The CD32 and 64GS were distributed in Australia and were widely available at smaller independent computer stores as well as larger electronic stores. I purchased both here in Australia upon release.
Actually, ZX Spectrum clones were not only popular in the Soviet Union, but also in Eastern Bloc countries, like Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia (technically not part of the Eastern Bloc, but they were also popular there). Some examples could be clones like: - The Didaktik, made in Czechoslovakia - Czerweny CZ (technically South American, but it has a very Slavic sounding name, so it kind of counts) - Elwro 800 Junior, made in Poland (It was released in 1986, primarily for schools, however it is very weird, since it runs a CP/M clone called CP/J, and it has a sheet music holder, because it was initally designed to be an electric organ) - Unipolbrit Komputer 2086, also made in Poland (Technically a clone of the Timex Sinclair 2068, an American version of the ZX Spectrum not completely compatible with the UK version)
Technically Commodore was an American company. But given the success of Amiga in Europe, I understand why it was the first release market for CD32. I had one myself and I regret selling it after several years of service, because I ended up using PC more because no new software came out. A fully expanded CD32 with keyboard, SX1 w/ HDD, 8MB of extra RAM and 2 floppy drives is basically unobtainable these days. It served me well as a workstation and games console for years.
The CD32 was sold officially here in Brazil. I know A600s were actually *produced* here, I don't know if the CD32 was just imported and put in a box with stuff written in portuguese. But it definitely was sold officially in stores here, through PCI Brazil. I also know the Amiga computers got Adverts on TV here in Brazilian MTV. Not sure if the CD32 got ads too. But CD32 definitely got outside Europe :D
I don’t know if categorizing the Amiga as “struggling” in the USA. Depends on what time frame you are referring to. The late 80’s Amiga was out-selling almost everyone in electronics stores. Apple almost when out of business trying to compete with Commodore. Things changed when the clones came out and everyone started to flock to them. BTW, I did see the CD32 in the USA, though rarely. I did see a unit for sale as late as 2002. I should have bought it.
As I said in the video, some units were brought over from Canada when the stock was liquidated. The Amiga definitely didn't do as well in the US as it did in Europe, same for the ST.
4:30 you could order them in Canada at Radio Shack, who stocked them nationally, as well as they historically were the 'go-to' national vendor for Turbografx after other retailers had dropped it by the erarly 90s (it was sold into the mid 90s at RS). Also, you could run PAL mode on the Canadian CD32s, by way (i believe) of a bios option.
I loved my CD32, I bought one when they came out, Disposable Hero was great, I also bought Sabres of Paradise, Sabre Sonic, Clock Factory went great with the third level
I always thought that commodore never really put much thought into their consoles as twice the decided to essentially just put their home computers in a different case with no real overall benefits to doing so and nothing only playable on them to make them a worthy purchase. The C64GS was essentially DOA because most publishers weren't interested in publishing games on cartridge and a one button joystick wasn't exactly suitable for a home console by that point for anything but simple games.
On this side of the pond, companies like Commdore and Atari were distancing themselves from console gaming (yes they both had entries, but Atari even went so far as to create separate divisions - one for computers and one for entertainment, so as not to sully the image of their computers (consumers never cared or noticed since their computers were primarily game systems). Failure or not, I think I'd like to get my hands on an Amstradt console, even with the small library. What is truly shocking, is that after watching Atari being universally malligned for going with a new propietary Joystick connector rather than sticking with the tried and true DB9, Commodore would make the same mistake. Great video as always sir.
Thanks for this. Years ago, I purchased a NTSC Version of the Amiga CD32 from a german retailer, because the CD-Rom device of my PAL version was broken. It came in the original box, without controllers and power supply, but a HF converter for US TV’s. I swapped the drives, and later re-sold it to a guy who wanted a NTSC Version of the console because he wanted to play “Defender of the crown” with original colors (?). It worked out as he stated. Not sure what is the background about this…Cheers from Germany! 🤟 Edit: The games shown are “Microcosm” and “Banshee” - I have them both…☺️
2:49 - To it's credit, the CD32 was doing well as mentioned, but company issues meant it didn't get the chance to see how it would fare across the world... and didn't it release in Canada? Oh wait, you mention that as well. Kind of being loose with the title of this video then. 5:05 - I did wonder why more of the microcomputer companies didn't try to enter the console (or handheld) markets, so that ZX Spectrum console video is one I shall have to watch. 8:08 - Oooh, I've heard of the Game Master/Systema but never saw it in action. First example doesn't exactly give it a good first impression. It looks outdone even by other Game Boy competitors like the Watara Supervision/Quickshot by quite a bit. 14:33 - I've little interest in Amstrad but boy do I love the design of the GX4000. Fantastic video by the way.
As I explained in the video, the CD32 release in Canada wasn't official, Commodore were in bankruptcy and it was literally just stock for the proposed launch being sold off by distributors to try and claw some money back. Glad you enjoyed the video!
@Grin Brothers I think more microcomputer companies didn't enter the video game console market because having what is essentially a gaming PC & a console from the same company is a bit of a contradiction & could potentially cannibalise the market. Didn't work so well when Atari , Commodore , Amstard & Apple tried it over the years or even sega in the early 80s.
@@cryptocsguy9282 Atari is a bit different from the others, since they started off in arcade games, then home console, and then home computers. And Atari was the first ever to try and convert a home computer into a console - the Atari 5200. And comparatively speaking, I think that was also the most successful home computer turned console of them all.
