I have a Systema 2000, same machine as the Hartung Gamemaster, and about 20 odd games for it. I would be up for doing an article on that.hydr0x wrote:Some that have been virtually ignored so far (at least it feels that way) are the Philips Videopac/Odyssey and Videopac+ as well as the Fairchild Channel F. I'd also be interested in a feature about the Interton VC4000 range and some more obscure handhelds (Gamate, MicroVision, GameKing, Game Master, MegaDuck). I think the Game Boy Color in itself has also not been covered in depth.
What hardware doesn't get enough love?
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Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
- Darran@Retro Gamer
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Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
Good calls, if we can't get machines in we can't photograph them, but more importantly people just don't appear to want to write about them. No one seems to care about the more obscure 8-bit systems unfortunately.hydr0x wrote:Some that have been virtually ignored so far (at least it feels that way) are the Philips Videopac/Odyssey and Videopac+ as well as the Fairchild Channel F. I'd also be interested in a feature about the Interton VC4000 range and some more obscure handhelds (Gamate, MicroVision, GameKing, Game Master, MegaDuck). I think the Game Boy Color in itself has also not been covered in depth.
Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
I did an article on the Fairchikd Channel F already (part of the obscura series) but there hasn't been a hardware article on it.hydr0x wrote:Some that have been virtually ignored so far (at least it feels that way) are the Philips Videopac/Odyssey and Videopac+ as well as the Fairchild Channel F. I'd also be interested in a feature about the Interton VC4000 range and some more obscure handhelds (Gamate, MicroVision, GameKing, Game Master, MegaDuck). I think the Game Boy Color in itself has also not been covered in depth.
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- markopoloman
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Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
Tatung Einstein. Got one of these and would love to know more about them!
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Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
Memotech.
ADAM.
The French Thompson series, especially the 6809 based ones.
How about a writeup on "local machines"? In Norway we had the Tiki-100, Sweden had the ABC-80(?), and I'm sure other countries had others that never made it out of the birthplace.
After that, and seeing this long list of machines suggest in here, don your "nerd cap" and do a little piece on how much they all are related to each other: A handful a CPUs shared, a handful of soundchips, and some common gfx chips. Educate your fellow man on how similar many machines really are, and show which ones are really different. There should be opportunities for some lovely 2-page spreads with relational trees like you are so fond of. Ah, and you can even add a little something about how the BASIC versions relate to each other.
Oh, and certainly do a piece on "machines that never were". The AAA Amiga. The Ranger Amiga. The "integrated 68030" Amiga that the UK bosses wanted.
And as I have said before, another tree spread showing the _people_ designing the chips and what they did over time would interest me.
ADAM.
The French Thompson series, especially the 6809 based ones.
How about a writeup on "local machines"? In Norway we had the Tiki-100, Sweden had the ABC-80(?), and I'm sure other countries had others that never made it out of the birthplace.
After that, and seeing this long list of machines suggest in here, don your "nerd cap" and do a little piece on how much they all are related to each other: A handful a CPUs shared, a handful of soundchips, and some common gfx chips. Educate your fellow man on how similar many machines really are, and show which ones are really different. There should be opportunities for some lovely 2-page spreads with relational trees like you are so fond of. Ah, and you can even add a little something about how the BASIC versions relate to each other.
Oh, and certainly do a piece on "machines that never were". The AAA Amiga. The Ranger Amiga. The "integrated 68030" Amiga that the UK bosses wanted.
And as I have said before, another tree spread showing the _people_ designing the chips and what they did over time would interest me.
Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
Any of those games boxed? Always looking for boxed Game Master stuffThe Laird wrote:I have a Systema 2000, same machine as the Hartung Gamemaster, and about 20 odd games for it. I would be up for doing an article on that.hydr0x wrote:Some that have been virtually ignored so far (at least it feels that way) are the Philips Videopac/Odyssey and Videopac+ as well as the Fairchild Channel F. I'd also be interested in a feature about the Interton VC4000 range and some more obscure handhelds (Gamate, MicroVision, GameKing, Game Master, MegaDuck). I think the Game Boy Color in itself has also not been covered in depth.


