Thanks for the great rundown of Tandy machines. I was always way into building my own PCs back then but never paid attention to Tandy or PCjr. It's interesting to finally find out about them. I also enjoyed your GameBlaster review because, other than the 3 voice Tandy/PCjr sound, it's practically the only card I never owned! Good choices of games, too.
@phreakindee ah that may have been the case as well. so the one you were showing at 8:50 was running on Tandy 16 color graphics? i wish i still had my RL. i loved that thing. i used to make music with it (sheet music) and used to screw around with the voice recording as well. there is a guy on youtube that did a video of him recording random music from the radio on his Tandy. was rather good :) you should look it up!!!
@daiatlus79 Yes, it was running Tandy 16-color mode! The original retail release included it, or at least mine does. Many of the ripped versions tend to leave those graphics out for some reason. And thanks, I'll look it up!
I had one of these with a 286 processor and no hard drive. I didn't know much back then and someone tried to sell me a 20MB MFM hard drive and I thankfully didn't waste my $125 that I had saved up. It was a good little machine. Oh, LHX was a great game!
This is an excellent video. I learned a lot and could not stop being impressed by the quality of it. After seeing so many shabby / poorly put together vids, I can truly say this is one of the best. The cutscenes & audio showcasing this classic computer are movie quality. No doubt someone's labor of love. What a nice gift to find on this Valentine's day morning 2012!
Just got my first Tandy out of a recycling shop and fixed it up a little bit. Runs very fast and it is pretty much my DOS gaming box. Person left the floppy disk disconnected, reconnected it, tested it, and it runs just fine.
a 20 mb hdd eh, guess we had to start somewhere. it seems so abysmal now. this review was pretty interesting and informative. i feel like doing some retro gaming now.
@phreakindee So would it be PC speaker? By the way, would adding an 8-bit VGA card and a Soundblaster 1 8-bit be a good idea? Normally I would get Adlib, but I want the gameport for a Gravis Analog Pro joystick.
@TeamRocketReviews No, it'll be Tandy 3-voice sound. And I've added those cards to my Tandy before and it worked fine. Sound Blaster is a good choice, and it gives you AdLib anyways.
I wonder (since you also know Zeliard) what your ideas are about ZeliardFlash? There is a website, which i cannot post. Check google, or my videos. I would love to hear your opinion of the game.
@ZeliardFlash I love the idea behind it. Although the progress so far is nice, t is obviously very incomplete right now. No sounds, can't seem to kill enemies, movement just feels a bit "off", etc. It's still a really cool project, and once it's finished it would be an awesome way to play the game if you don't have access to the original! I'm all for any things like this that try to preserve a game and bring it to a new audience.
@TeamRocketReviews It would be a great starter DOS PC for games of that time period. The problem is price and availability. They aren't common machines and when you do find them you're likely going to pay $60-100 or more. You might get lucky though, so browse eBay and vintage computer forums thoroughly.
Nice review. The 1000's were also fun machines to write games on, for the same reasons. I had an EX with an additional external 5 1/4" drive, which was a decent alternative to a hard disc for a while. It also had a memory board. I have the box of disks but no one seems to know where the machine and monitor have gone, and some cool boxed games like Pool of Radiance and Star Trek 25th, but the EX itself is missing - sadness -
I had an original 1000 in the late nineties. Only had a couple discs and you couldn't really buy them at that point. When we got Windows for the first time my dad took it to a range and shot it. Wish I still had it now.
@MrLastkill3r With PCs there are no regions. They're just PCs and use RGB displays where you don't have to worry about PAL/NTSC. They all have 110/220v switches.
If you're asking about PAL composite video output for a TV screen, then if there are PAL output versions they are quite rare. From what I understand these computers weren't very popular in Europe, at least not nearly to the degree they were in America.
@phreakindee OK, thanks. Yhey weren't popular here, people thougt that CoCo sucks and bought Dragons (cheaper ripoffs) , so if Tandy weren't nostalgic, why buy a T1000? All play on Spectrums and Amigas in that time here.
And please, review the CoCo and/or the Dragon 64 (there is U.S. version, Tano Dragon)
@rejectofsoul24 30 or so, pretty much all the main ones that you'd expect really and too much to list here. My main lust is computer systems though, I have more of those.
Thanks to your videos, I'm now starting to consider getting a DOS PC, mainly a Tandy machine. However, I don't have the space for a dedicated monitor and I'd like to know if any of the later Tandys hook up to a TV. Thanks!
The later Tandy machines don't have composite out, only the earlier ones like the 1000/HD/EX/HX/SX/TX to my knowledge. I'd look for an HX or TX, personally.
Your review inspired me. I watched this review when it first came out weeks ago and since I've shifted my vintage collection to include Tandy 1000 series machines. I absolutely love them! A TL/2 paired up with a CM-11 monitor is a thing of beauty...
And, thanks to your Zeliard review I have discovered a "new" game I never played back in the day...
@hotchalupa That is awesome! Always glad when I hear of things like this. It's why I started videos like this in the first place: being inspired and then taking action.
Glad you're enjoying the Tandys and Zeliard! Great stuff, those are. Still really wanting to grab a CM-11 myself!
I have a TRS-80 model 100 i use every now and then to take notes on in school. And I am thinking of getting a RL since they seem to play a lot of the dos games I like. Great review, not a lot of people do old PC reviews.
@dhaddox Really? Do you have a source for that or is it only certain versions? I own the game and see nothing to choose TL graphics, just regular Tandy enhanced mode. Several Sierra games had TL audio (Firehawk comes to mind), but I've yet to see one with full 640x200x16 TL graphics.
@phreakindee Was there any 640x200x16 TL graphics software (i.e applications, paint?) I remember when I pined for Platonics color plus and ATI EGA wonder or even Amstrad to get those 16 colors at high-res
I need a 5.25 inch floppy disk of MS-DOS 3.1 for my newly required Tandy 1000. and there is a port on the back that says light wand and that confused me because i have never heard of a light wand.
