur-secam.jpg hardware: - title: SOME EXTENSIONS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_200_complete.jpg - title: LASER 16K RAM EXPANSION subtitle: '' text: This thing fits in the memory expansion port and adds 16k RAM. It cost 590fr in 1984. image: /media/museum/hardware/vtehc_laser200_16k_cart.jpg - title: LASER LIGHT PEN subtitle: '' text: Cool little light pen... But the only software using it was the on demo tape sold with it ! image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_laser200_lpen.jpg - title: LASER JOYSTICK subtitle: '' text: Nice shape. Two joysticks and their interface cost 320fr in 1984. image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_laser200_jstck.jpg - title: DR-10 / DR-20 subtitle: Tape-recorder text: |- A originally designed tape-recorder available for the whole Laser family.\ It cost 590fr in 1984.. The DR-10 and DR-20 tape-recorders seem identicals in all points. Apparently, the DR-20 was sold for Dick Smith models, and the DR-10 for Laser machines... image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_200_dr10.jpg - title: DR-30 subtitle: Tape-Recorder text: |- Another cool tape-recorder for the Laser serie.\ This one was also found for many other computers of that time. image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_200_dr30.jpg - title: DD-20 subtitle: 5''1/4 Disk-drive text: A small 5"1/4 floppy disk drive for the Laser computers. But its capacity is a bit short with only 78k per formated disk. One disk drive and its controller cost 2380fr in 1984. image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_dd20.jpg - title: DD-20 subtitle: The inside text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_dd20_2.jpg - title: PARALLEL PRINTER INTERFACE subtitle: '' text: This enables the Laser computers to use ''parallel'' printers. image: /media/museum/hardware/vtech_vz300_printer-interface.jpg screenshots: - title: CIRCUS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_circus.png - title: CRASH subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_crash.png - title: DAWN PATROL subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_dawn.png - title: DEFENCE PENETRATOR subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_defpen.png - title: DIGOUT subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_digout.png - title: DRACULA'S CASTLE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_dracula.gif - title: DUEL subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_duel2.png - title: GALAXON subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_galaxon.png - title: GHOST HUNTER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_ghosth.gif - title: HAMBURGER SAM subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_hamsam.png - title: HOPPY subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_hoppy.gif - title: INVADERS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_invaders.png - title: KAMIKAZE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_kamikaze.png - title: LADDER CHALLENGE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_ladder.png - title: LUNAR LANDER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_llander.png - title: MISSILE ATTACK subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_missile.png - title: PENGUIN subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_penguin.png - title: SPACE RAM subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_spaceram.png - title: STAR BLASTER subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_starblst.png - title: VZ PANIK subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/vtech_ss_vzpanik.png emulators: - title: VZEM url: http://www.powerup.com.au/~intertek/VZ200/vz.htm platform: MS DOS text: The emulator is written in Borland C++. It emulates a VZ200/300 with 34k RAM - title: Emulator2001 url: http://www.gstsoftware.co.nz/ platform: Windows text: The VZ-200 has been added to this multi-emulator - title: James's VZ 200 emulator url: http://www.geocities.com/EMUCOMPBOY/ platform: Windows text: Emulator for the NTSC version of this computer - title: WinVZ url: http://vzalive.bangrocks.com/emulators/ platform: Windows text: Play your VZ games in Windows - title: MESS Project url: http://www.mess.org/ platform: Multiplatform text: Emulates a lot of systems for all platforms. links: - title: Planet VZ url: http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/laser/184/ text: Useful infos here... - title: Steve75 Laser 310 page url: http://utenti.lycos.it/STEVE75/laser.html text: Pictures, info, games, emulators and online manual. - title: The VZ200 url: http://vz200.tripod.com/ text: Growing website aimed at the new modern user. - title: Tricky's VZ200 page url: http://www.trickynz.com/VZ200.html text: Photos and downloadable docs - title: Video Technology official site url: http://www.vtech.com text: Nothing remains about the old computers... - title: VZ Alive url: http://vzalive.bangrocks.com/ text: Excellent site dedicated to the VZ computers - title: VZ Online url: http://www.vz200-online.de.vu/ text: a German VZ 200 homepage - title: VZ-200/VZ-300 url: http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Dunes/6771/vz/ text: Lots of information and links about the Dick Smith VZ series. - title: Yahoo Discussion Group - The VZ Color computer mailing list url: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/vzemu/ text: Quite active discussion group docs: - title: DICK-SMITH VZ200 USER MANUAL url: https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5639672 cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_user-manual.jpg text: |- [**DICK-SMITH VZ200 USER MANUAL**](https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5639672)written by Video Technology  compiled/archived by Archive.org\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Achive.org](https://archive.org) - title: VZ-200 TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL url: https://archive.org/details/VZ200-technical-reference-manual cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_technical-ref-manual_cover.jpg text: |- [**VZ-200 TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL**](https://archive.org/details/VZ200-technical-reference-manual)written