Interesting to see that my suggestion about Hasbro entering the market went with the Vectrex rather than Coleco. Still a good update, nonetheless. It would also be interesting to see more "Appendums" in the future.
The Vectrex was released by General Consumer Electronics in 1982. Upon release, it was praised by many electronics magazines as innovative, but didn't sell many units compared to the other home arcades at the time. GCE would be acquired by Milton Bradley in 1983, and Milton Bradley's marketing appeal would result in a price drop and more widespread availability, driving up Vectrex sales significantly. Milton Bradley was seen by some as the "fifth pillar" alongside RCA, Atari, Mattel, and Coleco, while others saw it as a niche product with a cult following. Bandai released the Vectrex in Japan, but the Famicom and SG-1000 would dwarf it in sales there.
In 1984, Milton Bradley was bought out by Hasbro, which continued to use the MB name on the Vectrex and other board games. By this time, the Vectrex seemed to be growing in popularity, even outselling the Atari VCS, RCA Studio 2, and the Intellivision during the holiday season of 1984. Hasbro continues to support the Vectrex, and a new Vectrex model is currently in the works as of New Year's Day 1985.
Changing the Game
- Thread starter StomperYoshi
- Start date
-
- Tags
- pop culture video games
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.
Before we jump into '85, does anyone think any other pop culture aspects would be different at the end of 1984? Suggestions are always welcome!
I think there would be some change in the music genre now that John Lennon is still alive. Other than that, go wild.
Well, so far, The Beatles are lined up for next year's Live Aid, but they plan to perform mostly their older songs since they're still trying to get another album off the ground, if possible.
John Lennon also talked Michael Jackson out of buying The Beatles' music catalog, saying that he should "stick to [his] own stuff". Despite this, Jackson has expressed contributing to The Beatles' hypothetical next album, saying "it would be an honor" to work with all four Beatles, having worked with Paul twice.
Not to mention Lennon's become a staunch, vocal advocate for gun control, sparked by his assassination attempt, and later that of President Reagan. He's been quoted as saying, "It almost happened to me, it almost happened to the President, it almost happened to the Pope, and we don't want it to happen to our children!"
As for the rest of pop culture, that's not my strongest suit, so that's where I may need assistance.
I like that idea. I'll be adding those to each home arcade generation summary, and the 2nd generation will hopefully be the next update.
I'd suggest that you could try some of TTL's movies and games released at this time. 1983-1985 were the years movies like Return of the Jedi and Ghostbusters were released at this time while games such as Marble Madness, Tetris and Pitfall II were released I believe.
Movies and Games of the Mid to Late Eighties
Blockbuster Movies (The adjective, not the rental chain.)
Jaws marked the turning point in Hollywood towards an era of blockbusters, and Star Wars solidified its new position. The 80s saw a wave of movies that would enter pop culture, and the merchandising certainly helped.
Return of the Jedi
The thrilling conclusion (at the time) to the famous space opera trilogy had the Rebels thwart the Emperor's plan to crate a new Death Star and Luke trying to get his father back to the light side of the Force.
Superman III
While it proved successful in the box office, it never made as much as its two predecessors due to drama between the directors and actors - the same reason why fans think a fourth Superman film might not come to light.
Ghostbusters
This was 1984's biggest movie, and its success helped kick off the urban fantasy genre in multiple media. ITTL Ernie Hudson's character has a bigger role in the film than OTL due to Hudson and Murray bickering with the studio. And as always, there's the timeless Ray Parker Jr. song.
The Terminator
Arnold Schwarzenegger made his big break in Hollywood by playing a robot that travels back in time to assassinate Sarah Connor. This film would gain a reputation as the beloved underdog fighting against Ghostbusters for the title of the biggest film of the year.
Beverly Hills Cop
Eddie Murphy was considered for the role of Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters but he declined, as he was busy filming his first lead role: Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop.
Notable Games
Marble Madness
Mark Cerny's first claim to fame was this Atari arcade game. As the VCS was primitive and near obsolete, Marble Madness would eventually get a port for the SuperSystem, which required a trackball controller. It's planned to be a launch title of Atari's next home arcade as well.
Tetris
In 1984, Soviet computer scientist Alexey Pajitnov designed an addicting game on an old Soviet computer. While it was popular with his coworkers, it would take a few years for it to go viral around the world.
Jaws marked the turning point in Hollywood towards an era of blockbusters, and Star Wars solidified its new position. The 80s saw a wave of movies that would enter pop culture, and the merchandising certainly helped.
Return of the Jedi
The thrilling conclusion (at the time) to the famous space opera trilogy had the Rebels thwart the Emperor's plan to crate a new Death Star and Luke trying to get his father back to the light side of the Force.
Superman III
While it proved successful in the box office, it never made as much as its two predecessors due to drama between the directors and actors - the same reason why fans think a fourth Superman film might not come to light.