Dude - You made a mistake! You said Tandy Radio Shack started selling computer in the "late 1970's" - The TRS-80 came out in late December, 1977 - That's still the MID-seventies! DO SOME RESEARCH FOR A CHANGE WHY DONTCHA!!!
@JeffIrok Pscht, that's so totally up for debate. Years 4-6 of any decade are "the mid" to me, making 77-79 "the late"! Besides, December? May as well be '78, amirite?!
Hahaha the IBM's remind me of my school computers. They still have floppy discs. Damn cheap schools. Nice review btw. I have no interest in these old computers but you still make it interesting. Also could you possibly make a Fallout 1 or 2 review?
OH FUCKING YEAH!!!!!!!! That's an awesome review, sock it to you IBM, Tandy did something you didn't, even though you created the PC Jr standards, Tandy actually pulled them off well. I've seen a video of OutRun running on a TL/2, the introductory voice was male and not female as is the case in this video. If I were to get an Tandy 1000, I'd most likely want an RL/HD or HX, for its time the HX was actually really cheap I believe.
Wow, I've always wondered what Tandy is back in 90s when running old games. I had a 286 PC with Hercules video card back then and always ran CGA mode under simcga4 emulation. xD
@TTOTheTrueOne The regular Tandy 1000 games do have a bit of the feel of early Amiga / Atari ST games for sure, and the games that took advantage of the TL capabilities really put it on-par with later Amiga titles, IMO. It's a machine that was just amazing in the PC market and ahead of its time.
@phreakindee Thank you. Very impressive. Sadly, the Tandy 1000 seems to be almost unknown here in Germany (like I never heard before) - zero hits on eBay for it..
yay lemmings! i played the shit of the on my old piece of crap. i played to much with that thing on the bottoms on those floppy disk and it broke. i suck.
@notagain001 I have yet to find any. Thexder Firehawk I showed in the video used the TL sound but not video. I've seen demos of the graphics mode but never any fully-functional games.
Wow how old are you? You rule dude. Can I down load an emulator to play kings quest on my laptop ? Just the way I played it when I was 13 on our family Tandy 1000? Thx man ps nice classic chair also !
i remember the first computer i used and it was the Tandy 1000 EX and the just about funnest thing was the weird virus messages such as "YOUR PC IS NOW STONED!"
and i also modded the memory so i could fill the max limit.
I guess those times are gone now but they will live Forever in my mind.
And on an other note i had an old Tandy 1000 With Windows 3.x and dos 6.2 or 5.x.
i'm not sure about the specs but it came with a vga monitor and Keyboard / Mouse and the Dot-Matrix Printer it was cool:)
@5553371 Haha, I remember that "stoned" virus. Stupid thing never seemed to want to leave, never knew when a floppy was infected with it until it was too late if you were careless. And I was.
@CerealBarGamer Your comment confuses me. Firehawk for PC came on floppy disks and as such there are no ROMs. You can rather easily find disk images or the contents of those images online, cracked and otherwise. Perhaps you're referring to the MSX2 game, but even that used floppies I thought.
@phreakindee I am indeed referring to the MSX2 game, as I think it has the better music out of all the releases. But alas, MSX2s aren't very easy to come across online for any sort of reasonable price whatsoever. MSX2 games can come as a ROM, in .mx2 format. I referred to a Tandy machine because it would be a cheaper alternative, and I absolutely love the 3-voice sound chip present, but of course it's nothing that could beat the MSX2's sound chip.
@notagain001 Tandy 1000 games are on floppy disks so you don't have Tandy ROMs (except for firmware). It's easy enough to find those. He was referring to ROMs for the MSX2, which apparently there aren't any of Firehawk yet.
@phreakindee There are ROM's for arcade games, nintendo, atari, sega master system, vetrex, coleco vision, etc, for MAME etc, are there ROM, individuals who transferred Tandy 1000 games?
BTW do Tandy 1000 games work on Amstad, also CGA 16-color?
@notagain001 If you're asking if there are Tandy ROMs for games, then no. There are disk image files though.
As far as I know, the PCs by Amstrad that used enhanced CGA are not the same as Tandy graphics. It seems the signals are slightly different. I have not read this for sure though.
@phreakindee Then it's not worth the risk of getting an Amstrad off ebay to play Tandy games. Where can I get "disk image files though." I feel like a time machine.
Where there any games that took advantage of Tandy sl/tl enhance 640*200*16 color graphics?
@notagain001 Unfortunately I can't link to any, since they're not exactly legal. If you Google, they will come. They don't even have to be images, they're just DOS games that use Tandy graphics.
I haven't found any Tandy games that use the 640x200x16 graphics mode. I'm sure there were a few but I have yet to run across any in my collection.
@phreakindee BC is here on youtube. I'm not sure I'd call KQ 3,4,5 PCjr first and foremost given they were published around 90 LOL. Bard's Tale is worth a look. Besides the above, what are your fav Tandy games? I didn't like their joystick btw
@notagain001 It would appear you have your facts mixed up. The entire reason KQ was created in the first place was to show off the PCjr, in 1984. It was commissioned by IBM themselves. Bard's Tale is quite good, pretty much any Sierra game before 1991 or so, SimCity and SimAnt, Test Drive II, California Games, Battle Chess, Maniac Mansion, Klax...
@phreakindee Maybe KQ1, but the later KQ, like 3 and 4, were also featured on 3.5, which PcJr did not have. I recall a skate boarding game that was good. You know, I thought the Radio Shack store demo running on t1000 was quite good LOL. Any reviews for Commodore amiga/c64, atari St, apple IIGS, coco 3, macintosh?
My first computer was the original Tandy 1000. DOS 2.5. I remember having hours of fun with a very primitive port of Frogger, the ALF addition and subtraction games, Clock Works, and Money Works (the latter two published by MECC). Yes, I also played the first version of Ford Simulator. Too bad that my mom gave it away 15 years ago...I would've had more fun with it today.
My friend used to down a Tandy computer and we used to spend days playing with it lol. It's good to see a well respected review on a great computer (at the time) Keep up the great work!
I was going to get the original Tandy 1000 but me and that guy could not find the keyboard for it. so I did not buy it. was to bad he had everything else.
but I do have a old Tandy TRS-80 color computer 2.
