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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."
I call shenanigans on this one. YARR
OMG! Someone is actually RTFA!
No sig for you!!
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.
nope, the "DX" in the 386 was different than in the 486 line. the 386SX used a 32 bit core but communicated to the system and memory through a 16 bit bus. the DX had a true 32 bit bus to system and ram. for a math coprocessor for either you needed to install a 387.
as you know, the SX and DX designations on the 486 line signified the presense of an onboard coprocessor.
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?
386DX = 386 with full 32 bit front-side bus
386SX = 386 with 16-bit FSB
486DX = 486 with math coprocessor
486SX = 486 with math coprocessor disabled
487SX = 486 with math coprocessor and slightly different pinout so it wouldn't work in the 486SX/DX socket, and which disabled the 486SX at startup
#naabhaprzrag, #sverubfr-000, #agi-fcbafberq, negvpyr[pynff*=' negvpyr-ary-'] { qvfcynl: abar !vzcbegnag; }
Worst episode -er- article ever!
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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.
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
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.
Yeah, I remember the whole 487 thing. What a scam.
Basically, the 486SX was the 486 with the math co-processor disabled. Motherboards at the time often had an extra socket for a math co-processor in case you wanted to get one but didn't want to pay for a whole new CPU that had one on-chip.
Intel's math co-processors for the 386 (all of them on a separate chip) were called 387s. Since Intel made two versions of the 386 (the DX and the cheaper but slower SX), they decided to make the 486 have two versions too, and again used the DX/SX suffixes.
The 486DX had an on-chip math co-processor, whereas the 486SX did not (or so Intel told everyone). They decided to make a separate math co-processor for the 486SX, and called it the 487SX.
What Intel didn't tell anybody was that, IIRC, the 486SX actually did have an on-chip math co-processor, but it was merely disabled. Additionally, they didn't bother to tell anybody that the 487SX was actually a 486DX (the one with the math co-processor enabled) that just had a different pin layout than either the 486DX or 486SX.
What's more, when installed as a math co-processor (which was the only option, the different pin layout meant it wouldn't fit in either a 486SX or 486DX slot), it merely disabled the 486SX, taking over its job, and acted like the 486DX that it actually was (CPU + math co-processor).
Later we would see the 486DX2, 486DX4, etc.