VideoBrain



Umtech's VideoBrain Family Computer was an interesting beast, walking the fine line between console and computer.

This was a bit of a pioneer: it was the first computer designed, as the name implies, as a "family machine", an appliance for anyone to use; you just had to put the cartridge in and turn it on. You didn't have to learn commands as you would for the usual computers at the time. It was not a powerful machine, but it was very modestly priced. With a modem and the proper software, it could also be used as a mainframe terminal. Another first is that it had four controller ports.

Even so, its simplicity made it rather limited; a computer enthusiast would choose something more flexible, such as an Apple II. It also didn't support the immensely popular BASIC language, only the more obscure and complicated APL. Its meager library consisted mostly of productivity and educational titles, with very few games and entertainment options. And the general public who could possibly benefit from such a "plug and play" computer still wasn't much aware that home computers even existed.