Why The Amstrad GX4000 Failed! - Rare Console History

[@megagrey]

I think the reason I love your channel and Guru Larry's so much is the window into the UK gaming scene, namely the home computers I was clueless about (ZX Spectrum, etc.). As an American who just had an NES growing up, it's illuminating, these glimpses into a world of gaming I missed out on.

[@sh8568]

I bought one of these at launch, I was a big 464 fan and couldnt wait for the release of the console version, it was massively hyped up by all the magazines, I got it and was very happy with it, it looked great, I had about 5 games, all enjoyable, but shortly after it died, not sure how long but it was still under warrenty, maybe 6 months or so. I took it back to Comet hoping to get it replaced and she said it was a common problem, so much so they had stopped selling it and advised me to swap it for the megadrive. I dont think I'd really heard of The megadrive at that time but it blew the gx4000 out of the water and I never looked back. So, for me thats why it failed.

[@MaxAbramson3]

A console that failed while still under warranty? So the hardware support lasted longer than software support?

[@TheFunktipus1]

I had one of these consoles. My grandparents bought it. It Fuckin sucked but god bless my grandparents for trying.

[@TopHatGamingManChannel]

Big thank you to Novabug for appearing in this video! Show the man your support by subscribing to his channel! kzbin.info

[@aceofhearts573]

Finally!!!!!! Was hoping you made a video about the amstrad gx4000 console. Lord Sugar finally met his match at consoles when back in the day he could out Japanese the Japanese in all other electronics. Amstrad also made a PC with a mega drive in it. Think it was called the mega PC

[@BainesMkII]

Considering enough NES games took full advantage of the Start and Select buttons, even though people call it a two-button layout, it isn't entirely fair to treat it as the same as a controller that legitimately *only* have two buttons on the controller. Those extra two buttons, even if not meant to see the same heavy use as the primary buttons, made a big difference in what games could do with player inputs.

[@everythingpony]

Um the nes was a 8 button controller not 2, why does wvery one call it 2?

[@BainesMkII]

@@everythingpony You only count the dedicated "action" buttons. The start and select buttons are not technically such, and thus are not counted. As for the d-pad, you don't count it anymore than you'd count a joystick. Even if you wanted to argue that a d-pad is technically four "buttons" in a cross layout, the d-pad is physically designed to prevent pressing opposing directions simultaneously.

[@inceptional]

@@everythingpony Yeah, I think you're a bit confused about how the naming of such things works. But, even if we are counting all the buttons on the controller, it's still only a 4 button controller. No one in their right mind called the d-pad a frikin' button.

[@amagnier]

We want a gx4000 mini ! ^^

[@markdraper8989]

You sir are the best at what you do, I love when I see a fresh vid pop up from you. Some times I don’t Even know I care about something till you make a video about it. Well done mate

[@masashi547]

Funny story, I had mine in a flea market when I was younger (I had to be 11 years old), it was the vendor stand in front of my parent who gave me, saying it was shit but it was a console that would worth gold later. Today is still a big good shit, but I like the design of the game box.

[@manuelpena4547]

Even the scarcety of this console, they have one of those in a retro gaming bar in Palma, Mallorca called The Soho Bar. Didn't even know which console was until now

[@jamesburke2759]

Its kind of sad to think that we all (Including Australia) had a thriving economy of electronics and computers back in the 60's-90's. Just a shame we don't have that anymore.

[@suburbia2050]

Acorn BBC Micro > Acorn Archimedes > Arm + Raspberry Pi is quite a successful British lineage that's still vibrant and strong!

[@ehsant5974]

EU happened

[@scepticskeptic1663]

lol 15k units and one of those poor saps was me :)) navy seals was the only game i got and then its went bust

[@ryanyoder7573]

One of your best. Thanks. Love the obscure and failed systems. The true underdogs.

[@Odnet001]

I always thought that it looked like a Cylon Raider from the original Battlestar Galactica

[@epicfirsts888]

Good show. Keep em coming!

[@RockyBergen]

Top Hat AND Novabug! Yes!

[@flowrebaz6189]

I remember my grandparents came back from holiday with one of these for us kids. I really enjoyed what few games it had.

[@gaz312]

I remember getting a second hand Amstrad computer that had cartridge slot in the side with Burning Rubber and being blown away with the graphics. At the time it seemed to blow the NES and Master System etc out the water. So much potential.

[@dartsma464]

The woman on the icon for this video is from the advertisement for the first Barbarian game. Maybe she was used for the second one too?