- Darran@Retro Gamer
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Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
Oi! sling your collecting hookhydr0x wrote:Any of those games boxed? Always looking for boxed Game Master stuffThe Laird wrote:I have a Systema 2000, same machine as the Hartung Gamemaster, and about 20 odd games for it. I would be up for doing an article on that.hydr0x wrote:Some that have been virtually ignored so far (at least it feels that way) are the Philips Videopac/Odyssey and Videopac+ as well as the Fairchild Channel F. I'd also be interested in a feature about the Interton VC4000 range and some more obscure handhelds (Gamate, MicroVision, GameKing, Game Master, MegaDuck). I think the Game Boy Color in itself has also not been covered in depth.There are only 17 games for it though afaik
I own 6 of them, but they are pretty hard to find these days, at least boxed.

- fredghostmaster
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Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
Another vote for the Vic 20. Never been enough in Retro Gamer for such a popular machine.
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Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
I think the thing about the VIC-20 is that it had a relatively short lifetime; although initially popular, it was only in production for three years and most of the people who bought one moved on to another machine shortly afterwards.fredghostmaster wrote:Another vote for the Vic 20. Never been enough in Retro Gamer for such a popular machine.
Still, it's quite an interesting machine from a hardware perspective; they mostly designed it out of obsolescent parts that were cheap at the time, but never really came down in price so it lost it's edge fairly quickly.
Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
I've tried this, got interviews done with a couple of its designers and loads of great images from a guy in Bulgaria where it was quite popular. Unfortunately I haven't managed to persuade Robert Madge to interview yet.joefish wrote:Enterprise/Elan
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Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
Who is he, and where do I need to go and sit on him to persuade him? (No, not that kind of sit, the kind of "Comfortable? Still breathing? You're not calling me fat, are you?"-type sit.)jdanddiet wrote:Unfortunately I haven't managed to persuade Robert Madge to interview yet.
Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
All but 3, I am away from home at the moment with work so would have to check but it is probably around that figure. Not sure if I have a complete collection or not but it can't be far off if I don't!hydr0x wrote:Any of those games boxed? Always looking for boxed Game Master stuffThe Laird wrote:I have a Systema 2000, same machine as the Hartung Gamemaster, and about 20 odd games for it. I would be up for doing an article on that.hydr0x wrote:Some that have been virtually ignored so far (at least it feels that way) are the Philips Videopac/Odyssey and Videopac+ as well as the Fairchild Channel F. I'd also be interested in a feature about the Interton VC4000 range and some more obscure handhelds (Gamate, MicroVision, GameKing, Game Master, MegaDuck). I think the Game Boy Color in itself has also not been covered in depth.There are only 17 games for it though afaik
I own 6 of them, but they are pretty hard to find these days, at least boxed.
It's an interesting machine, I love obscure consoles and they really don't get much more obscure than this. I believe it hold the accolade of being the only games console designed in Germany!
Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
Nah, the Interton VC4000 was likely designed in Germany too. In fact, I don't think the Game Master was. There are a couple of signs that hint towards it actually being an Asian design that just got sold to Hartung.
Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
Another shout for the venerable Vic. And the ST/STF/STe.
And the Camputers Lynx, obviously...
And the Camputers Lynx, obviously...
Re: What hardware doesn't get enough love?
For me, my vote goes towards handheld and tabletops. Would love to see features on Coleco, Bandai and casio ones, much like the excellent Grandstand one a few issues ago.
Like many have mentioned, the Vic 20 was such a popular machine I'd like to see more of. I'd love to see some coverage of obscure machines like Vtech Creativision as well.
Orics, Dragons and the lesser 'loved' computers of that era would be great to see as well.
Like many have mentioned, the Vic 20 was such a popular machine I'd like to see more of. I'd love to see some coverage of obscure machines like Vtech Creativision as well.
Orics, Dragons and the lesser 'loved' computers of that era would be great to see as well.

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