CNET TV's Top 5 computers of the 1980's

[Bacon]

Somehow I don't like thinking of 16 Bit machines like Amiga in the 80s - just me, don't remember it being affordable till '89 or '90.

I paid less for my Amiga 500 in 1987 than I paid for my C64 + 1541 in 1984 so I'd say the Amiga 500 (and the Atari ST, which was cheaper) was affordable when it was released. The original Amiga (1000), not so much. I remember seeing it at some kind of computer/electronics fair in around 1986 and being blown away – by the features and the price.

[Mikam73]

Remember that C64 and 1541 did cost same prize at Finland. I think both were 2995mk. So total would have been about 6000mk

But Amiga 1000 cost lot more. It was maybe 12000mk or something with monitor.

My Commodore road went Vic20 (995mk) -> C64 -> A1000+Sidecar -> Commodore AT40-40 -> Amiga 3000 -> Dark pc world..

[carlsson]

I suppose you mean at what price you bought each computer? Prices used to drop quite a lot over time, perhaps even faster than they drop today. 995 FIM sounds like you got your VIC-20 in late 1984 while 2995 FIM sounds like you bought your C64 in late 1983. Obviously that must not have been the way, so either you think the VIC was far cheaper than it really was or you got one hell of a discount when you purchased it.

Almost relevant link in case although it covers Sweden, not Finland:
http://www.cbm.sfks.se/tidning/datorpris.html

I would think 1 FIM = 1.5 SEK or thereabouts.

[Mikam73]

I remember prizes from adds at magazines etc. Just remember that C64 and 1541 did cost same.. Thats why so many of use tape device with C64 at first.

[carlsson]

Yes, I definitely agree on that the computer and floppy drive were almost equal in price. It almost held on for its whole lifespan. I just want the VIC-20 to have cost about 1300-1700 FIM at its time unless it was greatly discounted due to overstock.

[RobertBe]

Thats why so many of use tape device with C64 at first.

Yes, I started with a C64 and a tape drive first.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org

[PaulQ]

Thats why so many of use tape device with C64 at first.

Yes, I started with a C64 and a tape drive first.

Same here. I think it was a pretty standard procedure for us Vic 20 owners who moved up to a C64. I got my Vic and Datasette when the Vic was around $100; when I got my C64, the C64 was $199, but the disk drive was still $299. The first time I used my C64, I thought something was wrong with it when the screen turned blue when loading in a program. Everyone I knew used disk drives, so I waited for the price to drop to $249 and then bought one.

[Mikam73]

And discs were very expensive too..

Remember when sold Vic20 to childhood friend, they were picking up Vic20 from our place, same day come Philips green monitor, I sold Vic20 with B/W tv and they ask if that new monitor was with Vic and if I am going to get new computer etc.. I couldnt say them that C64 comes in.. And my mom did carry C64 to home at same evening.. My first game was Ghostbusters at tape that loaded 15min withouth turbotape.. It was like a dream come true when 1541 come.. Someone did carry 10 discs to school to friend that already had 1541 for games.. 10 discs full great games.. No need play with tapes, just load "$",8 and load game.. It was just great.. Well.. Never fot C64 to color monitor.. Everything was green.. Its difficult understand now how we could enjoy so much of Ghostbusters, Summer Games etc.. When everything was green.. Colors come with Amiga 1000.. Monitor was just way too expensive at C64 time..
Today kids will never understand..

[Richard James]

Green why I only had B/W

I was on the odd occasion allowed to plug my VIC-20 into a colour TV. But my father converted an old small B/W set to allow the VIC-20 to display straight to it without the RF converter. Unfortunately the plug was loose and the signal would often get lost.

Later when I bought a Atari ST for about AUD 800 I had a B/W hires monitor. I didn't have a colour monitor until I got a PC sometime in the 90's.

[RobertBe]

Green why I only had B/W

Yup, I only had a black-and-white t.v., and I had to use the R/F connection.

300-ohm antenna leads!
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
Southern California Commodore & Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org

[Mayhem]

I'll admit, I was actually stunned when I found out how much disk software cost in the US. No wonder it was pirated. Disk software here usually cost about a fiver more than the tapes! Probably because of the usual low demand (even at its peak, it was estimated only about 10% of C64 owners had a drive). At least a couple of shops near me stocked disk software when I finally got a drive in 1991, so I could buy it readily...

[rhurst]

Expensive here? No wonder it was pirated? You have that reversed (piracy caused higher-priced titles), because programmers have to eat, too.

Overwhelming number of titles with mass distribution channels -- one might think that software would be lower priced -- but being diskette-based software that could be copied by cheap media? Yeah, why pay $25 (low-end shoot'em ups) - $75 (Ultima / RPGs) when you can wait a month or two for the "German-engineered" version to be downloaded for mass pirating with a nifty fast-loader and trainer?

I recall working with Micro Momentum and their Amiga distributors where they only sold on consignment(!!) And only if you had spent $$ (small ad) or $$$ (large ad) with a popular magazine AND it gave your title a review (politics). So you were gambling your time and money that your software title had to sell 10,000+ copies for it to be modestly profitable. There were only a few titles that ever made mega-hit status (Lemmings jumps in my mind) that sold 100,000+ copies. I found it easier to write a small gaming title in 3-days, and sell it for $300 or $400 to a magazine that had diskette subscribers. Why bother spending 3 - 6 months writing an equitable commercial game?

I believe Sega Genesis (here) remained successful because it was cartridge-based (and there were no emulators of that system while it was profitable). Think of the hordes of side-scrolling platform games it produced -- yuk! Thank goodness it had yearly Madden (American football) and NBA Live releases.

[PaulQ]

I can remember when blank floppy disks were $10 each, while a blank computer cassette tape could be bought for $2. I was overjoyed when the price of a single floppy dropped to $5, so I bought one even though I didn't have a disk drive to use it in. I just wanted to own my very own floppy disk, which was quite the novelty for me at the time.

I also remember buying a batch of 50 floppies for $20 a few years later. I don't think audio cassette tapes ever got that cheap.

[Jeff-20]

I believe Sega Genesis (here) remained successful because it was cartridge-based (and there were no emulators of that system while it was profitable). Think of the hordes of side-scrolling platform games it produced -- yuk! Thank goodness it had yearly Madden (American football) and NBA Live releases.

I hate that we must endure these long painful trends! ladder games, then side-scrolling platform games, then fighters, then FPS. I can't wait until these stupid music games go away.

[gklinger]

I can't wait until these stupid music games go away.

It appears you won't have long to wait as sales have been declining. The trick is figuring out what the next trend will be or, better yet, setting it. Then you too will be worthy of knowing what's really going on with all this moon business.