[@davy_K]

That was Maria Whittaker. Yum back in the day. :)

[@NeonKnight83]

It’s a shame, it looks like a beautiful console for the time. First time seeing NovaBug, I highly enjoyed his dissertation on a system this Yank has never heard of until this video. Just subscribed to Mr. Bug.

[@Novabug]

Thanks man.I appreciate that.

[@NeonKnight83]

Novabug - you’re welcome

[@donaldtrump3310]

you`re not yank

[@GeekHero_Bubba]

Informative as always

[@Nipplator99999999999]

My first and only "gaming system" until I got an xbox and built a win 95 era pc was the Commodore VIC-20, which I still have along with all original packaging and paraphernalia.

[@davy_K]

I always assumed this was just a 464 in a box. That's why I didn't give it a 2nd look back in the day. Bit of a shame really. I had a 464 and loved it but it was dodgy at scrolling and had a basic lack of poke for speed so this being an upgraded machine would have made it an interesting proposition for me had I known that. Interesting to see it had SCART out. Imagine if they had got people like Raf Cecco on board who was a master coder for 464. A Cybernoid game would have been quite something on it.

[@dartsma464]

and even Raffaelle Cecco didn't try to use the Amstrad well. He transferred his Spectrum games in a day or two (source: Retro Gamer). Check out Pinball Dreams or Vespertino on KZbin for the Amstrad CPC. They will show you another world of what the basic Amstrad CPC is capable of. And the GX 4000 us capable of way more than that

[@davy_K]

@@dartsma464 You sure about all the Raf Cecco ports? Retro Gamer isn't as accurate as it is enthusiastic. One of the reasons I stopped subbing to it. Cybernoid II is a really nice job on CPC464. Seems to be built from scratch for it.

[@rajsrivastava5287]

Coming soon , the Google Stadia - what were they thinking?

[@NeonKnight83]

Raj Srivastava - and in the future it’ll be about a 5 minute video, as there will be no games to show since Googles streaming service will be long gone 😂

[@TrevKen]

I had one of these consoles with Burning Rubber, Navy Seals and Robocop. I miss it now. Great video.

[@TrevKen]

Oh and Fire and Forget.

[@thepocketmonsterfamily2007]

Man I cant believe you don't have 1 million subs.

[@jonothanthrace1530]

I love those gator puppets from the ad at 5:36!

[@jordanpeterson5038]

It's always so fascinating to see what we had back in the day. It makes you want one depending on what it is.

[@EpicLebaneseNerd]

i remember it was all the rage in france...i always wanted to play burning rubber on it....

[@controlaltdelete4165]

Being a north american i never knew this existed , very interesting thank you THGM

[@magicMosquito]

I liked the video, I enjoy learning about niche hardware and especially about hardware from other countries. I also like the format and opportunity top hat is giving to other creators who are better versed on certain hardware or games to come and give their perspective. If I may point just one small thing it would be that Nova bugs segment ran a little too long and it felt disjointed. Other than that good stuff!

[@robbieyoung2541]

nice vid, now I gotta subscribe to Nova plus find myself a gx4000

[@AdiSneakerFreak]

Came out too late in the day for a new 8 bit console, everyone was waiting for the MD, I remember from reading the mags at the time. That said it was still far better than the Commodore 64 console effort. Nice to see Chris in the vid talking about his passion. I will say tho the early 90’s was still VERY strong for micro’s in Europe, Amiga was the daddy 😉

[@chazgirl6186]

I had a spectrum zx 24k

[@ressljs]

I remember when the GX-4000 came out despite the fact that no Amstrads were ever sold in America. I remember being fascinated by the thing, mainly because the the mysterious aura that goes with anything you know you'll never see in real life and wanting what you can't have. The American game magazine's made it sound like it was essentially the same as a Sega Master System due to both of them using a Z80 processor. I don't know how true that was, but considering the Sega Genesis (Mega Drive) was already out, it seemed doomed either way.

[@otothe-dash789]

You are truly the best!!!... I’m glad I am a subscriber. Thanks

[@Jonboytron1]

That console always reminded me of a Cylon Space Ship, I had a CPC464 at the time.👍

[@andyukmonkey]

21:37 Switchblade is an exception to that argument because it was released on the Plus before the standard CPC.

[@CRG]

The gx4000 is one of those machines that has really caught my eye in recent years just because of its obscurity. I didn't know it had an upgraded spec from the CPC... I just want one even more now. Have any more games been released homebrew that take advantage of its hardware?

[@Novabug]

Yes, several. Highlights would be Bears and the remake of Ghosts n goblins.