For those who don't know, I am Yushatak (thanks for mentioning me :D).
Woot. Glad to see this finally!
Personally I'm a 486-era VGA and Soundblaster guy for 99.9% of my DOS gaming, so that machine didn't do much for me - especially since I had no CGA monitor (and still don't...). I have become fond of Zeliard since your review, though (that music is awesome!).
I never knew that Deskmate included such advanced audio capabilities - quite impressive.
I love the RL, I stupidly gave mine away about 15 years ago. I learned how to do a lot of stuff on that thing. It was a no-HD model, but I upgraded it with an RLL hardcard drive I had sitting around at that time into the only expansion port the thing had. Man it was great. I've recently started recollecting some of the machines that I was too dumb to hold on to and I just bought an RL-HD off of eBay. Great job, I really enjoy watching your reviews. Very informative.
Your videos have actually gotten me better grades on my tests in college for history of computer. Thank you for helping me to excel, man. Keep em' coming! :)
It may have already been stated though the Tandy 1000sl also had the audio software as well. Even though it was an 8086 at 8MHz it still worked great.
@Pozorrogo Hehe, sorry for the mind explosion. Thing is, the "research" is simply me doing what I do in my spare time... some people read a novel or do crosswords, I peruse through endless magazines, technical specs and other resources of vintage machines.
Ha, Bill Gates' shrunken head. Now THAT'S a mental image.
@phreakindee Let me second the original comment's sentiment and say really nice work on the research and time you put into this video. I never knew much about the Tandy 1000 computers as my entry into the PC world was generic Hyundai 286 PC that was replaced about a year later when Wing Commander was released. Before that I had an Apple IIC which I loved dearly and totally regret having parted ways with it.
LHX Attack Copter was the bomb too. Still have my original box and disks : ]
@Pozorrogo it's all part of the joke, my man-- people who put serious effort into their work are always modest about it, hence why he calls his reviews "lazy"
@SteveBenway Intriguing, I've heard there were/are Tandy stores in the UK but didn't know if their computers were sold there or not. I don't see any on ebay UK and it seems even now the cheapest is something like £70+80P&P to have one shipped overseas - and that's for a bare system. No wonder then that they aren't very common.
The 1000RL-HD is my favorite vintage PC. It's amazing how far Tandy was able to miniaturize its components -- it doesn't even need a fan, because it's basically built like a laptop inside. It's also worth noting that the RL/SL/TL series has improved IBM compatibility, whereas some games refuse to work properly on the older 1000s due to the different keyboard layout.
i have a pentium 2 with everything , do you thing this is a good idea to install windows 95 on it to play game ? by game i mean recent vintage game like commander keen , cosmos ...
Personally I'm finding Phreak's Youtube presentations great value for money. I like the laconic style - doesn't take himself too seriously or anything - he's funny and the reviews are honest and well thought through.
Keep it up, mate. I'm personally gonna pimp you and your channel all over the place.
@Borin81 Absolutely. As soon as I can get any and all of those, I will review them. They're some of the computers I most want to review, but due to scarcity and/or cost, I have not yet been able to.
PET and Amiga shouldnt be that hard to find in the US, ive seen lots of very cheap auctions on ebay from that way, which is kinda pain in the ass since shipping to Europe kills any deals for me.
@Borin81 If you see any, let me know! The cheapest PET I've ever seen went for around $350 plus another 80 for shipping. I had an Amiga 500 but it was NTSC so I sold it, ran into too many PAL compatibility issues. The 1200 is also somewhat expensive, especially here where they tend to go for $120-300 depending on upgrades. The CDTV/CD32s are painfully costly to get shipped here, otherwise I'd have had one by now... always on the lookout though, just have to commit to a somewhat higher price
@Holammer Hehe, that's exactly the CPU I started out on at home. By that time the Amiga and Tandy and such had already been surpassed by VGA/SVGA and Sound Blaster cards. Still, there's a charm in being able to play certain games in the (at the time) superior Tandy mode.
Incidentally, most of the games demoed on the RL I had on the EX and they ran just as well as shown on the RL. Digger in particular was one of my favorite games, along w/ Zeliard & Thexder (Both of which, I had gotten from a boxset of games that Sierra released back then that also included Oil's Well).
@Ruinah That's not too surprising seeing as it had a faster CPU than the PCjr, thanks for letting me know (since I can't get my EX disk drive to function)!
I know you review PCs mostly, but just wanted to point out that My Mac from '91 has a full 24-bit color RGB monitor, runs Photoshop v2.5, has amazing audio input/output capabilities (for the time), has 10MB of RAM, a 100MB hard-disk, Apple IIe compatibility card, and a sophisticated GUI. This was a low-cost LC II. $1400 back in the day. I still love old PC's, but ol'skool macs were pretty darn awesome too.
@psyjax Oh yeah, Macs from back then were amazing. I have a few, still wanting to get a desktop model from back then, as the RL reminds me somewhat of the pizza box LCs and Mac II and such. It's too bad they didn't easily support more "mainstream" software and standards or they may have fared better... or, I suppose it's too bad the IBM standard was so prevalent. Of course, you could make the same argument for Amiga machines from the time as well.
I don't understand why your videos aren't more popular. They're of very high quality (although the video quality itself seems like it came from a VHS camcorder, but that's OK), obviously take quite some time to make, despite being done by a lazy reviewer, and are always fun to watch.
@BirdValiant Thanks! I don't know why they're not more popular either, I agree, I'm pretty much awesome. Ha, but seriously, it's all word-of-mouth so perhaps someday.
And yes, the OldChair™ is exceptionally comfortable and is perfect for playing 80's games.
@BirdValiant Well, to be fair, he really does have niche appeal. I mean, he talks about computers from the 80's, and the games on them. I doubt nowadays that some people have even heard of Tandy. It's the nerds like us that can't get enough of this shit.
That TRS 80 is the most badass thing I've ever seen. It looks like it should be on the Death Star or something. I must own one even if it's useless.
