Other Computers:16 bit computers

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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.

Notable 16-bit machines of the era:

Notable 32-bit machines of the era:

  • 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.