[@dartsma464]

Vespertino is coming too

[@Graytail]

I had one of these once... I cant remember what happened to it =\ I did buy one of the 4000's pads though, to partner with one of my CPCs. My 4000 only had the standard BASIC/Burnin' rubber cart, bought the console second hand, and I have never seen another cartridge for it in person, and I'm in the UK

[@wa5347]

Great video! Thank you! :D

[@brandonb1681]

I would love to get this for Pinball Magic. I love vintage and modern pinball games.

[@paulharris2070]

Thanks for introducing me to another system I never knew existed. If you haven't already, please do a video for the SSD Xavix.

[@catvideojogos]

Knowledge is your middle name. Thanks for this video, mate

[@timfiola8819]

Another awesome video . Tim

[@stevec00ps]

I got one from Dixons for £30 back in the day! No idea what happened to it :( I only had Barbarian II for it (along with Burnin Rubber)

[@GeoNeilUK]

The main problem with the GX4000 was it was a console based on a popular computer, it may have had upgrades compared to the popular computer, but why code to those upgrades when it's basically a CPC with the keyboard, tape or disk drive. Also, it was released as an 8 bit console at the start of the 16 bit era. Though, I do have to say, I was tempted by the Atari XEGS, another console based on a pre-existing 8 bit computer, but one that could be bought with a keyboard and all the stuff that would turn the XEGS into a full fat Atari 800, though the Atari 8 bits weren't big in the UK the way the Spectrum, C64 adn CPC were. I also wish that when me Dad went and bought my second gamng platform from Tandy (my first was the Philips G7000) that he'd got a Tandy 1000, rather than a Color Computer.

[@qwaH]

ah the one machine from the time that was even less popular than the C64GS (which I had, still do thought not sure it works anymore & actually liked, apart from the cost of the games in the day) wonder if thats on your list to look at, unless it got a breif cover in a previous C64 video that is

[@CastleFamilyThe]

qwaH i’m afraid your beloved C64GS sold even less than the GX4000 (15K v 10K) both were really bad as I’m sure you know, but at least the GX4000 gave you joypads and had updated hardware that wasn’t 8 year old by that point!

[@Novabug]

Yes, The GX was more successful. But, the GS strangely has grown in value over the years as a collectible.

[@spector969]

IMO the GX4000 just arrived a few years too late, by its release in 1990, the Sega Megadrive had already been available for a year or two in Japan & America, so hype was really building in the UK for this new 16-bit era. As a ten year old at the time, the GX4000 barely even made it onto my radar. It was just that weird looking console I'd see in Dixons, but it was only 8-bit, so who cared... I wanted a Megadrive!

[@mikeb8674]

You need to get in touch with 8-Bit Guy to get some retrobrighting for your Amstrad.

[@TheBerendir]

i had a zx spectrum and we went on holiday when i got back a mouse had eaten most of the rubbber keys lol!

[@Left-Earth]

Another awesome video! 👌 🎩🎮

[@SomeOrangeCat]

I like how chunky the games look. I don't know why, but there is something pleasing about the high color palette mixed with the squat pixels.

[@TopHatGamingManChannel]

thicc

[@GenMaster]

They look way smoother on CRT screens, the kind of display these graphics were made for.

[@oneofthenorth]

Is that lightforce in the background? Niiiice! 😁

[@harounalkanderi5128]

always loved your videos

[@trip2themoon]

"Bring the whole arcade into your home". That slogan still makes me laugh since it had a whole 2 arcade games available for it: Pang and Fire and Forget 2. Not even sure Fire and Forget counts since despite pictures of the arcade machine appearing in magazines at the time I don't think anyone has seen it in the wild. I was 12 when the GX came out and was baffled at the time. I couldn't understand why any company would release an 8 bit system when Sega's 16 bit offering was available and Nintendo's 16 bit was on the not too distant horizons.

[@oxogood9018]

Got a GX from a carboot sale as there called in the UK for 30 quid in box with burning rubber.

[@jamescameron1861]

I bought one of these from Dixons. I quite liked it. I also liked the I\O. A console with a SCART connector no less! The pads were awful though! Unfortunately, I ended up getting 2 from Dixons. My consoles got *very* hot towards the left-hand side and both died within a matter of weeks. Dixons had no more stock so I got a refund. I also remember that Dixons had a big display and were showcasing the machine. Shame really, as some of the games were decent (considering the hardware) I still think about picking one up from time-to-time...

[@RanFire]

If the Amstrad CPC+ had been released 2, 3 years earlier. it may have stood a chance, a cheaper 8-bit amiga.

