10 Amazing MSX2 Facts

[@ElectronStarCollapse]

Salamander (Life Force) has a pretty significant patch made for it. Not only does it improve the scrolling, it performs some bug fixes, incorporates the Nemesis 2 cartridge data to allow the true ending (normally Nemesis 2 would have to be in cartridge slot 2 to access the extra content), and adds voices for the pilots taken from the arcade and Gradius Gaiden if you have an extra sound chip.

[@thelairdslair]

Didn't know that, very interesting!

[@ecdhe]

Even though the MSX2 lacked horizontal hardware scrolling, several game developers used some screen calibration capabilities to achieve smooth horizontal scrolling (albeit with shaky left and right borders). Interestingly, the horizontal scrolling capability of the MSX2+ works *very* differently than the MSX2 vertical scrolling - probably for backwards compatibility reasons.

[@bpancras4506]

Even on the msx 2 we could scroll. Also with smooth edges, without a jerky effect. Entire screen, parts of the screen, no problem. Made multiple demos and game routines. To make it you had to be able to program. Something that few people can do anymore.

[@fordxbgtfalcon]

Being American I was never able to experience the MSX but now with emulation I can play the games and enjoy them. Great video by the way.

[@HiNRGboy]

hell of a computer isn't it? Some of my favorite games are on there. I like the Casio games, those weren't ported to anything else as far as I know.

[@gamedoutgamer]

3:00 'Backwards Thinking' well played. Never used an MSX back in the day or recall even seeing one. This was very informative thanks!

[@DansModelBench]

Coleco Adam was released in small numbers in Australia. I saw it in two Grace Brothers stores in NSW back in the day. It wasn't popular and I don't recall a lot of cassettes for it. Both stores had the expansion version that required the Coleco game console. I actually saw it on clear-out for the shop demo and to this day, I regret not purchasing it, as it was going cheap. I cant tell you how long it was around for sure now, but it could have been just a few months.

[@GCSoundArtifacts]

Just a little reminder: the lack of horizontal scrolling wasn't an exclusivity of a MSX computer, being also lacking for a series of 8-bit home computers in Japan (notably on PC-88, Sharp X1 or FM-7). That's something of note that the MSX community has such concern specially because it's widespread worldwide. Despite the lateness of such upgrades at the time, the MSX2 was still a up-to-date hardware. Great show! Hoping to watch a Turbo-R episode, which has increased its popularity thanks to the homebrew community, or about those Japanese computer systems I mentioned in the previous paragraph.

[@Markr7855]

The Sony MSX2’s were the coolest looking computers of that era bar the x68000.

[@barryschalkwijk9388]

MSX2 was pretty big over here for a while.

[@bellissimo4520]

That Philips tape drive at 10:38 is amazing... I want that...

[@lovemadeinjapan]

In looks it is, but it is tough to keep it working. I replaced it with a Sanyo, much more reliable.

[@vamooooos]

10m25s is my own Argentine 🇦🇷 Talent MSX II TPC-310 (1988) from Wikipedia (I took the photo many years ago), these machines are based on Daewoo designs. I still have both, the DPC-210 (1985), the TPC-310 and two Talent Fdd 5 1/4” DPF-550 (360kb per disc), nice memories ❤❤❤

[@thelairdslair]

Nice!

[@daweiisgood2392]

I still have my SVI-328. Its pre MSX. But the basic was just wonderful. Microsoft Basic was far superior than many basic dialects....back when. C64 had Peek and poke for sound and graphics....on but on MS basic you had, SPRITE, SOUND, etc. Less peeks and pokes. I loved it...and start programming as a kid. Just realizing how old I am...sigh...:)

[@lovemadeinjapan]

For us it was a step back. Philips had a great custom version of MS Basic on the P2000T before the MSX, but that computer is way better for general BASIC use, especially the speed. The 2,5MHz P2000T Z80 is faster in BASIC than the MSX. Sure it lacks the quality game graphics, but other than that, the machine is better in every way. It is easier to built add-ons and expansions, works better with floppy disks, better readable font, more screen estate (240 vs 192 lines), good 80-character mode as well. But I agree, compared to C64 Basic it is a breeze, not to mention the vast improvement in video output quality.

[@Spasiboy]

Very nice piece of knowledge.

[@vandammesque]

By the time the MSX 2 and plus came out 16bits were becoming affordable, I'm surprised the Japanese bought these machines at all.

[@thelairdslair]

Backwards compatibility was probably the biggest reason.

[@xXTheoLinuxXx]

The MSX2 hit the market in 1985. The 16 bit machines from that era are the Atari ST, Amiga 1000 and the original Macintosh. The last 2 weren't that cheap. The Philips NMS8220 was still 250 Dutch Guilders cheaper than the Atari ST, by that time iit was quite some money.

[@jaydy71]

​@@xXTheoLinuxXx Also, the MSX2 machines tended to be much better built than the Atari ST and especially Konami were releasing some freaking amazing games for it.

