X1
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| Released: | 1982-??-?? |
| Discontinued: | 198?-??-?? |
| Developer: | Sharp |
| Type: | Hardware |
The X1 is a series of 8-bit home computers developed by Sharp and released from 1982-1988. Though the computers appeared under-powered compared to their competitors on paper, some clever engineering designs allowed it to perform very fast and gave programmers access to a higher ratio of memory than other computers at the time. The X1 originally used cassettes, but switched to diskettes as newer models were released.
The computer line was ultimately succeeded by the impressive X68000.
Contents
Models
There are three main groups of models of the X1.
X1 C/D/CK/CS
The original X1 model was sold in traditional gray, and a stylish red and had the computer as a separate box from the keyboard. In 1983, the X1-C model was released with a smaller L-shaped computer that sat over the keyboard. Also, in 1983, the X1-D model was released which used a disk drive and functioned like the first model. In 1984, the X1-CK and the X1-CS, both cassette models, were released.
X1 Turbo I/II/III
The X1 Turbo model was released in 1984 which increased the graphical capabilities, but unfortunately used the same aging CPU as the first model, which made it difficult for programmers to take advantage of the improved graphics. The X1 Turbo sold with either a cassette deck, a 5.25" floppy drive, or two floppy drives. Sharp would upgrade this model to the Turbo II and a Turbo III by 1986.
X1 Turbo Z I/II/III
In 1986, the X1 Turbo Z was released which was followed up by the Turbo Z II and the Turbo Z III, in 1988. This included more memory and a mouse. This also marked the end of the X1 computer line as the X68000 had already been released.
Games
While the X1 family saw at least 200 games released for it, nearly all of them were ports from other computer platforms.
Music and Sound
The earliest produced X1 computers had an AY-3-8910 built onto the board, but later models used the Yamaha version, the YM2149.
Links
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X1_%28computer%29 - Wikipedia.
- mobygames.com/browse/games/sharp-x1 - MobyGames.