by Jamieson Rowe / Dick Smith  compiled/archived by Archive.org\  type of document : Online reader\  source : [Archive.org](https://archive.org/) - title: VZ-200 FIRST BOOK OF PROGRAMS url: https://archive.org/details/vz-200-first-book-of-programs cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_first-book-of-programs.jpg text: |- [**VZ-200 FIRST BOOK OF PROGRAMS**](https://archive.org/details/vz-200-first-book-of-programs)written by Dick Smith  compiled/archived by Archive.org\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Archive.org](https://archive.org/) - title: VZ-200 SECOND BOOK OF GAMES url: https://archive.org/details/VZ200-second-book-of-games cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_second-book-of-games.jpg text: |- [**VZ-200 SECOND BOOK OF GAMES**](https://archive.org/details/VZ200-second-book-of-games)written by Dick Smith  compiled/archived by Archive.org\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Archive.org](https://archive.org/) - title: VZ-200 FURTHER PROGRAMMING url: https://archive.org/details/vz200fp cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_further-programming.jpg text: |- [**VZ-200 FURTHER PROGRAMMING**](https://archive.org/details/vz200fp)written by Dick Smith / Tim Hartnell  compiled/archived by Archive.org\  type of document : PDF\  source : [Archive.org](https://archive.org/) - title: VZ200/300 ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING FOR BEGINNERS url: http://vz200.tripod.com/index.html cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200-300_assembly-language-manual%5B1%5D.jpg text: |- [**VZ200/300 ASSEMBLY LANGUAGE PROGRAMMING FOR BEGINNERS**](http://vz200.tripod.com/index.html)written by Steve Olney  compiled/archived by The VZ200\  type of document : PDF\  size : 6 MB\  source : Old-Computers.com - title: USEFUL ROM SUBROUTINES FOR ASSEMBLY PROGRAMMING url: null cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/vz200_useful-lm-subroutines.jpg text: |- **USEFUL ROM SUBROUTINES FOR ASSEMBLY PROGRAMMING**\ written by Unknown  compiled/archived by The VZ200\  type of document : PDF\  size : 110 Ko\  source : [The VZ200](http://vz200.tripod.com) comments: - author: Cynde (Australia) date: Wednesday 23rd March 2022 text: Dianne, if you are interested in selling, I am looking to purchase a Vtech Laser 200. - author: Dianne (Geelong, Australia) date: Saturday 19th March 2022 text: We are currently cleaning up an Estate and have found a Laser 200 in it''s box with (premium condition), including the User Manual and demonstration tape still with it, although there is no power chord / transformer. We still have to decide what we should do with it. - author: Gavin (New Zealand ) date: Sunday 28th August 2016 text: 'My first computer, I wrote an emulator for the VZ200 here: http://www.gstsoftware.co.nz/' - author: Frank date: Thursday 16th June 2016 text: The price for the computer 1984 in France was not 196 €. The Euro was implemented end of the millennium. The currency in France was franc in 1984. - author: Krisztian (Hungary) date: Sunday 17th April 2016 text: |- TO: "Saturday 19th October 2013 Frank (Germany)"\ One is available here for some more days: http://szamitastechnika.vatera.hu/pc_asztali_szamitogep/retro_szamitogep_kiegeszito/egyeb/laser_color_computer_210_2236200248.html - author: Martin (Hunsrueck / Germany) date: Monday 28th July 2014 text: |- Yessss!\ I just found one on eBay! And I won the auction!! Fantastic! - author: Frank (Germany) date: Saturday 19th October 2013 text: |- Iam looking for my old Laser210, it was my first computer 1984. If somebody knows where i can found them, please let me know. Also Lightpen or printer interface are interesting for me.\ Frank - author: Miroslav Werner (Czech Republic) date: Wednesday 13rd March 2013 text: Mine is brander VZ 200 colour computer, I think its the same stuff. - author: Miroslav Werner (Czech Republic) date: Wednesday 13rd March 2013 text: I have one for sale. Or better, trade for brands I am more interested to (Sinclair, Amstrad, Amiga). - author: Erik (France) date: Monday 7th January 2013 text: |- I buy one because my shop was ZX81 out of stock and I have my all first programmer''s emotions with this machine. Because of this machine I spent 20 years of my life in the Video Games industry as programmer. The best years of my professionnal life ever.. - author: Jeremy (Australia) date: Monday 16th January 2012 text: I still remember the different memory addresses, such as using "POKE 30744,1" to invert the colours in text mode. - author: Wildrose (Greece) date: Wednesday 31st August 2005 text: |- This machine was my very first 'computer' in age of 13!! I plug it to my B/W TV and i just look at the screen for 2 Hours...\ That was my very first step in to computers world!!\ Now i'm a Network Engineer/Cisco Expert in a big ISP. - author: Erich Kitzmüller (Earth) date: Monday 26th May 2003 text: The keyboard of the Laser 210 was surprisingly good, better than on the Sinclair Spectrum. The largest problem was the lack of Software, there was next to nothing available on the market. In Text mode, only special block characters could be colored (8 colors), text was eighter white-on-green or white-on-amber. In graphic mode, every pixel could have (independently) on of four colors; there were two colorsets, Red-Green-Blue-White and Magenty-Cyan-Yellow-White. related: - /museum/dick-smith-vz200 - /museum/dick-smith-vz300 - /museum/salora-fellow - /museum/texet-tx-8000 - /museum/video-technology-laser-310 oc_id: 155 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230608152429/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=155 date: '2023-06-08' --- The Laser 200 / 210 was sold worldwide under different brands (Dick Smith, Texet, Salora, etc...). Maybe the most popular of these "foreign models" was the VZ-200 sold by Dick Smith Electronics. The Laser 200 is the successor of the poor [Laser 110](/museum/video-technology-laser-100-110/) and was followed by the Laser [310](/museum/video-technology-laser-310/). It was a good choice if you wanted to buy a cheap computer for initiation.
We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.