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
On 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
Amstrad 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
Atari’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
The 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
You 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!
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image source: C64GS – 6502.org; Atari 5200 – avgn.wikia; Coleco – retroauction; CD32 – ilesj