RedWolf3487 6 days ago
Thanks for the great rundown of Tandy machines. I was always way into building my own PCs back then but never paid attention to Tandy or PCjr. It's interesting to finally find out about them. I also enjoyed your GameBlaster review because, other than the 3 voice Tandy/PCjr sound, it's practically the only card I never owned! Good choices of games, too.
tzankich 6 days ago
8:50 mine never ran Lemmings like that.. had to run it in CGA mode (1000 RL)
daiatlus79 1 week ago
@daiatlus79 Might have had a non-Tandy compatible version of Lemmings? I've seen some downloaded versions that lack Tandy graphics.
phreakindee 1 week ago
@phreakindee ah that may have been the case as well. so the one you were showing at 8:50 was running on Tandy 16 color graphics? i wish i still had my RL. i loved that thing. i used to make music with it (sheet music) and used to screw around with the voice recording as well. there is a guy on youtube that did a video of him recording random music from the radio on his Tandy. was rather good :) you should look it up!!!
daiatlus79 1 week ago
@daiatlus79 Yes, it was running Tandy 16-color mode! The original retail release included it, or at least mine does. Many of the ripped versions tend to leave those graphics out for some reason. And thanks, I'll look it up!
phreakindee 1 week ago
Why do I hear the Sporepedia theme?
OSDolphin 1 week ago
I had one of these with a 286 processor and no hard drive. I didn't know much back then and someone tried to sell me a 20MB MFM hard drive and I thankfully didn't waste my $125 that I had saved up. It was a good little machine. Oh, LHX was a great game!
teknifix 1 week ago
How many different versions of sim city do you have? <.<
theleetlolboy 1 week ago
This is an excellent video. I learned a lot and could not stop being impressed by the quality of it. After seeing so many shabby / poorly put together vids, I can truly say this is one of the best. The cutscenes & audio showcasing this classic computer are movie quality. No doubt someone's labor of love. What a nice gift to find on this Valentine's day morning 2012!
9isuzu5 2 weeks ago
Just got my first Tandy out of a recycling shop and fixed it up a little bit. Runs very fast and it is pretty much my DOS gaming box. Person left the floppy disk disconnected, reconnected it, tested it, and it runs just fine.
JoeZiehmer 2 weeks ago
Thanks for your good videos!
knaagi 2 weeks ago
I have a working 1000EX with RS-232 expansion. I also have a non-working RAM expansion. Seems to need new memory chips.
wisteela 3 weeks ago
Man, you're a total monster computer reviewer of the entire YouTube.
dvamateur 3 weeks ago
a 20 mb hdd eh, guess we had to start somewhere. it seems so abysmal now. this review was pretty interesting and informative. i feel like doing some retro gaming now.
mattakudesu 2 months ago
My 1000HD got thrown out i've only got the MS-DOS boot disk with deskmate left i managed to save my acorn electron from the bin though.
camomc1 2 months ago
is this powerful enough to run jazz jackrabbit
Gamexrakeem 3 months ago
@Gamexrakeem Nowhere near. You need a fast 386 or preferably a 486 to run Jazz.
phreakindee 3 months ago
Is the mouse rare? It seems like a useful thing to have for Arkanoid.
TeamRocketReviews 4 months ago
Does Firehawk Thexder work with a TX? I'm going to buy one, having done some research on websites and reading comments by other users.
TeamRocketReviews 5 months ago
@TeamRocketReviews Yes, but you won't have the digital sound effects like the TL has.
phreakindee 5 months ago
@phreakindee So would it be PC speaker? By the way, would adding an 8-bit VGA card and a Soundblaster 1 8-bit be a good idea? Normally I would get Adlib, but I want the gameport for a Gravis Analog Pro joystick.
TeamRocketReviews 5 months ago
@TeamRocketReviews No, it'll be Tandy 3-voice sound. And I've added those cards to my Tandy before and it worked fine. Sound Blaster is a good choice, and it gives you AdLib anyways.
phreakindee 5 months ago
I think I had the 1000TL with a 486/25 processor, woo! that thing was the bomb :D
spongah 5 months ago
Wow... thats old!
I wonder (since you also know Zeliard) what your ideas are about ZeliardFlash? There is a website, which i cannot post. Check google, or my videos. I would love to hear your opinion of the game.
ZeliardFlash 5 months ago
@ZeliardFlash I love the idea behind it. Although the progress so far is nice, t is obviously very incomplete right now. No sounds, can't seem to kill enemies, movement just feels a bit "off", etc. It's still a really cool project, and once it's finished it would be an awesome way to play the game if you don't have access to the original! I'm all for any things like this that try to preserve a game and bring it to a new audience.
phreakindee 5 months ago
You Can play Need For Speed Hot Pursuit 2010 on it? :D
MickXD2012 6 months ago
@MickXD2012 I run Battlefield 3 on mine.
MetaTekReviews 4 months ago
@MetaTekReviews how? (ur mind is blowing up! 8) )
MickXD2012 4 months ago
@MickXD2012 I was kidding..
MetaTekReviews 4 months ago
@MetaTekReviews but ur mind is still exploding 8D
MickXD2012 4 months ago
@MickXD2012 Leave.
MetaTekReviews 4 months ago
1983 by the way and I have a pcjr. So I know
tonstad39 6 months ago
@CaptainPoovabladoo That's probably the two, I'd say. Some TLs here and there too.
phreakindee 6 months ago
6:55 What is that song? I've only heard it in an edutainment game called Treasure MathStorm!
thevisualboy37 7 months ago
This was my first computer, thanks for posting this
johnnyxsi 7 months ago
Would the Tandy 1000TL make a good first time DOS pc? I want something to run games from 1986 to 1990. Also, how much would it cost?
