Video Game Newsroom Time Machine

CompuServe brings online services to the masses!
The Battle for Tetris begins in court!
Sega flounders heading into the Dreamcast launch!

These stories and many more on this month's episode of the Video Game Newsroom Time Machine.

This month we will look back at the biggest stories in and around the video game industry in August of 1979, 1989, 1999.
As always, we'll mostly be using magazine cover dates, and those are of course always a bit behind the actual events..

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Show Notes:

1979:
Summer CES in Chicago oversahdows the National Computer Conference
https://archive.org/details/CreativeComputingbetterScan197908/page/n21

APF Electronics introduces the Imagination Machine
https://archive.org/details/CreativeComputingbetterScan197908/page/n23
http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=584
http://hcvgm.org/APF_Imagination_Machine.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APF_Imagination_Machine
https://www.fastcompany.com/3063298/ed-smith-and-the-imagination-machine-the-untold-story-of-a-black-vid

Mattel shows off the Intellivision... sort of
https://archive.org/details/CreativeComputingbetterScan197908/page/n25
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellivision
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellivision#Keyboard_Component
https://web.archive.org/web/20170629111841/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/hardware/keyboard_tech.html

RCA follows up their COSMAC VIP with the VIP II
https://archive.org/details/CreativeComputingbetterScan197908/page/n27
http://www.cosmacvip.com/VIP2/VIP2.php

Texas Instruments enters the home microcomputing game
https://archive.org/details/CreativeComputingbetterScan197908/page/n23

Atari gets FCC approval for the 400 and 800 computers
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=Ij4EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA1&hl=de&pg=PA4#v=onepage&q&f=false

Softside warns: there’s no money in software
https://archive.org/details/softside-magazine-11/page/n3

CompuServe begins offering its services to home microcomputer users
https://books.google.com.au/books?id=Ij4EAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA1&hl=de&pg=PA18#v=onepage&q&f=false

BYTE talks about the tech of the future
https://archive.org/details/byte-magazine-1979-08-rescan/page/n91
https://obsoletemedia.org/data/disk/

1989:
Battle between Mirrorsoft and Nintendo starts
https://archive.org/details/CommodoreUserIssue711989Aug/page/n97
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fQtxKmgJC8
https://archive.org/details/ACEIssue23Aug89/page/n129
https://www.filfre.net/2017/07/a-tale-of-the-mirror-world-part-7-winners-and-losers/
https://player.fm/series/they-create-worlds/the-complete-tetris-story

Atari and Gameboy shown off at CES.
https://archive.org/details/thegamesmachine-21/page/n13

Nintendo and Atari both debut their handhelds at the Summer CES in NY
https://archive.org/details/1989-09-compute-magazine/page/n9

Atari announces the STE
https://archive.org/details/ACEIssue23Aug89/page/n8
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_ST#STE_models

Atari shows off the STacy and the Portfolio
https://archive.org/details/1989-08-compute-magazine/page/n61
https://archive.org/details/1989-08-compute-magazine/page/n78
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_STacy
https://web.archive.org/web/20071126105942/http://www.atari-portfolio.co.uk/aboutpf/ta-aboutpf.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cfQKxUffqA

Rainbow Arts releases first game compilation on CD for the C64!
https://archive.org/details/CommodoreUserIssue711989Aug/page/n7
https://www.c64-wiki.com/wiki/1st_CD-Edition_(Collection)

Broderbund shows off SimCity
https://archive.org/details/ACEIssue23Aug89/page/n27

Microprose jumps into arcade development
https://archive.org/details/thegamesmachine-21/page/n19
https://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7746
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQfcLl0poOA

Battletech centers announced at CES
https://archive.org/details/thegamesmachine-21/page/n19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdJA5C_Po4U

1999:
BLEEM! Comes to Germany (and everywhere else... thanks Internet!)
https://archive.org/details/PC-Player-German-Magazine-1999-08/page/n10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGHul1PrXCE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleem!

Nintendo reverses corse on Dolphin strategy
https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration56Aug1999/page/n11
https://money.cnn.com/2001/05/21/companies/gamecube/

Yamauchi to step down
https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_121_August_1999 page 28
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshi_Yamauchi

Will Nintendo's hold on the handheld market finally be broken?
https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration56Aug1999/page/n13
https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/07/30/top-15-best-selling-video-game-consoles-of-all-time

Microsoft buys Shadowfactor
https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_79_August_1999/page/n29
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamevoice

EA is prepping the launch of a little game called The Sims
https://archive.org/details/PC_Zone_79_August_1999/page/n45

Firaxis to develop Civilization sequel
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_181/page/n169

Interactive Magic abandons physical media
https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration56Aug1999/page/n13
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/microprose-ientertainment-network-inc-announce-152100191.html

More firings at ION Storm
https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_181/page/n33
https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,26588/
https://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,492/

Ed Boon promises a radical departure for the Mortal Kombat Series with part 5
https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_121_August_1999
https://www.mobygames.com/game/mortal-kombat-deadly-alliance

Sega lowers the price of Dreamcast in Japan
https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration56Aug1999/page/n13

Sega losses pile up
https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration56Aug1999/page/n15

Sony announces production of the Emotion Engine
https://archive.org/details/NextGeneration56Aug1999/page/n13