Amstrad GX4000: Difference between revisions

| title = GX4000

| logo =

| image = Amstrad-GX4000-Console-Set.jpg

| caption = An Amstrad GX4000 with its accompanying [[game controller]]

| manufacturer = [[Amstrad]]

| type = [[Home video game console]]

| generation = [[History of video game consoles (third generation)|Third generation]]

| lifespan = {{vgrelease|EU|September 1990<ref>"ACE Magazine." ''ACE Magazine Issue 31 1990''</ref>}}

| Discontinued = 1991

| Media = [[ROM Cartridge]]

| CPU = [[Zilog Z80]]

| CPUspeed = 4&nbsp;MHz

| onlineservice =

|Unitssold units sold = 1415,000

| topgame = ''Burnin' Rubber'' (Pack-in)

The '''GX4000''' is a [[video game console]] that was manufactured by [[Amstrad]]. It was the company's short-lived attempt to enter the games console market.<ref name="GX4000 at Old Computers">{{cite web | title =GX4000 at Old Computers | publisher =Old-Computers.com | url =http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=2&c=1082 | access-date =6 May 2008 | archive-url =https://wwwweb.webcitationarchive.org/67JkyyHta?url=web/20120403043113/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=2&c=1082 | archive-date =303 April 2012 | url-status =dead }}</ref> The console was released in Europe in 1990 and was an upgraded design based on the then still-popular [[Amstrad CPC|CPC]] technology.<ref name="GX4000 at Old Computers"/> The GX4000 shared hardware architecture with Amstrad's [[Amstrad CPC#The plus range|CPC Plus]] computer line, which was released concurrently. This allowed the system to be compatible with the majority of CPC Plus software.

The GX4000 was both Amstrad's first and only attempt at entering the console market. Although offering enhanced graphics capabilities, it failed to gain popularity in the market, and was quickly discontinued, selling 15,000 units in total.<ref name="Retroinspection: GX4000">{{citeCite magazinenews | title =Retroinspection: GX4000 |pages=64 publisher |work=Retrogamer Magazine Issue |issue=52 Pg64 }}</ref>

The GX4000 was not successful commercially. During its lifespan, software for the system was short in number and slow to arrive, consumer interest was low, and coverage from popular magazines of the time was slight, with some readers complaining about a lack of information regarding the machine ''([[Amstrad Action]]'' was one of the few magazines to support the console). Within a few weeks of the initial launch, the system could be bought at discounted prices, and by July 1991 some stores were selling it for as little as £29.99.<ref>"Bitesize{{Cite Amstrad"news ''CVG|last=Leadbetter |first=Richard |date=July 1991 Pg78''|title=Bitesize Amstrad |pages=78 |work=CGV |url=https://archive.org/details/cvg-magazine-116/page/n77/mode/2up}}</ref>

There were many reasons for the system's lack of success. At this stage the 16-bit [[Commodore Amiga]] and [[Atari ST]], along with earlier 8-bit consoles and computers, were already dominating the European video game market, and hype for new 16-bit consoles such as the Mega Drive was starting to rapidly grow. Amstrad also lacked the marketing power to compete with the producers of the [[Sega Genesis|Mega Drive]] (released in November 1990 in Europe) and eventually the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super NES]].<ref name="GX4000 at Old Computers"/> On top of this, thereThere were also problems with software manufacturing, with many companies complaining that the duplication process was takingtook months instead of weeks,<ref>"{{Cite news |date=February 1992 |title=The French Connection" ''|pages=20–22 |work=Amstrad Action February|issue=77 1992''|url=https://archive.org/details/amstrad-action-magazine_202105/AmstradAction077/page/n19/mode/2up}}</ref> leading to little software available at launch, and some games being released late or cancelled entirely. Lastly, many GX4000 games were simply [[Amstrad CPC|CPC]] games released onto cartridge with minor or no improvements,<ref name="Retroinspection: GX4000"/> which lead to generally unimpressive looking games and consumer apathy, with many users not prepared to pay £25 for a cartridge game that they could buy for £3.99 on [[Compact Cassette (data)|cassette]] instead.

When discussing the market failure of the system, the designer, Cliff Lawson, claimed that the GX4000 was technically "at least as good" as the SNES,<ref name="Cliff Lawson Interview">{{citeCite magazinenews | title =Cliff Lawson Interview |pages=29 publisher |work=Retrogamer Magazine Issue |issue=11 Pg29 }}</ref> and that the machine faltered due to a lack of games and Amstrad not having the money to compete with [[Nintendo]] and [[Sega]].<ref name="Cliff Lawson Interview"/> When asked whether anything could have been done to make the machine a success, he replied that more money would have been required to give software houses more incentive to support Amstrad, and that the games and software needed to be delivered sooner; he also remarked that making the machine 16-bit would also have helped.<ref name="Cliff Lawson Interview"/>

[[File:Amstrad-GX4000-Motherboard-Flat-Top.jpg|thumb|Amstrad GX4000 [[Printed circuit board|PCB]].]]

[[File:Amstrad-GX4000-Console-BR.jpg|thumb|The GX4000 offered RGB video capability with the [[SCART]] connector in back.]]

[[File:Amstrad-GX4000-Console-Front-Flat.jpg|thumb|right|The connectors on the front of the console.]]

*CPU: 8/16-bit [[Zilog]] Z80A at 4&nbsp;MHz<ref name="GX4000 at Old Computers"/>

*ASIC: Support for sprites, soft scrolling, programmable interrupts, DMA Sound<ref name="Arnold V Specifications">{{citeCite webbook | publisher =CPCTech.org | url = http://www.cpctech.org.uk/docs/arn5new.html |title="Arnold V" SpecificationsSpecification |access-date Issue 1.4 |publisher=29Amstrad JanuaryPLC 2012|date=March 1990}}</ref>

*Mode 01: 160x200320×200 pixels with 164 colours

*Mode 12: 320x200640×200 pixels with 42 colours

*Sizes: 16x1616×16 (each sprite can be magnified 2x2× or 4x4× in X and Y)

[[File:Amstrad-GX4000-Controller-FL.jpg|thumb|right|GX4000 Controller[[gamepad]] controller]]

In all, 27nearly 30 games were produced and distributed for the GX4000.<ref>[{{cite web |title=Amstrad GX4000 |url=http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com/pg90-gx4000.htm#page=games Amstrad|website=Video GX4000Game onConsole videogameconsolelibrary.com]Library}}</ref><ref>[{{cite web |title=GX4000/CPC+ Games |url=http://www.cpcmania.com/GX4000-Games/Games.htm Complete list of GX 4000 games]|website=CPCMANIA}}</ref> The majority of games were made by UK- and French-based companies such as [[Ocean Software|Ocean]], [[Titus Software|Titus]], and [[Loriciels]].

*[https://wwwweb.webcitationarchive.org/67JkyyHta?url=web/20120403043113/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=2&c=1082 Old-Computers.com page on the GX 4000]

[[Category:Amstrad|GX4000]]