Acornsoft Elite - Promo Video 1984 - VHS

The original promotional video for the 1984 classic video game Elite. Written by Ian Bell and David Braben for the Acorn BBC Microcomputer.
Digitised from VHS video format by The Centre for Computing History

[@nickkurzy2246]

As a player of Elite: Dangerous, it is amazing to see what the series started from.

[@57thorns]

I like that they are showing actual and representative gameplay. This was not more common at the time than it is now, but it is refreshing.

[@nukezat]

I just picked up Elite Dangerous and love it, but the incredible feat is that all the meat of the game was already created almost 40 years ago

[@nickbritten8132]

True

[@BigDuke6ixx]

All in 22k of memory.

[@kenrolt1530]

I played originally on the Acorn Electron. I was envious of my friends who had the Beeb version. Still, I now play the latest incarnation, Elite Dangerous, on the PC. Far superior to the original...even the Beeb version ;)

[@VivienneMarcus]

This video really takes me back! It’s still exciting to watch, even though I played the game endlessly back in the day.

[@clonmult]

This is truly a game of legendary status - graphics, gameplay, coding at such an insanely high level that very little has truly surpassed it. And I only ever got to Deadly, never Elite. But then I did have to focus on exams, plus there were other games (although mainly Revs)

[@pixelbully]

Ah the nostalgia! My father being an IT teacher meant that we always had a full spec BBC micro on loan from the school for "Testing". Worked my way up to "Deadly" and a full spec Cobra MK3. Never could get a handle on the secret mission though, but then again I was only 5!

[@Buckfast_Berserker]

yeah! hahah This is the first game i ever got really obsessed with. I was 5/6 and would write down any new stock lists on paper. hahahha I loved figuring out that game. LOL had to ask Mum what narcotics were... Mum says to me 'Rob you are an intergalactic drug and slave trader... Its the police that are after you dumbass'...

[@MakyoD]

Dat smooth framerate with the 2 MHz CPU. I'm green with envy. (I played this on C64)

[@RobertPayne556]

3.5Mhz here. ❤️💛💚💙

[@raymobula]

Watching this, it’s amazing to see how much of this is still in Elite Dangerous. Or better, was already on place back then. Elite, a live long love. ❤ All Hail Bell & Braben 🫡

[@sunshine_megatron8457]

I was 5 or 6 and all I wanted was a little time to play Elite on my big brother's C64. I'd fold laundry, dry dishes, whatever it took, lol. Best game ever and still is after more than a third of a century.

[@FrontierAstro07]

Brilliant! This brings back many happy memories, even though I was useless at combat.

[@MrComputerRetro]

I used to play it on the ZX Spectrum and then on the Amiga. Made me feel like I was in the future :-)

[@nickbritten8132]

Me too

[@3000TonnenKoala]

I love it: The Ad of the game is practically the quick manual of it, being told by a dramatic voice :D

[@KevReillyUK]

That's not a Sidewinder. Seriously, nice find. I remember the long wait for Christmas 1985 so I could get Elite on the Spectrum. It made a very brief appearance in a Christmas edition of "Micro Live", with Ian McNaught Davis demonstrating one of those game slowing devices that were new at the time. It was literally five seconds of a missile blowing up an asteroid, but I played that section of tape over and over for a fortnight until I could get my mitts on the game. It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. And, thanks to the wonder of KZbin, I've found it again. It's at kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2bchJyKg9WNsLcm53s

[@DavidLeePickton]

These guys are genius's for making such a game so long ago

[@bign3ck]

What an amazing game, and an incredible achievement on the hardware and coding.

[@arcnetive]

I have Elite Dangerous Now, and Damn. this evolved insanely

[@BaronVonHaggis]

what a great find! thanks

[@glasfish]

Available to download for free on Frontier’s website

[@threeeyedfishy]

Wonderful to watch

[@cmdrHeliaxx]

Damn, we've come so far 😍 It's kinda crazy how many of things and mechanics here are still really recognisable now almost 40 years later, albeit of course much more advanced.

[@Underb00t]

Even the UI is perfect, even its modern version still uses the same principle.

[@HariSupriono]

Elite Dangerous before there was Elite Dangerous

[@005AGIMA]

I'll take it

[@KlingonCaptain]

Ian Bell has the NES rom for free on his website. It's one of the best versions of the game.

[@coreymurray432]

Me, I'm just curious as to where to listen to the music used.

[@nickbritten8132]

Poor old commander Jameson

[@luiscarloszardo2588]

Played that, a lot on an MSX...

[@stuartsinclair6269]

This was the most played on tithe micro, the Speccy version wasn’t the same. Elite via floppy such an awesome clever game of its time and still it.

[@8-bitsteve500]

5:10 that sidewinder is a gecko ;)

[@kristina80ification]

Just of curiousity, was this used to sell retailers on the game, used for instore video, or actually somehow given to consumers.

[@TheCentreforComputingHistory]

We have no idea at this point in time! We've never seen this video in the wild.

[@TheInfernoGame]

They marketed it through KZbin, it just took them a while to upload it.

[@TheCentreforComputingHistory]

Hey Kandi, have found out that it was a Point of Sale video. :)

[@kristina80ification]

ah, that makes sense.

[@ForViewingOnly]

Who was this video aimed at back in '84? At 6mins 30secs it's too long for TV or cinema ads, and it wasn't being pitched to Acornsoft because they already had their name on it at 0:21. Maybe this video was pitching Elite to software houses to convert it for other computers like the C64 and Spectrum?

[@suburbia2050]

I like the 80s music

[@britpacked]

Better that elite dangerous odyssey in its current state

[@ghastlytales]

Who is the narrator?

[@codeoptimizationware2803]

@Ghastly Tales: I don't know, but with that voice and erudition, it's like that guy should explain _everything_ hehehe

[@pondermatic]

It sounds like en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Normington

[@Nosttromo]

0:29 "commander jameson WHAT

[@rogerpartner1622]

The Narrator sounds like the guy from HITCH HIKERS TO THE GALAXY well funny

[@toshibavoodoo]

greeat

[@thakemist]

You love this check out Elite Dangerous its evolving as we speak!