It seems that Microsoft made some adjustments after they submitted the details, as their systems advertised as "MSX Compatible" are only mostly compatible. Also, neat to think that the people who designed this, went on to work on a standard that would influence the SG-1000 and Colecovision
So, for Donkey Kong, the CRT screen in the arcade cabinet was turned on it's side like many other arcade games of the time, giving it a taller vertical resolution and screen ratio. It was a challenge to port a lot of arcade games to these earlier machines where your TV or monitor is oriented normally and the vertical resolution of the video is way lower. I had a ColecoVision which came with Donkey Kong and it was the same thing where one of the platforms was removed so DK was flipped to the right side of the screen but that one also lacked all the levels so the Atari 800 version was still the more complete version to play.
400 and 800 wouldn't have seemed like less of a number at the time. The 2600 was originally called the Video Computer System(VCS) and not renamed the 2600 until the 5200 came out in 1982.
CX-2600 was the VCS's model number from day one. Just look at the label on the bottom of a "heavy sixer" (the ones that were made in Sunnyvale, California during the first year of production).
Unless you can get through with the _"It'll help me with my homework"_ and _"Dad can do his taxes on it"_ excuse, then it's pretty useless as a computer.
Hi Pojr. One reason why home-adaptations of arcade-classics looked different, so for example some versions of „Donkey Kong“ (e.g. one missing floor at the first level), was, that the screens in the arcade were turned 90 degrees. TVs were wider than high but arcade-screens higher than wide. This was also the reason why sprites on home-consoles tended to look slightly obese as one sprite there also was wider than high. Turning the screen in the arcade helped a lot especially in times of lower resolution I think.
Nice overview! For the future, it's pronounced "comp-you-mate", not "com-pyew-mate" (interviewed one of the designers many years ago). You're doing a great job with the channel, looking forward to what's next.
Hey Pojr. I recently discovered your channel and I really like the way, you make your videos. Almost has kind of an ASMR vibe to it, at least for me. I like the calm nature and also just the way in general. Regarding this video here in general, I gotta say: really great! I watched so many stuff about the 2600, but in all those years, this was the first time ever, that I heard of such a device, which tries to convert the 2600 console in to a kind of computer. Incredible! Also, I really like your smile :D It has something welcoming to it, every time I start watching another video. Keep it up! 😃
Atari provided a BASIC cartridge and special controllers that could mimic a keyboard. This is what I bought after giving up on the Magnavox Oddessy's programing cartridge. I also gave up on the limited BASIC cartridge and later bought an Atari 400 and the Programmer kit to get the BASIC language to finally get a programmable system. I got it at a discount from General Computers back before there were any other options like the TI 99/4 or the C64. The VIC 20 was available but seemed too similar to the VCS in graphics and sound capability. I never regretted buying the 400 and later added a keyboard and memory expansion. I learned programming from typing in magazine listings and fixing them when I mistyped something. I still have my original 400 after loaning it to my sister's kids so they could learn programming and of course, play games.
Hey POJR. Just a heads up. Its a bit of a pain to search your channel. TH-cam wants to autocorrect your name. It may be an idea to add something to your channel name to make it more distinctive and easier to find/search for.
Also, reason they can’t fit the entire stage on the screen is because most home computers had a vertical resolution of 192 (Atari, coleco) or 200 (commodore, IBM) whereas the arcade had one of 224. The Atari can do 224 as well though. Edit: CARTRIDGES EXIST FOR THAT REASON!! Edit 2: the 800XL retailed for much less in 1982. It did come out after the C64, as it was the answer to the C64. Edit: reminder, the 400 was the best option back then. The only other thing at it’s price in 1979 was the TI 99, guess what was better? The Atari 400! Also note- in 1982 with the 600XL it retailed for $350.
