I was surprised to see the fairly obscure Bally Home Computer System video game console listed as a home computer in the 1979 Popular Science Buyer's Guide. Is it really a legitimate computing platform? Known by many names, including the Professional Arcade, and the Bally Astrocade, we explore the system both as a video game console, and by attempting to program the famous 10 PRINT using its Astro BASIC videocade cassette cartridge.

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1979 Home Computer Buyer's Guide:    • 1979 Home Computer Buyer's Guide: App...  

End credits music is "Mind Virus" from the album "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs: A Soundtrack" by Bedford Level Experiment: https://bedfordlevelexperiment.bandca...

Resources / Further Reading on Bally:
https://8bitworkshop.com/blog/platfor...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bally_A...
https://ballyalley.com

Index:
0:00 The many names of Bally's console: some history
2:35 A real home computer? BASIC, newsletters, 3rd party
5:48 Videocades, cassettes, cartridges?
8:39 A tour around the system: keypad, ports, expansion
11:29 Specifications + product number
13:13 Controllers + Gunfight + Checkmate
17:26 Calculator + Scribbling
19:07 Space Invaders / Astro Battle 2009
22:05 10 PRINT in Astro BASIC?
28:30 Conclusion: great manual!
30:27 Thanks!