I also have The A500 Mini, great product, includes the Amiga 1200 capabilities (yes it's emulated but it works well), sold my Amiga 1200 in 1994 a week after Commodore declared bankruptcy, I was very angry when that happened, the Amiga 1200 was a fantastic machine, loved it but when Commodore filed for bankruptcy I lost all hope for the Amiga platform. However the Amiga series and Commodore 64 live on. I am more interested in the C64 these days because I forgot how to use an Amiga and the C64 is a lot simpler. With that said, I picked up The A500 mini, it's very easy to use and I didn't have to go digging for roms to use it
Hearing all this and other stories about Commodore, it unbelievable how much they did wrong when their initial bestseller (the C64) was such a game changer.
My nephew bought the Amstrad console and then for reasons no-one can understand, he one day plugged its power pack into his CpC 464, and blow the stuffing out of the 464. I was particularly gutted because i had specially modified it with a Rom chip from a 6128, so it was switchable between 464 and 6128.
I sold a commodore 64 games System about 6 months ago. Took a little while to sell but it went for decent money. I did not even know what it was when I purchased it as part of a large console bundle.
still got my C64GS, loved it back in the day though I did hate the price of the carts when the tape or even disk versions were so much cheaper. It still sits in my collection to this day though I tend to emualte rather than dig it out when I feel nostagic
The Amiga CD32 did make it out of Europe but only in Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, and most significantly of all Canada. It would’ve come to the the U.S. if Commodore had paid that $10 million Tariff tax from their Philippine stockpile for importing.
@@TheLairdsLair I’m saying it did make it out of Europe that’s why I said it came out South America, and parts of Asia. If it had stayed in Europe than it never would’ve left Europe.
I can see why some of these didn't make it across the pond... Other systems were more powerful than them, and the brands were unfamiliar to Americans, who were really picking up on brand name games at the time (Sega, Nintendo, etc.) We never owned an obscure system in my house growing up in America, we always stuck with familiar names because that equaled "quality" to us. We knew C64, but I doubt most of us (Save the computer nerds) would recognize that Amiga was made by them, for example. Interesting video!
The good old days! Thankfully it's even more fun now on the C64, the C64 scene is huge and new awesome games comming out every month, plus the classic games, the Super Mario Bros by zero Paige came out in 2019 since then we've gotten also an amazing anniversary edition Sonic the hedgehog for the C64 also, lots of amazing demos and new software and games. Wifi adapters and raspberry pi 1541s, I have three original C64s, had two of them refurbished by Ray Carlsen.
I remember the 80's and early 90's, there were too many computers and consoles being released, especially in Europe that the market was getting too saturated, especially considering the computing and gaming market back then was a lot smaller than now, so most were going to fail and I remember that a lot of companies were throwing their hat in the ring to see what stuck, most got it wrong, some got it right like Sony with the first PlayStation, and more or less the same with home computers which the PC won out.
I think the idea of a console version of the C64 or CPC was a decent idea, they just left it way to late. If they had brought it out in 1986 or 1987 it could of done better. By 1990 the Master System and NES had built up way to much momentum.
I'm not so sure. It's a psychology thing- a game console implies "custom designed for games" whereas a console version of a computer implies "home computer but hobbled". I think that's a fundamental problem.
IMHO, there was never a time when Commodore could have come out with a game console. Years before the infamous video game crash, Commodore had already been centering its marketing as "More than just a game" from the VIC-20 onward. It would be weird to try and market a Commodore game console while simultaneously marketing their computers as "more than just a game". The best missed opportunity would have been the CDTV. Commodore marketed the CDTV as an upscale "multimedia" device, rather than a home computer or a game console. At the time "multimedia" was a trendy thing, even though no one really knew exactly what sort of compelling experience it might offer consumers. And the price of the CD-ROM drive and Amiga 500 guts was high enough that ... well ... a competitive game console price was out of the question. There were actually a whole lot of folks attempting to cash in on this emerging "multimedia" market, ranging from full blown set top boxes to home computers with a multi-media focus ... and ZERO of them succeeded. The emerging "multimedia" market just never happened. Commodore might have had success with CDTV if they had conceived of it as a "multimedia games computer" rather than a set top box. Keep the beige, and use existing Amiga keyboards and mice ... get CD dev kits into the hands of folks at CinemaWare, LucasArts, and such. The basic idea is to go all in on the "point and click" genre, which was popular at the time, but where the Amiga outside NA was weaker due to the lack of hard drive usage outside NA.
Did Lawson really claim that the GX4000 was on a par with the SNES? He must've meant in terms of the case design or something. 😂 Then again, Frank Butcher was shown flogging them in the Queen Vic, claiming that they were "arcade quality." I spotted the CD32 and a 464/6218 Plus in jumble sale back when they were considered worthless and not "retro." The C64GS was such terrible idea! It would've been more practical for Commodore to prolong 64 sales by encouraging the software industry to release their games on cartridge with the pitch that 64 owners could escape the waiting times of tape loading at prices that undercut those of NES and SMS games. Especially in Eastern/Central Europe where the 64 was picking up new sales in a "fresh market." No wonder they went bust... (Great video)
He really said it! Somebody from Amstrad also told C&VG that it was more powerful than the PC Engine. C&VG pushed it quite a bit, so I am guessing that's where a lot of that £10 million marketing budget went . . . . . .
I believe that Dutch Philips Videopac is known as the Magnovox Odyssey 2 here in the US and sold decently well here... I have one with The Voice speech unit downstairs. It was my family's 2nd console, after the Pong system we had.
I had the odyssey 2 system also , I hated it . Nobody would come to my house to play because I didn’t have an Atari . The games where also pretty week . I remember how hard the golf game was . We also had the quest for rings game , I was too young to understand it . Horrible system .
