alternatehistory.com
Gaming in 1984 - An Overview, Part III: The Computers
Commodore 64
Going into its third year in the market, the Commodore 64 still holds up as both a business computer and a home computer. At this point, plenty of software is available for the computer. The C64's gaming scene is slowly rising from the underground with titles like Bruce Lee, Impossible Mission, and the cult classic The Castles of Doctor Creep.
ZX Spectrum
1984 was the year the Speccy became a serious threat to Commodore and Compaq thanks to a price cut (not unlike how the Spectrum was half the cost of a C64 in its native UK). It still paled in terms of software library size, but said library included cult classics like Sabre Wulf.
Compaq 8-bit line
One of the biggest computer games this year, Boulder Dash, made its debut on Compaq's 8-bit series of home computers. On the computing side, the 1000 and the more recent 1000XL models continued to keep Compaq in the more competitive computer wars.
Welcome to Macintosh
The biggest name in computer news that year, however, was the Macintosh. With a launch price less that that of the Lisa, the Macintosh's user-friendly GUI would end up revolutionizing the computer industry. The gaming scene, however, was relatively silent compared to its competitors, as Steve Jobs did not envision the Macintosh as a gaming platform. It would, however, spawn an underground gaming scene similar to that of the Apple II.
Going into its third year in the market, the Commodore 64 still holds up as both a business computer and a home computer. At this point, plenty of software is available for the computer. The C64's gaming scene is slowly rising from the underground with titles like Bruce Lee, Impossible Mission, and the cult classic The Castles of Doctor Creep.
ZX Spectrum
1984 was the year the Speccy became a serious threat to Commodore and Compaq thanks to a price cut (not unlike how the Spectrum was half the cost of a C64 in its native UK). It still paled in terms of software library size, but said library included cult classics like Sabre Wulf.
Compaq 8-bit line
One of the biggest computer games this year, Boulder Dash, made its debut on Compaq's 8-bit series of home computers. On the computing side, the 1000 and the more recent 1000XL models continued to keep Compaq in the more competitive computer wars.
Welcome to Macintosh
The biggest name in computer news that year, however, was the Macintosh. With a launch price less that that of the Lisa, the Macintosh's user-friendly GUI would end up revolutionizing the computer industry. The gaming scene, however, was relatively silent compared to its competitors, as Steve Jobs did not envision the Macintosh as a gaming platform. It would, however, spawn an underground gaming scene similar to that of the Apple II.
- StomperYoshi
- Word Count: 240