Fifteen Classic Game Console Design Mistakes
11.08.09
In chronological systemization… RCA Studio II (1977)

Problem #1: Poor Controllers
The RCA Studio II shipped with no outer controllers, just a pair of built-in ten-button keypads. These keypads were undexterous and uncomfortable to use. It made games difficult to control and limited the implied of software for the system.
What Were They Thinking?
My best guess is general cluelessness as to what constituted a ordinary game controller on RCA’s part. To some extent it’s excusable, since about video games were in their infancy in 1977. And there’s no doubt that omitting detachable controllers reduced the system’s whole complexity and thus manufacturing costs overall — but it also greatly reduced the consumer’s lecherousness to buy and play the system.
Problem #2: Power Through RF Switch
Alike resemble to the Atari 5200–see below–the RCA Studio II received pure system power through the video output cable. An AC adapter plugged into a remarkable RF switch that provided power to the console, but unlike the 5200’s direct, the Studio II’s did not include any special functionality. Studio II owners with ruined of damaged RF switches found themselves regretting their purchase.
Source: Technologizer