Interesting thought: The first generation of home video game consoles were dedicated non programmable machines that mainly played variations of Pong that were built into them. The second generation machines such as the 2600 and Channel F made the first generation totally obsolete. They were programmable using cartridges, but for the most part were dedicated to video games and not programmable by the end user. In an alternate reality, I can imagine that dedicated video game consoles could have been made obsolete by completely programable low cost home computers that also played video games. IMO If Nintendo stayed out of the North American home console market, this may have happened by the mid / late 1980s. Maybe a machine such as the C64, Atari XEGS or Amiga becomes the most popular video game console. Of course this would have also required that Atari or Commodore had been well managed companies
i know it's not part of the main thing but i really love your little intro jjingle. it reminds me a lot of the infogrames titles on game boy composed by alberto josé gonzález. good music choice overall. well done
I heard about this year's ago when I was looking up obscure hardware. Found a web page where someone found a few crates new old stock and sold them on ebay. I wonder if someone could recreate this with a better keyboard , more ram, and a disk drive attachment. Great video dude lots of good info as usual!
*years (plural non-possessive) year's = singular possessive (or a contraction of "year is/has") Apostrophes are for contractions or possessive nouns, not for pluralizing. *keyboard, more RAM (to fix spacing and capitalization) *video, dude. Lots (to fix your missing comma and run-on)
@@jscollett But if it works, it's the same thing to me. Of course if you were paying a lot because it's old and rare then a bootleg would be a ripoff. But if you just want to use it, and it works the same, then it doesn't matter.
Back around 83 I remember seeing an article in Atari Age magazine on a keyboard attachment, modem, and printer, you could add to the 2600. They had photos too. I don’t think they were ever released as the video game crash was soon after. Back then we were rocking the 5200. The 400/800 coming out in ‘79 still blows my mind. Star Raiders is one of the greatest games of all time.
Intellivision advertised a keyboard for a long time and became a sort of joke. Americans really did want their game consoles to become computers but it was not meant to be.
Compumate BASIC was one of the most limited dialects of the language ever-indeed, probably one of the most limited programming languages ever, period. As examples, it lacked basic string-manipulation and POKE commands that almost all other versions had. Yet because of the lack of cartridge input, you were forced to use this useless language. This plus other "quirks" (such as the fact the music program operates in only one key, is incredibly difficult to synchronize, and is horribly documented, the latter of which is the case for the BASIC in general) made it a generally worse deal than other budget computers at the time such as the ZX81/Timex Sinclair 1000† and Commodore VIC-20. Now, if they had replaced some of the ROM (the example pictures/songs first) with a more complete BASIC and possibly some program enhancements, and added at least a cassette interface if not full pass-throughs, it wouldn't be half bad. †While that had no color and sound (the latter unless you used the cassette interface to output it), it was cheaper overall with a much more complete BASIC and the ability to load external programs.
I saw the ads for this back in the 80s, but have never seen one outside of videos. I was mildly interested in it at the time, but forgot all about it after getting my C64. The number one thing anyone looking at this back then would be thinking is "Great! I can write my own Atari games!" Except that it wasn't really possible to do that. Sure, you could write some simple games, but between the limited memory and the lack of joystick ports on the CompuMate, you couldn't really make anything close to even the Atari launch titles. As for the Atari 8-bit computer line, I've only experienced them through emulation. Like anything, they excelled at some things and kind of sucked at others. They had a much larger palette than the C64, but limitations on its use meant that the Atari versions of games often looked less colorful than they're C64 counterparts. Not always though, I think the Atari version of Stealth looks nicer than the C64 version.
The 2600 hardware has two huge shortcomings. First, the cartridge connector lacks the clock and RWB signals, limiting it to a pure read-only interface unless you use dirty tricks combining custom hardware with software trickery. The designers have said they regret this choice. Second, the native display resolution is only 160x1. That's not a typo, you only get a single line unless you constantly update the registers manually 15 thousand times a second. This makes it very hard to program for.
My 800 i bought in 1982 came with 8kb of RAM. You had to buy more RAM cards to get it to 48.. still have it and still works. As does my 2600, 1040st and mega 2st
Pressing a function key wasn't hardly mind-boggling. To run programs and games on my Exidy Sorcerer Mk II I had to type go CE00, the address of the com file code stack, on the CP/M command line.