TeamRocketReviews 8 months ago
@TeamRocketReviews It would be a great starter DOS PC for games of that time period. The problem is price and availability. They aren't common machines and when you do find them you're likely going to pay $60-100 or more. You might get lucky though, so browse eBay and vintage computer forums thoroughly.
phreakindee 7 months ago
is it just me or does some the games make the tandy's audio sound like a master system?
ninten360 9 months ago
@ninten360 They have the same sound chip.
johannbock 9 months ago
Nice review. The 1000's were also fun machines to write games on, for the same reasons. I had an EX with an additional external 5 1/4" drive, which was a decent alternative to a hard disc for a while. It also had a memory board. I have the box of disks but no one seems to know where the machine and monitor have gone, and some cool boxed games like Pool of Radiance and Star Trek 25th, but the EX itself is missing - sadness -
greenblueman 9 months ago
I Have a TX But half to find the keyboard and moniter Great Machines
appleeimac 10 months ago
Bravo! Very well done.
justin76pa 10 months ago
The 1000 SL did sound the same as the TL as well. I even added a Roland Mt32 to mine which took it to the next level.
dentunes 1 year ago
Your ugly chair reminds me of ashens' ugly couch. I love it! :)
c0ldb33r 1 year ago
Holy cow, how did I miss this one?! I used to play cribbage with my grandfather on one of those Tandy 1000's. Good memories.
Audiomancer 1 year ago
Good review. Does that music composer program come with the computer? If it doesn't, what is it called?
Doommaster1994 1 year ago
the Tandy 1000SL had the audio features and software.
dentunes 1 year ago
Did the Tandy version names remind anyone else of Acura?
cxPwNage 1 year ago
lhx attack chopper is one of my all time favorite pc games
GreatNorthWeb 1 year ago
SPOOOORE!
norbolt 1 year ago
I hear spore music.
Goldspar1 1 year ago
I can hear SPORE music in the background! 8)
DalekGlacier 1 year ago
If only my parents had bought me one when they came out I would be a multimillionaire social network creator today lol
showtime302 1 year ago
I had an original 1000 in the late nineties. Only had a couple discs and you couldn't really buy them at that point. When we got Windows for the first time my dad took it to a range and shot it. Wish I still had it now.
t0rment2004 1 year ago 8
I heart Radio Shack.
SmexyWells 1 year ago
Hey, phreakindee, are there PAL versions?
MrLastkill3r 1 year ago
@MrLastkill3r With PCs there are no regions. They're just PCs and use RGB displays where you don't have to worry about PAL/NTSC. They all have 110/220v switches.
If you're asking about PAL composite video output for a TV screen, then if there are PAL output versions they are quite rare. From what I understand these computers weren't very popular in Europe, at least not nearly to the degree they were in America.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee OK, thanks. Yhey weren't popular here, people thougt that CoCo sucks and bought Dragons (cheaper ripoffs) , so if Tandy weren't nostalgic, why buy a T1000? All play on Spectrums and Amigas in that time here.
And please, review the CoCo and/or the Dragon 64 (there is U.S. version, Tano Dragon)
MrLastkill3r 1 year ago
Can you review Tandy CoCo?
MrLastkill3r 1 year ago
Lets see if Cod runs on it :(/
z4z5z6 1 year ago
how many cinsoles do you own (not including PCs)? Can you name them?
rejectofsoul24 1 year ago
@rejectofsoul24 30 or so, pretty much all the main ones that you'd expect really and too much to list here. My main lust is computer systems though, I have more of those.
phreakindee 1 year ago
Thanks to your videos, I'm now starting to consider getting a DOS PC, mainly a Tandy machine. However, I don't have the space for a dedicated monitor and I'd like to know if any of the later Tandys hook up to a TV. Thanks!
ApolloBoy 1 year ago
@ApolloBoy Cool, I'm glad to hear!
The later Tandy machines don't have composite out, only the earlier ones like the 1000/HD/EX/HX/SX/TX to my knowledge. I'd look for an HX or TX, personally.
phreakindee 1 year ago
The Tandy cm-11 was one of the nicest CGA monitors I've seen anywhere (and Ive seen the Leading Edge Model D, IBM PC RGB, and a variety of no-names)
It had a very dark tube. At $500 it was pricey.
notagain001 1 year ago
Your review inspired me. I watched this review when it first came out weeks ago and since I've shifted my vintage collection to include Tandy 1000 series machines. I absolutely love them! A TL/2 paired up with a CM-11 monitor is a thing of beauty...
And, thanks to your Zeliard review I have discovered a "new" game I never played back in the day...
Thank you for being awesome!
hotchalupa 1 year ago
@hotchalupa That is awesome! Always glad when I hear of things like this. It's why I started videos like this in the first place: being inspired and then taking action.
Glad you're enjoying the Tandys and Zeliard! Great stuff, those are. Still really wanting to grab a CM-11 myself!
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee you can get one cm-11 off ebay. I had one with a black border and it was very good
notagain001 1 year ago
I have a TRS-80 model 100 i use every now and then to take notes on in school. And I am thinking of getting a RL since they seem to play a lot of the dos games I like. Great review, not a lot of people do old PC reviews.
piplol2468 1 year ago
Many Sierra games like Hero's Quest used TL graphics.
dhaddox 1 year ago
@dhaddox Really? Do you have a source for that or is it only certain versions? I own the game and see nothing to choose TL graphics, just regular Tandy enhanced mode. Several Sierra games had TL audio (Firehawk comes to mind), but I've yet to see one with full 640x200x16 TL graphics.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee Ah, I didn't realize it went up to 640x200. The older Sierra games indeed only achieved 320x200x16.
dhaddox 1 year ago
@phreakindee Was there any 640x200x16 TL graphics software (i.e applications, paint?) I remember when I pined for Platonics color plus and ATI EGA wonder or even Amstrad to get those 16 colors at high-res
notagain001 1 year ago
I need a 5.25 inch floppy disk of MS-DOS 3.1 for my newly required Tandy 1000. and there is a port on the back that says light wand and that confused me because i have never heard of a light wand.
fidgophone 1 year ago
Dude - You made a mistake! You said Tandy Radio Shack started selling computer in the "late 1970's" - The TRS-80 came out in late December, 1977 - That's still the MID-seventies! DO SOME RESEARCH FOR A CHANGE WHY DONTCHA!!!
j/k! Awesome job as always! Keep it up!
JeffIrok 1 year ago
@JeffIrok Pscht, that's so totally up for debate. Years 4-6 of any decade are "the mid" to me, making 77-79 "the late"! Besides, December? May as well be '78, amirite?!