[@Tornado1994]

1988. Had it come out in '88.

[@dartsma464]

They were working on another enhanced Amstrad CPC that would have been released at that time. Arnold number 2. Sadly it was never released

[@ianbarrett4166]

Being the 6128 came out in 85 they should have released something by 88 latest 89 by 1990 it was to late unless it was going to be 16 bit

[@albmab]

Checking ebay 01-13-2020. Amstrad GX4000 at $276.00... I think its more expensive in the US market than Europe, right? Would like to get the system.

[@pjay12467]

I heard about this system in and old EGM and knew from that article that it was connected to a U.K. microcomputer but I had forgotten which one.

[@atomicskull6405]

0:50 Took me a second to recognise mod.crystalhammer (crystalhammer.mod for PC folks) playing in the background. Some other good amiga classics to check out are techead4.mod, and spacedebris.mod

[@triobros98]

Us/japan: hi we make consoles Canada/uk: we tryed but failed

[@maxwelsh6121]

16:22 if it had DMX sound it would bark at you a lot ,huh?

[@pvtpeppers6176]

Good stuff👍

[@meh78336]

I don't think anyone was really surprised at the time that the GX4000 and the C64 console both failed. Both were way to late to the party when the move to 16bit was already well under way with the Amiga and Atari ST.

[@RanFire]

At least the GX4000 was an upgrade on the original CPC. It was an 8 bit Amiga. although it was too late, 2, 3 years earlier and at the right price.

[@RAMCARTGAMER]

i let the ads play to the end. Your welcome top hat.

[@pdeaky]

THGM, will you be making the trip to Blackpool this year do you reckon? Hope so, be great to catch you again and cringe at some of the games market prices with you! Hahahaha!

[@TopHatGamingManChannel]

Depends on the date and if I am in the country! I am in and out the country long term as of next week!

[@headbangersworld]

CPC464... It seems "she" was the first love of most of us ;)

[@ihavetubes]

Great video

[@atolm1]

#dead at Novabug's boxgasm scene haha 🤣

[@jamesfx2]

Mean Machines (main UK gaming mag) didn't rate the GX4000. I remember that that said they "couldn't give GX4000 for anything else". This is such an absurdly dead cultural reference that I don't even want to explain it.

[@ivarfiske1913]

That must have been later issues of Mean Machines. They were positive in earlier issues.

[@smartl4d]

From the get go this console was a joke along with burning rubber, it never stood a chance

[@PartyDude_19]

It would definitely would've had much more success if it was released 5 years earlier

[@jasonphillips5816]

@@PartyDude_19 I'm a console collector and bought one a while ago, I think even if it had been released just a couple of years earlier and with a better game than Burning Rubber it would have done well, one thing that does impress me about it is the picture quality, it looks really clear much better than my Snes and Megadrive Consoles, probably slightly clearer than my N64 too, it couldn't be much better if it was HDMI.

[@laurafear3853]

Jason Phillips Wham

[@dartsma464]

@@jasonphillips5816 makes you wonder what Nintendo was thinking with the 64. Just awful unclear low-res upscaled picture

[@yuvraj01]

By releasing this console in 1990 more so as an 8 bit system it was already up against it more so with the genesis on the and the release of the SNES....and then in 1991 you get the Mega CD, which all made the GX4000 look antiquated by the early 90's...

[@retrocysper3709]

Only if released 2 - 3 years later it would have a decent success.

[@inceptional]

Remember when Mean Machines magazine had this as one of the choice consoles on the cover of its first few issues because they actually believed it was going to be an important/relevant system in the upcoming console wars. . . . LOL

[@JimGiant]

Never even heard of the GX4000 though. I had a Master System in 1990 and it was a few Christmases away before I finally got the Megadrive due to the price. If I knew of this system and there was a decent library of hardware pushers I think my family would have ended up buying it. From what I've seen in this video I'd agree lazy ports are probably the main reason. Controller, design and hardware seem decent for the price and I can't see any glaring mistakes.

[@andyukmonkey]

An Amstrad Plus machine would have been a better bet than the Gx4000 for a buyer because at least you could buy standard cassette or disk games which were still made for a good 3 years after the Plus range's release. Or even the odd Plus enhanced disk or tape game!

[@K-Blao]

I have that same British pillow at 0:10

[@brianeych]

All these failed consoles did it wrong. On the box you have to put on all sides: "Your grandchildren will LOVE it!"

[@jesuszamora6949]

I don't know why, but the description of home computers as "pregnant calculators" is hilarious to me.

[@dartsma464]

That was Alan Sugars intention 👍

[@projectw.a.a.p.f.t.a.d7762]

Looked impressive for it's time.