Ghostbusters
This was 1984's biggest movie, and its success helped kick off the urban fantasy genre in multiple media. ITTL Ernie Hudson's character has a bigger role in the film than OTL due to Hudson and Murray bickering with the studio. And as always, there's the timeless Ray Parker Jr. song.
The Terminator
Arnold Schwarzenegger made his big break in Hollywood by playing a robot that travels back in time to assassinate Sarah Connor. This film would gain a reputation as the beloved underdog fighting against Ghostbusters for the title of the biggest film of the year.
Beverly Hills Cop
Eddie Murphy was considered for the role of Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters but he declined, as he was busy filming his first lead role: Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop.
Notable Games
Marble Madness
Mark Cerny's first claim to fame was this Atari arcade game. As the VCS was primitive and near obsolete, Marble Madness would eventually get a port for the SuperSystem, which required a trackball controller. It's planned to be a launch title of Atari's next home arcade as well.
Tetris
In 1984, Soviet computer scientist Alexey Pajitnov designed an addicting game on an old Soviet computer. While it was popular with his coworkers, it would take a few years for it to go viral around the world.
The Second Generation
While most of these home arcades aren't discontinued yet, the rise of third-generation home arcades next year would eventually put an end to their popularity.
~100,000 units - Emerson Arcadia 2001
Little more than a footnote in video game history, this home arcade barely lasted two years on the market simply because it had nothing to offer in comparison to the other big firms.
~750,000 units - Fairchild Channel F
While it sold poorly in its day, the Channel F has been well-known among video game historians as the first home arcade with programmable ROM cartridges, as well as the first invention of Jerry Lawson.
~3,000,000 units - CGE/Milton Bradley/Hasbro Vectrex (first generation)
The latter half of the decade would see Hasbro's rise in the home arcade industry, but the original model Vectrex merely served as a humble beginning for Hasbro's electronic gaming division.
~12,000,000 units - RCA Studio 2
While declining sales at the end of the Studio 2's lifespan would put RCA in an uncomfortable place, the home arcade was still regarded as a success - not to mention how revolutionary the Master Strategy series has been. As for Jerry Lawson, he decided to step down from his position and become a freelance inventor like Ralph Baer did. His desire to do this was an open secret thanks to the Wonder Clock[1] being invented during the Studio 2's lifespan. By 1984 RCA announced that while it would continue to sell the Studio II for at least one more year, it would slowly be phasing out its home arcade division. Video game fans were disappointed by the news, but RCA would find success once more by entering the camcorder industry in 1985.
~13,000,000 units - Mattel Intellivision
Mattel had only been in the video game industry for around half a decade, but the overall success of the Intellivision proved that this would be a profitable industry in which to stay. While not spinning it off, Mattel would eventually use INTV as a cover-all label for their home arcades.
~16,500,000 units - Coleco ColecoVision
Quite surprisingly, Coleco managed to pull a 180 from the Telstar series and become a driving force in the early 80s' video game industry. Back in 1984, nobody would expect Coleco to go back down, but, in hindsight, some things just couldn't be predicted.
~35,000,000 units - Atari (12,500,000 VCS, 22,500,000 SuperSystem)
Atari would end up on top this generation, but only because they jumped ship in the middle. The goal of the SuperSystem is the finish what the VCS started before the VCS was dragged under the bus (even though Atari themselves would drag it under the bus as well). Overall, Atari has become a household name, and would use that status to prove themselves viable in the next generation.
Notable third-party companies:
Activision
The company behind the Pitfall series have been doing well since its breakout in 1982. Activision has exclusively published for Atari, but the third generation might change that.
Imagic
Founded by ex-Atari and Mattel employees, Imagic would find success in their multiplatform game Demon Attack. No crash ITTL means the company has a chance to survive the rest of the 80s.
Namco
Ah, yes, the company responsible for the nationwide Pac-Man fever. Namco is often cited as the reason why arcade machine still thrived through the early home arcade industry, with hits debuting in the arcades before being ported to said home arcades.
Nintendo
While games like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. proved to be popular in both arcades and home arcade ports, the Japanese firm has planned to unveil their third-generation home arcade/computer hybrid, the AVS, at the Winter CES of 1985. Time will tell if it will catch on.
Sega
Much like Nintendo, Sega would also be planing their break into the USA, although plans are a bit foggier. Their plans to find potential business partners involved demonstrating the SG-1000 to various firms - and in a surprising turn of events, pop star Michael Jackson expressed interest in investing in Sega of America. Alas, it was not to be: the late pop star experienced severe third-degree burns [2] in an accident while filming a Pepsi commercial, and the complications of these burns have led to his tragic passing in early 1984.
Taito
Like Namco, Taito would find more success in arcade machines than home arcade ports, with hits such as Space Invaders, Mr. Do, and Qix.
