Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The 1991 "X-Box"

Posted by michael on from the old-skool dept.

Jim Hall writes "Back in college (1991), I wondered why no one had bothered to make a DOS-based game console. One day, in the back of a notebook, I made some notes about how you might go about creating a DOS-based game console. (I even called it an "X-Box", but really the "X" was there because I didn't know what else to call it. Microsoft's current "XBox" console is completely different, and I don't claim any rights to the "X-Box" name.) I've posted some scans of my notes, and a discussion about how you would create a DOS-based game console."

4 of 372 comments (clear)

  1. Re:SHENANIGANS! by Raiford · · Score: 4, Insightful
    yea, I always write down just the year on my big idea notes. Not the day or month, but I make sure the year figures prominently on the front page of my notes.

    --
    "player 4 hit player 1 with 0 stroms"
  2. Sorry to post again but... by fordboy0 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    If it really was 1991 and this guy was smart enough to put together a "DOS"-based game box, don't you think he would have known not to use spaces in his filenames? - Strike Three - Yer Out!

    Worst episode -er- article ever!

    --
    Ligaguinggligagiggagoogoogwillgo
  3. Date Your Notes! by skSlashDot · · Score: 4, Insightful
    I frequently date my notes for home-only projects; just force of habit.

    At work, I always date my notes with month, day, year, and also include which project the notes are for.

    Not for IP, lawsuit, or policy reasons, just to remove the "WTF" that will come up when I look at the notes after four or five years. Or in case I get hit by a minivan again; I may not be so lucky next time!

    I'm not saying that this guy did or didn't do that... I'm just saying that it's not that unusual.

    I do NOT generally write any kind of copyright info on any of my notes, though. Whether this is good, bad, or indifferent is an exercise for the reader.

  4. Re:Hardware prices in 1991... by Deflatamouse! · · Score: 4, Insightful

    In 1994, I bought a 486 system for around $2000 (it was a Packard Hell :( ). Anyway, the CDROM drive that came with it was a 2X. It wasn't until later that a 3X, then a 4X drive came out. (And then the speeds started to exponentially increase.) Although I've never paid any attention to the market back in 1991, I like to take a risk, and say that CDROM drives at that year weren't very popular and not many CDROM aps, games, etc were out there. To see this guy suggest using a CDROM in a console back in 1991 brings me a lot of doubt.

    Perhaps this guy had a innovative mind, perhaps not. I hate to do it, but IMO, this story has 'hoax' written all over it.