What is a Mattel Aquarius good for?

[josekortez]

I acquired one of these from a thrift store a few years back. I'm not sure if it plays proprietary software or Intellivision games, but I haven't been able to find any tribute sites to it. I assume it's not a very popular old-school computer. So what's it good for?

[swlovinist]

http://www.vdsteenoven.com/aquarius/

The Mattel Aquarius has a small library of cart games, as well as a library of cassette tape games. It is good for a laugh and has historical significance. The historical significance is how to not make a low end computer...

There is a person over on atariage that might be making a future multicart for the system. Check it out!

http://www.atariage.com/forums/topic...us-multi-cart/

[InsaneDavid]

Doorstop. Oh, and disappointment when found in the bottom of a box of miscellaneous electronics at a flea market after thinking you've spotted something interesting down there.

[Gapporin]

Absolutely nothin'! (Say it again!)

[Tempest]

Absolutely nothin'! (Say it again!)

Damn it! I was just about to say the same thing.

It's good for a few laughs. Beyond that and the historical (in)significance, not much. The games are fairly poor and almost all of them are available on the Intellivision (the cart releases anyway). It's one of those things you collect and never play with.

Tempest

[buzz_n64]

Yeah, I bought it at a swap meet/flea market, thought it was cool. Read up on it, and found out that it sucked. I'd still like to pick up some games for it to try it out, if the price is right.

[Rickstilwell1]

Damn it! I was just about to say the same thing.

It's good for a few laughs. Beyond that and the historical (in)significance, not much. The games are fairly poor and almost all of them are available on the Intellivision (the cart releases anyway). It's one of those things you collect and never play with.

Tempest

Kind of like the RCA Studio II

[josekortez]

Absolutely nothin'! (Say it again!)

I expected a Fifth Dimension reference, not an Edwin Starr reference! Good job!

Yeah, the Aquarius in question has been inside a disheveled box tied up inside a garbage bag since I bought it. This weekend, I might get brave enough to check it out and see if it works. It probably does.

[diskoboy]

If it does work, you'll probably end up putting it right back, soon after.

It really is that bad.

It's really sad when the 'follow up' to your first console is worse than the original. It fact, the Odyssey 2 has better GFX than most Aquarius games.

Astrosmash and Night Stalker are just awful... Worse than their M-Network 2600 counterparts.

[Jorpho]

Doorstop.

Haven't you heard? "Trebuchet ammunition" is the new "doorstop".

[Steve W]

Haven't you heard? "Trebuchet ammunition" is the new "doorstop".

Weirdly enough, I was also thinking about ammo to be flung from a Trebuchet.

I used to have a copy of LOGO and the modem for the Aquarius shrinkwrapped that someone gave me 15 years back. Eventually, after never coming across the computer in the wild, I broke down and opened them up to satisfy my curiosity about them. One of these days, I'll find an Aquarius and try the LOGO cart out. Can't think of any use I would ever have for the modem.

Every time I ever post anything about wanting an Aquarius, I get private messages from people trying to unload theirs. Thanks anyway, but I'd rather find one in the wild. I'll feel like I earned it that way, such is my level of collector nerdity.

[Tupin]

Every time I ever post anything about wanting an Aquarius, I get private messages from people trying to unload theirs. Thanks anyway, but I'd rather find one in the wild. I'll feel like I earned it that way, such is my level of collector nerdity.

If you could refer these people to me, I wouldn't mind.

But yeah, the computer died within two months. You could probably buy everything there is to buy for it except maybe the printer and not spend very much at all.