[1] This was an alarm clock that would allow parents to record a wake-up message and have it play as an alarm, famous for being endorsed by Stevie Wonder. Lawson did develop this OTL, but ITTL it made it to production.
[2] As opposed to second-degree burns OTL.
~100,000 units - Emerson Arcadia 2001
Little more than a footnote in video game history, this home arcade barely lasted two years on the market simply because it had nothing to offer in comparison to the other big firms.
~750,000 units - Fairchild Channel F
While it sold poorly in its day, the Channel F has been well-known among video game historians as the first home arcade with programmable ROM cartridges, as well as the first invention of Jerry Lawson.
~3,000,000 units - CGE/Milton Bradley/Hasbro Vectrex (first generation)
The latter half of the decade would see Hasbro's rise in the home arcade industry, but the original model Vectrex merely served as a humble beginning for Hasbro's electronic gaming division.
~12,000,000 units - RCA Studio 2
While declining sales at the end of the Studio 2's lifespan would put RCA in an uncomfortable place, the home arcade was still regarded as a success - not to mention how revolutionary the Master Strategy series has been. As for Jerry Lawson, he decided to step down from his position and become a freelance inventor like Ralph Baer did. His desire to do this was an open secret thanks to the Wonder Clock[1] being invented during the Studio 2's lifespan. By 1984 RCA announced that while it would continue to sell the Studio II for at least one more year, it would slowly be phasing out its home arcade division. Video game fans were disappointed by the news, but RCA would find success once more by entering the camcorder industry in 1985.
~13,000,000 units - Mattel Intellivision
Mattel had only been in the video game industry for around half a decade, but the overall success of the Intellivision proved that this would be a profitable industry in which to stay. While not spinning it off, Mattel would eventually use INTV as a cover-all label for their home arcades.
~16,500,000 units - Coleco ColecoVision
Quite surprisingly, Coleco managed to pull a 180 from the Telstar series and become a driving force in the early 80s' video game industry. Back in 1984, nobody would expect Coleco to go back down, but, in hindsight, some things just couldn't be predicted.
~35,000,000 units - Atari (12,500,000 VCS, 22,500,000 SuperSystem)
Atari would end up on top this generation, but only because they jumped ship in the middle. The goal of the SuperSystem is the finish what the VCS started before the VCS was dragged under the bus (even though Atari themselves would drag it under the bus as well). Overall, Atari has become a household name, and would use that status to prove themselves viable in the next generation.
Notable third-party companies:
Activision
The company behind the Pitfall series have been doing well since its breakout in 1982. Activision has exclusively published for Atari, but the third generation might change that.
Imagic
Founded by ex-Atari and Mattel employees, Imagic would find success in their multiplatform game Demon Attack. No crash ITTL means the company has a chance to survive the rest of the 80s.
Namco
Ah, yes, the company responsible for the nationwide Pac-Man fever. Namco is often cited as the reason why arcade machine still thrived through the early home arcade industry, with hits debuting in the arcades before being ported to said home arcades.
Nintendo
While games like Donkey Kong and Mario Bros. proved to be popular in both arcades and home arcade ports, the Japanese firm has planned to unveil their third-generation home arcade/computer hybrid, the AVS, at the Winter CES of 1985. Time will tell if it will catch on.
Sega
Much like Nintendo, Sega would also be planing their break into the USA, although plans are a bit foggier. Their plans to find potential business partners involved demonstrating the SG-1000 to various firms - and in a surprising turn of events, pop star Michael Jackson expressed interest in investing in Sega of America. Alas, it was not to be: the late pop star experienced severe third-degree burns [2] in an accident while filming a Pepsi commercial, and the complications of these burns have led to his tragic passing in early 1984.
Taito
Like Namco, Taito would find more success in arcade machines than home arcade ports, with hits such as Space Invaders, Mr. Do, and Qix.
[1] This was an alarm clock that would allow parents to record a wake-up message and have it play as an alarm, famous for being endorsed by Stevie Wonder. Lawson did develop this OTL, but ITTL it made it to production.
[2] As opposed to second-degree burns OTL.
Last edited:
Gaming in 1985 - An Overview, Part I
Arcade
Titles like Nemesis, Paperboy, Gauntlet, and Space Harrier would prove to be classics this year, but most of them would begin to find more success when ported to home arcades later due to a major shift in the video game industry.
Atari (VCS and SuperSystem)
The SwordQuest competition is still continuing, with the WaterWorld competition ending and the release of AirWorld. While the SuperSystem continued to be a huge financial success, Atari would begin development of its eventual successor this year.
Intellivision/Intellivision II
After RCA dropped out of the home arcade industry, Mattel was the first company to ask for the rights to the Master Strategy games, hoping to port them to the Intellivision. Mattel would soon find themselves in a bit of a bidding war. More importantly, this year Mattel proved the rumors to be true: There will be an Intellivision III.