Thanks for the video and info. I've been meaning to ask, the music that you always play during the summary of the video with the Genesis type of sound, what game is that from? I know the very last song is from Pacman Arrangement but the one that plays 2nd to last. I've been trying to guess which Genesis game it might be but I'm not sure unless it's a totally original song made with a modern music tracker. 😃
My quick answer about why the home versions can't fit the first level in is because the aspect rations seem different. And the first level seems to encompass more levels than the others ...
At release in 1977 they already thought that the VCS would be obsolete by 1980 and were working on expansions. So far so good. So how did Atari fail so hard during the 80s?
I think a great idea for a video since there are only a small handful of technical ones out there and I think many people have no clue and would find interesting. A video on the Nintendo CIC lockout chip. The chip that basically gave the old original NES copy protection and the real reason for the red blinking light of death that literally ever NES owner got a few times but never knew exactly what caused it. Even has Atari committing blatant legal fraud in an attempt to get around the chip.
i am no sure why so many home consoles can't fit the entire stage on the screen. ==> the CRT screen in the arcade cabinet was turned sideways into portrait mode. this way they had much more space vertically. it was designed for a different aspect ratio. also pal and ntsc consoles usually did not use interlace. ntsc only had 240 visible lines. that would have been good enough but the aspect ratio was not right. if you think of modern TVs now with an aspect ratio of 16:9, that game would now only use a third of the screen.
This 11-minute video spent less than 3 minutes covering the title product, and repeatedly mispronounced it. Disappointing. 8-Bit Show and Tell did a much better comprehensive 46-minute demonstration of the Spectravideo CompuMate (and Robin pronounces it correctly!) if you really want to learn what it was capable of (spoiler: not much).
Thumbs up! Cant believe the void that is so slow to have 10k subscriber's.... How to exponentially grow? U have good content great stuff new old stuff and the old youtibe videos need redone probably so maybe systems. I havent heard much about the 800
Fun fact, the company that made the CompuMate went on to create the MSX computer standard
It seems that Microsoft made some adjustments after they submitted the details, as their systems advertised as "MSX Compatible" are only mostly compatible.
Also, neat to think that the people who designed this, went on to work on a standard that would influence the SG-1000 and Colecovision
So, for Donkey Kong, the CRT screen in the arcade cabinet was turned on it's side like many other arcade games of the time, giving it a taller vertical resolution and screen ratio. It was a challenge to port a lot of arcade games to these earlier machines where your TV or monitor is oriented normally and the vertical resolution of the video is way lower. I had a ColecoVision which came with Donkey Kong and it was the same thing where one of the platforms was removed so DK was flipped to the right side of the screen but that one also lacked all the levels so the Atari 800 version was still the more complete version to play.
Thanks, I was about to point out the same!
400 and 800 wouldn't have seemed like less of a number at the time. The 2600 was originally called the Video Computer System(VCS) and not renamed the 2600 until the 5200 came out in 1982.
CX-2600 was the VCS's model number from day one. Just look at the label on the bottom of a "heavy sixer" (the ones that were made in Sunnyvale, California during the first year of production).
This was a very well made video, I had a 2600 and a 800XL back in the 80s. Really enjoy a young person's perspective on my old favorites.
Unless you can get through with the _"It'll help me with my homework"_ and _"Dad can do his taxes on it"_ excuse, then it's pretty useless as a computer.
He didn't say how you could save and load your programs.
Hi Pojr. One reason why home-adaptations of arcade-classics looked different, so for example some versions of „Donkey Kong“ (e.g. one missing floor at the first level), was, that the screens in the arcade were turned 90 degrees. TVs were wider than high but arcade-screens higher than wide. This was also the reason why sprites on home-consoles tended to look slightly obese as one sprite there also was wider than high. Turning the screen in the arcade helped a lot especially in times of lower resolution I think.
Nice overview! For the future, it's pronounced "comp-you-mate", not "com-pyew-mate" (interviewed one of the designers many years ago).
