Orphaned Computers & Game Systems

(Archive)
Vol. I, Issue 2    August 1994



The VideoBrain

by Adam Trionfo

Okay, I have to admit that I know little about this computer, but I will share what I know with you. I own twelve cartridges for this system, and they are each almost the size of a beta video cassette. I do not have the computer system itself, though, and thus I cannot judge how these games are. From the documentation, I presume that they are very inferior to what was available at the time.

The VideoBrain

The documentation, for some reason, leads me to believe that this computer had very primitive graphics abilities. The computer documentation itself is really quite sad. It even mentions that if you don't turn the computer off, you will not lose your information in RAM. It makes a big deal of this fact. It actually even suggests that you do this.

From the docs I have read, there doesn't seem to be any way to store programs -- not even on cassette. However, they did release a programming language, called APL/S, so there must be a way to save something. There may have been a modem released for this computer as well, because they released a communications program called Timeshare.

I own two joysticks. They are heavy, and it seems that they are built to last a nuclear war. If you have ever used a cheap TRS-80 joystick, which isn't self-centering, then you know what these joysticks are all about!

Sure, it seems like I'm down on this system, but from the docs, I just didn't get a good impression. If anyone knows about or owns this system, please get in touch.