ColecoVision
While the other firms were preparing for the next generation of home arcades, Coleco decided to ride upon the success of the ColecoVision for just one more year - managing to turn Coleco a profit in 1985. Coleco also announced that a ColecoVision 2 is planned, but development has not yet started.
Titles like Nemesis, Paperboy, Gauntlet, and Space Harrier would prove to be classics this year, but most of them would begin to find more success when ported to home arcades later due to a major shift in the video game industry.
Atari (VCS and SuperSystem)
The SwordQuest competition is still continuing, with the WaterWorld competition ending and the release of AirWorld. While the SuperSystem continued to be a huge financial success, Atari would begin development of its eventual successor this year.
Intellivision/Intellivision II
After RCA dropped out of the home arcade industry, Mattel was the first company to ask for the rights to the Master Strategy games, hoping to port them to the Intellivision. Mattel would soon find themselves in a bit of a bidding war. More importantly, this year Mattel proved the rumors to be true: There will be an Intellivision III.
ColecoVision
While the other firms were preparing for the next generation of home arcades, Coleco decided to ride upon the success of the ColecoVision for just one more year - managing to turn Coleco a profit in 1985. Coleco also announced that a ColecoVision 2 is planned, but development has not yet started.
Gaming in 1985 - An Overview, Part II
Nintendo Advanced Video System (AVS)
After a positive reaction to its unveiling at the Winter CES, Nintendo firmly believed that the USA was ready for the AVS. What made it stand out against the other home arcades at the time is that it blurred the line between home computer and home arcade - the AVS contained a control deck, two controllers, a joystick, a keyboard, a cassette data recorder, and a light gun. Nintendo has officially stated that it can serve as both. The system launched in September of 1985 in New York City, planning to launch it nationwide the next year. Games like Ice Climber and Duck Hunt proved to be favorites within the home arcade's lineup of launch titles, but everyone knew the real reason why the AVS proved to be a massive hit.
This was the main reason every kid in New York wanted this thing. This was nothing like what America had seen before - it was more complex than games like Pitfall!, but its new mechanics proved to be enticing with customers of all ages.
Vectrex (battery-operated model)
As soon as Hasbro bought the rights to the Vectrex, their idea for the product's next iteration would be developed immediately. Issued in the summer of 1985, the new Vectrex had a noticeably smaller screen, but ran on 6 AA batteries and can therefore be played on the go. Hitting Hasbro with surprise was incredibly high sales by the end of the year thanks to its new portability. As a result, Hasbro now plans on making more games for the Vectrex gamed on some of their other properties.
After a positive reaction to its unveiling at the Winter CES, Nintendo firmly believed that the USA was ready for the AVS. What made it stand out against the other home arcades at the time is that it blurred the line between home computer and home arcade - the AVS contained a control deck, two controllers, a joystick, a keyboard, a cassette data recorder, and a light gun. Nintendo has officially stated that it can serve as both. The system launched in September of 1985 in New York City, planning to launch it nationwide the next year. Games like Ice Climber and Duck Hunt proved to be favorites within the home arcade's lineup of launch titles, but everyone knew the real reason why the AVS proved to be a massive hit.
This was the main reason every kid in New York wanted this thing. This was nothing like what America had seen before - it was more complex than games like Pitfall!, but its new mechanics proved to be enticing with customers of all ages.
Vectrex (battery-operated model)
As soon as Hasbro bought the rights to the Vectrex, their idea for the product's next iteration would be developed immediately. Issued in the summer of 1985, the new Vectrex had a noticeably smaller screen, but ran on 6 AA batteries and can therefore be played on the go. Hitting Hasbro with surprise was incredibly high sales by the end of the year thanks to its new portability. As a result, Hasbro now plans on making more games for the Vectrex gamed on some of their other properties.
Shit. I've written myself into a wall. I had plenty of things planned for this TL, but now that some new observances have come to light my timeline's gonna fall apart. I'm probably gonna have to pack it up.
Why? still that can be retconnected very easily and would not change the TL at all, don't worry about it buddy
Dude, you could easily try to butterfly Michael's " future obscenities" during this time. Maybe find a way to give him more proper therapy. It's not worth deleting a timeline this good.
Or Retcon the sega thing and leave the fire kill him, either way no need to kill an amazing TL either
I have no idea which side of the Michael Jackson story to believe anymore, so I have instead found a way to avoid it.
Michael Jackson is innocent ITTL, since he died before he had the chance to engage in the controversial activities he would do OTL.
As for the timeline, this leaves me with two things I would need to answer: how Michael Jackson's death affects sales of Pepsi and which musical act/s would define the latter half of the 80s since Bad is butterflied away.
Yeah, better kill him early, no crime no victim, well, TL saved buddy, nice one