Plus

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  • CPC+/GX4000

  • Spanish Amstrad CPC 6128 Plus

  • Airbrushed CPC 6128 plus

  • The Amstrad GX4000


Introduction

In 1990 Amstrad introduced the "Plus" series which tweaked the hardware in many ways and added a cartridge slot to all models. Most improvements were to the video display which saw an increase in palette to 4096 colours and gained a capacity for hardware sprites. Splitting the display into two separate windows and pixel scrolling both became full supported hardware features although both were possible on the non-"Plus" hardware using clever programming of the existing Motorola 6845.

An automatic DMA transfer system for feeding the sound chip was also added but the sound chip itself remained unchanged. Additionally, the BASIC command set for disc access was improved.

A cut down CPC+ without the keyboard nor support for non-cartridge media was released simultaneously as the GX4000 video game console.

These models did not do very well in the marketplace, failing to attract any substantial third party support. The 8-bit technology behind the CPC was starting to look a little out of date by 1990 and users resented the substantial price hike for cartridge games compared to their tape and disc counterparts. It's often forgotten that Europe had a large CPC following well supplied by Amstrad it's said the plus machines sold best in France.

(Taken from Wikipedia.org)

The CPC Plus

CPC Plus can use cartridges released for the GX4000, but specific software can be created using the extra features without the need of hardware (contrary as it was claimed by Amstrad in 1991). The extra features are not locked by an hardware mechanism but only by a special 17 bytes-lenght sequence send to the CRTC. So, it's possible for everyone to create his own software on the cpc plus, using the extra features available through a 16kb ASIC I/O page. See Programming ASIC Excepted the extra-features, the Cpc Plus is almost full compatible with the old generation. We can notice some minor differences in emulated components (PPI, CRTC, FDC) and in the interruption mechanism in vectorised mode.


The GX4000 Games Console

The GX4000 is a game console based on a CPC 464+ without a floppy controller or keyboard (although it is actually possible to modify one, add a floppy controller and a keyboard and use it as a CPC+). It was delivered with two game paddles (as the ones delivered with the CPC+ models) and Burning Rubber on cartidge (without basic).

The GX400 was Amstrad's attempt to gain some share in the home game console market, then dominated by the likes of Nintendo and Sega. Like others before it, and like others after it, it failed abysmally in its goal. Despite the fact that the hardware was decent (after all the CPC+ series were some of the very best 8-bit computers ever designed), it was a case of 'too little, too late'. Lack of CPC+ specific software, lack of marketing effort and bad timing meant that Amstrad's adventure in the home market was about to end.


Specific Software for CPC+/GX4000

CPC+

Game creators

To complete

Non-cartridge games

Graphic

To complete

Desktop publishing
Graphic utilities

To complete... See Applications for exact words

Music software

To complete with software able to use dma sound playlist... See Applications for exact words

Other

To complete

Graphical user interfaces / Shells

To complete See Programming software for exact words

Operating Systems

To complete

Libraries

Demos

  • to complete

Cartridges released for the GX4000

Weblinks

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