AUSRETROGAMER

The Pop-Culture E-Zine

You are here: Home / Archives for Amiga CD32

Amiga CD32

Commodore Computer Sales 1977-1996

By

We love these time-lapse sliding charts, so when we found this one based on sales of Commodore computers, we knew we had to share them with you all.

It is no surprise which Commodore computer ends up on top pretty much from 1982 to 1996, but the others were a bit of a surprise (which we won’t spoil).

Are you keeping up with the Commodore? 😉


source: Sven Dännart

NOTE: The creator (Sven Dännart) has advised that some of the figures are estimates, so take all of this with a grain of salt. It’s still cool though.



Obscure Commodore Controllers

By

We cherish our Commodore gear, from the Commodore 64 and Amiga 1200, to our Commodore watches, joysticks, CD32 and the obscure and gorgeous CDTV (aka: Compact Disc Television / Commodore Dynamic Total Vision).

Speaking of the Commodore CDTV, we particularly love its obscure controllers, the game pad that doubles as a remote control and the CD1200 trackball – both using good ole fashioned infrared (no Bluetooth here – Ed) for that true wireless gaming experience. There is also the CDTV keyboard, but that ain’t no controller, well, sort of.

The CD1200 trackball is peculiar in that it also has two DB9 joystick ports on the front so that you can hook up you fave joysticks, like the TAC-2, to play your Amiga games in comfort. However, the use of “C” batteries to power it in wireless (IR) mode is not that environmentally friendly at all. The remote control / game pad on the other hand uses “AA”, which means we can use our Eneloops for a more enviro friendly gaming session.

What obscure Commodore gear do you have? Hit us up on Twitter or our Facebook page now!

CDTV Remote Control

CD1200 Trackball

CD1200 Trackball – joystick ports

CDTV – Keyboard et al



Kickstart A Hit Of AMIGA Nostalgia

By

We recently delved into some of our forgotten boxes, hidden deep in our vault (aka: the garage) which were choc-full of classic video games.

What we found totally blew our mind – a treasure trove of Amiga gems! We are still shaking our head in disbelief in how we could have forgotten about these games – it is sacrilege.

Let’s get one thing straight, as much as we still love our Atari ST, the Amiga, with its various models we’ve had the pleasure of playing on, from the 500, CDTV, 2000 to the 1200 and CD32, it still holds a dear place in our bitmap heart.

So come on an intoxicating nostalgic journey with us by scrolling through the below games, but don’t rush through the photos, as you may miss an old favourite!

PS: Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook to let us know which game(s) gave you a warm and fuzzy feeling 🙂

 

Transformers: Home Computers In Disguise

By

It wasn’t just Hasbro that were making transforming alien robots in the 80s and 90s. The heavy hitters of the home computing and video gaming industry got into the act by transforming their home computers into consoles. Unfortunately, the only thing that this venture proved was that home computers should never be repackaged as consoles.

Commodore 64 Games System
CON_c_c64gsOn the back of the success of the C64 home computer, good old Commodore decided to release the console version in 1990 – the Commodore 64 Game System (C64GS). With other more powerful consoles on the market, the C64GS disappeared without making a mark. The C64GS was a blight on the C64 pedigree. 

Amstrad GX4000
CON_amstrad_gx4000Amstrad wasn’t going to be outdone by Commodore, so to compete against the C64GS, they released their GX4000 console – a repackaged CPC computer. Despite being more powerful, it suffered the same fate as the C64GS. Both machines booked their tickets to obscurity, as they were no match to the offerings from NEC, Sega and Nintendo.

Atari 5200 Super System
Con_Atari5200Atari’s first attempt at transforming their home computer, the Atari 400, into a console, was the disastrous 5200 Super System! With a hideous controller added into the mix, the 5200’s fate was sealed. It was never released outside of North America.

CBS ColecoVision
CON_ColecoThe joker in the Home Computers In Disguise pack is the ColecoVision. What a lot of gamers don’t realise is that the ColecoVision was based on the MSX standard – an early Japanese PC standard developed by (none other than) Microsoft. The Coleco got a better sound chip, but other than that, it was a console-ised MSX.

Amiga CD32
CON_CD32You would have thought that after the disaster of the C64GS, Commodore would have learned their lesson. Well, they didn’t. Commodore tried their hand at repackaging their Amiga 1200 computer into a console, the Amiga CD32. When compared to the Amiga CDTV, some would argue that the CD32 was a success. Sadly, Commodore’s financial woes in the 90s ensured that the CD32 didn’t stand a chance in surviving the looming 32-bit console war.

Let this be a lesson learned – DO NOT REPACKAGE COMPUTERS INTO CONSOLES!

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
image source: C64GS – 6502.org; Atari 5200 – avgn.wikia; Coleco – retroauction; CD32 – ilesj