[@Trunchisholm]

@@jaydy71 Much of the MSX2 catalogue was not released in Europe, though, and when it was, it was 50Hz with no speed correction. We were essentially playing inferior versions of those games. Most of the Amiga and ST catalogues are developed with PAL machines in mind. That's something many people seem to ignore when talking about these platforms.

[@mvl71]

​@@TrunchisholmI can't play Nemesis on 50 Hz either, it's still too fast for me :)

[@computer_toucher]

I wonder if /any/ games supported the SVI-738 directly? As far as I know it used the same video chip as the MSX2 but everything else was MSX standard (amount of video RAM, sound chip etc). I think it was impressive that it had a 3,5" floppy on the side as well, with Microsoft Disk Basic in ROM.

[@thelairdslair]

Good question! Might require some research for a potential Spectravideo video.

[@ManuelBilderbeek]

The disk drive wasn't a particular MSX2 feature. There are MSX1 machines with disk drives as well, and also MSX2 machines without. And smooth scrolling patches for all these Nemesis/Gradius saga games have been released, most need only MSX2, not even 2+. MSX-DOS2 was released as a separate upgrade for MSX2 and up, and the turboR included it. The turbo mode you mentioned is not available in all Panasonic MSX2 computers. In fact, it's only available on their MSX2+ machines and is hardly used. I don't know any demo scene products that make use of it. Do you?

[@TheSulross]

I dropped a technical challenge to the Agon Light community on its facebook forum - is it possible for the Agon Lite to implement MSX2 standard? The Agon Light is 50 Euros from Olimex. If MSX implementation can be pulled off, it would become a very affordable means to acquire brand new hardware for MSX And it uses an eZ80 CPU so it runs the instruction set natively

[@thelairdslair]

I've never heard of that, I'll have to look it up!

[@Dawwwg]

@@thelairdslair The already pulled of an MSX-1 ROM port for the Agon Light; meaning it can run many MSX1 Konami games already... Given how powerful (and programmable) the ESP32 in the AgonLight is; it should - performance-wise - be easy to support the MSX2, but obviously some complexity is involved; I hope someone will pull it off ...

[@just2ous]

Msx was killed by Commodore marketing in North America and somewhat in Europe.

[@thelairdslair]

The MSX was mostly kept out of North America because Microsoft didn't want it competing with the PC (or so the story goes). I believe only 2 models were ever sold there - Yamaha and Spectravideo. Neither was really sold as an MSX compatible computer either.

[@thelairdslair]

Europe is different, ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 already had a good foothold. But despite that the MSX still sold really well in places like The Netherlands and Spain.

[@TheSulross]

the C64 and C128 were so prolific and affordable in North America, that me thinks Commodore does deserve some substantial credit for stifling MSX on that continent. In addition to the notch for knocking out the TI99, they likewise deserve a notch for a partial knock-out of MSX

[@MrYossarianuk]

By the time MSX2 came out the Amiga was released (same year at least) which had far better capabilities

[@xXTheoLinuxXx]

@@MrYossarianukin 1985 the Amiga 1000 was released indeed, but was way more expensive. So at least in The Netherlands we didn't see that model in a regular computershop. That is why they made the 500 a couple of years later and even in the first years there were plenty of ported games from the Atari ST and didn't showed off what the machine was capable of. So back in 1985 when the MSX2 was released there were already plenty of MSX games and it didn't take long that there were improved games for that standard, which wasn't the case for the Amiga.

[@johneygd]

I never heard of the msx 2 and msx plus,except for that consolized version, But yeah it’s the same bizar thing for what commodore did, Because after the (from the vic20 to the upgraded) C64, they came up with the C16,C128,c64 max,C64 plus and the C64 GS,(not mentioning the revisionelized C64 pet and the C64 C and C64 GX) well how could commodore just be that desperate in an attempt to target sooo many different markets while compeating against it’s competitors as well such as the msx line up,man just think about it how they had to set up people and make sooo many plants at sooo many different places to makes all these variations of it,same thing with the msx,phew🤣

[@retropalooza]

Zemmix super v link?

[@thelairdslair]

I've done a whole video looking at the Zemmix! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qam9oKOoi5x8Y5I&ab_channel=TheLaird%27sLair

[@retropalooza]

@@thelairdslair couldn't find it thank you good sir

[@retropalooza]

Was that ring king msx

[@retropalooza]

Msxvr where do I find one of those

[@thelairdslair]

Right here: msxvr.com/en/

[@retropalooza]

@@thelairdslair thank u sir, can't find one available.

[@reagandow850]

There is an MSX Turbo? Please do one on that.

[@thelairdslair]

I'm sure I will in the future!

[@ag9hj]

Why does the intro voice sustain saying: 'Welcome to the lards lair'? 🤔

[@thelairdslair]

Because its the intro from STUN Runner?

[@FatNorthernBigot]

So, this was too-little-too-late? Shame.

[@summerlaverdure]

the MSXVR thing is so DUMB x_x why cant it just be an accurate msx clone like 1chipMSX or SX-1 mini instead of being some weird multi-emulation Pi box that isnt even as good emulation wise, save us Analogue! :P

[@thelairdslair]

I don't know what it's like to use but the design is fantastic.

[@MatthewMiller-b5e]

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