Anybody actually own / use a Mattel Aquarius in 1983

[+else]

I've always wondered if anybody actually used some of these old / short lived computers back in the day to do anything productive....

[Philflound]

I have one with some cartridges. I don't use it at all though. Just one of the many collectible vintage video games I have.

 

 

Phil

[MegaManFan]

I thought about bidding on a complete one that closed for only $10 on eBay, but passed. I paid more for the same seller's complete copy of Blockade Runner (only like a dollar more but still).

[christianscott27]

i've found several, none with any signs of wear on them

 

this and action max are the only systems i have ever jettisoned from my collection. i'll hang onto to all sorts of crap, i defend the game.com and CD-I, i seek to complete my channel F collection but this was too much. it just reeked of suck, although i got a good laugh when i fired the aquarious up and saw "microsoft" right there.

 

i also wonder how many people really got into their timex sinclair computers back in the day.

[Trooper]

i also wonder how many people really got into their timex sinclair computers back in the day.

 

Well I hade the european version, the Sinclair ZX81 and it sure got a lot of use back then since I had nothing else I had to use what I had. I made many many small games in that 1K of RAM.

 

/T

[SteveW]

I thought the ZX81 had 2K of RAM, and the ZX80 had 1K. If that's not the case, then what's the difference between the two units?

 

 

I feel sorry for any kid wanting to get a home computer, and winding up with an Aquarius. Looking through magazine articles about new stuff supposed to come out for it, but never does. There weren't even any computer magazines with type-in programs for it. That's the true sign of a bad computer. Even boring computers like the TRS-80 Model III had magazine type-in programs. But nothing for the Aquarius.

[Trooper]

As far as I can remember the differences are:

 

ZX80 : 4K ROM, 1K RAM, Only "FAST" mode

 

ZX81 : 8K ROM, 1K RAM, FAST & SLOW modes and an improved keyboard plus some inner workings to make manufacturing cheaper.

 

The TS1000 that was the American version of the ZX81 had 2K RAM though.

 

/Troop

[CPUWIZ]

Nobody seems to answering his question, did anyone actually own one at the time it came out?

[thx1138]

Nobody seems to answering his question, did anyone actually own one at the time it came out?  

 

I came close to getting one. There was one in the junk shop at the end of the road, cheap, in about 1984. I was going to buy it, but my dad showed me a review of it, in "What Micro?" or some similar magazine. The review was quite scathing, and so I spent the money on something else.

[thx1138]

I do have own one now though.,

[+davidcalgary29]

I'm not sure if it was ever made available for purchase in Canada absent a few special promotions. I recall that it was one of the options my Dad was looking at in '83 -- along with, of all things, a Panasonic computer and the CoCo (C64 was just being introduced and not widely available) -- but never could find a model to test it out. We ended up with our 800 after reading Consumer Report's ringing endorsement.

[+kisrael]

Nobody seems to answering his question, did anyone actually own one at the time it came out?  

My best friend in 4th grade had one when it came out.

 

I'm not sure if he got any programming done on it.

 

It played that better version(relative to 2600) of Discs of Tron...

[AtariDude]

A friend of the family had one although I don't know if he ever used it for programming.

[SteveW]

Probably the reason why nobody is posting that they had one back in the day, is because whoever had one back then was so turned off by computers in general that they've avoided all home computers since then, therefore they have no way to post. You always hear of 'technophobes' and people who just don't like computers, i'd be willing to bet that there's a dusty Aquarius sitting on a closet shelf back home.