March 2020

Mar 31, 2020

Zenith enters the home computer market,
Atari's Lynx goes national &
Nintendo finally embraces disks with the 64DD.

These stories and some that aren't about abject financial failures on this month's episode of the Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

This month we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in March of 1980, 1990, & 2000.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events..

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1980:
Home computer specialty shops are proliferating
https://www.nytimes.com/1980/03/09/archives/connecticut-weekly-computers-made-to-feel-at-home-shop-talk.html?searchResultPosition=5

Zenith gets into the computer market
Zenith's new hope, Forbes, March 31, 1980, pg. 32

Plato comes home
https://archive.org/details/creativecomputing-1980-03/page/n87/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PLATO_(computer_system)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_Data_Corporation

Star Raiders reviewed
https://archive.org/details/1980-03-compute-magazine/page/n71/mode/1up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_VDM8nC9sM

Coleco rights financial ship thanks to electronic games
PR Newswire, March 6, 1980

Mattel announces price for Intellivision
Wall Street Journal, March 14, 1980, pg. 15

Space Invaders belongs to Atari
https://archive.org/details/1980-03-compute-magazine/page/n72/mode/1up
Toy & Hobby, March 1980pg. 78
https://www.handheldmuseum.com/Atari/SpaceInvadersSuperBreakout.htm

Toy Fair sees 400 electronic SKUs
Toys Hobbies & Crafts, March 1980, pg. 16

Aussies get pinball fever
Replay, March. 1980, pg. 74
https://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?searchtype=advanced&mfgid=2#2868

Copycats flood the ATE show in London
Play Meter, March 15, 1980, pg. 59
https://www.techopedia.com/definition/9905/vector-display

1990:
Supreme Court refuses to hear Red Baron Case
Play Meter, March 1990, pg. 30
https://itlaw.wikia.org/wiki/Red_Baron_v._Taito

Xerox sues Apple
https://archive.org/details/1990-03-compute-magazine/page/n7/mode/1up
https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/15/business/company-news-xerox-sues-apple-computer-over-macintosh-copyright.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/24/business/most-of-xerox-s-suit-against-apple-barred.html

Spectrum Holobyte sues Accolade over Mental Blocks
https://archive.org/details/1990-03-compute-magazine/page/n7/mode/1up
https://www.mobygames.com/game/mental-blocks

The US Government is going after Nintendo for Antitrust
https://archive.org/details/1990-03-compute-magazine/page/n8/mode/1up
https://apnews.com/81733e920217fea625390bc536d81e4f

Xmas sales numbers are in...
Playthings, March 1990
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VTech_Socrates
https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/Nintendo_Entertainment_System_Power_Set
https://nintendo.fandom.com/wiki/NES_Action_Set

Nintendo World Championship begins!
Playthings, March 1990
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nintendo_World_Championships

Commodore knows how to strike back against Japanese Console dominance!
https://archive.org/details/ACEIssue30Mar90/page/n20/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64_Games_System
https://archive.org/details/ACEIssue30Mar90/page/n113/mode/1up

CD based A500 rumors...
https://archive.org/details/ACEIssue30Mar90/page/n20/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_CDTV

Commodre 65 has been cancelled
https://archive.org/details/1990-03-computegazette/page/n7/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_65
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/01/business/commodore-international-reports-earnings-for-qtr-to-dec-31.html?searchResultPosition=2

Konix sells off the rights to its line of joysticks
https://archive.org/details/thegamesmachine-28/page/n7/mode/1up

MCA to sell LJN to Acclaim
Toy and Hobby World, March 1990, pg. 6
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-01-23-fi-524-story.html
https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/13/business/mca-in-pact-with-acclaim.html

Atari announces nationwide launch of the Lynx
Playthings, March 1990
https://apnews.com/a1288531efff2f9504f70dbcd9f8b6cc

.. and the UK launch, too.
https://archive.org/details/computer-and-videogames-100/page/n10/mode/1up

Atari teams up with Atari
https://www.mobygames.com/browse/games/lynx/tengen-inc/

NEC Shows off TurboExpress behind closed doors
https://archive.org/details/ACEIssue30Mar90/page/n18/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/computer-and-videogames-100/page/n48/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TurboExpress

The TurboGrafx 16 arcade cabinets are no more...
Replay , March 1990 pg. 66

The first museum show featuring arcade games opens
https://archive.org/details/1990-03-compute-magazine/page/n9/mode/1up
http://www.movingimagesource.us/articles/hot-circuits-20090115
http://www.movingimage.us/collection/videogames

Cinemaware shows off Wings
https://archive.org/details/ACEIssue30Mar90/page/n18/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wings_(1990_video_game)

2000:
Cinemaware LIVES!!!
https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-2000-03/page/n8/mode/1up
https://www.linkedin.com/in/larsbatista/
https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,670214/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinemaware#Cinemaware_Inc._(2000%E2%80%932005)

The Amiga is back BABY!!!
https://archive.org/details/NextGen63Mar2000/page/n18/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiga,_Inc.
https://www.amigaforever.com/

Bill Gates steps down as CEO of Microsoft
https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-2000-03/page/n8/mode/1up
https://www.forbes.com/2000/01/13/mu7.html

Bernie Stolar is President and COO of Mattel Interactive
https://archive.org/stream/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20128%20(March%202000)#page/n39/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattel_Interactive
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/93473/Mattel_Hires_Stolar.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WonderSwan
https://www.retrogamer.net/blog_post/the-weird-world-of-wwf-smackdown-2/

GiveMeTalk.com let's you become a radio star... on the internet!
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_188/page/n170/mode/1up
https://web.archive.org/web/20010201144600/http://givemetalk.com/
https://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=62022

64DD Released in Japan
https://archive.org/stream/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20128%20(March%202000)#page/n32/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/64DD

N64 colored versions!
https://archive.org/stream/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20128%20(March%202000)#page/n33/mode/1up

Brazil bans violent games
https://www.retromags.com/files/file/3940-gamepro-issue-138-march-2000/
https://www.awn.com/news/brazil-bans-violent-video-games
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_advisory_rating_system
https://gamerant.com/brazil-violent-video-games-crime/

Quebec goes after English only games
https://www.retromags.com/files/file/3940-gamepro-issue-138-march-2000/ pg. 36
https://www.cnet.com/news/quebec-says-non-to-english-only-video-games/
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/113995/Quebec_Blocks_EnglishOnly_Games_When_French_Version_Exists.php

ASC Games closes its doors
https://archive.org/stream/ElectronicGamingMonthly_201902/Electronic%20Gaming%20Monthly%20Issue%20128%20(March%202000)#page/n39/mode/1up
https://archive.org/details/NextGen63Mar2000/page/n17/mode/1up
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASC_Games
https://www.mobygames.com/company/american-softworks-corporation

Cavedog Entertainment closes its doors.
https://archive.org/details/MicromaniaTerceraEpocaSpanishIssue62/page/n3/mode/1up
https://www.mobygames.com/company/cavedog-entertainment
https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,1527/
https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,339934/
https://www.mobygames.com/company/humongous-entertainment-inc
https://www.mobygames.com/search/quick?developer=Ron+Gilbert
https://www.mobygames.com/company/atari-inc

 

Recommended Links:
They Create Worlds: https://tcwpodcast.podbean.com/
Digital Antiquarian: https://www.filfre.net/
The Arcade Blogger: https://arcadeblogger.com/
The History of How We Play: https://thehistoryofhowweplay.wordpress.com/

Sound Effects by Ethan of History of How We Play.