APF-1000. What the heck IS this thing?

[ManekiNeko]

I owned one for a couple of weeks back in 1998 and I'm still not sure. Who distributed it? Were there any good games for it? All I seem to remember is a primitive boxing title with pastel graphics... almost like what would happen if Ms. Pac-Man and George Foreman threw a baby shower for one of their friends.

JR

[Ze_ro]

It's a rather obscure system, so you won't find many enthusiasts for it... I think Tempest is fairly into it (at least, moreso than most people anyways), so he might be able to provide more information. Anyways, here's what I know:

APF Electronics (APF being the initials of brothers Al & Phil Friedman, the founders) is the company that actually created the machine (... and wrote all the games, apparently). Yeah, I've never heard of them before either. The company was based in New York, and seems to have gotten their start by importing japanese audio equipment and making calculators (http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/apf.html) back in the early 70's. In addition to the MP-1000 and Imagination Machine, They also made a number of Pong ripoffs, as was the style at the time. From what I can tell, the company has since gone out of business, but I'm not sure what the circumstances were (Frankly, the MP-1000 didn't last long enough to be killed in the crash... it seems to have died sometime in 1979 or so). I may be wrong, but I'm fairly certain this system was only released in the states. I've certainly never found any sign of it here in Canada.

It seems that both an M-1000 and MP-1000 exist... although I can't seem to find much information on what differences (if any) exist between the two systems. Both are based on the same hardware (6800 processor running at 3.579 MHz) and both have Rocket Patrol built in.

Like pretty much all other classic consoles, APF tried to play the "computer expansion" market with the MP-1000... the "Imagination Machine" was a docking station which the MP-1000 actually fit into. The Imagination Machine had 9k of RAM (sources seem to conflict on this... I think the MP-1000 has 1k of RAM and the Imagination Machine has an additional 8k, but I could be mistaken), BASIC interpreter (on cartridge?), a built in cassette tape player and sound synthesizer... all for a mere $599. Not bad by 1978 standards. You could actually buy programs on tape to play with the Imagination Machine. Some expansion modules were also available to plug in disk drives and modems. I find no mention of any printer capability though, which seems like a rather strange omission for any computer.

One interesting quote I found: "The cassette mixed an audio track with the data track so as you were loading, a pre-recorded voice would tell you about the program."

As for good games, the DP Guide recommends Blackjack, Hangman/Tic-Tac-Toe/Doddle, and Space Destroyers. Space Destroyers is apparently a ripoff of Space Invaders, so it doesn't seem like you'll really find anything terribly unique and interesting here I'm afraid.

You might also want to check out this entry over at old-computers.com (http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=584), and this APF page (http://www.tcp.com/~lgreenf/apfpage.htm), which includes some very nice pictures and information.

--Zero

[christianscott27]

just when i think i've heard of every console out there, that machine looks very cool or at least it trumps an RCA studio II. i've always liked APF's style with the pongs, very high end stereo looking, i even have one with wired controllers that resemble salt shakers. nice info!

[rbudrick]

THis oughta wet your MP1000 whistle:

http://www.tcp.com/~lgreenf/apfpage.htm

I remember there being an emulator for it out there somewhere....maybe I was thinking of the Aquarius....

Anyway, I actually have one of these I picked it up at a flea market. It sat there in his vcs games bin for years until I offered him (I think) 10 bucks for it. For a couple years I had no games for it, but they are pretty easy to collect for once you find them (tough to find) because they usually go for really cheap. I think maybe 12 games or so were made for it. There is also one game built into the machine.

The system it self was sold seperately but could also be used in combination with some other hardware to make it a full-fledged computer....it's all on that link there, I believe.

-Rob

[digitalpress]

I've got an APF MP-1000 with a complete US set of games. I'd compare the quality to Astrocade. APF was a fairly prolific dedicated "pong" manufacturer in the 70's as well, so they had a little bit of know-how going into the programmable cartridge market.

Like Astrocade, there are a few really good games for the system that would otherwise be overlooked.

Also, the system is covered in the DP Guide, check out page 12. Sly wrote the FAQ on this years ago and translated that info into the book.

[ManekiNeko]

I love the promotional recording for Space Destroyers. It gives even Data Age's Mindscape album a run for its money in exaggerated melodrama and unintentional silliness.

http://www.tcp.com/~lgreenf/apfload.wav

I've gotta admit, though, the game sounds good, if that's where they're actually getting the sound effects.

JR