Yes Gemmill...

[Dr Gloom 21812]

i got the spectrum in the mid 80s when it was state of the art, competing with the c64, then everyone started getting the amigas and atari sts in and the spectrum started to look pretty basic. we held on to ours for fucking years, but then i got the super nintendo not long after it came out and suddenly i was the most popular kid in school

[Kitman 2204]

I vaguely remember someone at school having a bbc computer, with a space game called elite but could have that wrong. Seems odd for the bbc to have had its brand on a computer 

[Renton 21306]

7 minutes ago, Kitman said:

I vaguely remember someone at school having a bbc computer, with a space game called elite but could have that wrong. Seems odd for the bbc to have had its brand on a computer 

 

No, that's right. It was used to generate the graphics for kids TV. It had a decent keyboard but otherwise was a bit shit for games, part from Elite which was amazing. Very expensive too, for posh kids only. 

[Renton 21306]

36 minutes ago, Dr Gloom said:

i got the spectrum in the mid 80s when it was state of the art, competing with the c64, then everyone started getting the amigas and atari sts in and the spectrum started to look pretty basic. we held on to ours for fucking years, but then i got the super nintendo not long after it came out and suddenly i was the most popular kid in school

 

I got the Spectrum 16k back in 82, the classic with the rubber dead fish keyboard. Later took it apart to upgrade it to a massive 48k. Kids used to argue about which was best. Technically, the C64 was. But the speccy just had better games. 

[Dr Gloom 21812]

5 minutes ago, Renton said:

 

I got the Spectrum 16k back in 82, the classic with the rubber dead fish keyboard. Later took it apart to upgrade it to a massive 48k. Kids used to argue about which was best. Technically, the C64 was. But the speccy just had better games. 

ah, the 48k with separate tape deck loader. the integrated tape deck in the 128k plus 2 was state of the art in comparison

it's funny to show young kids today the technology we grew up with. my 10 year old can't get his head around the idea that i grew up before the internet and mobile phones. he almost pissed himself laughing when i showed him a picture of a sony walkman and tried to explain how it worked

Edited September 17, 2021 by Dr Gloom

[ewerk 30266]

Reading the last few pages I now know how it feels to be stuck in a care home.

[Dr Gloom 21812]

28 minutes ago, ewerk said:

Reading the last few pages I now know how it feels to be stuck in a care home.

funny, i always had you down as another middle aged fart

[ewerk 30266]

I'm just an old soul in a 'young' body.

Though I do remember the my dad having a ZX Spectrum and playing some form of mafia shooter game on it.

[Ayatollah Hermione 13794]

2 hours ago, Renton said:

 

No, that's right. It was used to generate the graphics for kids TV. It had a decent keyboard but otherwise was a bit shit for games, part from Elite which was amazing. Very expensive too, for posh kids only. 

Elite:Dangerous is the reimagining for the new generation. I tried it and it baffled me at the best of times so watching you lot try will be like watching a dog trying to do a card trick.

[Alex 34846]

5 hours ago, PaddockLad said:

We didn’t have a spectrum we had this Atari… did that make us ultra cool or utter pond life? 🤔

 

 

 

It meant you were playing slightly different versions of the same games using different hardware. I had a Commodore 64. 

[Ayatollah Hermione 13794]

The differences in the games were ridiculous sometimes. Especially for arcade ports like Pac-Man where the entire maze is completely different because of the limitations. And then you have the blatant rip offs of things like Mario Bros that random blokes would make in their bedrooms to try and make a bit of cash before anyone noticed. Things like KONGO KONG http://www.gamebase64.com/game.php?id=4183&d=18&h=0

[Kid Dynamite 6986]

20 hours ago, Dr Gloom said:

R type! Target renegade!

Now we're talking! 

[Kid Dynamite 6986]

18 hours ago, Howmanheyman said:

Totally forgot, went into a greasy spoon a few weeks ago in Wallsend and they had this arcade machine and it was playing the star wars death Star game that was on the spectrum.  The clientele were definitely hills have eyes/craggy island extras and the owners no different so the machine's probably been there since it was first out. (The sarnies were canny to be fair and fairly cheap. They don't take cards, naturally).

Where might this establishment be exactly...?

 

 

[Monkeys Fist 42066]

J69’s going to stride in there and give it some David Dickinson with hard cash. 
 

“ It’s over twenty years old, the most I’ll give you is £150…”    
* sweat breaks out in his top lip 

[Kitman 2204]

8 hours ago, Renton said:

 

No, that's right. It was used to generate the graphics for kids TV. It had a decent keyboard but otherwise was a bit shit for games, part from Elite which was amazing. Very expensive too, for posh kids only. 

Haha thanks

[Ayatollah Hermione 13794]

I think everyone needs to remember that 20 years ago was 2001  it’ll be considerably older than that

[Renton 21306]

4 minutes ago, Ayatollah Hermione said:

I think everyone needs to remember that 20 years ago was 2001  it’ll be considerably older than that

 

1983! Nearly 40 years ago! Christ, and I remember it coming out like it was yesterday. It was a great game. An upright cabinet of it will cost more than a grand I reckon. 

[Kid Dynamite 6986]

13 hours ago, Renton said:

 

1983! Nearly 40 years ago! Christ, and I remember it coming out like it was yesterday. It was a great game. An upright cabinet of it will cost more than a grand I reckon. 

More like £3k these days. The vector monitors are also a nightmare to keep working so I'm dubious it's still going after 40 years.

[Howmanheyman 32728]

19 hours ago, Kid Dynamite said:

Where might this establishment be exactly...?

 

 

Wallsend high street. Don't know the name of the cafe but it's more or less opposite The Ship.*

 

*The Ship is a beer bar.

[Howmanheyman 32728]

17 hours ago, Monkeys Fist said:

J69’s going to stride in there and give it some David Dickinson with hard cash. 
 

“ It’s over twenty years old, the most I’ll give you is £150…”    
* sweat breaks out in his top lip 

 

 

'sweat breaks out in his top lip'

[Kid Dynamite 6986]

2 hours ago, Howmanheyman said:

Wallsend high street. Don't know the name of the cafe but it's more or less opposite The Ship.*

 

*The Ship is a beer bar.

 

Am I getting warm? My guess is a converted confidential mission cab with a multigame board inside. Disappointing outcome 

 

[Howmanheyman 32728]

That wasn't it, pretty sure it was black and the graphics playing were definitely the spectrum star wars ones. Don't know when that was taken? 

[Ayatollah Hermione 13794]

I think I know HMHM means but I can’t remember the name of it either  Fairly sure it’s not on Google Maps but I go past it on the bus every day

[Ayatollah Hermione 13794]

I know that because I think “what a shit hole, I bet only Toontastic’s proper scruffs would get a sandwich in there” when I go past

[Howmanheyman 32728]

2 minutes ago, Ayatollah Hermione said:

I know that because I think “what a shit hole, I bet only Toontastic’s proper scruffs would get a sandwich in there” when I go past

 

It was all I could think of when the sandwich shop near it, option two, had too big a queue and my first option, 'Vinnies' was shut when I drove there and I had a hangover hanking for a sarnie so swallowed my pride and went in.