You're doing a great job with the channel, looking forward to what's next.
Recently started binging a lot of your videos and you genuinely make really interesting and informative content. Hope to see you grow!
2024 and I just binged about a dozen videos.
Hey Pojr.
I recently discovered your channel and I really like the way, you make your videos. Almost has kind of an ASMR vibe to it, at least for me. I like the calm nature and also just the way in general.
Regarding this video here in general, I gotta say: really great! I watched so many stuff about the 2600, but in all those years, this was the first time ever, that I heard of such a device, which tries to convert the 2600 console in to a kind of computer. Incredible!
Also, I really like your smile :D It has something welcoming to it, every time I start watching another video. Keep it up! 😃
Watching you since early March and really love your gaming video. You deserve millions of subscribers!
Your videos are perfect.
Atari provided a BASIC cartridge and special controllers that could mimic a keyboard. This is what I bought after giving up on the Magnavox Oddessy's programing cartridge. I also gave up on the limited BASIC cartridge and later bought an Atari 400 and the Programmer kit to get the BASIC language to finally get a programmable system. I got it at a discount from General Computers back before there were any other options like the TI 99/4 or the C64. The VIC 20 was available but seemed too similar to the VCS in graphics and sound capability. I never regretted buying the 400 and later added a keyboard and memory expansion. I learned programming from typing in magazine listings and fixing them when I mistyped something. I still have my original 400 after loaning it to my sister's kids so they could learn programming and of course, play games.
Hey POJR. Just a heads up. Its a bit of a pain to search your channel. TH-cam wants to autocorrect your name. It may be an idea to add something to your channel name to make it more distinctive and easier to find/search for.
I agree
Yup.
It’s always POUR
Also, reason they can’t fit the entire stage on the screen is because most home computers had a vertical resolution of 192 (Atari, coleco) or 200 (commodore, IBM) whereas the arcade had one of 224. The Atari can do 224 as well though.
Edit: CARTRIDGES EXIST FOR THAT REASON!!
Edit 2: the 800XL retailed for much less in 1982. It did come out after the C64, as it was the answer to the C64.
Edit: reminder, the 400 was the best option back then. The only other thing at it’s price in 1979 was the TI 99, guess what was better? The Atari 400!
Also note- in 1982 with the 600XL it retailed for $350.
You keep coming up with content I've never seen. That alone earns my subscription!
Interesting thought: The first generation of home video game consoles were dedicated non programmable machines that mainly played variations of Pong that were built into them. The second generation machines such as the 2600 and Channel F made the first generation totally obsolete. They were programmable using cartridges, but for the most part were dedicated to video games and not programmable by the end user. In an alternate reality, I can imagine that dedicated video game consoles could have been made obsolete by completely programable low cost home computers that also played video games. IMO If Nintendo stayed out of the North American home console market, this may have happened by the mid / late 1980s. Maybe a machine such as the C64, Atari XEGS or Amiga becomes the most popular video game console. Of course this would have also required that Atari or Commodore had been well managed companies
These "tidbits of gaming history" kinda videos are what's up. Thanks, brother Pojr.
~ Mesyn
Liked and subbed! The Dr. Mario upload was awesome, and this video was excellent as well! Keep up the great work! 🙂
i know it's not part of the main thing but i really love your little intro jjingle. it reminds me a lot of the infogrames titles on game boy composed by alberto josé gonzález.
good music choice overall. well done
Great content! You deserve many more subscribers. :)
6:15 Love that you wrote your script on the Atari computer 😁
I heard about this year's ago when I was looking up obscure hardware. Found a web page where someone found a few crates new old stock and sold them on ebay. I wonder if someone could recreate this with a better keyboard , more ram, and a disk drive attachment. Great video dude lots of good info as usual!
*years (plural non-possessive)
year's = singular possessive (or a contraction of "year is/has")
Apostrophes are for contractions or possessive nouns, not for pluralizing.