Hehe, thanks!
phreakindee 1 year ago
love your system reviews. do more if you have the time. wish I had something to donate for you to review but you already have everything i do
AlfredRusselWallace 1 year ago
Hahaha the IBM's remind me of my school computers. They still have floppy discs. Damn cheap schools. Nice review btw. I have no interest in these old computers but you still make it interesting. Also could you possibly make a Fallout 1 or 2 review?
FredThaSlayer 1 year ago
OH FUCKING YEAH!!!!!!!! That's an awesome review, sock it to you IBM, Tandy did something you didn't, even though you created the PC Jr standards, Tandy actually pulled them off well. I've seen a video of OutRun running on a TL/2, the introductory voice was male and not female as is the case in this video. If I were to get an Tandy 1000, I'd most likely want an RL/HD or HX, for its time the HX was actually really cheap I believe.
Lachlant1984 1 year ago
Wow, I've always wondered what Tandy is back in 90s when running old games. I had a 286 PC with Hercules video card back then and always ran CGA mode under simcga4 emulation. xD
talezshin 1 year ago
The quality of the shown games realy surprised me. Seems close to the Amiga 500, doesnt it ?
TTOTheTrueOne 1 year ago
@TTOTheTrueOne The regular Tandy 1000 games do have a bit of the feel of early Amiga / Atari ST games for sure, and the games that took advantage of the TL capabilities really put it on-par with later Amiga titles, IMO. It's a machine that was just amazing in the PC market and ahead of its time.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee Thank you. Very impressive. Sadly, the Tandy 1000 seems to be almost unknown here in Germany (like I never heard before) - zero hits on eBay for it..
TTOTheTrueOne 1 year ago
i love your computer reviews. they aren't gimmicky and are chalked full of awesome information and history. keep up the good work!
my4trackmachine 1 year ago
yay lemmings! i played the shit of the on my old piece of crap. i played to much with that thing on the bottoms on those floppy disk and it broke. i suck.
yostoyou 1 year ago
that's fast replies. My first pc was a Tandy 1000 SX.
notagain001 1 year ago
were there any enhanced tandy graphics games ? 640 200 16?
notagain001 1 year ago
@notagain001 I have yet to find any. Thexder Firehawk I showed in the video used the TL sound but not video. I've seen demos of the graphics mode but never any fully-functional games.
phreakindee 1 year ago
ps2 as in... not playstation 2 right?
TheHunter14792 1 year ago
@TheHunter14792 PS/2, as in IBM Personal System/2
phreakindee 1 year ago
Wow how old are you? You rule dude. Can I down load an emulator to play kings quest on my laptop ? Just the way I played it when I was 13 on our family Tandy 1000? Thx man ps nice classic chair also !
yada147258 1 year ago
@yada147258 Mid-20's, thanks.
You can download DosBox to play KQ in Tandy (or any other) graphics mode.
phreakindee 1 year ago
i remember the first computer i used and it was the Tandy 1000 EX and the just about funnest thing was the weird virus messages such as "YOUR PC IS NOW STONED!"
and i also modded the memory so i could fill the max limit.
I guess those times are gone now but they will live Forever in my mind.
And on an other note i had an old Tandy 1000 With Windows 3.x and dos 6.2 or 5.x.
i'm not sure about the specs but it came with a vga monitor and Keyboard / Mouse and the Dot-Matrix Printer it was cool:)
5553371 1 year ago
@5553371 Haha, I remember that "stoned" virus. Stupid thing never seemed to want to leave, never knew when a floppy was infected with it until it was too late if you were careless. And I was.
phreakindee 1 year ago
I'm really disappointed that there is no ROM available of Firehawk Thexder as of now. I might just have to go out and get me a Tandy machine :3
CerealBarGamer 1 year ago
@CerealBarGamer Your comment confuses me. Firehawk for PC came on floppy disks and as such there are no ROMs. You can rather easily find disk images or the contents of those images online, cracked and otherwise. Perhaps you're referring to the MSX2 game, but even that used floppies I thought.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee I am indeed referring to the MSX2 game, as I think it has the better music out of all the releases. But alas, MSX2s aren't very easy to come across online for any sort of reasonable price whatsoever. MSX2 games can come as a ROM, in .mx2 format. I referred to a Tandy machine because it would be a cheaper alternative, and I absolutely love the 3-voice sound chip present, but of course it's nothing that could beat the MSX2's sound chip.
CerealBarGamer 1 year ago
@CerealBarGamer are there rom's for old tandy 1000 games?
notagain001 1 year ago
@notagain001 Tandy 1000 games are on floppy disks so you don't have Tandy ROMs (except for firmware). It's easy enough to find those. He was referring to ROMs for the MSX2, which apparently there aren't any of Firehawk yet.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee There are ROM's for arcade games, nintendo, atari, sega master system, vetrex, coleco vision, etc, for MAME etc, are there ROM, individuals who transferred Tandy 1000 games?
BTW do Tandy 1000 games work on Amstad, also CGA 16-color?
notagain001 1 year ago
@notagain001 If you're asking if there are Tandy ROMs for games, then no. There are disk image files though.
As far as I know, the PCs by Amstrad that used enhanced CGA are not the same as Tandy graphics. It seems the signals are slightly different. I have not read this for sure though.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee Then it's not worth the risk of getting an Amstrad off ebay to play Tandy games. Where can I get "disk image files though." I feel like a time machine.
Where there any games that took advantage of Tandy sl/tl enhance 640*200*16 color graphics?
notagain001 1 year ago
@notagain001 Unfortunately I can't link to any, since they're not exactly legal. If you Google, they will come. They don't even have to be images, they're just DOS games that use Tandy graphics.
