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General discussionWhat was this early 90's console called?(62 posts)(62 posts)
(62 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted June 03, 2015
Part of me wants to drag the OP to his PC now to have him look at the machines we found, and tell us whether we nailed it. It looked like a tough nut to crack, but I think we came up with some interesting finds (and also learned something along the way), and not knowing whether we solved it is like a permanent itch now. ;-D

@hohiro: Ah. I didn't know that the C128D had a detached keyboard. That makes it a strong contender indeed, since there were probably many more C128D's around in central Europe than PCjr's. Floppy size and graphics abilities would fit for both machines though (actually, I thought if it were a C128, then there would have been more memorable games than a fixed-screen platformer and Wheel of Fortune, but who knows).

@snowkatt: But the Atari XEGS used cartridges instead of 5.25" floppies, no? Interesting system though, I've never seen it before.
Posted June 03, 2015
A danish Wheel of Fortune named "Lykkehjulet" was released for Amiga computers in 1991.
http://hol.abime.net/6053
Maybe that helps.
Posted June 03, 2015
With regards to console vs home computer debate, here in the UK mainstream tv consoles were very unpopular compared to the home computers of the time (commordor and Amiga etc.) And as such we refered to them as consoles, as we would get a new one every few years just for the newer games. I know we were wrong but that's just what stuck! Perhaps this was a similar thing in Denmark?
Posted June 03, 2015
The thing is, whatever it is, we are looking at 5 and 1/4 or 8 inch floppy disks. The Amiga used standard floppies unless there was a proto version using 5 and 1/4. To make matters worse, a number of gaming computers/consoles sold under a different name in Europe.
Posted June 03, 2015
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Dedee: A danish Wheel of Fortune named "Lykkehjulet" was released for Amiga computers in 1991.
http://hol.abime.net/6053
Maybe that helps.
Yeah, I knew it had been released for the Amiga as well, but I hadn't managed to find it. The only other platform I can think of that it might have been on is the C64. Denmark was an extremely small market for games at the time (well, still is, but less so now), so I cannot imagine it was released for more than those three platforms (the third one being DOS, which I linked to a video of earlier).
Posted June 03, 2015
Apple IIe?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_IIe



Wheel of Fortune
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7zS4OI8jOs
Post edited June 03, 2015 by lepke1979
Posted June 03, 2015
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WhiskeredWolf: With regards to console vs home computer debate, here in the UK mainstream tv consoles were very unpopular compared to the home computers of the time (commordor and Amiga etc.) And as such we refered to them as consoles, as we would get a new one every few years just for the newer games. I know we were wrong but that's just what stuck! Perhaps this was a similar thing in Denmark?
Not really. We've always distinguished quite clearly between consoles and computers. Generally, if it has a keyboard, it's a computer. If not, a console.

But popularity-wise, we were about the same. Consoles didn't really get popular here until the PlayStation came along. In the 80s and early 90s C64 and Amiga were the kings of the Danish market when it came to games. A few people had Amstrads or Ataris and were rightfully mocked for it ;-)
Posted June 03, 2015
So danish market is more likely like german market ;)

Commodore did rule here by FAR and even Amiga got way more popular than in other countries. PC were just in business and for coding but not for private people. And think of "normal" people seeing their kids play on these ... they could be called consoles by them, not everyone is a computer freak out there, or especially was at that time.
I still remember our first computer room in school, where we kids knew more than the teachers ;)
Posted June 03, 2015
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hohiro: I still remember our first computer room in school, where we kids knew more than the teachers ;)
Ah, yes. We had a room with 8 Piccoline (Danish computer) machines with orange monochrome monitors. Even then they seemed ridiculous to us, as most of us had C64s at the time, which could do much more, at least of the things that mattered to us, which was primarily graphics and sound (in other words, games).
Posted June 03, 2015
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Wishbone: Long story short, I stumbled across this article, which I think some of you may find entertaining: 41 Most Unnecessary Consoles and Accessories of All-time
I remember drooling over most of that hardware back in the day. And really, the only thing you could fault half of the stuff on that list for, was for being way too far ahead of their time.
Posted June 03, 2015
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hohiro: So danish market is more likely like german market ;)

Commodore did rule here by FAR and even Amiga got way more popular than in other countries.
What other countries? You and Wishbone described also e.g. the Finnish home gaming market perfectly. Commodore 64 and later Amiga ruled, everything else came after. Later Sega Megadrive and Super Nintendo got moderate success I think (many, mostly small children, might have 8bit Nintendo as well, but overall I think NES came to European market quite late, after e.g. Amiga had already become commonplace).