*keyboard, more RAM (to fix spacing and capitalization)
*video, dude. Lots (to fix your missing comma and run-on)
@@alvallac2171 Thanks for correcting my autocorrect and perpetuating the stereotype of asshole commentators on TH-cam.
Sometimes "new old stock" for retro collectibles turns out to be Chinese bootlegs
@@customsongmaker yeah that is a problem but these were a just in a warehouse in Brazil.
@@jscollett But if it works, it's the same thing to me. Of course if you were paying a lot because it's old and rare then a bootleg would be a ripoff. But if you just want to use it, and it works the same, then it doesn't matter.
Back around 83 I remember seeing an article in Atari Age magazine on a keyboard attachment, modem, and printer, you could add to the 2600. They had photos too. I don’t think they were ever released as the video game crash was soon after. Back then we were rocking the 5200. The 400/800 coming out in ‘79 still blows my mind. Star Raiders is one of the greatest games of all time.
Intellivision advertised a keyboard for a long time and became a sort of joke. Americans really did want their game consoles to become computers but it was not meant to be.
Compumate BASIC was one of the most limited dialects of the language ever-indeed, probably one of the most limited programming languages ever, period. As examples, it lacked basic string-manipulation and POKE commands that almost all other versions had. Yet because of the lack of cartridge input, you were forced to use this useless language. This plus other "quirks" (such as the fact the music program operates in only one key, is incredibly difficult to synchronize, and is horribly documented, the latter of which is the case for the BASIC in general) made it a generally worse deal than other budget computers at the time such as the ZX81/Timex Sinclair 1000† and Commodore VIC-20.
Now, if they had replaced some of the ROM (the example pictures/songs first) with a more complete BASIC and possibly some program enhancements, and added at least a cassette interface if not full pass-throughs, it wouldn't be half bad.
†While that had no color and sound (the latter unless you used the cassette interface to output it), it was cheaper overall with a much more complete BASIC and the ability to load external programs.
That ports of *Gigas Mark IV* and *Castellion* looked quite good.
Couldn’t get over the Mis-pronounciation of Compumate but a good video nevertheless.
The Compumate has to be the 2nd worst implementation of BASIC...#1 goes to "BASIC Programming" for the 2600.
Pojr what’s the name of the music track at 7:00? I’m looking all over Streambeats and I can’t find it.
Love the show POJR!!! I hope you’re making millions!
Interesting that it had an interface for cassette storage. Would have loved to have this as a kid!
Indeed!
I saw the ads for this back in the 80s, but have never seen one outside of videos. I was mildly interested in it at the time, but forgot all about it after getting my C64. The number one thing anyone looking at this back then would be thinking is "Great! I can write my own Atari games!" Except that it wasn't really possible to do that. Sure, you could write some simple games, but between the limited memory and the lack of joystick ports on the CompuMate, you couldn't really make anything close to even the Atari launch titles.
As for the Atari 8-bit computer line, I've only experienced them through emulation. Like anything, they excelled at some things and kind of sucked at others. They had a much larger palette than the C64, but limitations on its use meant that the Atari versions of games often looked less colorful than they're C64 counterparts. Not always though, I think the Atari version of Stealth looks nicer than the C64 version.
Now recombine the Compumate AND the Starpath Supercharger; would it work better?...
4:09 - This game is also on the c64, in *full color!*
The 2600 hardware has two huge shortcomings. First, the cartridge connector lacks the clock and RWB signals, limiting it to a pure read-only interface unless you use dirty tricks combining custom hardware with software trickery. The designers have said they regret this choice. Second, the native display resolution is only 160x1. That's not a typo, you only get a single line unless you constantly update the registers manually 15 thousand times a second. This makes it very hard to program for.
My 800 i bought in 1982 came with 8kb of RAM. You had to buy more RAM cards to get it to 48.. still have it and still works. As does my 2600, 1040st and mega 2st
Pressing a function key wasn't hardly mind-boggling. To run programs and games on my Exidy Sorcerer Mk II I had to type go CE00, the address of the com file code stack, on the CP/M command line.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.. the white pixel on the right of the screen is gone from the end of the video!