Bad choices in hindsight but at the time . i sold my 500 plus to upgrade to the 1200, then to the cd32. Loved it simon,disposable hero and total carnage where some of my favs. But after commodore went to the wall. i bought the atari jaguar next they didn last long either. SO i then bought a saturn till it died dam psx. Dreamcaste will put things right i thought . so all 3 went bankrupt ,started to take it personal lol .got a pc next ........ i now use that pc to emulate the cd32 saturn and jag
Honourable mention to the Konix Multi-System? I actually sat in a prototype of one back in the late 80’s, would have loved to see a final version up and running.
@@TheLairdsLair - Indeed! I grew up a few miles from the Konix factory and went on a factory tour when I was about 15. They had a mock up of the moving seat that was going to be part of the console. At the time I had a Spectrum and the thought of a home console akin to the After Burner arcade machine blew my mind!!!
Wow, that must have been great! Yeah, as a fellow Speccy owner I was very excited about the Konix too, especially after I got the "What Video Game?" VHS tape and saw the preview of it in action!
The GX4000/6128 Plus the best 8-bit system out there, actually. Sadly, it was just riddled with CPC ports (with few exceptions) by lazy software houses.
the cd32 is absolutely a useless console. it just doesnt make sense. more useless is only the c64gs. pure crap. no enhancements from a c64. u get less than a c64. cd32 the same. no keyboard, no ports (buy it as add-ons!) what's the deal? at least the amstrad plus series and the gx had some good improvements like hardware sprites and scrolling. I'm an old c64 and amiga owner, i liked them so much and so i was so disappointed when i saw 2 totally bankruptcy products as they were.
The Amiga CD 32bit most definitely made it out of Europe, it's initial launch was in Europe, Australia, Canada, and Brazil, as well as you stated in Canada, and it did very well, unfortunately Commodore were already on the verge of bankruptcy well before this console, and they couldn't claw themselves back in time to launch in NA. It was never a "failed" console, but a failed company.
I did think about putting it in but I had already done a separate video on the Videopac G7400/Odyssey 3 and it's more of an upgrade than a completely new console. Anyway, I have more than enough to do a follow up video, so it might still make another appearance . . . .
My first game machine was the Sord M5 only had 3 cartridges with it, 'Falc', 'Basic' and I believe 'Scramble'. Had a weird controller that looked like a walkie talkie. Miss that thing.
10:30 i had a console from Argos called the n gage which had bootleg nes games and different size cardboard disks that had no data on but just hit switches that showed different games
1.) Commodore were banned in USA because of taxes, and is why they had to stick with Europe. 2.) CD32 actually lived for 6 years in Norway. 3.) CD32 never fully died as it still gets new games in 2022.
It is fun to see these failed consoles from around the world. Only five systems in America never made it outside the country with reason as close to those from Europe. Bally Arcade/Astrocade, APF Imagination Station, Entex Adventure Vision, Atari 5200, and the RDI Halcyon. Out of those five only one gets any major attention from gamers nowadays. To make things funnier there are many systems that a lot of people think only stayed in America.
I've been trying to find the name of the 'ninja' game I played on Spectrum or Commodore in 86/87 and have never been able to until today. Saboteur! Thanks.
The CD32 may have been a failed product in a grand scheme of things but it’s my favourite console hands down. And if the day I decide to sell my Amiga collection eventually comes I already know I’ll keep the CD32 as the most hassle-free to use - pop the CD, switch it on and it runs, always, something that 3.5" Amigas could never provide 👍🏾
Technically they are Canadian, as they were founded there, not the USA! But Commodore UK was very much run as a separate company, which is why they kept going for a while after Commodore International entered bankruptcy.
I don't get the idea behind C64 console. I think they oversaturated the market with C64 and tried to get rid off the aging hardware they had in the warehouse. And those C64's were really well made I never remmember mine braking. EVER.
The Amiga may have been designed in the USA, but it was always much more of a European computer by many millions who gladly embraced it. Fuck North America, and FUCK Commodore for such bad marketing, they didn't even understand the massive potential the Amiga had, being the world's first multimedia computer and everything.
The mad scientist in the CD32 advert uses a PC keyboard. They could have used an Amiga keyboard but clearly they unconsciously knew the writing was on the wall.
That C64 counsel would have been pretty decent if it came out immediately after the ashes of the NA video game crash had stopped smoldering. ( And been expandable to be a computer)
@@TheLairdsLair I am curious why commodore had several launches in UK/Europe ( you clearly spelled out why the amiga32 CD never launched in N America. Commodore was American based, no? Maybe they saw the Japanese gaming giants had less of a firm Grip on the UK/ Europe market.
What's interesting about Commodore is that although they were an American company they gave their regional offices a lot of autonomy. So Commodore UK, Germany and Japan all developed their own products independently to Commodore International and did their own marketing etc.
Fellow DC fan so I come in peace 👍. GX4000 does have some games worth playing. A good version of Pang for example that wasn't available outside of the cartridge format on Amstrad. Same with Navy Seals ( hard game but very good graphics ) and Robocop 2 ( equally hard ). Burnin Rubber ( the pack in game ) actually has a day/night cycle which is ambitious for the time. It's also GX4000 exclusive
Interesting video...thank you! But your editing needs a little help. The audio for the music segments is so much louder than your dialogue in between consoles.
I got a GX4000 from a jumble sale in 2001 for £5. It was in mint condition in it's box. I played it once then gave it to a friend for his five year old son. Ha ha. It was awful.
