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 On 04/05/2017 at 07:17 PM by KnightDriver See More From This User » |
Intel 386 PC
This is the kind of computer I had in the 90s, one with a 80386 architecture that came out in 1985. I didn't have much money in the 90s, so my computers were leftovers my IT friend Mark had. I could've had a 486, I'm not sure, but that one was also dated by the 90s. The P5s came out in 1993. That was the one to have, so I probably didn't have it.
So on some slightly outdated hardware, Mark and I played a lot of, now seminal, video games. We played all the ID Software games: Wolfenstein, Doom, Quake; Raven Software games: Heretic and Hexen; and 3D Realms games: Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior. These were all great but my favorite was Blizzard's Warcraft I and II.
Dell Dimension 8100
This was what my Dell computer looked like in 2000 when I bought it. I think that number is right, but I don't have it anymore, so I'm not positive. It came with MDK 2 on it and I was blown away by the graphics. Pretty soon Mark and I were trying to network it with his computers so we could play Baldur's Gate and Diablo II. We also played the usual FPS games like Red Faction and Serious Sam. There were also Duke Nukem: Manhatten Project, bringing the game back to it's 2D platforming roots (Duke Nukem I and II that I never played); and Warcraft III, the last RTS in the series before World of Warcraft happened 2004. Then I discovered casual gaming, or what we might also call indie gaming today, with PopCap.com. I played a lot of fun games there like: Bejeweled, Insaniquarium, Bookworm and Rocket Mania.
Dell Dimension 4300
For some reason, I forget why, I got another Dell around 2004, this the 4300. Mark and I played more FPS games like Painkiller and Serious Sam II; more Popcap games like: Feeding Frenzy, Heavy Weapon and Bookworm Adventures.
Around 2006, the Xbox 360 and PS3 were out, and I didn't really see the need for a PC to game. The main reason for PC gaming to me was networking so Mark and I could play in the same game but on seperate screens. Consoles had networking too but few games supported it. In 2006 though, consoles were doing online gaming well and many games supported it. So I became a console guy. I pretty much stopped playing games on PC and switched to the Dell Inspiron laptops, which were fine for my writing, photography and general web searches.
And that's a wrap of my experience with PC gaming. Next up, my favorite console of the 90s, the N64.
That top PC is one ugly motherfucker. No wonder the iMac blew people's minds, ha ha.
I certainly played my share of WOlfenstein. Funny, some things haven't changed since that game. Still running around corridors.
I had a lot of fun gaming on my 486 and other computers. Those were good years.
Yea, the generic 486s were ugly and we took them apart all the time. I always wanted a Mac but could never afford one. They were literally twice the price of the generic PC I could get a hold of.
the decade of beize boxes.
I miss when desktops looked like that Intel, and monitors were huge. I had a Packard Bell 233 that at the time was the fastest thing in my dorm. When the hard drive crapped out a guy from Sears came over and replaced it. When my dad bought it he said no games on it. I eventually bought Sim City 2000 with the kit that let you edit your town, Command and Conquer Red Alert, MK II, and this fighting game with robots from a Toys R Us bargain bin.
I might still have one of those Dell computers. My mom's company was selling them for $25 when they upgraded and she picked one up. I used it as a Mame machine.
Mame machine, yes! I totally want to do one of those. I want to take an old computer and put it in a cabinet shell with joysticks, a trackball and a standard controller.
Putting it in a shell with actual joysticks would be awesome. My setup was just a USB controller, with an extension so I could play it while sitting on the couch.
That's cool too, and way cheaper. I should do that sometime with my PC, maybe if I get a new one, I'll use the old one for that.
Now this all looks super familiar to me. I recognize every single one of these desktop designs. I guess I really was born in '90 after all.
I guess the tower design started late 80s. It's still the style for PCs, I think. Why though? Couldn't there be a different style by now?
Mac has the cylinder. Looks dumb as shit to me, but it's a new design.
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