10 Amazing Amstrad GX4000 Facts

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 4 фев 2025

Комментарии • 116

  • @doriandavies5140
    @doriandavies5140 Месяц назад +14

    A friend had one of these as a Christmas present, to say he wasn't happy would be an understatement

  • @CoolDudeClem
    @CoolDudeClem Месяц назад +18

    I said this some time ago and I'll say it again. The + range of Amstrad CPC computers were everything the original CPC _should_ have been.

    • @phill6859
      @phill6859 Месяц назад +2

      I don't think they could have done it for the price

  • @martinbay7006
    @martinbay7006 2 месяца назад +11

    Like the C64GS, the GX4000 was stillborn from the start because the biggest competitor was the home computer version of the hardware, which cost about the same and offered much more value in terms of applications and programmability. The Atari XEGS was probably the cleverest, as it was the only system that offered the possibility of being used as a home computer right from the start.

  • @freddiejohnson6137
    @freddiejohnson6137 2 месяца назад +29

    I have always questioned why micro computer manufacturing of the day seemed to think putting their exact same computer in a console case with minimal or no hardware changes and expected them to sell. Not only did the publishers end up just porting the games over with no extras but they now cost more to play it on a cartridge. Maybe if they had exclusive games that weren't compatible with the range of computers it would have made sense but all the cartridges were compatible so the computers which were just as affordable at that time were the better option. Commodore really didn't learn from this which ultimately helped speed up their demise attempting the same thing twice.

    • @caeserromero3013
      @caeserromero3013 Месяц назад +7

      It made even less sense with the C64 (which I had) as the computer already had the cartridge port (the first games I got for my C64 back in 1983 were Lazarian, Jupiter Lander and International Soccer on cart). And at the time the Commodore GS came out, C64's were already price reduced and on the way out (and often sold in big packs with extra joysticks, light guns and stacks of games). The original CGS just came with two joysticks and the multi-game cart with International Soccer, Fiendish Freddy and Flimbos quest. Hardly cutting edge gaming and not really better value for money than the computer as it only played games (some of which were unplayable due to the missing keyboard). This was about the time I put my C64 away when I got the Megadrive at Christmas (Xmas '90). I remember the magazine ads for the Amstrad and always thought the graphics looked good, but I really wanted the Megadrive. People were either too invested in their 8-bit micros by 1990, or else only looking to move to 16-bit micros or consoles. It doesn't really matter how good the CPC or console was, it was too late and didn't have enough good games. Maybe if it'd arrived a few years earlier with decent games it would have had more success. If it'd been established when sonic came out, people would have had a genuine choice between Amstrad and Megadrive. But at the time, if it was a choice of the MD and Sonic bundled, or the Amstrad and Burnin Rubber??? No contest.

    • @espfusion
      @espfusion Месяц назад +1

      At least in this one case the GX4000 and the Plus line came out at the same time and the former was a lot cheaper. I don't know if the Plus computers took any sales from the GX4000 but I doubt not axing the Plus would have helped them.
      The hardware was just too little too late for a 1990 home console and they didn't have any particularly good software developers lined up for exclusives which was crucial. Using the CPC as a base platform arguably hurt them more than anything not just because it held back their specs but because of how it opened the doors for a library dominated by cheap CPC ports that looked (and played) very poorly for the time.
      Had they focused entirely on a new and more powerful platform they might have fared a little better, though probably not a whole lot. You really needed a strong first party games brand and widespread support from Japanese arcade giants to go anywhere at this time.

    • @billybollockhead5628
      @billybollockhead5628 Месяц назад +1

      Well Xbox and ps5 are just pcs in console cases?

    • @slightlyevolved
      @slightlyevolved Месяц назад +2

      Twice? Try three. The cartridge C64 based one (can't think of the name), the CDTV, then the CD32.

