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The Secret of Monkey Island Shows Evolution of PC Audio

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the wow-this-is-a-rough-thursday dept.

Normally I don't have much interest in stuff like this, but this history of PC audio is dripping with nostalgia. From the bleeps and bloops of the PC Jr to the Gravis Ultrasound I lusted after while stuck with an Adlib ... it warms the cockles of my old-man heart. Not sure that Monkey Island was the right demo choice, but hey.

5 of 348 comments (clear)

  1. Roland MT32 by nacturation · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I had one of those... shelled out quite a few bucks for it too. Any Sierra game sounded absolutely amazing in it, particularly Leisure Suit Larry. Anyone else remember the elevator music? "... da dum da da dum dum dum dum, wah wah wah wah wah..."

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  2. GameBlaster by truthsearch · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I LOVED by GameBlaster. Such a major upgrade from the PC speaker. My (rich) friend got the Roland and I was jealous.

    Then years later I upgraded to the AudioBlaster and loved it. My (rich) friend got the newer Roland and I was jealous.

    Owning a computer is like owning a boat. You're always jealous of the guy in the next slip who has one just a little bit better.

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    1. Re:GameBlaster by Kjella · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Owning a computer is like owning a boat. You're always jealous of the guy in the next slip who has one just a little bit better.

      No, the problem with computers and the way they evolved was that you were always jealous of the guy with the fat yacht. And just when you thought you had bought a yacht, it lasted three seconds before it was a skiff. For a long time there, every computer was a big WOW. Sure, you're not running the hottest computer if you have one from 2005 but at least you don't feel like you belong in a technical museum anymore.

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    2. Re:GameBlaster by DerekLyons · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Owning a computer is like owning a boat. You're always jealous of the guy in the next slip who has one just a little bit better.

      For the kind of person who rates his own value in terms of whether his material possessions are equal to or better than someone else's. Sure.

  3. Re:Ugh..... by CronoCloud · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's pretty simple, it was mostly two thing:

    Microsoft/Lotus/IBM: "you'll never be fired for buying IBM, and those kiddie Amigas and ST's can't run Wordperfect, Microsoft Word, Lotus 1/2/3, or dBase. You want to be able to bring work home from the office even if you don't work in an office don't you?"

    Consumers: "ZOMG we have to have an IBM compatible at home..just in case we ever need to bring work home from the office that we don't work in, or be able to afford to pay hundreds of bucks for Lotus or Word."

    It was essentially the early version of Microsoft Office lock-in. And to this day, the "home computer market" suffers for it. Well, to be honest, there is no "home computer market" anymore.