I had an Atari 600XL(I think it was 600XL)for about a week. I took it back to the store and got a refund. I bought a Commodore 64. I'm so glad I did.
where did you get that star raiders screen? It doesn't appear in the game.
Thanks for the video and info. I've been meaning to ask, the music that you always play during the summary of the video with the Genesis type of sound, what game is that from? I know the very last song is from Pacman Arrangement but the one that plays 2nd to last. I've been trying to guess which Genesis game it might be but I'm not sure unless it's a totally original song made with a modern music tracker. 😃
My quick answer about why the home versions can't fit the first level in is because the aspect rations seem different. And the first level seems to encompass more levels than the others ...
Wow, youre channel is really growing. Soon you'll have as many subscribers as 8bit Eric lol. Im kidding, you already do. Keep up the fantastic work.
You can't make fun of 8bit Eric he's LGBTQ.
Every electronic is a computer
4:49 is clearly NOT a Constitution II class from Star Trek.
Did the compumate flicker the video (interlacing on basic text, and the blacked out frames) or is just how it captured?
At release in 1977 they already thought that the VCS would be obsolete by 1980 and were working on expansions. So far so good. So how did Atari fail so hard during the 80s?
I think a great idea for a video since there are only a small handful of technical ones out there and I think many people have no clue and would find interesting. A video on the Nintendo CIC lockout chip. The chip that basically gave the old original NES copy protection and the real reason for the red blinking light of death that literally ever NES owner got a few times but never knew exactly what caused it. Even has Atari committing blatant legal fraud in an attempt to get around the chip.
Hey Pojr Atari just announced a new console called the 2600+, I'd love to hear your opinion on this in a future video, Thanks!
I will definitely make a video on this!! Might even pre-order one.
i am no sure why so many home consoles can't fit the entire stage on the screen.
==> the CRT screen in the arcade cabinet was turned sideways into portrait mode.
this way they had much more space vertically. it was designed for a different aspect ratio.
also pal and ntsc consoles usually did not use interlace.
ntsc only had 240 visible lines. that would have been good enough but the aspect ratio was not right.
if you think of modern TVs now with an aspect ratio of 16:9, that game would now only use a third of the screen.
there is aslo a cart that let you rin basic programming on 2600 and actually 7800. It used t6o of te key pad controllers
Thanks 👍
So, is the atari 800 the first gaming pc
This video was 75% Atari 400 and 800 and 25% CompMate. We barely got to see anything about how it worked.
I've always considered a game console a computer. Just a computer Made for a specific purpose of playing video games
i guess the graphic chip of the atari 800 was no compatible to the 2600, right?
I remember that accessory.
Oh yeah? Did you have one?
@@pojr I wanted one, but I did get the star path super charger.
This 11-minute video spent less than 3 minutes covering the title product, and repeatedly mispronounced it. Disappointing. 8-Bit Show and Tell did a much better comprehensive 46-minute demonstration of the Spectravideo CompuMate (and Robin pronounces it correctly!) if you really want to learn what it was capable of (spoiler: not much).
I hear you. To me there wasn't much to cover with this unit, unless you have the cassette add-on, or wanted to try some BASIC commands.
starts at 7:02
WE NEED A 7800 VERSION
Thumbs up! Cant believe the void that is so slow to have 10k subscriber's.... How to exponentially grow? U have good content great stuff new old stuff and the old youtibe videos need redone probably so maybe systems. I havent heard much about the 800
You sound much like christopher walken, btw. Especially the end to almost every sentence.
I have this ADD-ON:)
BASIC... it's weird thinking Microsoft was involved somewhat
You seem like i cool cat so i subscribed
Cool
you wierd guy bro but you make awesome videos!
It’s called a membrane keyboard.
I would love to have one xbox computer too
My PS4s run Linux.
just posted a minute ago. dang, im early
More Power POJR...
pojr
A lot of repetition of information,,