    • @phill6859
      @phill6859 Месяц назад +1

      Nintendo did quite well turning the family computer into the NES

  • @terencehill2320
    @terencehill2320 Месяц назад +11

    I am proud to be 1 of the 14,000 or so that has this system and one of the only Americans that has this!

    • @weekendroady2060
      @weekendroady2060 Месяц назад

      I am another American owner that has one hooked up now. However the only original game I have is Burnin Rubber

  • @sonic2000gr
    @sonic2000gr Месяц назад +6

    Love the fact you have the Greek magazine ads in the video. I remember seeing the Plus models on display here. I already had an STE (coming from CPC-464) and couldn't help but wonder what's the purpose of another old Z80 based home computer that cost almost as much as an ST.

  • @EmperorKonstantine01
    @EmperorKonstantine01 Месяц назад +6

    I almost bought a CPC 464 back in 84, but then on my way to the computer shop the sales guy reccomeded me to purchase the commodore 64 and he said that this was the futire machine in the games field, he said you wil have a lot more fun with the 64 then with the Amstrad, still i have a soft spot for the Amstrad but never owned one.

  • @mr.y.mysterious.video1
    @mr.y.mysterious.video1 2 месяца назад +10

    It beggars belief that they thought this would be a success in the days when 16 bit hardware was available

  • @johneygd
    @johneygd 2 месяца назад +11

    Well the gx4000 was a very advanced 8bit machine and it definitely did had a very cool sleek design, but i came 5 years too late on the market.
    Becides those frence commercials of it are hilarious🤣

  • @MemTrk
    @MemTrk Месяц назад +3

    Thanks for memories of my childhood. Great days.

  • @-TheRealThing-
    @-TheRealThing- Месяц назад +4

    I remember at the time shops were so desperate to sell one they put it front & centre so anybody at all who even looked in the door would see it immediately.

  • @barryschalkwijk9388
    @barryschalkwijk9388 Месяц назад +4

    That there ARE Amstrad GX4000 facts to begin with is amazing lol.

  • @wadmodderschalton5763
    @wadmodderschalton5763 Месяц назад +4

    There were also problems with software manufacturing for the GX4000, with companies complaining that the duplication process took months instead of weeks, leading to little software available at launch, and some games being released late or cancelled entirely.

    • @thelairdslair
      @thelairdslair  Месяц назад

      I hadn't heard this, but it makes sense!

  • @beagsx3
    @beagsx3 Месяц назад +4

    I remember buying my GX4000 for £50 quid back in the day and getting batman and switchblade as pack in titles. It was no mega drive but for what I paid for it pretty decent

  • @TrevKen
    @TrevKen Месяц назад +5

    Burning Rubber, Fire and Forget and Navy Seals. Those games were my childhood.

  • @autingo6583
    @autingo6583 Месяц назад +4

    man i'm really upset i didn't get one when the new old stock ones from spain were on sale for 25 euros or so a short while ago. cpc 464 was my first computer and it must be still in the attic of my parents' house

  • @mashk
    @mashk Месяц назад +7

    There was this posh kid who used to live about 3 doors away from us. We thought he was posh because he went to private school and received extra tuition on weekends. His parents hated games and wouldn't allow him to own a computer or console. So he used to come round ours to play our Megadrive. Anyhow, one day he came round and he was very excited. He was going to be getting his own console on his birthday. The day came amd he came round ours with one of these 🤣Stupidly, we were curious about the GX4000 and he had quite alot of games so we agreed to lend him our Megadrive in exchange for the GX4000. About an hour later when we realised all the games he had were rubbish wanted the Megadrive back. Took us about three days to get it back however, as everytime anyone went round his mum would come to the door and make an excuse. Despite the fact you could distinctly hear the Streets of Rage music from the door.

  • @doomslayerdave
    @doomslayerdave Месяц назад +4

    The NES owned over 90% of the market from 88-90 in North America. Amstrad had to have big balls to attempt a launch here when their computers and electronics had never been on the shelves.

