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The 1991 "X-Box"
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."
This guy says that according to USENET archives, the Voodoo 3 was available in 1995? umm no
I see my ideas brought to market by other people all the time. I also get lots of email from people who see my work, which start with "I've been thinking about doing exactly this for several years...."
Boo hoo. There are only so many hours in a day. An idea isn't valuable per se. The only thing that's impressive is an idea, plus the willpower and dedication to bring it to reality.
It's always nice to play "woulda-coulda-shoulda" in the computer industry, but we may as well be postulating how the civil war would have gone if the Confederacy had nuclear weapons if you ignore history.
I won't even validate this by saying its an elaborate hoax, which it is clearly not even close. Just because he decided to write into his notes ``(c. 1991)'' that is the entire proving point that he came up with the idea of an xbox before MS? Please, I'm even lead to question whether shoulder buttons on the controlers were even in use at the time only because the SNES was the first significant system to use that configuration and it did not come out in the US until I believe late 1991? My memory tends to fail me at the moment, someone help me out here. The only interest I have in this is making my futilre attempt to disprove it's validity. Pathetic really, the article should have never been posted. and no, i didn't read the entire peice, i stoped at the end of the first scanned page.
I hate all sigs, even this one.
In the notes, he says "Always boots from C: (never from A: or D:)". An if you look at the history of the El Torito spec, it mentions that they began thinking about the possibilities of a bootable CD-ROM in 1993.
Does anyone know if DOS supported booting from CD-ROM in 1991?
In 1991 no Intel box could even come close the the Amiga.
IIRC the CD32 came out that year, which was like a PS2. It had the AGA chipset, and had quite a few games releaced for it. I had a A3000, and later the A4000. I remember the huge difference in lemmings on it vs. my 486/dos computer.
Sure, it looks like an SNES, but that's because in that same year the SNES came out. He probably heard about it and wanted to make his own.
So in 1991, the inclusion of a CD-ROM on this device was intended as either: 1) A very expensive cup holder. 2) A device a waaay ahead of its time. Or 3) A hoax.
While in 1991(ish) there were the failed initiatives of Commodore (CDTV) and Philips (CDI) to make CD-ROM based "Edutainment" consoles, the huge advantage of using a PC as the innards of the device would be lost because of the relative obscurity of CD-ROM media on the PC platform.
-JE
Computer, destruct sequence one, code one, one A.
Seriously. 1991 XBox with PC technology would be absurd. Commodore, however, did this with the Amiga--it actually shares many similarities to the XBox/PC relationship.
Over 200,000 CD32 units were sold worldwide (100,000 in UK alone) - as compared to 3DO, which only sold a bit over 100,000 worldwide. It took some balls for Amiga to move on that, but unfortunately Commodore went under not too long afterwards. It sold for $399 in the US when it was released.
http://www.cd32.com/
Commodore Amiga CD32 Press Release Follows:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Commodore Business Machines, Inc.
Marketing and PR Department
(610) 431-9478
--== Amiga CD32® Launched in U.S. at Intermedia ==--
(San Jose, CA - March 1, 1994) Commodore Business Machines, Inc. today
announced at Intermedia the availability of the Amiga CD32 game machine
in the United States
"The CD32 will be available this spring at mall-based software stores,
regional electronics stores, and Amiga dealers throughout the US," says
John DiLullo, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Commordore
Business Machines, Inc. "We are bundling three excellant games with
the CD32: Pinball Fantasies by 21st Century, Wing Commander by Electronic
Arts, and Oscar from Microvalue Flair," DiLullo added," and offering a
special price on Psygnosis' Microcosm."
First launched in Europe this past fall, Commodore reports to have sold
over 100,000 units in Europe in just three months prior to Christmas. By
outselling Sega four to one and claiming 38 market share of all CD ROM
drives sold in the UK (according to the Gallup Weekly Report), the Amiga
CD32 has established itself as the undisputed leader of the 32 bit
machines.
Electronic Gaming Monthly agrees by rating the CD32 higher than Sega CD,
3DO or Jaguar. At a suggested retail price of just $399, the Amiga CD32
features an unbeatable combination of power and affordability.
"We challenge anyone to show us a better multimedia player at a better
price," says Lew Eggebrecht, Vice President of Engineering for Commodore
International.
"With 50 titles available today and 100 expected by first ship in the
U.S., the Amiga CD32 has wide support among the software development
community," says John Campbell, Director of Applications and Technical
Support for Commodore International. "The success we have had in Europe
has convinced publishers to invest in creating revolutionary new titles
for the Amiga CD32," Campbell added.
