8-Bit Show And Tell | A Real Computer? Exploring the Bally Computer System aka Astrocade @8_Bit | Uploaded May 2022 | Updated October 2024, 2 hours ago.
I was surprised to see the fairly obscure Bally Home Computer System video game console listed as a home computer in the 1979 Popular Science Buyer's Guide. Is it really a legitimate computing platform? Known by many names, including the Professional Arcade, and the Bally Astrocade, we explore the system both as a video game console, and by attempting to program the famous 10 PRINT using its Astro BASIC videocade cassette cartridge.
To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:
Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell
One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell
2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OA
1979 Home Computer Buyer's Guide: youtu.be/xYMBg71SmxI
End credits music is "Mind Virus" from the album "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs: A Soundtrack" by Bedford Level Experiment: bedfordlevelexperiment.bandcamp.com/album/the-agony-and-the-ecstasy-of-steve-jobs-a-soundtrack
Resources / Further Reading on Bally:
8bitworkshop.com/blog/platforms/astrocade
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bally_Astrocade#Astro_BASIC
ballyalley.com
Index:
0:00 The many names of Bally's console: some history
2:35 A real home computer? BASIC, newsletters, 3rd party
5:48 Videocades, cassettes, cartridges?
8:39 A tour around the system: keypad, ports, expansion
11:29 Specifications + product number
13:13 Controllers + Gunfight + Checkmate
17:26 Calculator + Scribbling
19:07 Space Invaders / Astro Battle 2009
22:05 10 PRINT in Astro BASIC?
28:30 Conclusion: great manual!
30:27 Thanks!
I was surprised to see the fairly obscure Bally Home Computer System video game console listed as a home computer in the 1979 Popular Science Buyer's Guide. Is it really a legitimate computing platform? Known by many names, including the Professional Arcade, and the Bally Astrocade, we explore the system both as a video game console, and by attempting to program the famous 10 PRINT using its Astro BASIC videocade cassette cartridge.
To support 8-Bit Show And Tell:
Become a patron: patreon.com/8BitShowAndTell
One-time donation: paypal.me/8BitShowAndTell
2nd channel: youtube.com/channel/UCAgWzEh5c8391eJnELDy9OA
1979 Home Computer Buyer's Guide: youtu.be/xYMBg71SmxI
End credits music is "Mind Virus" from the album "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs: A Soundtrack" by Bedford Level Experiment: bedfordlevelexperiment.bandcamp.com/album/the-agony-and-the-ecstasy-of-steve-jobs-a-soundtrack
Resources / Further Reading on Bally:
8bitworkshop.com/blog/platforms/astrocade
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bally_Astrocade#Astro_BASIC
ballyalley.com
Index:
0:00 The many names of Bally's console: some history
2:35 A real home computer? BASIC, newsletters, 3rd party
5:48 Videocades, cassettes, cartridges?
8:39 A tour around the system: keypad, ports, expansion
11:29 Specifications + product number
13:13 Controllers + Gunfight + Checkmate
17:26 Calculator + Scribbling
19:07 Space Invaders / Astro Battle 2009
22:05 10 PRINT in Astro BASIC?
28:30 Conclusion: great manual!
30:27 Thanks!