@@TheLairdsLair It was officially launched by the company PCi. If you look on the internet you will find the video game box in Portuguese. I would post the link here in the comment but youtube deletes messages with links. Amiga computers existed in Brazil, but they were expensive. Who had a computer at the time, went from 386 or MSX.
Nope. Failed means nobody bought them and they did terribly in the marketplace, that's explained pretty clearly in the video. The only one you could maybe argue is the CD32, as early sales were fairly good, but Commodore went bankrupt before we really found out.
The Amiga CD32 is the ultimate in Brit fanboyism. The games that it had couldn’t even lace their 16 bit counterparts’ shoes and cost twice as much, but to listen to them tell it, it was the best console of the 90s. 🙄
@@TheLairdsLair Thanks for saying that. I've heard Larry Bundy Jr. say "The Town With No Name" was "really not that bad". That was hitting rock bottom, imo.
Larry got a lot of hate off Amiga fanboys for slagging the Amiga off on Digitizer some years ago so in typical Larry fashion he then flipped the other way to try and sedate them, but just ended up looking like an idiot.
The CD32 and 64GS were distributed in Australia and were widely available at smaller independent computer stores as well as larger electronic stores. I purchased both here in Australia upon release.
Not a surprise, given Australia is a PAL region and essentially treated as part of UK/Europe by video game companies back then.
th-cam.com/video/E42cuFlKRgQ/w-d-xo.html
I knew that due to this goofy commercial
True. I remember seeing the C64GS on the shelves at my local Kmart for some months before it disappeared. This would have been around 1990/91.
I had a CD32, not sure where I brought it, might have been a shop in Collingwood/Melbourne, they had a large Amiga range.
Out of curiosity, have you ever come across any old store catalogue selling the C64GS in Australia?
Actually, ZX Spectrum clones were not only popular in the Soviet Union, but also in Eastern Bloc countries, like Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia (technically not part of the Eastern Bloc, but they were also popular there). Some examples could be clones like:
- The Didaktik, made in Czechoslovakia
- Czerweny CZ (technically South American, but it has a very Slavic sounding name, so it kind of counts)
- Elwro 800 Junior, made in Poland (It was released in 1986, primarily for schools, however it is very weird, since it runs a CP/M clone called CP/J, and it has a sheet music holder, because it was initally designed to be an electric organ)
- Unipolbrit Komputer 2086, also made in Poland (Technically a clone of the Timex Sinclair 2068, an American version of the ZX Spectrum not completely compatible with the UK version)
Technically Commodore was an American company. But given the success of Amiga in Europe, I understand why it was the first release market for CD32.
I had one myself and I regret selling it after several years of service, because I ended up using PC more because no new software came out.
A fully expanded CD32 with keyboard, SX1 w/ HDD, 8MB of extra RAM and 2 floppy drives is basically unobtainable these days. It served me well as a workstation and games console for years.
I’ve added a FMV cartridge which enabled me to watch video CDs.
Yeah, the Amiga was very popular in Europe, including even some former Eastern Bloc countries, like Poland.
Saved my CD32 but sold the SX-1. Now I have bought an accelator TF-330 board with a CF-card.
i thought commodore started out in germany?
@@MrAndroidData No, Canada actually, although founder Jack Tramiel was a Polish Jew.
The CD32 was sold officially here in Brazil. I know A600s were actually *produced* here, I don't know if the CD32 was just imported and put in a box with stuff written in portuguese. But it definitely was sold officially in stores here, through PCI Brazil.
I also know the Amiga computers got Adverts on TV here in Brazilian MTV. Not sure if the CD32 got ads too.
But CD32 definitely got outside Europe :D
I don’t know if categorizing the Amiga as “struggling” in the USA. Depends on what time frame you are referring to. The late 80’s Amiga was out-selling almost everyone in electronics stores. Apple almost when out of business trying to compete with Commodore. Things changed when the clones came out and everyone started to flock to them. BTW, I did see the CD32 in the USA, though rarely. I did see a unit for sale as late as 2002. I should have bought it.
As I said in the video, some units were brought over from Canada when the stock was liquidated. The Amiga definitely didn't do as well in the US as it did in Europe, same for the ST.
4:30 you could order them in Canada at Radio Shack, who stocked them nationally, as well as they historically were the 'go-to' national vendor for Turbografx after other retailers had dropped it by the erarly 90s (it was sold into the mid 90s at RS). Also, you could run PAL mode on the Canadian CD32s, by way (i believe) of a bios option.
Good info, thanks.
I loved my CD32, I bought one when they came out, Disposable Hero was great, I also bought Sabres of Paradise, Sabre Sonic, Clock Factory went great with the third level
So the amigos CD32 Makes you trip and hallucinate and then when you try to shut it off it explodes Oh yeah what a great commercial
I always thought that commodore never really put much thought into their consoles as twice the decided to essentially just put their home computers in a different case with no real overall benefits to doing so and nothing only playable on them to make them a worthy purchase. The C64GS was essentially DOA because most publishers weren't interested in publishing games on cartridge and a one button joystick wasn't exactly suitable for a home console by that point for anything but simple games.
The C64GS does actually have 2 separate buttons, but the second one is barely used because of trying to make games compatible with the computer too.
On this side of the pond, companies like Commdore and Atari were distancing themselves from console gaming (yes they both had entries, but Atari even went so far as to create separate divisions - one for computers and one for entertainment, so as not to sully the image of their computers (consumers never cared or noticed since their computers were primarily game systems).
Failure or not, I think I'd like to get my hands on an Amstradt console, even with the small library.