    • @thelairdslair
      @thelairdslair  Месяц назад +1

      Especially as they had tried and failed with the CPC in North America too.

  • @Michel-r6m
    @Michel-r6m Месяц назад +1

    Did not know of this one. Thanks for the upload 👍

  • @michaelturner4457
    @michaelturner4457 Месяц назад +8

    In 1992 I found GX4000 in a bin. No carts with it. But I flogged it the following day at a boot-sale for a tenner.

  • @shaunhanson7227
    @shaunhanson7227 2 месяца назад +3

    My only memory of it is someone playing burning rubber on it on an episode of Eastenders!

  • @The_Gaming_Bristolian
    @The_Gaming_Bristolian Месяц назад +5

    I brought A GX4000 about 10 years ago for £60. Someone was selling them as new old stock. Am guess they found a warehouse full of unsold stock somewhere. The biggest problem I had was I couldn't find any games for it. Burning Rubber was the only thing I played. Plus the Controllers where kinda nasty. They felf like Cheap 3rd party Master System or NES pads.

    • @thelairdslair
      @thelairdslair  Месяц назад

      Yeah, the games are all very rare and hard to find. You can get a Everdrive like cartridge for it now though.

  • @caeserromero3013
    @caeserromero3013 Месяц назад +3

    3:50 Advert narration by a Meerkat 😂😂 Before flogging insurance, Alexander Orlov flogged Amstrad consoles 🤣🤣🤣🤣

    • @thelairdslair
      @thelairdslair  Месяц назад +2

      Hahaha, love this comment - "Get an Amstrad - simples!"

  • @afkamichael
    @afkamichael Месяц назад +2

    We had the 464 plus with the MM1 green screen. All the tapes I played on it were non-plus games. It was quite good at word processing, but saving to tape was a chore.

    • @roxair1
      @roxair1 Месяц назад

      Wasn‘t the MM1 a black and white screen?

  • @monkeymanbob
    @monkeymanbob Месяц назад +1

    I remember these sitting unsold on shelves while everyone was getting their Megadrives and SNES'

  • @elblanco5
    @elblanco5 Месяц назад +2

    It's so interesting how this same approach was tried multiple times and always failed. It's kind of a shame as the core Amstrad 8-bit tech was quite capable.

  • @RlsIII-uz1kl
    @RlsIII-uz1kl Месяц назад +3

    I would've thought the Amstrad GX4000 games would be accessible on the new released retro Spectrum but nope.

  • @alexzapf6422
    @alexzapf6422 Месяц назад +1

    That sonic game looks amazing.

  • @SalientBen
    @SalientBen Месяц назад +2

    I only ever saw one in real life once, a demo unit in Tandy. It had Shadow of the Beast running, which of course did look quite nice, but was still as dull as dishwater.

    • @thelairdslair
      @thelairdslair  Месяц назад +1

      That was probably the quite similar C64 GS, because the GX4000 didn't have a port of Shadow of the Beast until very recently and that's only a demo.

    • @robsmall6466
      @robsmall6466 Месяц назад

      It still doesn't have a port of Shadow of the Beast. Your footage is from an unfinished tech demo homebrew. There was only the commercial port on Amstrad in Mode 1

  • @BURRITO44
    @BURRITO44 Месяц назад +2

    Great video !! Always wanted to learn about this !! Very interesting !! Very detailed !! The design looks nice !! Great color palette !! There were other game systems that were just awful too !!! Like. -- 3DO plus Intellivision !! Every game console ever made had their good and bad games. There are lots of NES which were not good !!

  • @Area51UFOGynaecology
    @Area51UFOGynaecology Месяц назад +3

    amstrad seems like such a cool company back then

  • @Pegfoxx
    @Pegfoxx Месяц назад +1

    Iv'e still got an Amstrad GX4000 with the Burnin Rubber game. I remember playing this game all the time back in the day lol.

    • @AnthonyFlack
      @AnthonyFlack Месяц назад

      It's actually quite a good game, I think. Very difficult though.