I haven't found any Tandy games that use the 640x200x16 graphics mode. I'm sure there were a few but I have yet to run across any in my collection.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee btw no mention of Sierra's Black Couldron and King's Quest?
notagain001 1 year ago
@notagain001 KQ was a PCjr game first and foremost, so I covered that in my review of that machine. And BC I've never played.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee BC is here on youtube. I'm not sure I'd call KQ 3,4,5 PCjr first and foremost given they were published around 90 LOL. Bard's Tale is worth a look. Besides the above, what are your fav Tandy games? I didn't like their joystick btw
notagain001 1 year ago
@notagain001 It would appear you have your facts mixed up. The entire reason KQ was created in the first place was to show off the PCjr, in 1984. It was commissioned by IBM themselves. Bard's Tale is quite good, pretty much any Sierra game before 1991 or so, SimCity and SimAnt, Test Drive II, California Games, Battle Chess, Maniac Mansion, Klax...
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee Maybe KQ1, but the later KQ, like 3 and 4, were also featured on 3.5, which PcJr did not have. I recall a skate boarding game that was good. You know, I thought the Radio Shack store demo running on t1000 was quite good LOL. Any reviews for Commodore amiga/c64, atari St, apple IIGS, coco 3, macintosh?
notagain001 1 year ago
Awesome video, spore music makes it even better.
Gyzyn 1 year ago
My first computer was the original Tandy 1000. DOS 2.5. I remember having hours of fun with a very primitive port of Frogger, the ALF addition and subtraction games, Clock Works, and Money Works (the latter two published by MECC). Yes, I also played the first version of Ford Simulator. Too bad that my mom gave it away 15 years ago...I would've had more fun with it today.
tsskiller08 1 year ago
One note to add, it probably was the 1000HD, because it had a hard drive.
tsskiller08 1 year ago
u used muisic from spore
NIGHTGL0W 1 year ago
My friend used to down a Tandy computer and we used to spend days playing with it lol. It's good to see a well respected review on a great computer (at the time) Keep up the great work!
TheLogicman1 1 year ago
I was going to get the original Tandy 1000 but me and that guy could not find the keyboard for it. so I did not buy it. was to bad he had everything else.
but I do have a old Tandy TRS-80 color computer 2.
DylanMayhew 1 year ago
These are cool but they don't exist in the UK so it would be very expensive to import one.
shaurz 1 year ago
For those who don't know, I am Yushatak (thanks for mentioning me :D).
Woot. Glad to see this finally!
Personally I'm a 486-era VGA and Soundblaster guy for 99.9% of my DOS gaming, so that machine didn't do much for me - especially since I had no CGA monitor (and still don't...). I have become fond of Zeliard since your review, though (that music is awesome!).
I never knew that Deskmate included such advanced audio capabilities - quite impressive.
Now that RL/HD is immortalized on Youtube
T6600C 1 year ago
I love the RL, I stupidly gave mine away about 15 years ago. I learned how to do a lot of stuff on that thing. It was a no-HD model, but I upgraded it with an RLL hardcard drive I had sitting around at that time into the only expansion port the thing had. Man it was great. I've recently started recollecting some of the machines that I was too dumb to hold on to and I just bought an RL-HD off of eBay. Great job, I really enjoy watching your reviews. Very informative.
TheLoFiGuy 1 year ago
Your videos have actually gotten me better grades on my tests in college for history of computer. Thank you for helping me to excel, man. Keep em' coming! :)
ghostmouthzach56 1 year ago
Wow, LHX Attack Chopper brings back some memories.
bean420man 1 year ago
Man I learn so much from you. Thanks, very good review.
SaMPLeMaSTeR 1 year ago
It may have already been stated though the Tandy 1000sl also had the audio software as well. Even though it was an 8086 at 8MHz it still worked great.
dentunes 1 year ago
I love these reviews.
16mmDJ 1 year ago
Nice review man
shingo7772 1 year ago
Holy crap my mind just exploded from all the information O.O
You call your series "Lazy Game Reviews" but theyre anything BUT lazy XD You really do your research and know a lot about these older machines
Its neat to think that in 100 or 200 years these computers will probably be in the Smithsonian next to Bill Gates' shrunken head lol
Pozorrogo 1 year ago
@Pozorrogo Hehe, sorry for the mind explosion. Thing is, the "research" is simply me doing what I do in my spare time... some people read a novel or do crosswords, I peruse through endless magazines, technical specs and other resources of vintage machines.
Ha, Bill Gates' shrunken head. Now THAT'S a mental image.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee dont apologise dude your vides rock!
Jakkinator45 1 year ago
@phreakindee Let me second the original comment's sentiment and say really nice work on the research and time you put into this video. I never knew much about the Tandy 1000 computers as my entry into the PC world was generic Hyundai 286 PC that was replaced about a year later when Wing Commander was released. Before that I had an Apple IIC which I loved dearly and totally regret having parted ways with it.
LHX Attack Copter was the bomb too. Still have my original box and disks : ]
mikepalomino 1 year ago
@Pozorrogo it's all part of the joke, my man-- people who put serious effort into their work are always modest about it, hence why he calls his reviews "lazy"
TheSwillMan 1 year ago
i saw like 3 Tandy machines at a Fry's or a store like that once
rejectofsoul24 1 year ago
Is that Spore music in the background?
Synergy9k 1 year ago 10
I once had a tandy with ROM-DOS Version something-or-other and it was awesome.
And i owned the 386 variant as well.
Nice Review Clint, Keep up the good work.
5553371 1 year ago
I love these machines. I have a Tandy RL but no monitor. :( Great review!!!
roundhouse87 1 year ago
Your review reminds me of the NES and Dendy story from Russia, where a clone overcomes the original even though it was Russia.
X3CuT1oNR 1 year ago
blast corps!
X3CuT1oNR 1 year ago
Wow... I don't know if they even made it to the UK, as Tandy machines weren't especially popular here, but I've never even heard of the 1000 series.
Fascinating.
