VideoBrain



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

This was a pioneer of sorts, the first computer designed as an appliance for anyone to use; you just had to insert the cartridge and press a button. It was not necessary to learn commands, unlike other home computers at the time. It was not a particularly powerful hardware, 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.