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The 16 bit computers generation "killed" peacefully the 8 bit computers.
The 16 bit computer generation peacefully "killed" the 8 bit computers.


Amstrad couldn't see this move, and released the Amstrad Plus range while it should have got it 16 bited...
Amstrad couldn't see this move and released the Amstrad Plus range which should have been 16-bit.
(Or perhaps it should have been an hybrid with both a 16-bit CPU and a Z80 to keep compatibility with the old range, why not?)


(Or added another Z80 to get a 2x8 bit while kereping the Old range compatibility...why not ?)
On the other hand, Amstrad was producing affordable 16-bit PC compatibles with pseudo EGA capacity (16 colours), so in this way it was actually a 16-bit producer.


On the Other Hand, Amstrad was still producing cheap 16 bit PC compatible with pseudo EGA capacity (16 colours) so was actually a 16 bit producer.
See [[Amstrad PC]] for more information on Amstrad's ventures into the 16bit world.


Curiously, the 16bit computer era only peaked for a few short years, a much shorter timeframe than the 8bit, 32bit and 64bit computer eras.


*Commodore [[Amiga]]
Notable 16-bit machines:
*[[Atari ST]]
*TI-99/4 (1979)
*Acorn Archimede
*[[PC|IBM PC]] (1981), PC/XT (1983), PC/AT (1984), PS/2 (1987)
*IBM [[PC]] compatible.
*NEC PC-98 (1982)
*Apple Lisa (1983)
*Apple Macintosh (1984)
*[[Sinclair QL]] (1984)
*Elektronika BK (1985)
*[[Atari ST]] (1985)
*[[Amiga|Commodore Amiga]] (1985)
*[[Apple II|Apple IIGS]] (1986)
*[[Amstrad PC|Amstrad PC1512]] (1986)
*Sharp X68000 (1987)
*[[MSX|MSX Turbo-R]] (1990)


Notable early 32-bit machines:
*Compaq Deskpro 386 (1986)
*Acorn Archimedes (1987)
*Apple Macintosh II (1987)
*NeXT Computer (1988)
*FM Towns (1989)
*[[Amstrad PC|Amstrad PC2386]] (1989)
*Atari TT (1990)
*Amiga 3000 (1990)


See [[Amstrad PC]] for more information on Amstrad's ventures into the 16bit world.
Note: With the advent of 32-bit machines, hardware coprocessors became largely irrelevant for 2D games. The CPU was finally powerful enough to manage it all in software.
 


[[Category:Non CPC Computers]]
[[Category:Non CPC Computers| ]]

Latest revision as of 22:33, 29 April 2025

The 16 bit computer generation peacefully "killed" the 8 bit computers.

Amstrad couldn't see this move and released the Amstrad Plus range which should have been 16-bit. (Or perhaps it should have been an hybrid with both a 16-bit CPU and a Z80 to keep compatibility with the old range, why not?)

On the other hand, Amstrad was producing affordable 16-bit PC compatibles with pseudo EGA capacity (16 colours), so in this way it was actually a 16-bit producer.

See Amstrad PC for more information on Amstrad's ventures into the 16bit world.

Curiously, the 16bit computer era only peaked for a few short years, a much shorter timeframe than the 8bit, 32bit and 64bit computer eras.

Notable 16-bit machines:

Notable early 32-bit machines:

  • Compaq Deskpro 386 (1986)
  • Acorn Archimedes (1987)
  • Apple Macintosh II (1987)
  • NeXT Computer (1988)
  • FM Towns (1989)
  • Amstrad PC2386 (1989)
  • Atari TT (1990)
  • Amiga 3000 (1990)

Note: With the advent of 32-bit machines, hardware coprocessors became largely irrelevant for 2D games. The CPU was finally powerful enough to manage it all in software.

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