What was the Amiga designed for?

[CU_AMiGA]

When Commdore first launched the Amiga back in 1985, what was the machine designed for? Games, serious stuff, music, etc? I had heard that the original prototype, the Lorraine, was primarily built for games only. But after the games crash and that they decided to make it a full computer.

[Step]

According to interviews with Jay Miner, a gamesystem with the possibility the expand it further, sort of like an all purpose machine really....

[xeron]

It was originally going to be a new type of banana, that tasted like apples.*

*this could be a lie.

[CU_AMiGA]

xeron wrote:
It was originally going to be a new type of banana, that tasted like apples.*

*this could be a lie.

Yes, but would it have been upto the job?! :lol:

I pretty much thought that it was an "all purpose" machine.

[lempkee]

the purpose of it was to do an machine that people fell in love with , the made that happen and as he said later on... its nothing worser than when friends fight.

the amiga was community based from day 1 , everyone wanted to show that computers didnt had to be plain boring.

-

[Im>bE]

It was designed for the purpose
of being a perfect machine
with highquality and fast sound and gfx.

But we need to forget that now,
so that we can follow the footsteps
of unstable, and incompatable solutions.

A perfect machine does not make money
in the long run,
since the users do not need to upgrade.

Thus capitalists would not like it.

[JaXanim]

I've said it before and I'll say it again...

Amiga...made to make you smile!

It's that simple.

Cheers,

JaX

[redrumloa]

What was the Amiga designed for?

Games, plain and simple. It was a game machine that at the last minute was made into a full blown computer.

[Wain]

I think your question in and of itself represents the problems of Commodore throughout the ages.

[bhoggett]

The original design behind the Amiga was as a games console. What Commodore thought it should be is anybody's guess.

[amigamad]

Maybe you could have said this about the cdtv. :-)

[Tomas]

Games, plain and simple. It was a game machine that at the last minute was made into a full blown computer.

The a1000 did not look like a plain gaming computer to me.. But i do think that the a500 was probably most meant for gaming purposes.

[Floid]

Tomas wrote:

Games, plain and simple. It was a game machine that at the last minute was made into a full blown computer.

The a1000 did not look like a plain gaming computer to me.. But i do think that the a500 was probably most meant for gaming purposes.

The project began as a games machine at Hi-Toro, later become Amiga, later bailed out by Commodore.  But their "games machine" was always a little different; as I understand it, a good faction of the team wanted things like a multitasking operating system from the start, plenty wanted it to be expandable into a full computer whatever the initially shipped form.  (Something that, IIRC, Atari tried or failed at, at least in terms of price points, with the 7800 or somesuch thing.)  

Think of it as a sort of Neo Geo that grew legs and learned to walk upright.  The more it became obvious that 'ridiculously killer console' would be a stifling niche even if the market weren't weak, the more it became a full-fledged computer; anyone have Jay Miner's 'tax write-off' quote?

[Athlon]

To be the best and most stable machine out there ;-)

[Dr_Righteous]

The Lorraine was designed as a game system... Adopted by Commodore to replace the then existing home computer line, Commodore 64, 128, etc.

All this back in the days when computers were mainly business machines. A computer in the home? Why? Who would want a computer in their home? Game consoles... That's the way to go. :roll:


Ever notice history seems to be repeating itself? The lines between game console and home computer are blurring once again. XBOX, PS2... Hmmm...