At some point PCs and Playstations took over.

In the Amiga times, I always got an impression that Germany is an Amiga-land (like Finland was), but French had some odd fixation with Atari ST, and seemed to prefer it? I think I got that impression by how German game makers seemed to favor Amiga, while many French game makers seemed to favor Atari ST (and later port to Amiga).
Post edited June 03, 2015 by timppu
Posted June 03, 2015
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Wishbone: Long story short, I stumbled across this article, which I think some of you may find entertaining: 41 Most Unnecessary Consoles and Accessories of All-time
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rampancy: I remember drooling over most of that hardware back in the day. And really, the only thing you could fault half of the stuff on that list for, was for being way too far ahead of their time.
Well, when "ahead of their time" means "we might be able to make this work properly in about 15 years", then that's quite a fault. It's fine to have an innovative idea, but if you can't make it work with the available technology, don't bring it to market.
Posted June 03, 2015
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DennisLaursen89: @Wishbone:
I know it wasn't a computer, it was a gaming console. The floppy disks you described however, sounds correct.
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SirPrimalform: How are you defining the difference between 'computer' and 'console'? The fact that it plugged into your TV doesn't necessarily make it a console.
Hmm, that could be. I haven't thought of that.
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DennisLaursen89: One of the other games was a game version of DOS version of it. Look familiar?
Yes, that looks very familiar!

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will try to ask my parents for further clues - they may remember it better than me, since I was between 0-5 years then we had it.

UPDATE:
Now I've asked my parents, but they barely remember we had that console/computer at all.
But thanks for the answers everyone, and thanks for taking the time to reply.
Post edited June 03, 2015 by DennisLaursen89
Posted June 03, 2015
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DennisLaursen89: Hmm, that could be. I haven't thought of that.
Yes, that looks very familiar!

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will try to ask my parents for further clues - they may remember it better than me, since I was between 0-5 years then we had it.

UPDATE:
Now I've asked my parents, but they barely remember we had that console/computer at all.
But thanks for the answers everyone, and thanks for taking the time to reply.
could it have been a famiclone or a XEGS after all ?

and if you were 4 or 5 a normal 3.5 floppy would have looked huge to you anyway
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lepke1979: Apple IIe?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_IIe

Wheel of Fortune
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7zS4OI8jOs
the apple II did not have much of a presence in europe
http://apple2history.org/history/ah12/

europe has always been more a bastion for the C64 the amiga the atari computers and the msx line
and all of these buggers have been cheaper then the apple II line

or before that the zx spectrum or regional models

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Psyringe: 8, then there would have been more memorable games than a fixed-screen platformer and Wheel of Fortune, but who knows).

@snowkatt: But the Atari XEGS used cartridges instead of 5.25" floppies, no? Interesting system though, I've never seen it before.
yes but it is a atari xe repackaged in a console shell
and it still takes all peripherals including external floppy drives and a detachable keyboard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_8-bit_family

its a console pc hybrid the like the pippin atmark ( which was a very crippled powerpc macintosh)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Bandai_Pippin
Post edited June 03, 2015 by snowkatt
Posted June 05, 2015
This thread reminds me that even the C64 and other microcomputers had proper lightguns.

Microcomputer gaming master race, lightgunless PC gaming peasants.

ps The picture of all the consoles has a mistake where they've called the Atari Jaguar the 3DO.
Post edited June 05, 2015 by Spectre
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionWhat was this early 90's console called?(62 posts)(62 posts)
(62 posts)