What computer would you have ended up with if MSX were never released (in your country)?

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Par Manel46

Paladin (674)

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20-05-2019, 17:15

Sorry, I did not respond to the survey. In my country, Spain, in the 80s, I remember the Spectrum, Amstrad, C64, MSX, but I do not know what the preferences were.

Par konamiman

Paragon (1194)

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20-05-2019, 17:23

I ended up becoming a MSXer by a very trivial coincidence.

Late 1985. Me, 11, and my father are at the shopping mall. I wanted a computer (any computer) for Christmas. We had decided that I would get a Spectrum, and we were going to the shop to buy it. Suddenly my father realizes that he forgot his credit card at home. Ah, well, the purchase would have to happen another day then.

Why the decision of getting the Spectrum was later undone, I have no idea. But the absence of that little piece of plastic in my dad's wallet that day "saved my life".

Par lintweaker

Champion (459)

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20-05-2019, 17:54

Cannot really remember why I ended up with MSX, but I'm glad I did Smile
Maybe a silly thing as the prices helped, my first MSX was a system 'dumped' from the UK as they did not sell very well over there. After MSX1 I was hooked...

Par zPasi

Champion (499)

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20-05-2019, 22:06

I'm not sure. At the time I already had a ZX Spectrum. C-64 was the number one game machine in Finland, but somehow I never warmed up to that.

I knew Z80 assembly, and I just wanted a better machine with the familiar processor. When I bought my first MSX I already knew it wasn't going to be much of a success in our country. The bright side was the prices had already dropped, so my Canon V-20 didn't cost so much Wink

If there hasn't ever been MSX available, maybe I just would have bought Spectrum 128 ... or maybe not. Amstrad CPC? Hard to tell.

Par rderooy

Paladin (686)

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20-05-2019, 22:32

My first computer was a ZX81, a computer I never really got into. Horrible keyboard and a memory expansion that kept falling off. I got my MSX in early '85 if I recall correctly. A gray import Sanyo MPC-100. No idea why the MSX got selected, probably because it was cheaper then a C64.

Got a JVC single-sided disk drive and Canon Thermal printer in 1986. The disk drive got later upgraded with the help of a Philips ROM to double-sided and the Canon printer was replaced with a second-hand Philips VW-0030.

In 1987 the Sanyo got replaced by a Sony HB-F9P.

A bit later we got a Philips NMS 9110 from a "PC Privé" program after which the MSX slowly faded away.

Par Nprod

Expert (100)

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20-05-2019, 23:10

Wolverine_nl wrote:
Nprod wrote:

I don't qualify for this thread because MSX was never released in my country Smile

Where are you from Nprod? Smile

Bulgaria. In the 80s and early 90s the only available personal computers were ones manufactured locally (clones of the Apple II, IBM-PC and Oric Atmos).

Par Pencioner

Scribe (1548)

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21-05-2019, 11:17

IBM-PC clones was probably called Pravets (Правец)? We had some in my university computer class back in 1995 Smile

PS in Ukraine, Kiev

Par NYYRIKKI

Enlighted (6033)

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21-05-2019, 11:57

I would have ended up with C64 as well... It was kind of a close call, but I think "Antarctic Adventure" was the game that made MSX look better. Smile I think there were no such "fast loading cartridges" available for C64 in our local computer store. It can be that lack of cursor keys on C64, only one fire button, worse BASIC and 16KB less memory has played some role in the decision as well, but I can't really tell as in the end it was not really my own decision... although I was not against it either.

Par Nprod

Expert (100)

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21-05-2019, 16:31

Pencioner wrote:

IBM-PC clones was probably called Pravets (Правец)? We had some in my university computer class back in 1995 Smile

PS in Ukraine, Kiev

Yes, that is correct Smile IBM-PC clones were the Правец "16" models, while the Apple II and Orics were "8". The majority of them were made for schools and universities (explains why you had them at your uni) and the only "home model" available for purchace was the 8Д (Oric). There was no "КУВТ" program here so no fancy japanese MSXes for us... A shame they went with the Oric, if they had chosen MSX for the 8Д there would've been a much bigger software library to enjoy.

Par hamlet

Scribe (4106)

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21-05-2019, 22:45

I'm with MSX since I bought my "first Sony" in christmas time 1985. After selling my C64 way too cheap it was enought money left to buy that shiny HitBit at a local photographer store(!). For me this was like trading a Volkswagen Golf for a Honda CRX.
In the age of 14 this was bought from my first own money and caused my very own decision.
First I only used the Data Cartridge to store my BASIC programs ( yes, that days nobody coded apps and hacking was a phrase for beeing lawless via telephone wires), later a got the SDC-500 and first cracked games. These days I was a Konami Fanboy and bought a lot of those fantastic games like Penguin Adventure (that's MSX 1!), Nemesis (ever played the C64 port?) and locked up on Eggerland Mystery. A disk drive followed, the HB-50 was compact and heavy (it' not a brick, it's a SONY), way smaller than the 1541 and used that sexy 3.5" disks like the Mac. I gathered all those great gimmicks like the trackball and the Music Module incl. keyboard and sold my behated accordion for that.
Was great fun to make pictures in screen2 with it's limitations and used them in BASIC programmes. In 88 I bought an 8235, loved the advanced graphics and the use of the tablet. Some of my friends got those amazing MSX2 flagships, the 8280s, I leveled up to a 700D until I bought a Mac in 1999. That helped me to get around Windows until today.

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