The Amiga CD32 features a 32 bit Motorola 68EC020 Microprocessor with
2MB of memory, 16.7 million colors, and a double speed CD ROM drive built
in. The CD32 will play audio CDs, most CDTV discs, and CD32 discs. With
the addition of an optional MPEG-1 full motion video module, the CD32 can
play MPEG VideoCDs, MovieCDs and Karaoke CDs with up to 74 minytes of
better-than-VHS quality video and CD quality audio on a single disc.
The suggested retail price of the MPEG module is $249.
"The CD ROM drive in the CD32 is a fully multisession compatible Mode 1,
Mode 2 Form 1, and Mode 2 Form 2 drive," says Jeffrey Porter, Director,
Advanced Technology for Commodore International. "With optional
software, the CD32 can read Kodak® PhotoCD discs," Porter added.
Commodore Business Machines, Inc. based in West Chester, PA is the U.S.
subsidary of Commodore Internatrinal Limited. The company manufactures
and markets a complete line of Amiga computers and peripherals for the
business, consumer, educational, and vertical markets. The company's
worldwide installed user base of Amiga computers is approximately 5
million units.
It's a pity so many /.ers think posting old schematics is not relevant. /. forum finds out anyhow.
I think it actually is. For example, the ATARI 2600 console has chip schematics here. And I would love to find designs for the early Space Invaders, or Galaga systems. Why ? Because the average multimedia PC today is maybe a 1000X more powerful than those older systems, yet playability of all those new games has not increased by the same amount. Video Game Archeology can teach me.
By the way - even if those scans are fake, the
Come now, surely a true DOS gamer from back in the day would know that the SoundBlaster was not the first PC sound card!
No, the original SoundBlaster boards were cheap knock-offs of the AdLib, one of which a friend of mine had in his 286 box back around 1988. Back then, all consumer-level cards were "AdLib compatible", and the SB was one of these.
IIRC, there were also higher-end cards already on the market as well, like those from Turtle Beach and (I believe) the GUS, which was a favorite of the tracker/demo crowd.
So by 1991, you should have been able to get an older AdLib card for cheap (and, again, AdLib was the gold standard at the time and SB was cheap crap.)
Posted with Mozilla
CD driver were incredibly expensive, going for $500 to $1500 dollars. Here's an example.
VGA card (what they were called back then) to composite video: $600-$1500 Example.
-dameron
One of the guys that worked on the X-Box had a presentation here at Texas A&M and mentioned something to the effect of the X-Box originally being an idea that someone found on the internet and would have a lot more functionality, i.e. tivo-like capabilities, etc in addition to gameplay. I wonder if this was published earlier on..
I always date my artwork, no matter how trivial.
Part of the reason is so that years later when looking through old artwork I can look back and say "Wow, I've come very far in 5 years."
In reality, it's been more like "Wow, 5 years ago I kicked ass. Now I really suck!"
"Everything you know is wrong. (And stupid.)"
Moderation Totals: Wrong=2, Stupid=3, Total=5.
I do cool things like the world's first true-3D web cam and slashdot won't give me the time of day! But some joker from alt.syntax.tactical makes a fake, lame, document, and /. is all over it.
I don't get it.
Best Buy can have you arrested
There are tons of games that are fantastic (just for starters: Master of Orion 1, Starcon 1) that don't run so well on Win2k, and usually without sound, and its hard to get a joystick working without the game port.
Drop a 500MHz Pentium 3 with 32 MB Ram, a small disc, CD-ROM, game port, highly SB-compatible vanilla sound, and you could probably sell the good ole games, and I might buy the sucker.
Companies could sell their games cheap but profitably, PC manus could make hardware bucks. The ironic thing about DOS abandonware is that most old consoles run their software thru emulators better than abandoware does on "backward-compatible" modern hardware.
Hey, I'm just your average shit and piss factory.
IIRC, there was a company making some network gear (?) who actually had the "Xbox" trademark. I remember there was a brief but passionate period of discussion on this, soon after MS unveiled the Xbox... people predicting MS would even have to change or modify the console's name. Never heard of the dispute again. I expect somebody somewhere smiled all the way to the bank ;-)
Anybody remember this? Couldn't Google it up. (Surprise. Probably could find it in the forum archives of some HW/3D/gaming site.)
For the people tearing this apart and nitpicking, this isn't just some random slashdot reader. I think guy does know his stuff. Besides, what would he have to gain for making a hoax like this? He already said he definately does not claim any rights to the name.
Sheeeesh...