First computer

[Derekflint]

Re: First computer

Can confirm the rather impressive Vectrex delivering the goods. Next to the competition, it just looked amazing. Unfortunately, it just didn't take off - it didn't help that there was a myth going around that they were made with displays that were a one off consignment for a different customer that Milton Bradley snapped up...

In terms of actual computers, my first was an Amstrad CPC464 (saw an awesome idea online a couple of years ago - some bright spark had converted loads of game tapes to MP3s, popped them onto an iPod Shuffle and plugged it into one of those tape deck converters for car stereos - nice!). Knight Lore, Sorcery, Ikari Warriors... Kind of great days.

Bought an Apple SE30 in the mid 90s with 8mb of RAM and an 80mb hard drive. Haven't used it for a while, but there is no way on this earth that I would part with it.

Wish that I had three items:
ZX81 with all the trimmings
Commodore Amiga (500 or 600)
Acorn BBC Micro B - have a whole new level of respect for that machine - just remember it being built like a tank!

[hal9001]

Re: First computer

this is what i had. A true classic.

All ZX Spectrum owners need to go here (youtube).

[hal9001]

Re: First computer

This picture shows you the membrane keyboard. Its basically two membranes or plastic sheets with electrical contacts between them instead of proper moving keys. I remember the contacts on the membranes would break quite easily if you used them too much

That was my first computer. It cost me £60 which was almost a full weeks wages back in 1983. I then got a Memotech 16K ram pack for it. I remember the ram pack's instructions said you could probably never fill it up.

[Richard1978]

Re: First computer

My family got an Acorn Electron for Xmas 1984. At the time I hasn't seen one before, but I was quick to spot it was similar to the BBC Micros at school.

It's still up my parents loft, before it went up I used to get it out from my wardrobe to have a go, it took some running in over a few days to get it to work for a decent period of time, but it always was a labour of love to use even when new.

About the last time I had it set up for a time I managed to get a joystick interface for it of Ebay, & some games were totally different to play compaired to keys.

[Kiop]

Re: First computer

My first computer was a Commodore Vic-20, followed by Commodore 16, Amstrad CPC464 and then Commodore Amiga 600.

We used Commodore-PET and BBC Micro at school for our BASIC programming computer lessons, lessons which are meaningless now.

[ridski]

Re: First computer

I had the Binatone, too. My first actual computer was a UK101 kit-build computer.

This is what it should look like:



Mine, however, was a rectangular wooden box about 2ft long 1ft wide and about 9 inches deep, with a black leather cover on the top and a hole cut into it for the keyboard. I couldn't program a damn thing on it as the keys were buggered, and every time I hit 'P' out would come 'PPPPPPP' and the delete key didn't work. Basically, it was machine designed specifically to put the words "Syntax Error' on my B&W telly.

Luckily I got a C64 for Christmas next year. Only had a few games of my own, but my mate had loads, so I would run round his house and borrow one, load it up on cassette, then not switch the computer off until I was bored with the game. The three most addictive games I remember for it were Falcon Patrol II, Football Manager, and AH-64 Apache. I actually used to dress up as a helicopter pilot to play Apache, and take my headphones and extend them so one earpiece was by my mouth like a headset.

One year I got a word processor program and a printer for it. I eagerly typed up a thank you letter to my brother, went to print it out, then the C64 crashed, and never worked again.

I don't think I actually owned another computer until 2000, and the only console I had until I bought my wife a PS2 was the Atari VCS I had. I had a sad, game-free 20s.

[culnara]

Re: First computer

Binatone console - possibly still have
zx Spectrum 16k - still have
Amstrad cpc 464 - still have ( but I dropped the Monitor while putting it in the loft )
A Tiny pc ( 16 gig hard drive, 600mhz ) still have and still works

[branny]

Re: First computer

Spectrum 48k. Started saving up some money from my paper round and my dads aunt left me the rest when she died. I used to spend hours playing football manager on it. It became very annoying when they started putting anti-piracy features on the software. Some tapes were so sensitive to the volume setting and would take several attempts to load. Very frustrating.

[Pensky]

Re: First computer

My dad bought us a BBC Micro Model B around Christmas 1982.

I learned to program in BBC Basic and played a lot of games from Acornsoft, in particular Arcadian and Elite.

[Wil]

Re: First computer

I had a spectrum, but always wanted a C64, which I think makes me some sort of traitor!

Nah, I had both and each had their plusses and minuses. But I had left school and started work by then so I didn't have to suffer the playground 'which is the best computer' wars.

[Fred Focus]

Re: First computer

I had a spectrum, but always wanted a C64, which I think makes me some sort of traitor!

[wispa lover]

Re: First computer

My first computer was a Commodore, can't remember which one though, I'm sure the screen was mostly green. After that I had an Amstrad which had Basic and a driving game called Burnin' Rubber.

[Palazzo]

Re: First computer

Mine was a Commodore 64 which my dad won somewhere, it had a Terminator 2: Judgment Day game with it. The game was ridiculously hard, the first level was a straight fight against the T-1000 villain from what I remember but the second had you as John Connor on a bike trying to escape a truck or something. I never did get past that second level and all in all, didn't really use the Commodore 64 a great deal.

[Woffski]

Re: First computer

You can try this link for Battlechess (via an emulator). I believe its now abandonware.

Battle Chess - Amiga Game / Games - Download ADF, Review - Lemon Amiga

Cheers
Woff

[Bizziliz]

Re: First computer

I also started with the Amstrad 6028 I used to play a game called Battle chess on it I loved seeing those characters wading into each other wish I could play it now