What is truly shocking, is that after watching Atari being universally malligned for going with a new propietary Joystick connector rather than sticking with the tried and true DB9, Commodore would make the same mistake.
Great video as always sir.
I still really want the AmigaCD32 lol.
I've got one here in NZ, I've barely use it but it has been recapped. Might send it to a museum here
Thanks for this. Years ago, I purchased a NTSC Version of the Amiga CD32 from a german retailer, because the CD-Rom device of my PAL version was broken. It came in the original box, without controllers and power supply, but a HF converter for US TV’s. I swapped the drives, and later re-sold it to a guy who wanted a NTSC Version of the console because he wanted to play “Defender of the crown” with original colors (?). It worked out as he stated. Not sure what is the background about this…Cheers from Germany! 🤟
Edit: The games shown are “Microcosm” and “Banshee” - I have them both…☺️
Rolling laughing that the tagline on the Terminator 2 C64 box is “I’VE RETURNED”
Makes me think of an Obvious Plant product!
2:49 - To it's credit, the CD32 was doing well as mentioned, but company issues meant it didn't get the chance to see how it would fare across the world... and didn't it release in Canada? Oh wait, you mention that as well. Kind of being loose with the title of this video then.
5:05 - I did wonder why more of the microcomputer companies didn't try to enter the console (or handheld) markets, so that ZX Spectrum console video is one I shall have to watch.
8:08 - Oooh, I've heard of the Game Master/Systema but never saw it in action. First example doesn't exactly give it a good first impression. It looks outdone even by other Game Boy competitors like the Watara Supervision/Quickshot by quite a bit.
14:33 - I've little interest in Amstrad but boy do I love the design of the GX4000. Fantastic video by the way.
As I explained in the video, the CD32 release in Canada wasn't official, Commodore were in bankruptcy and it was literally just stock for the proposed launch being sold off by distributors to try and claw some money back.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
@Grin Brothers I think more microcomputer companies didn't enter the video game console market because having what is essentially a gaming PC & a console from the same company is a bit of a contradiction & could potentially cannibalise the market. Didn't work so well when Atari , Commodore , Amstard & Apple tried it over the years or even sega in the early 80s.
@@cryptocsguy9282 Atari is a bit different from the others, since they started off in arcade games, then home console, and then home computers. And Atari was the first ever to try and convert a home computer into a console - the Atari 5200. And comparatively speaking, I think that was also the most successful home computer turned console of them all.
@@TheLairdsLair I must admit, I had always thought the Canada release was an official thing. Thanks for the correction.
I also have The A500 Mini, great product, includes the Amiga 1200 capabilities (yes it's emulated but it works well), sold my Amiga 1200 in 1994 a week after Commodore declared bankruptcy, I was very angry when that happened, the Amiga 1200 was a fantastic machine, loved it but when Commodore filed for bankruptcy I lost all hope for the Amiga platform. However the Amiga series and Commodore 64 live on. I am more interested in the C64 these days because I forgot how to use an Amiga and the C64 is a lot simpler. With that said, I picked up The A500 mini, it's very easy to use and I didn't have to go digging for roms to use it
Feel really bad for the GX4000. If they had gotten a few more original releases for it and didn't cheapen out, it might have done a bit better.
I remember seeing the Spectrum on sale in Kmart in Australia. The Commodore 64 was much more popular though.
Hearing all this and other stories about Commodore, it unbelievable how much they did wrong when their initial bestseller (the C64) was such a game changer.
And if you look, all their biggest mistakes came after Jack Tramiel left.
They must have been the inspiration for Sega's later many missteps!
My nephew bought the Amstrad console and then for reasons no-one can understand, he one day plugged its power pack into his CpC 464, and blow the stuffing out of the 464.
I was particularly gutted because i had specially modified it with a Rom chip from a 6128, so it was switchable between 464 and 6128.
Wow, what an idiot!
The C64 GS should never have made it outside some ones head.
Haha.
@BAZFANSHOTHITS facts lmao
I’m still keeping my heavily expanded Amiga CD32. Still in good working order.
I used to have a A500, but sold it for a A1500HD desktop.
I remember C&VG really pushing the GX4000 and I never understood why, as it was clear from day 1 it was going to fail.
I sold a commodore 64 games System about 6 months ago. Took a little while to sell but it went for decent money. I did not even know what it was when I purchased it as part of a large console bundle.
Lucky you; I had a hell of a time trying to sell mine, and got a pittance for it.
still got my C64GS, loved it back in the day though I did hate the price of the carts when the tape or even disk versions were so much cheaper. It still sits in my collection to this day though I tend to emualte rather than dig it out when I feel nostagic
The Amiga CD32 did make it out of Europe but only in Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, and most significantly of all Canada. It would’ve come to the the U.S. if Commodore had paid that $10 million Tariff tax from their Philippine stockpile for importing.
I covered much of that in the video . . . . .
Not sure why you liked your own comment either . . . . .
@@TheLairdsLair I’m saying it did make it out of Europe that’s why I said it came out South America, and parts of Asia. If it had stayed in Europe than it never would’ve left Europe.
I can see why some of these didn't make it across the pond... Other systems were more powerful than them, and the brands were unfamiliar to Americans, who were really picking up on brand name games at the time (Sega, Nintendo, etc.) We never owned an obscure system in my house growing up in America, we always stuck with familiar names because that equaled "quality" to us. We knew C64, but I doubt most of us (Save the computer nerds) would recognize that Amiga was made by them, for example. Interesting video!