Great video... very informative :D
SteveBenway 1 year ago
@SteveBenway Intriguing, I've heard there were/are Tandy stores in the UK but didn't know if their computers were sold there or not. I don't see any on ebay UK and it seems even now the cheapest is something like £70+80P&P to have one shipped overseas - and that's for a bare system. No wonder then that they aren't very common.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee yeah, these seem to have been somewhat rare in a lot of Europe.
weaselfierce 1 year ago
The 1000RL-HD is my favorite vintage PC. It's amazing how far Tandy was able to miniaturize its components -- it doesn't even need a fan, because it's basically built like a laptop inside. It's also worth noting that the RL/SL/TL series has improved IBM compatibility, whereas some games refuse to work properly on the older 1000s due to the different keyboard layout.
vwestlife 1 year ago 4
LHX attack chopper brings back memories... angry, angry, frustrating memories. :D
Schmidt54 1 year ago
i have a pentium 2 with everything , do you thing this is a good idea to install windows 95 on it to play game ? by game i mean recent vintage game like commander keen , cosmos ...
hitachi088 1 year ago
@hitachi088 Should be fine, depending on the sound card really. See my video on what DOS computer to buy/build for much more info
phreakindee 1 year ago
@Romuluzz LHX is rad like that. Dromedarian destruction at its finest.
phreakindee 1 year ago
cool video
TheNews1990 1 year ago
LOL at these comments!
Personally I'm finding Phreak's Youtube presentations great value for money. I like the laconic style - doesn't take himself too seriously or anything - he's funny and the reviews are honest and well thought through.
Keep it up, mate. I'm personally gonna pimp you and your channel all over the place.
atrainhxdotcom 1 year ago
vote this up if you think phreakindee should become a youtube partner =D
nuckable 1 year ago
Great review Clint, I do remember seeing these machines but NEVER actually playing them... ahhh!
OldSchoolNYCGamer 1 year ago
I've never seen a Tandy in real life :o( Impressive review, makes me want to go and get one lol :o)
RetroGamerVX 1 year ago
tubular review!
macintoshgermany 1 year ago
Nice review!
I heard Spore music. :3
IcyDDSN 1 year ago
Excellent review!
misterintellivision 1 year ago
Wow, what an amazing hardware!
LHX Attack Chopper looks so advanced for its time. :D
Highretrogamelord89 1 year ago
Tandy was never even noticeable in Europe, so i never heard of it, but now i know where IBM/Tandy compatibles comes from.. :)
Borin81 1 year ago
btw, will there be anymore Commodore reviews? ya know, PET, Amiga, CD32?
Borin81 1 year ago 6
@Borin81 Absolutely. As soon as I can get any and all of those, I will review them. They're some of the computers I most want to review, but due to scarcity and/or cost, I have not yet been able to.
phreakindee 1 year ago
PET and Amiga shouldnt be that hard to find in the US, ive seen lots of very cheap auctions on ebay from that way, which is kinda pain in the ass since shipping to Europe kills any deals for me.
Borin81 1 year ago
@Borin81 If you see any, let me know! The cheapest PET I've ever seen went for around $350 plus another 80 for shipping. I had an Amiga 500 but it was NTSC so I sold it, ran into too many PAL compatibility issues. The 1200 is also somewhat expensive, especially here where they tend to go for $120-300 depending on upgrades. The CDTV/CD32s are painfully costly to get shipped here, otherwise I'd have had one by now... always on the lookout though, just have to commit to a somewhat higher price
phreakindee 1 year ago
My first PC computer was a 486/66. Pretty much everyone had C64/Amiga around here at the time so it's fun to see the stuff I missed out on.
... and I'm not losing sleep over it.
Holammer 1 year ago
@Holammer Hehe, that's exactly the CPU I started out on at home. By that time the Amiga and Tandy and such had already been surpassed by VGA/SVGA and Sound Blaster cards. Still, there's a charm in being able to play certain games in the (at the time) superior Tandy mode.
phreakindee 1 year ago
Incidentally, most of the games demoed on the RL I had on the EX and they ran just as well as shown on the RL. Digger in particular was one of my favorite games, along w/ Zeliard & Thexder (Both of which, I had gotten from a boxset of games that Sierra released back then that also included Oil's Well).
Ruinah 1 year ago
@Ruinah That's not too surprising seeing as it had a faster CPU than the PCjr, thanks for letting me know (since I can't get my EX disk drive to function)!
phreakindee 1 year ago
I know you review PCs mostly, but just wanted to point out that My Mac from '91 has a full 24-bit color RGB monitor, runs Photoshop v2.5, has amazing audio input/output capabilities (for the time), has 10MB of RAM, a 100MB hard-disk, Apple IIe compatibility card, and a sophisticated GUI. This was a low-cost LC II. $1400 back in the day. I still love old PC's, but ol'skool macs were pretty darn awesome too.
psyjax 1 year ago
@psyjax Oh yeah, Macs from back then were amazing. I have a few, still wanting to get a desktop model from back then, as the RL reminds me somewhat of the pizza box LCs and Mac II and such. It's too bad they didn't easily support more "mainstream" software and standards or they may have fared better... or, I suppose it's too bad the IBM standard was so prevalent. Of course, you could make the same argument for Amiga machines from the time as well.
phreakindee 1 year ago
I don't understand why your videos aren't more popular. They're of very high quality (although the video quality itself seems like it came from a VHS camcorder, but that's OK), obviously take quite some time to make, despite being done by a lazy reviewer, and are always fun to watch.
BTW that armchair looks really comfortable.
BirdValiant 1 year ago 2
@BirdValiant Dunno, grainy quality kinda adds to the retro appeal :)
psyjax 1 year ago
@psyjax Thanks, that's the idea!
phreakindee 1 year ago
@BirdValiant Thanks! I don't know why they're not more popular either, I agree, I'm pretty much awesome. Ha, but seriously, it's all word-of-mouth so perhaps someday.
And yes, the OldChair™ is exceptionally comfortable and is perfect for playing 80's games.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee
maybe because they are too much kid on youtube .
kid dont know about MS-Dos game/computer , because they are too young .
hitachi088 1 year ago
@BirdValiant Well, to be fair, he really does have niche appeal. I mean, he talks about computers from the 80's, and the games on them. I doubt nowadays that some people have even heard of Tandy. It's the nerds like us that can't get enough of this shit.
BreakerdeGodot 1 year ago
@BreakerdeGodot I've heard of Tandy, but only through strong bad :P
upyoursize 1 year ago