I'd rather own the later Spacewars two player model. The one with customizable settings for gravity, sun... and the two ships remind you of the old Enterprise vs a Star destroyer...
The green Computer Space is notable for something other than being one of 4 versions of the first commercial video game.
It's also the first video game to use the iconic joystick instead of a set of buttons(which you can see on the yellow Computer Space cab if you click the auction links), in an attempt to simplify the controls.
Pressing right on the stick would make your spacecraft "rotate right"(clockwise), pressing left would "rotate left"(counterclockwise), pressing up would "thrust" forward, and the little red button on top of the stick would "fire" your gun.
This sucks because it doesn't have XBox Live. Seriously. Wth were they thinking when they made this game? Also, when you shoot the enemies they don't die realistically like in Call of Duty 4 and the plasma fire from the ships doesn't look as cool as th Plasma from the gunships in Halo 3.
Edited by Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science. at 09/12/09 7:21 PM
Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science. was starred
Gantz: Your Trusted Friend in Science. was unstarred
@Radz: "rec room" is an abbreviation of "recreation room". Often wood-paneled, shag carpeted. It is where us older dudes would have customarily played games with our families, back when families did that. Way back in the pre-Internet days.
It still works I assume? Its amazing how well the older stuff holds up compared to the newer stuff. My snes, while it still works (sorta, it only works below ground level, don't ask me why) is attempting to die. My nes doesn't work anymore due to the think you press down when inserting the cartridge doesn't stay down.
Well the yellow one works, albeit a bit blurry, and the green one needs a bit of work, careof the link at the bottom of the article, but still quite impressive for something coming up on 40 years old, and electronic.
@Lonesnipa: I'm guessing you're kind of person who goes out and buys a 1960's Cadillac, because "They don't make them out of solid steel frames anymore"?
These "Classic" gaming devices were astonishingly simple, with a trillionth of the complexity and power available to modern efforts. And, yet, they were still finicky as hell. The only reason those things still run at all is due to obsessive collectors who protect and repair those things with a zeal.
@Ad-hominem:
Not really, the phrase "built to last" had meaning in those days, in the past couple of years I've gone through 3 xboxes, my original SNES still runs perfectly.
Aren't you in fact contradicting your own argument? You say modern machines are infinitely more advanced and powerful, and yet they break much more often...I understand what you're saying, insofar as modern machines are much more complex, there's much more that could go wrong. But it's not true to say that classic arcade machines and consoles still run perfectly nowadays just because of overly zealous collectors, they just simply last alot longer.
@iRaybot: That's the thing- the only classic arcade machines that still run perfectly nowadays are the ones owned by collectors. All the other machines were junked long ago. And there was nothing to them. Potato lightbulbs were more complex.
Meanwhile, in contrast, we now have Hard Drives that get one bit error every fifty trillion bits- and it's still an issue, because we actually have more than fifty trillion bits available to us.
And, your best comparison is a Microsoft product? Those things are broken when they're sent out...
@Jouen: The price is fine, actually far cheaper than I'd expect assuming they hold. I'm so tempted to put a bid on the green one, but I'm afraid I don't know nearly enough to maintain such a machine should the PCBs malfunction or the monitor breaks. I'm sure someone will bite. It's too good of a deal to pass up.
I know this comment will look fanboy-ish, but remember that the multiplayer is limited to 8 players in the console versions. the cap is (officially) raised to 32 in the PC version and it will also include a mission editor for all modes (single, coop and multi)
the AI will take over if a player is missing, but it's not 4 players + 4 AI vs 4 players + 4 AI, it's 4 "soldiers" vs. 4 soldiers. and 2 for coop (4 on PC).
also, I must correct myself, it seems the console versions will include some sort of mission editor.
09/13/09
Joysticks are for _ussies.
09/13/09
Wussies?
09/14/09
Aussies?
I have heard they enjoy joysticks.
09/14/09
Aussies mate.
09/13/09
The green Computer Space is notable for something other than being one of 4 versions of the first commercial video game.
It's also the first video game to use the iconic joystick instead of a set of buttons(which you can see on the yellow Computer Space cab if you click the auction links), in an attempt to simplify the controls.
Pressing right on the stick would make your spacecraft "rotate right"(clockwise), pressing left would "rotate left"(counterclockwise), pressing up would "thrust" forward, and the little red button on top of the stick would "fire" your gun.
09/12/09
Of course this brings me to the thought the things you could do with a knob other than rotate it.....
09/13/09
Take a second and think about what you asked.
Then pretend you were a caveman and you'd never seen a microwave before. Now cook yourself dinner.
Capice?
09/12/09
09/12/09
This would be what an 8 year old would say.
09/12/09
Don't forget about The Brown Box.
"The Odyssey was designed by Ralph Baer, who began around 1966 and had a working prototype finished by 1968. This prototype, known as the Brown Box"
09/12/09
09/12/09
So they made masturbatory motions with their slide rules.
09/12/09
plus you said Masturbatory....
That sounds like a special room in your house set aside for SPECIAL purposes.
*gets up from computer, announces loudly to room at large*
Excuse me ladies and gentlemen but I afraid I must be retiring to the masturbatory for the rest of this fine evening. Good night all...
09/12/09
Surely if he had civilized company in the original room, they would have maybe prevented him from requiring the masturbatory?
Questions arise!
09/12/09
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09/12/09
Well the yellow one works, albeit a bit blurry, and the green one needs a bit of work, careof the link at the bottom of the article, but still quite impressive for something coming up on 40 years old, and electronic.
09/12/09
These "Classic" gaming devices were astonishingly simple, with a trillionth of the complexity and power available to modern efforts. And, yet, they were still finicky as hell. The only reason those things still run at all is due to obsessive collectors who protect and repair those things with a zeal.
09/12/09
Not really, the phrase "built to last" had meaning in those days, in the past couple of years I've gone through 3 xboxes, my original SNES still runs perfectly.
Aren't you in fact contradicting your own argument? You say modern machines are infinitely more advanced and powerful, and yet they break much more often...I understand what you're saying, insofar as modern machines are much more complex, there's much more that could go wrong. But it's not true to say that classic arcade machines and consoles still run perfectly nowadays just because of overly zealous collectors, they just simply last alot longer.
09/12/09
Meanwhile, in contrast, we now have Hard Drives that get one bit error every fifty trillion bits- and it's still an issue, because we actually have more than fifty trillion bits available to us.
And, your best comparison is a Microsoft product? Those things are broken when they're sent out...
09/12/09
09/12/09
09/12/09
Oh ye great one! How can we defeat the fanboys of the future?
09/03/09
09/03/09
09/03/09
09/03/09
the AI will take over if a player is missing, but it's not 4 players + 4 AI vs 4 players + 4 AI, it's 4 "soldiers" vs. 4 soldiers. and 2 for coop (4 on PC).
also, I must correct myself, it seems the console versions will include some sort of mission editor.