The good old days! Thankfully it's even more fun now on the C64, the C64 scene is huge and new awesome games comming out every month, plus the classic games, the Super Mario Bros by zero Paige came out in 2019 since then we've gotten also an amazing anniversary edition Sonic the hedgehog for the C64 also, lots of amazing demos and new software and games. Wifi adapters and raspberry pi 1541s, I have three original C64s, had two of them refurbished by Ray Carlsen.
HELL YEAH!!! MORE EPISODES!
I remember the 80's and early 90's, there were too many computers and consoles being released, especially in Europe that the market was getting too saturated, especially considering the computing and gaming market back then was a lot smaller than now, so most were going to fail and I remember that a lot of companies were throwing their hat in the ring to see what stuck, most got it wrong, some got it right like Sony with the first PlayStation, and more or less the same with home computers which the PC won out.
I think the idea of a console version of the C64 or CPC was a decent idea, they just left it way to late. If they had brought it out in 1986 or 1987 it could of done better. By 1990 the Master System and NES had built up way to much momentum.
I'm not so sure. It's a psychology thing- a game console implies "custom designed for games" whereas a console version of a computer implies "home computer but hobbled". I think that's a fundamental problem.
Agreed. As a UK c64 owner I would have appreciated more cartridge games too.
IMHO, there was never a time when Commodore could have come out with a game console. Years before the infamous video game crash, Commodore had already been centering its marketing as "More than just a game" from the VIC-20 onward. It would be weird to try and market a Commodore game console while simultaneously marketing their computers as "more than just a game".
The best missed opportunity would have been the CDTV. Commodore marketed the CDTV as an upscale "multimedia" device, rather than a home computer or a game console. At the time "multimedia" was a trendy thing, even though no one really knew exactly what sort of compelling experience it might offer consumers. And the price of the CD-ROM drive and Amiga 500 guts was high enough that ... well ... a competitive game console price was out of the question.
There were actually a whole lot of folks attempting to cash in on this emerging "multimedia" market, ranging from full blown set top boxes to home computers with a multi-media focus ... and ZERO of them succeeded. The emerging "multimedia" market just never happened.
Commodore might have had success with CDTV if they had conceived of it as a "multimedia games computer" rather than a set top box. Keep the beige, and use existing Amiga keyboards and mice ... get CD dev kits into the hands of folks at CinemaWare, LucasArts, and such. The basic idea is to go all in on the "point and click" genre, which was popular at the time, but where the Amiga outside NA was weaker due to the lack of hard drive usage outside NA.
*could've
I never saw the point as the c64 can do what a console does and many multiple other things besides. Consoles are one trick ponies.
Love your channel from a fellow Brit👍
I live in Canada and I worked at a video game store in the 90s. They sold the CD32 and games. Well not many.. if any.
I had a CD32 in Canada. A few sold here.
I talked about that in the video, guess you missed that part.
@@TheLairdsLair you sure did and yes I did :)
Did Lawson really claim that the GX4000 was on a par with the SNES? He must've meant in terms of the case design or something. 😂 Then again, Frank Butcher was shown flogging them in the Queen Vic, claiming that they were "arcade quality." I spotted the CD32 and a 464/6218 Plus in jumble sale back when they were considered worthless and not "retro."
The C64GS was such terrible idea! It would've been more practical for Commodore to prolong 64 sales by encouraging the software industry to release their games on cartridge with the pitch that 64 owners could escape the waiting times of tape loading at prices that undercut those of NES and SMS games. Especially in Eastern/Central Europe where the 64 was picking up new sales in a "fresh market." No wonder they went bust... (Great video)
He really said it! Somebody from Amstrad also told C&VG that it was more powerful than the PC Engine. C&VG pushed it quite a bit, so I am guessing that's where a lot of that £10 million marketing budget went . . . . . .
Liked, subbed and shared, keen for more.
Since the CD32 was released (even if limited) in Canada and they are not in Europe, I think you can't say NEVER made it out of Europe.
I believe that Dutch Philips Videopac is known as the Magnovox Odyssey 2 here in the US and sold decently well here... I have one with The Voice speech unit downstairs. It was my family's 2nd console, after the Pong system we had.
Correct, they are one in the same.
I had the odyssey 2 system also , I hated it . Nobody would come to my house to play because I didn’t have an Atari . The games where also pretty week . I remember how hard the golf game was . We also had the quest for rings game , I was too young to understand it . Horrible system .
Bad choices in hindsight but at the time . i sold my 500 plus to upgrade to the 1200, then to the cd32.
Loved it simon,disposable hero and total carnage where some of my favs. But after commodore went to the wall. i bought the atari jaguar next they didn last long either.
SO i then bought a saturn till it died dam psx. Dreamcaste will put things right i thought .
so all 3 went bankrupt ,started to take it personal lol .got a pc next ........
i now use that pc to emulate the cd32 saturn and jag
I was Jaguar then Saturn, so I can relate!
Honourable mention to the Konix Multi-System? I actually sat in a prototype of one back in the late 80’s, would have loved to see a final version up and running.
Yeah, that never even made it out the factory!
@@TheLairdsLair - Indeed! I grew up a few miles from the Konix factory and went on a factory tour when I was about 15. They had a mock up of the moving seat that was going to be part of the console. At the time I had a Spectrum and the thought of a home console akin to the After Burner arcade machine blew my mind!!!
Wow, that must have been great! Yeah, as a fellow Speccy owner I was very excited about the Konix too, especially after I got the "What Video Game?" VHS tape and saw the preview of it in action!
I have the Amstrad GX4000 and the Amiga Cd32. The GX4000 is a horrible system, but the cd32 is actually pretty good.