  • @AnthonyFlack
    @AnthonyFlack Месяц назад +1

    The original CPC supports two button controllers as well (three, even), it was the joysticks of the day that didn't. In fact the GX controller works just fine if you plug it into the original CPC. The big improvement on the Plus is having two proper, seperate ports. It's too bad the analogue port was never really used for anything, not even homebrew.

  • @orphean2908
    @orphean2908 2 месяца назад +4

    Fact #11: The GX4000 was a rubbish idea. Not a mug's eyeful Lord Sugar

  • @mrpositronia
    @mrpositronia Месяц назад +1

    Having spent the previous 10 years playing on Binatone, then Spectrum, the advent of 16bit gave me something to fantasise over. Sadly, the GX4000 just gave me nightmares.

  • @miremare9052
    @miremare9052 2 месяца назад +2

    Who remembers when they tried pushing it on an episode of EastEnders!

  • @thedrunkmonkshow
    @thedrunkmonkshow Месяц назад +1

    I'm always fascinated by exotic hardware and I hate when consoles fail but the technology in this system despite having it's 12-Bit color depth upgrade is still just woefully under powered and underwhelming for 1990 in announcing a new system. Though in 1990 for us in the US we were still primarily gaming on NES with some already moving onto the Genesis and a sliver had moved onto the Turbo Grafx 16, a lot of people were anxious and excited to see what was in store with the upcoming Super Nintendo that was looming around the corner. I guess maybe this might have had a shot as a handheld but even that's up in the air with the Lynx not doing well and the Game Gear to be newly announced too. Either way thanks for showcasing this and I'm going to see if I can get my hands on the games to see how they're different from the original CPC. 😇

  • @DavePoo2
    @DavePoo2 Месяц назад +1

    I remember seeing these in Dixons back in the day. I did not want one. Seems nobody else did either.

  • @FatNorthernBigot
    @FatNorthernBigot Месяц назад +3

    If only Amstrad released the plus range instead of the original 464... Could you imagine how impressive that would have been? 😂

  • @jehutyprime
    @jehutyprime Месяц назад +2

    Always find the story of Amstrad - and specifically the GX4000 - a particular entertaining insight into exactly how little business acumen Alan has.

    • @Gambit771
      @Gambit771 Месяц назад

      Amstrad held half of the home computer market across Europe.
      Not so bad.

  • @Tolbat
    @Tolbat Месяц назад +3

    man this thing was a clunker.

  • @trip2themoon
    @trip2themoon Месяц назад +1

    0 seconds ago
    When showing Fire and Forget 2 that was the Master System review you showed. The same issue of Mean Machines also reviewed the GX version. The SMS version got a respectable 85 percent but the GX version only got about 44 percent. Both reviewers mention the GX's superior technology but sadly none if it was used. I have Fire and Forget 2 for my Master System and I love it.

    • @thelairdslair
      @thelairdslair  Месяц назад

      Whoops, I must have uploaded the wrong image because I remember reading that GX4000 review before making the vid.

  • @ladydelorean
    @ladydelorean Месяц назад

    Croc enters the console war with a bat and starts checking 💀

  • @deterlanglytone
    @deterlanglytone Месяц назад +3

    I think I mentioned this in another one of your videos. While I think the GX4000 was a useless idea, the actual plus range did have promise if it had been released a year or so earlier. Being released with the MEgadrive out already in the region? Geeze, that was poor timing.
    Even from Markecting, 16bit needed to compete with 16bit.
    Still, I think the plus would've been my choice for 8bit micro hardware. My dream 8bit machine with a few tweaks, such as a dedicated soundchip with a bit more omph. But just a bit.
    Two buttons controllers are never something I've liked though, it's three and up. So that would always be a problem with systems like this, at least with the micro-pc version of the system, the keyboard is available for inputs.
    I think some of the plastics in the GX4000s aren't in good shape? I could be mixing this up with another failed console though.

