Category: Retro Computing History
Space Chase has finally left the beta status and released to the public. It is the only game for the CBM II series of computers (CBM B500, B128, B256, 610, 620, 710, 720) that, according to the developer, is fully programmed in Assembler, uses the full PETSCII resolution of 160 x 50 and even uses the SID sound chip in…
Eurogamer website has published an extensive article showing how a Kickstarter campaign can go wrong, telling the story of the Recreated ZX Spectrum, which is (was?) a ZX Spectrum Bluetooth keyboard that could be connected to a companion app on mobile devices as well as on PCs, bringing the full Spectrum experience when using emulators on those devices. The campaign was…
C64.com has published an interview with Karl Hörnell, a C64 game developer back in the 80s responsible for games like Velocipede, Fruity and others. The interview gives us a nice glimpse of what was be a C64 developer at the time, telling about the development process, the tools, etc. Link: C64.com
Quartz website has reported that the Apollo Guidance Computer code was published on Github. If you are interested in both the Apollo program and programming, you will be delight to be able to go over the thousands of pages of the code that helped the man to go to the Moon. The code, according to Quartz, has been available for the public…
The Den of Geek website has published one of those (in)famous lists that you see all over the internet. This one talks about the 15 greatest games even made for the ZX Spectrum. The site is not oriented directly to retro gamers so maybe you won’t agree with every choice, but with Elita, Manic Miner and R-Type, the author was…
Paulo Peccin has announced the immediate availability of his WebMSX, a MSX emulator that runs directly on your browser. If you frown when you hear “browser-based”, you will change your mind. WebMSX is amazingly fast and fully-featured and with the new features of the version 2.0, it gets even better. Check the changelog below: 9 Generic machines (MSX1, MSX2, MSX2+)….
Subreddit RetroBattlestations is promoting another BASIC Month. This time around, the idea is to run the BASIC program Terraspin, a Turtle graphics type program created for the contest. The contestants will have to type in the program on any retro computer that runs BASIC and post take a picture of it running. The rules state very clearly that screen only or emulators are…
The Computer History Museum blog has a lengthy article by Hansen Hsu entitled “The Neverending Quest for ‘Firsts’” in which he discusses what it really means to be the “first” computer. “What ‘first’ means depends on precise definitions of fuzzy concepts.”– Computer History Museum Board Chair Len Shustek It’s a great article that also delves into history’s habit of failing…
If you are one of the 70+ lucky ones that are going to the 2016 edition of the long-lasting Apple II enthusiasts gathering Kansasfest, you will be happy to know that several vendors will be giving extra discounts to their products. Here is the official announcement: “KansasFest is a great opportunity to meet some of the vendors who support our community. …
The Reset magazine crew has released the issue #9, with one of the best covers so far, in my opinion! The 83+ pages issue is all about Hewson Consultants. Uncle K’s editorial starts, “It’s with pleasure that we dedicate this issue to one of the finest software houses from the classic 8-bit era, Hewson Consultants. Founded in 1980 by microcomputer enthusiast Andrew…