The GX4000/6128 Plus the best 8-bit system out there, actually. Sadly, it was just riddled with CPC ports (with few exceptions) by lazy software houses.
the cd32 is absolutely a useless console. it just doesnt make sense. more useless is only the c64gs. pure crap. no enhancements from a c64. u get less than a c64. cd32 the same. no keyboard, no ports (buy it as add-ons!) what's the deal? at least the amstrad plus series and the gx had some good improvements like hardware sprites and scrolling. I'm an old c64 and amiga owner, i liked them so much and so i was so disappointed when i saw 2 totally bankruptcy products as they were.
Great video! Btw Laird is my mom’s maiden name, her parents were from Scotland 🏴
Great stuff, Kieren! Hope you can make time to re upload those cool videos about Atari 8-bit computer games too.
Thanks! Yes, I must try and get some back up. I don't have them all sadly, because of a hard drive crash where I lost loads of old Atari videos.
The Amiga CD 32bit most definitely made it out of Europe, it's initial launch was in Europe, Australia, Canada, and Brazil, as well as you stated in Canada, and it did very well, unfortunately Commodore were already on the verge of bankruptcy well before this console, and they couldn't claw themselves back in time to launch in NA. It was never a "failed" console, but a failed company.
I just love the designs of C64GS and Amstrad GX4000 consoles :)
I'm amazed you left out the Videopac 7400.
I did think about putting it in but I had already done a separate video on the Videopac G7400/Odyssey 3 and it's more of an upgrade than a completely new console. Anyway, I have more than enough to do a follow up video, so it might still make another appearance . . . .
Nothing is ever going to beat that intro.
great video, surprised your channel has so few subs this is good content!
Thanks, glad you enjoy it!
My first game machine was the Sord M5 only had 3 cartridges with it, 'Falc', 'Basic' and I believe 'Scramble'. Had a weird controller that looked like a walkie talkie. Miss that thing.
I must cover the Sord M5 at some point.
great video,well explain thank you....thump up done...
Glad you liked it!
10:30 i had a console from Argos called the n gage which had bootleg nes games and different size cardboard disks that had no data on but just hit switches that showed different games
1.) Commodore were banned in USA because of taxes, and is why they had to stick with Europe.
2.) CD32 actually lived for 6 years in Norway.
3.) CD32 never fully died as it still gets new games in 2022.
It is fun to see these failed consoles from around the world. Only five systems in America never made it outside the country with reason as close to those from Europe. Bally Arcade/Astrocade, APF Imagination Station, Entex Adventure Vision, Atari 5200, and the RDI Halcyon. Out of those five only one gets any major attention from gamers nowadays. To make things funnier there are many systems that a lot of people think only stayed in America.
Bah! You have pre-empted my next documentary!
@@TheLairdsLair Don't let me stop you from doing one. I'd watch it none the less.
About the 64GS, by 1990 it really should have been an A500 in the box...
I've been trying to find the name of the 'ninja' game I played on Spectrum or Commodore in 86/87 and have never been able to until today. Saboteur! Thanks.
It's been remastered and re-released for modern platforms recently by the original creator Clive Townsend.
The CD32 may have been a failed product in a grand scheme of things but it’s my favourite console hands down. And if the day I decide to sell my Amiga collection eventually comes I already know I’ll keep the CD32 as the most hassle-free to use - pop the CD, switch it on and it runs, always, something that 3.5" Amigas could never provide 👍🏾
Wow... Depressing!
You crazy kids across the pond... Bless your heart!
It’s called a master system for a reason. It really is the best of 8 bit gaming
Oof showing that Systema Vampire Attack gave me a nostalgia pang.
Well, technically Commodore Business Machines was an American company. The C64 was quite popular here. They also owned Amiga.
Technically they are Canadian, as they were founded there, not the USA!
But Commodore UK was very much run as a separate company, which is why they kept going for a while after Commodore International entered bankruptcy.
I don't get the idea behind C64 console. I think they oversaturated the market with C64 and tried to get rid off the aging hardware they had in the warehouse. And those C64's were really well made I never remmember mine braking. EVER.
I was expecting to see the Digiblast in this
You going to do a video on Infinium Labs Phantom (company's story was shady AF!) or Apex DISCover soon?? Love these failed console videos.
I knew of the Amiga CD32 through the Angry Video Game Nerd.
I would add the Ending Man Terminator to the list, though that's a chinese NES clone, 16 bits my !
Thank you for the video, the amiga 32 did make it here to the USA though@@ didnt stay long @@
Not officially, as I explained in the video.
The console in the thumbnail may not have made it, but that controller, I had one almost exactly like it for my classic/original NES console
Yeah, Cheetah joysticks were very popular back in the day.
@@TheLairdsLair Thank you, I couldn't remember the name, honestly they weren't great, and a bad choice for the Top Gun game
I always wondered about the barcode battler. Never saw one of those outside a shop window / catalog.
I never owned one or played on one, but I do remember them being advertised an awful lot!
@@TheLairdsLair Yes exactly that.
Technically the closest the CD32 got was Canada
Burnin' rubber?? I had that! And the awful Barbarian 2...
1:42 - 1:44: Why COMMODORE uses a PC-Keyboard in an Advertisement for a AMIGA Product ???
The Amiga may have been designed in the USA, but it was always much more of a European computer by many millions who gladly embraced it. Fuck North America, and FUCK Commodore for such bad marketing, they didn't even understand the massive potential the Amiga had, being the world's first multimedia computer and everything.
The Amstrad was shown in EGM I believe
Yes, I remembered seeing it in there but couldn't find a scan.
The mad scientist in the CD32 advert uses a PC keyboard. They could have used an Amiga keyboard but clearly they unconsciously knew the writing was on the wall.
