Hwlngmad

I will take a look for sure.

I believe the VIS had the moniker 'Virtually Impossible to Sell' by Radio Shack sales people. Still, perhaps Radio Shack did a lot of R&D and decided to release it because of machines like the CD-i, CDTV, and 3DO on the market, not to mention the Microsoft connection on the machine. Also, I think John Hancock not too long ago stated that were was a company selling new old stock a la the Dragon Tano situation in the early 2010s. Not sure if that is still the case of not, but you want to talk about one heckavu curiosity at this point in time.

Yeah, very true Bill. For instance, my co-worker has used an Xbox (360 I think) as his multi-media device for years and is looking to upgrade. However, with the CD-i (as well as the 3DO, CDTV, VIS specifically), I know they tried to play up the multi-media aspect the most, hence my description of it. Still, I would agree most gaming consoles are multi-media devices too as they can stream from services like Netflix, play 4k Blu Ray discs (like the Xbox One S), and play games. Rokus, Apple TV, and Android TV boxes I wouldn't call them gaming consoles really. They are definitely more in the streaming/mulit-media device area imo. However, I do have a Nvidia Shield TV and that can do some pretty great gaming, although I mainly use it as my streaming/mulit-media device.

From what I have seen and read, I would classify the CD-i as a "multi-media game console". Fair enough?

Correct, the CD-i was a mult-media machine that had gaming capabilities. However, that is a major reason it gets dissed on by lots of people for its games when that wasn't the point of the system and people miss that for the most part. Hence, why it is a (mostly) misunderstood machine.

100% agree with you here. Moreover, the NES was eventually able to undercut gaming 8 bit computers, like the C64, which really helped propel it forward.

Good video (series) on the Atari 800XL. He does a good job and I enjoy his 'Trash to Treasure' series.

Very true Bill. It can be hard for people to give systems a fair shake if they are not sampling some of the best they have to offer instead of their so-so and/or bad ones.

The 3DO was a good gaming machine the CD-i was a decent enough machine for what it was designed to do. I know both get bagged on by lots of people, and in some cases rightfully so. However, they do deserve some more appreciation, understanding, and respect imo. No reason for either one to get so much hate.

To answer your question, I guess what I mean by 'powerfulness' is concerning the graphical and/or processing capabilities. But, that can be very subjective as obviously 16-bit machines like the Amiga and/or ST will beat 8-bit machines. That being said, some 8-bit machines can be powerful enough depending on what a user is wanting to do. I hope that makes sense. Also, definitely in no way was I trying to slight and/or intentionally leave out the CoCos. CoCos are very good computers, no doubt about it. If I were to recommend one, I would say the CoCo 2 with 64k as the CoCo 3 is a really good machine, but getting to be a little expensive nowadays. And again, I was just throwing in my quick, two cents on some machines that would qualify in the categories. It was not meant to be a comprehensive list, but at least something to give different possibilities as there are plenty of good retro computers to start with, that's for sure!

Thanks for the input. Yep, definitely the TI-99/4a has some appeal like the options you mentioned above. Definitely a good machine to get into as well as. Just depends on what tickles your fancy in the end as there are a lot of good choices out there.

Hey, it's cool to disagree with a few. After all, those were just my opinions as I was to merely putting out possible/plausible options. However, I would be remiss if I didn't provide some counterpoints. Those are: 1) While the CoCo doesn't have the library of an A8, Apple II, and/or C64, I would argue it is a competent gaming machine in its own right. Granted, it is definitely below the other 8 bit computers I listed, but I think it offers a lot gaming wise that a lot of people don't necessarily know about. 2) Very true, those Compact Flash to IDE adapters are quite slick. I didn't remember and/or think about those, so those definitely those would be something to be in point #3. No doubt about it. 3) The Amiga and ST are more powerful than 8 bit machines, full stop. However, A8s (like the 800XL) and C64 are powerful enough in their own right and good enough for a lot of people. 4) Granted, Commodore's BASIC is not the best. However, the manual for the Vic-20 is considered to be one of best for one wanting to learn BASIC. I would have to say the BASIC in the Vic-20 and C64 are competent enough to be included, but certainly below other machines' offerings. Again, just my opinion. I am certainly no expert, especially concerning matters with BASIC. But, again, I do appreciate your disagreements as hopefully this discussion as well as others in this thread help someone out going forward making choice(s) for him/herself.

