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Nicole gets a real computer! The Microsoft Z80 SoftCard!
So there I was, very happy with my Apple ][plus. But then I saw someone on the internet post, and it seems that my Apple is an overpriced box with a toy microcontroller for a CPU, while real computers use an Intel 8080, 8085 or Zilog Z80 to run something called “CP/M”… but I’ve already spent so much money on the Apple, so can I turn it into a real computer?
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Space Ava 201 Digital Release!
So, the adventure started in July has come to an end. How did the project go? Where can I get the game? Do I need a SuperGrafx CD with dual Arcade Cards to play it? Will this give me a totally accurate understanding of quantum field theory? All your questions and more will be answered! Plus, stay tuned for a follow-up on coding for the PC Engine!
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The Console That Wasn't: The SuperGrafx CD-- Let's make it real!
Hey kids! You’ve probably heard from those goons at Feka Corporation that the Sega CD 32X is the first overly complicated combination of consoles and CD add-ons in the entire console generation. But I’m bringing out the TRUTH about overly complicated consoles and CD add-ons! ADMIT IT! NEC did it first, and theirs was even more nonsensical and provided even less benefit to the end user!
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Cassette-based multimedia! Can you learn a foreign language using BASIC?
Welcome back to my Atari 8-bit computers! Okay so first off it’s been over two years and I still haven’t fixed the floppy drive. But I have different magnetic media to talk about today! And we’re going to use this 8-bit computer for something other than games! Look forward to it!
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Why did we need an Arcade Card?
I’ve focused on NEC’s failed attempts to build on the PC Engine before on this blog: the two PC Engines taped together that is the SuperGrafx, and the combo nobody wanted with the LaserActive. So let’s give them a break and talk about a simpler add-on, and one that actually had some success: the Arcade Card! Who, Why, What, Where, and How! Well, not Who. I don’t know much about the people who created it.
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What on Earth is a SuperGrafx?!
The TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine has been the focus on this blog lately, and that’s totally fine by me. We looked at the LaserActive PAC-N1, a bizarre hybrid between the 8-bit console that could and a LaserDisc player. It had just 11 games! But what if there was another PC Engine spinoff… an earlier one, that had even fewer games… is it possible?
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From the NES to the PC Engine!
So, after completing Aspect Star “N” for the NES, I went back to my JavaScript dungeon and continued to work on my games there. But the sweet sound of retro homebrew has called me again, and this time I’ve ended up in the world of the TurboGrafx-16, called the PC Engine by its friends, assuming its friends live in Japan (or France, apparently). Why did I betray Nintendo like this? Let’s take a technical look at the system.