  • @twankistevenson3884
    @twankistevenson3884 2 месяца назад +2

    Actually not a bad little console but came way too late and they should have taken a page out of Ocean's book and made more games exclusive to cartridge. Ocean did it with Robocop 2 and Chase HQ2 that year so the option was there I suspect making some of the big games from 1990/91 that people REALLY wanted could have had an impact

  • @CasperEgas
    @CasperEgas Месяц назад +3

    I have one with about ten games. It sucks pretty badly. But, it is really interesting.

  • @alexzapf6422
    @alexzapf6422 Месяц назад +1

    Would love to get a GX 4000. But. They are expensive to find.

  • @RedneckOgre9000
    @RedneckOgre9000 Месяц назад +2

    The NES/Famicom and Master System both destroy this. The games look like jokes, even by the standards of the time the were originally released.

  • @lancebaylis3169
    @lancebaylis3169 Месяц назад +2

    As a broad question: do we reckon, if there were a homebrew coder scene dedicated to creating Amstrad games tailored specifically to the console's unique restrictions (eg the controller), could the GX4000 be redeemed? On paper, the idea of an Amstrad that doesn't need to deal with tape or disk loading holds a lot of appeal to me, not going to lie.

    • @thelairdslair
      @thelairdslair  Месяц назад

      Did you post this before you watched the whole video?

    • @lancebaylis3169
      @lancebaylis3169 Месяц назад +1

      @TheLairdsLair You've got me, I was still only about 5 minutes into the video when I wrote it. As Lord Sir Sugar might say, it's a fair cop guv
      The GX4000 deserves more love.

  • @TH3DUDE0075
    @TH3DUDE0075 Месяц назад +4

    Lmao what is that game you showed with the panther where all the enemies are black dudes? Damn I can just imagine the freak out of gAmEs JoUrNaLiStS if that would happen today.

  • @-TheRealThing-
    @-TheRealThing- Месяц назад +2

    In a time when everyone was buying MegaDrives, one look at the graphics on the GX4000 & you could see it was going to be a complete flop.

  • @DirkDierickx
    @DirkDierickx Месяц назад +1

    great 8 bit micro and a nice upgrade from the normal cpc range, but just released way, way too late.

  • @federicocatelli8785
    @federicocatelli8785 Месяц назад +2

    Megadrive was twice the price (Amiga 500 was more like 400 pounds back then) but Sega Master System would cost more or less the same with a larger and better game library....GX4000 built for insuccess

  • @faenethlorhalien
    @faenethlorhalien Месяц назад +4

    Ah yes, the system with a terrible power source and similarly terrible power management that would fry your system if you looked at the connector the wrong way. Nice sprites and color depth, though. Too bad it was like 3 years late.

    • @brendanroberts1310
      @brendanroberts1310 Месяц назад

      One would assume you could use another power brick such as a megadrive one.

  • @orderofmagnitude-TPATP
    @orderofmagnitude-TPATP Месяц назад

    I used to have the original 6128...green screen with basic cricket game

  • @metal--babble346
    @metal--babble346 Месяц назад +1

    this looks like developers were at home playing SNES & Sega Genesis, then decided to build janky versions on this ancient CPU from the 80's

  • @xxnoxx-xp5bl
    @xxnoxx-xp5bl 2 месяца назад +1

    Great video to start my day with. Although, I must admit Amstad is the only system I don't get on with very well. All flash and crappy gameplay. A mug's eyeful if you will.

  • @crayzeape2230
    @crayzeape2230 Месяц назад +1

    Technically any machine that could support Atari/Commodore paddles could support an analog joystick. (X,Y and two fire buttons).

  • @kenwheeler3637
    @kenwheeler3637 Месяц назад +1

    Amstrad couldn't have shot themselves in the foot more so if they had tried. Sure, it would be great to have your favorite games on a more robust and quicker format but at 8 to 9 times the cost for such a convenience only the wealthy would ever consider it. If they, instead, had invested time and effort into creating a brand new 16 bit system they might have had a slightly better chance of it. But, then again, with Sega and NEC's systems already available and Nintendo's 16 bit effort on the horizon, it still would have been an uphill battle.

