Amstrad's first and final console, the failed Amstrad GX4000, remains on of the most futuristic, toy-like consoles ever and a most interesting 8-bit curio. You can grab it complete and like new in its original box (that among other stuff includes two joypads and the excellent Burning Rubber) via this Amstrad GX4000 auction. Seller ships worldwide.
Posts
What a lovely, ill-fated, well-designed and sexy console! I remember playing Burnin' Rubber on a CPC464 and was quite a cool game... too bad the games are so few and so expensive...
ReplyDeleteA shame indeed. Still I'm pretty sure there must be a way to load proper CPC games into the thing somehow.
DeleteAccording to the CPC Wiki, the GX4000 is merely a CPC 6128+ without a keyboard or floppy drive, & it's possible to hack the console to add them. Unfortunately, it doesn't link to any guides. The 464+ & 6128+ both include cartridge ports and came bundled with the same joypads as the GX4000, so if you really wanted, you could track down one of those and have the best of both worlds. of course, the carts were massively more expensive than the tape or floppy disc versions of the same games, so that would have put people off.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame it didn't do better - as the hardware is substantially improved over the original CPC line, with a palate of 4000 colours. Had they come out a couple of years earlier, Amstrad might have stood a better chance against the 16 bit machines. As it was, by 1990, it was too late and people were buying the Amiga 500, Atari STFM's, or the Sega Mega Drive. Apparently, it did do quite well in France though.
Mind you - this wasn't quite Amstrad's last flirtation with the console world. In the early 90s, they released something called the Amstrad Mega PC - a weird hybrid between a 286 PC and Sega Mega Drive. Course, being a PC in the early 90s, it was ridiculously expensive and didn't last long.
I once again thank you for the extensive comment dear Bob. I've been wanting to grab a CPC+ for quite some time now but it does seem the shipping costs are rather substantial.
DeleteOh, and have ac actually played on a Mega PC. Not as good an idea as one would think this one.
I didn't think a Mega PC was a good idea back in 1991, or whenever it was, Gnome ;D. It was outrageously expensive for what amounted to a low-spec 286 with a Mega Drive stuck in the case.
ReplyDeleteMind you, that does rather remind me of some of the other weird variants of the Mega Drive - I seem to recall an Aiwa portable stereo/CD player that was also a Mega Drive, and possibly also a television with a MD built in.
I do though remember a incredibly pointless Mega PC magazine review imagining all the bits of the thing working together. Go figure...
DeleteOh, and am pretty find of those Mega Drive hardware bundles to be honest. Not that I'd ever buy one, but I would have loved the AIWA offering as a teen.
Reminded me of my childhood :) thx avtor
ReplyDelete:)
Delete