Good spot!
Lol. The CD32 was $750 NZD new! I got the bulk of the games from a bargain bin 2 months later. 😁😁😁🎮
I had the amiga 32 it was ok. Funny controller but it was only 20 years ago
That C64 counsel would have been pretty decent if it came out immediately after the ashes of the NA video game crash had stopped smoldering. ( And been expandable to be a computer)
Yeah, something like the Atari XEGS, but in 1984/85
@@TheLairdsLair I am curious why commodore had several launches in UK/Europe ( you clearly spelled out why the amiga32 CD never launched in N America. Commodore was American based, no? Maybe they saw the Japanese gaming giants had less of a firm Grip on the UK/ Europe market.
What's interesting about Commodore is that although they were an American company they gave their regional offices a lot of autonomy. So Commodore UK, Germany and Japan all developed their own products independently to Commodore International and did their own marketing etc.
I really want a CD32 but the prices have just gotten so insane that it's not really possible to get one any more.
Yeah, I could have bought one some years ago for £50 and turned it down, I still regret that.
Amiga CD32 made it out of Europe, It came to Australia.
As talked about in other comments, back then Australia was treated as part of Europe due to being PAL.
The CD32 was sold by mainstream retailers in Australia before Commodore went bankrupt.
Yeah, as I said already, Australia was basically treated as part of Europe at the time by video game companies due to it being PAL.
The CD32 released in Canada too
I talked about that in the video, guess you missed that part.
@@TheLairdsLair I made my comment before it got mentioned.
Always comment at the end ;-)
On g bro
I love the Game Zone pisstakes of the GX4000 😂😂😂
Such an abysmal pile of crap.
Fellow DC fan so I come in peace 👍. GX4000 does have some games worth playing. A good version of Pang for example that wasn't available outside of the cartridge format on Amstrad. Same with Navy Seals ( hard game but very good graphics ) and Robocop 2 ( equally hard ). Burnin Rubber ( the pack in game ) actually has a day/night cycle which is ambitious for the time. It's also GX4000 exclusive
Interesting video...thank you!
But your editing needs a little help. The audio for the music segments is so much louder than your dialogue in between consoles.
Why do I have three of these consoles? 😀
You could buy cd32 in Australia. But it was the same price as a Sega Saturn. I bought a Saturn.
Not surprised!
I got a GX4000 from a jumble sale in 2001 for £5. It was in mint condition in it's box. I played it once then gave it to a friend for his five year old son. Ha ha. It was awful.
Oddly enough, it's now become more useful as a lot of CPC games have been altered to play on it. Not text adventures so much, mind 😉
not sure if your chapter titles are auto generated, but it says Amiga GX4000 instead of Amstrad
Yeah, they are auto generated, I'm not sure if there is a way I can fix them or not.
Cd32 was sold in canada 🇨🇦
Yep, I talked about that in the video . . . .
@@TheLairdsLair sorry i posted that before i watched that part. Just going off the title lol
Flipull was a great game
Did not get the message this dropped
TH-cam is really bad for this, always prioritises big channels.
Amiga CD32 was release in Brazil
Not officially AFAIK
@@TheLairdsLair It was officially launched by the company PCi. If you look on the internet you will find the video game box in Portuguese.
I would post the link here in the comment but youtube deletes messages with links.
Amiga computers existed in Brazil, but they were expensive. Who had a computer at the time, went from 386 or MSX.
I just had a look. It seems PCi were the official distributor of the Amiga in Brazil, interesting story for the future possibly . . . .
@@TheLairdsLair Is there any way I can post a link in English on the topic without youtube deleting my message?
You can post it and hope it gets past the spam filter, I found this one:
eab.abime.net/showthread.php?p=1346162
"the console had some pretty good visibility..." screen is hardly visible
So "failed" meaning is basically "didn't made to US"? What challenges do you overcome everyday? We are curious.
Nope. Failed means nobody bought them and they did terribly in the marketplace, that's explained pretty clearly in the video. The only one you could maybe argue is the CD32, as early sales were fairly good, but Commodore went bankrupt before we really found out.
Oh for god's sake......I thought they were referring to recording consoles !!!
What's the game at 13:34?
Toki
I never understood the reason why there was a CD32. Isn't just an Amiga 1200 with a CD-Rom drive instead of a floppy?
Yep, basically!
Now do one for Russia/USSR and USA.
Russia is in Europe and a Russian console is in this video, so that wouldn't really work. The US however . . . . .
@@TheLairdsLair True. But USSR did make a tone of "Famiclones" and other cloned systems.
TV Game console "ALF" from Belarus
Yep, I've done a video on that!
th-cam.com/video/SxLsjFFsvxY/w-d-xo.html
The Amiga CD32 is the ultimate in Brit fanboyism. The games that it had couldn’t even lace their 16 bit counterparts’ shoes and cost twice as much, but to listen to them tell it, it was the best console of the 90s. 🙄
Well I'm a Brit and I totally agree with you.
@@TheLairdsLair Thanks for saying that.
I've heard Larry Bundy Jr. say "The Town With No Name" was "really not that bad". That was hitting rock bottom, imo.
Larry got a lot of hate off Amiga fanboys for slagging the Amiga off on Digitizer some years ago so in typical Larry fashion he then flipped the other way to try and sedate them, but just ended up looking like an idiot.
@@TheLairdsLair
Yep. Not a fan of his pandering either.
Fun fact: The FM Towns Marty was the actual first 32 bit console
Indeed, I covered that specific piece of trivia in my Amazing Facts video on the console.