  • @magicknight8412
    @magicknight8412 Месяц назад

    wasnt the monochrome monitor with the 6128 and 464 plus effectively black and white not green screen?

  • @malcolmhutchison
    @malcolmhutchison Месяц назад

    Switchblade on the cartridge wasn't the same as the CPC cassette/disk version - it made use of the wider palette and sprites.

  • @joesshows6793
    @joesshows6793 Месяц назад +1

    I remember reading about this in EGM and it made no sense

  • @EvaFull
    @EvaFull Месяц назад +2

    It’s not called the Nintendo NES, just the NES aka Nintendo Entertainment System, hence the N.E.S. acronym. 😉

  • @ExtremeWreck
    @ExtremeWreck 2 месяца назад +1

    Another poorly thought out computer-based console, but it had a few exclusives, so it's at least somewhat better than the Triforce of horrid Commodore consoles.

  • @josépv03349
    @josépv03349 Месяц назад

    20:00 What version of Street Fighter is this?

    • @thelairdslair
      @thelairdslair  Месяц назад

      Amstrad, obviously

    • @josépv03349
      @josépv03349 Месяц назад

      @@thelairdslair Did Street Fighter have a version for Amstrad? Is this the CPC or the Plus?

    • @thelairdslair
      @thelairdslair  Месяц назад

      As I said in the video, it was planned for normal CPC and the Plus but never released. There are several different homebrew versions of the game including the demo you see in this video.

    • @robsmall6466
      @robsmall6466 Месяц назад

      That demo is a known fake. There was a homebrew in production in Spain. Different game though and still unfortunately unfinished

  • @ZXSpectrum128K
    @ZXSpectrum128K Месяц назад +1

    6mhz in sam coupe and that's only for external 1mb ràm

  • @Mr.1.i
    @Mr.1.i Месяц назад

    realistically the amstrad 8 bit platform is on parr with the sms.

  • @TommyMurphy999
    @TommyMurphy999 Месяц назад +1

    I remember getting one of these a kid and being devastated, traded it in the next day for snes and megadrive games lol, one of the worse consoles ever in my opinion.

  • @craiggilchrist4223
    @craiggilchrist4223 2 месяца назад +2

    Amstrad should of released a cartridge that you plug in and it would allow you to connect it to a cassette deck to play the CPC 464 library. That would of boosted it and it would be cheaper to buy the tapes.

    • @AnthonyFlack
      @AnthonyFlack Месяц назад

      I had thought this too. It might have had a chance as the most budget-conscious console. These days, with a flash cart it makes quite a nice way to play CPC games on the TV, and hundreds of games have been ported to cartridge format.

  • @JamieCrookes
    @JamieCrookes Месяц назад

    That title slide audio is truly terrible. Where did you get it? From a wax cylinder recording? 🤣🤣

  • @robsmall6466
    @robsmall6466 Месяц назад

    Not a fan of the random footage running in the background without context in this video. No explanation of Toki being a homebrew when first shown. Random made up Amstrad SF2 footage which is a known fake. Stryker was also available on cassette

  • @SpeccyHorace
    @SpeccyHorace Месяц назад +1

    Oh god that thing was absolute shite.

  • @Nookdashiddole
    @Nookdashiddole Месяц назад +1

    Crepe😂

  • @dazsly
    @dazsly Месяц назад +1

    🤣 going against megadrive doh

  • @M310nH3ad
    @M310nH3ad Месяц назад

    I generally love your videos. They have lots of good info... But I hate that you keep reusing the same old commercial bits between sections! It repeats the same phrase 5 plus times and it's honestly annoying.

  • @craiggilchrist4223
    @craiggilchrist4223 2 месяца назад

    WooHoo First Comment