Hobbyretro, your retro computers and consoles shop

Was it a Spectrum ZX or a Amstrad CPCor perhaps a Commodore 64 or a MSX? One of the most exciting days of my life was when I got my first personal computer.

En aquellos años, todavía éramos solo algunos de los compañeros del colegio los que teníamos un ZX Spectrum or a Amstrad CPC so it was not easy to get new games. The few we had were gifts from a special occasion or some of them were exchanged with classmates.

It was very exciting to return home with the illusion of living a new adventure after a loading screen. Those were times when we all used tape decks, and some of us with luck a 3? floppy disk, because at that time a hard disk was an unattainable concept.

Now we can relive those thrilling moments with our console and retro computerfor which new games are created and homebrew software and with which we also have a multitude of modern expansions that make things much easier for us.

Can you imagine having these massive supports when we were kids? Surely the story would have been very different?

Thousands of parents were persuaded to buy their children home computers in the belief that they would help them do their homework or become geniuses.....

The reality was, of course, that children only used them to play games, and only a minority of geeks took it upon themselves to program them. Nothing much has changed since then, as today we still use them mainly for entertainment purposes.

However, some of us did get the bug to learn how to program and learn how that mysterious machine worked, a fact that for many of us marked the beginning of a possible related professional career. 

So, in the end, in a way, the intention of our parents at the time was fulfilled in a big way.

Some of those children blessed by the possibility of having a personal computer at home were the HobbyRetro.com team, and we are still enjoying every day of our retro computersIn fact, most of us have our own little collection of retro computers and games of the time.

That's why we enjoy creating and assembling new expansions and adaptations to give a new life and another use to our nostalgic computers and consoles, researching and discovering new things with them is part of our passion...
And you? are you one of us? if the answer is YES you are from hobbyRetro

You probably have an unforgettable toy that marked your childhood. For some of us it was that fantastic Scalextric that our uncle gave us (the coolest one) or the skateboard with which you got so many bruises.

But surely for you, the special childhood toy of your childhood was your first home computer or console . That Amstrad CPC that the Three Wise Men probably brought you, or that NASA console with which you played Mario and Zelda.

The first consoles and home computers, released in the 1980s amazed young and old alike.

In the 1980s it was very difficult for anyone in the immediate environment to own a console or home computer. The impact they made the NES or Megadrive consolesor computers ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, o Commodore AmigaIt was incredible.

They are undoubtedly happy memories and sensations that will remain engraved in the nostalgic memory of many of us for the rest of our lives.

Homebrew software "homebrew software" is the term often applied to video games produced by consumers to target any hardware platform. This can include games developed with official development kits, such as Net Yaroze or Linux for PlayStation 2. One popular type of homebrew game is the fangame. In Japan, these games are often called "D?jin soft", the legality of which depends on what the software does.

Homebrew games for retro systems are often developed using emulators for convenience, as no additional hardware is required for testing by the programmer and they can work on the development comfortably on their personal computer.

Homebrew development for newer systems often requires real hardware, given the lack of emulators. However, efforts have been made to use real console hardware for many older systems.

Homebrew developers for the Atari 2600 console use various methods, for example, recording an EEPROM to connect to a custom cartridge board or mass media such as the UnoCart. Game Boy Advance homebrew developers have several ways of using GBA flash cartridges in this regard.

Along with the Sega Dreamcast, the Game Boy Advance and the PlayStation Portable, the most used platforms for homebrew development are the older generations of computers and consoles, including retro computers. Amstrad CPC and PCW, Spectrum ZX, Commodore and the standard MSXand among the retro consoles we find the Atari 2600 and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), SuperNintendo and Sega consoles; Game Gear, master system and megadrive (Genesis).

The Atari 2600 and the NES use the 6502 instruction set, probably familiar to those who have programmed 8-bit home computers, such as the Commodore 64 or the Apple II. Another factor in the popularity of the retro systems The main reason why homebrew development is so much easier and more portable than modern consoles is that their simplicity allows an individual or a small group to develop amazing games in a reasonable amount of time.

The major sixth generation consoles enjoy some popularity among homebrew developers, but less so than previous generations. This is mainly due to the fact that software production requires more resources, that accurate emulators are not yet available, and that the consoles themselves often employ rather complex systems to prevent unauthorised code execution.

We define "New old stock (NOS)The term "old stock" refers to old video games that have never been sold to a customer, but are still new in their original packaging.

These games are no longer in production, so new old stock is the only way to get a game in perfect condition.

Another definition of NOS is new original stock, which means original equipment parts that were left in inventory for a use that never came. Car dealers and parts companies often sell this type of slow-moving stock at a discount.

In some cases it is possible to find these parts in retroinformatica, although it is becoming more and more difficult.

If you like to enjoy your retro computers and consoles whenever you have or have some time to spare, you've probably noticed that waiting for a tape to load is no longer as much fun as it is in our memory.

Today's pace of life demands a lot of time, so we have less and less time for leisure, and many of us are also parents and have our obligations.

The massive supports allow us to have available the entire repertoire of video games for our consoles and retro video games in the same support, in addition to offering in some cases, a much faster loading than the conventional one.

Disponer de un soporte masivo es una gran ventaja, y en hobbyRetro lo hacemos posible.