I have never heard of or seen any Hitachi MSX computers that were released in the UK. I read that the Spectravideo X'Press was available in the UK, but I never saw one. Someone even wrote a letter to MSX Computing or MSX User asking how and where they could get one. The MSX computers that I actually saw on sale in the UK were as follows. Sony Hit Bit HB-75, Sanyo MPC-100, Toshiba HX-10, Goldstar FC-200 and of course the Yamaha CX5M. The Toshiba HX-10 was the most widely available, even on display in TV rental shop windows, but I can't remember the names of those stores now. John Lewis stocked the Sony Hit Bit, Sanyo MPC-10 and one other model, although I'm not sure I can remember which one it was now, possibly the JVC HC7. Spectrum computer stores sold the Goldstar FC-200. I think the Toshiba HX-10 was also sold at Dixons stores. AFAIK the Yamaha CX5MII was also on sale at music shops only, but I never saw one there, only at exhibitions. I don't remember seeing any Spectravideo MSX computers in the UK at all. In spite of all these computers with better specs than the Sinclair Spectrum or Commodore 64 being available in the UK, it was very, very difficult for people to buy software for them, except via mail order. It was also difficult to buy Atari 8 bit software, except from Silica Shop. One MSX magazine even set up their own software mail order service to help MSX users! Apart from this, a planned joint advertising campaign by the MSX manufacturers in time for Christmas 1984 never happened. The only MSX TV commercial I remember featured a wireframe graphics robot saying " 'ello tosh, gotta Toshiba? That's an MSX!" Software houses were also against the Sinclair QL because it used microdrive cartridges as its native format, but they only wanted to market software on cassette or disk. Another thing I experienced was that after moving from SE London to NE London I couldn't find copies of "Popular Computing Weekly" anywhere near me, only "New Computer Express". After MSX was released, Silica Shop advertised some Spectravideo SVI-328 computers as being "fairly new to the UK". Their customers who bought this or some other other fairly obscure or obsolete computer could join a special club for that computer run by Silica Shop. Obviously, they'd need to! Other restrictive trading practices that have taken place in the UK more recently include ethnic cleansing of all German style food and Sekt sparkling wine, followed by a revival of German style food, but with German style mustard available hardly anywhere and the disappearance of Sekt. As for German, Dutch, French, or Danish beef steaks, there's no sign of these whatsoever.