I gotta say the CoCo 3 was one heck of a machine regardless of its cost considerations. Too bad it didn't have the success of the CoCo and CoCo 2. Still, it is a machine and computer line that gets lots love for good reasons.

Throwing my two cents in, these are my thoughts on the matter. The options for each category are as follows: 1. Price: Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, C64, Vic-20, TI-99/4a, Coco 2 2. Game library: A8, C64, Apple II, CoCo 2, Amiga, ST, Mac, MS-DOS / PC clone 3. Ease of file transfers to/from modern devices: A8, C64, and CoCo 2 have dead simple SD card solutions of some kind 4. Powerfulness (or whatever you call it) of the computer: A8, C64, Apple II, Amiga, ST, Mac, MS-DOS / PC clone 5. Ease of use: A8, C64, and CoCo 2 (due largely in part to #3) 6. Reliability: Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Apple II, CoCo 2, MS-DOS / PC clone 7. Video output: A8, C64, MS-DOS / PC clone 8. BASIC: Apple II, Vic-20, C64, CoCo 2 Obviously my take on this is from a U.S. perspective and just my opinion. Other machines to consider if one lives abroad could include ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, MSX, and Dragon 32/64 machines, apart from the Amiga and ST which I believe are easier and cheaper to find abroad, especially in England. Regardless, there are lots of good options out there. It is just a matter of what one likes, what one is willing to pay, and what one wants to do. There are lots of computers for some good gaming, but perhaps not as much for more serious computing, or so it seems to me. Hopefully this list and the other comments help someone out.

Good episode, although the game was not a real good one like 'Roadkill'. Still, great job as always and I look forward to the next one.

You are most welcome and best of luck going forward.

Very good episode. I very much enjoyed it and look forward to seeing a new episode sooner rather than later.

Good episode. I enjoyed it quite a bit as Willie and crew he can assemble are usually pretty good combinations.

Well, as Bill stated, by 1987 you did have computers like the Amiga 500 (and as I stated the Tandy 1000 HX) that hit the $200 to $1000 range. So, perhaps the reason why so many didn't bother with more advance 8 bit solutions as it was too difficult to compete on the low end and the fact the market was rapidly moving toward the PC standard, especially from around the mid-'80s onward.

Very true Bill. I, personally, just find it intriguing that no one really tried apart from a handful of attempts considering how many tried their hand in the late 70s / early 80s. However, as you state above, you had the C64 on the low end that no one (really) could compete with and then you had (essentially) mid-range solutions like the Amiga 500 or even the Tandy 1000 HX come around circa 1987. So, that perhaps explains things quite a bit then.

Sure, what I meant by "bridging the gap" would be machines that fell between say a C64 and an Amiga. Now, I do realize that there were some machines that would be in this realm (like the CoCo 3, Commodore 128, Atari 130XE). However, it is (in my opinion) just a little surprising that there weren't more machines (in the U.S. at least) that tried to bridge the gap between the low end C64 (i.e. $200ish range) side to the Atari ST/Amiga/PC clone higher end ($1k and more) side . However, due to the massive amount of software for the Apple II and C64, combined with hardware updates both machines received, I suppose that explains (to, I suppose, a vast degree) why there weren't more machines.

Very true. Software is probably what kept the Apple II and C64 alive. Also, least we forget that the Apple II and C64 were upgraded with the Apple IIe Platinum being the last iteration of II line in 1987 and the C64C coming out with the slim design look of the Commodore 128 with the GEOS GUI in 1986 to keep the machines somewhat relative hardware wise, too.

100% agreed. Definitely there are so many options for all kinds of gamers it is really cool to see. I, myself, recently broke down and bought a very gently used Nintendo DSi along with a cheapo multicart. I gotta say it is a really fun little device and I have been having a good time with it. Definitely I am getting my monies worth out of it already, that's for sure.

Yep. The Series S looks to be a winner for MS as a lot of articles on the console have been praising it thus far. Now, how exactly well it will sell is anyone's guess. I think it looks to be winner and a good blend of power and price. However, time will only tell.

I will say this, we are very fortunate to have a whole slew of options which include the Atari VCS along with the upcoming Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS5, and Amico along with existing products like the Xbox One S, PS4, PS4 Pro, and Nintendo Switch. Truly a very nice time to be a gamer.