[@jameslewis2635]

I think that this machine could have been a success if it had been released in the mid to late 1980's. At the time of 1990, when it was released, it was up against the Amiga 500 and Atari ST (with larger software bases that could be found second hand for similar prices), the NES and the Sega Master System which were already around with a market share and decent games library. All of that made it impossible for this machine to compete. Add to that the lack of expandability (in terms of being able to connect drives and keyboards) plus quality issues and it was doomed to fail.

[@dartsma464]

Where was the NES selling? Its impact in Europe was low

[@suburbia2050]

You are forgetting the all important price point and retail channels though!

[@adamfromabove84]

Great vid.. Can you recommend a 3rd party psu on the Internet? I have the system but too afraid to turn her on.

[@jamescameron149]

I owned one of these. I seem to remember that it got *very* hot and died. Dixons promoted these reasonably, however after I'd got through 2 they didn't get any more and I was refunded.

[@Novabug]

That was probably due to a faulty PSU brick. They are terribly unreliable

[@Sm0k3dogg]

I think the Amstrad GX4000 failed not only because it was released at the wrong time, but it was 8-Bit and that was already old by 1990. The Sega Megadrive was released in Japan in 1988 and for the next two years magazines like CVG were showing screenshots of awesome looking games such as Ghouls N Ghost and Altered Beast, by the time the console was released in the UK in 1990 many gamers had spent years salivating over screenshots of Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi and many others, it was the best free advertising Sega would have. CVG even done special quarterly editions of magazines such as "The Complete Guide To Consoles" which only served to whet the gaming public's appetite even more. Sega were also doing some amazing stuff in the Coin-Op market as well and the prospect of owning as close to the arcade as possible versions in your own home was too good to pass up, never forget the phrase CVG made for many of the reviews "Arcade Perfect". For Sega it was a perfect storm that brought European Success, for all others it was pointless to compete..................... Until Nintendo entered the 16-Bit fight that is.

[@cambs0181]

On this week's apprentice the teams have to find a way of breaking into the offices at Sony and steal the plans for a game console!

[@FastTquick]

I’ve got a comment on why some I think some consoles put the pause button on the consoles themselves rather than the controllers. I think I remember reading that Nintendo had a patent on putting pause buttons on controllers at the time, and Sega and Amstrad put pause buttons on their consoles to avoid lawsuits. I don’t remember where I found this information, though. Anyone feel free to comment if I’m wrong.

[@Novabug]

I can't speak for the MS, but the GX's board has the 464 architecture. The pause button is mapped to the P keyboard input. It is possible to connect a keyboard to the GX via some clever wiring. I believe this was an easier option than to map a third button to the controller, and more cost effective also.

[@Lightblue2222]

It doesn't have NBA JAM though.

[@chazgirl6186]

Nba was awesome but.

[@chazgirl6186]

He's on fire

[@Lightblue2222]

The team is on fire!

[@monstrogoth]

If you want to see what the GX4000 was really capable of, you should see and listen this demo : kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYGmqnltZpVsbtE

[@dr666demento]

Ironically, today is the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing (assuming you don't think it's a hoax).

[@metaknight2432]

Dr Demento We’ll cross the Van Allen belt eventually and get a better glimpse of that plasma. I can taste it.

[@kpheider]

By 1990 the world was moving toward 16-bit and 32-bit processors. 8-bit was 1979-1991.

[@suburbia2050]

You are forgetting the all important price point and retail channels though!

[@oldirtygamer]

Lol President Biff LMAO!

[@Tornado1994]

Evil Biff!

[@Rara-mr9rx]

Can you please do a more in-depth video on the vectrex I know you have talked about it in the past but I would like to find out more about it because my grandma has got one

[@urbanmidnight1]

Another enlightening presentation!

[@blackenedheart9592]

I like it's design. It looks cool to me.

[@raymxslappedyall3660]

looks like a modem

[@thelonejedi538]

President Biff lol nice one

[@razor000999000]

I picked one up back 1992 for £29.99, with a copy robocop.

[@yellowbelly9005]

#BugArmy

[@ojbeez5260]

GX4000 games can go for about £300+ now!!

[@metaknight2432]

Could the console have the pause button to avoid accidentally hitting it while playing? I am in Canada and I bought a console in the UK a few years back. It worked fine in Derby but the converter has never worked for me at home, so I’ve only ever played it once. Does anyone know if there is some kind of regional lock out? Maybe I need to order a part of some sort. Love to play robocop again.

[@TopHatGamingManChannel]

You probably need a different power converter. UK power voltage is twice that of the US - so you are only feeding the device half the power it needs. I have special power down converters to play US and Japanese systems here.