Memorex VIS

[RobotWillie]

So I just noticed when I was looking at a topic I posted in I had got to 50 posts which in turn changed my level to "Memorex VIS".

Never heard of that system. I know of Memorex,I know they make CD's,cassette's,VHS tapes, and such stuff.

I know, one could say just google it, but whats the fun of a forum if someone can't ask a question. Yes, Googleing it may help answer the question, but it won't be as fun to me either. I want to hear from the RF Generation what this sucker was.

[Wempster]

I don't remember a lot about the system, other than it used discs and my roommate in college grabbed one back when we first started collecting games and systems.  He was trying to get as many different systems as possible. I just remember it was terrible. 

[RobotWillie]

Maybe I will look it up after all. But whoever did the ranking at least think its better than the N-Gage or on par with it since thats the newbie rank. But I had actually heard of the N-Gage and knew its reputation. But you did shed to light that it used discs, I was actually expecting something experimental from Memorex like cassette (but I guess at that time disc were experimental too). I will start by looking up any games this site has in its DB.

Edit: And now for the exciting 71 game catalog of the Memorex VIS. It was used more for education than as a game system. Pretty terrible based on the titles alone.

1992 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The
American Heritage Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
American Vista
Americans in Space
Astrology Source
Atlas of U.S. Presidents
Better Homes and Gardens: Healthy Cooking
Better Not Get Wet, Jesse Bear
Bible Lands, Bible Stories
Cask of Amontillado, The
Compton's Multimedia Encyclopedia VIS Edition
December 24th
Exploring America's National Parks
Fitness Partner
Great Lives
Henry and Mudge: In the Sparkle Days
Henry and Mudge: The First Book
Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?
Just Grandma and Me
Kid-Fun
Kids Can Read: A Long Hard Day on the Ranch
Kids Can Read: Aesop's Fables
Kids Can Read: Cinderella
Kids Can Read: Heather Hits Her First Home Run
Kids Can Read: Moving Gives Me a Stomache Ache
Kids Can Read: Mud Puddles
Kids Can Read: Scary Poems For Rotten Kids
Kids Can Read: The Night Before Christmas
Kids Can Read: The Paper Bag Princess
Kids Can Read: The Tale of Benjamin Bunny
Kids Can Read: The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Kids Can Read: Thomas' Snowsuit
Learn To Play Guitar
Links: The Challenge of Golf
Manhole, The
Meeting of Minds, The
Mosaic Magic
Multimedia Animals Encyclopedia
Mutanoid Math Challenge
Mutanoid Word Challenge
My Paint
Necklace, The
New Basics Electronic Cookbook, The
Our House
Peter and the Wolf
Playing With Language: Games in English
Playing With Language: Games in French
Playing With Language: Games in German
Playing With Language: Games in Japanese
Playing With Language: Games in Spanish
Race the Clock
Rainbow & Snowflake's Search for the Sea
Rick Ribbit's Adventures in Early Learning
Rodney's Funscreen
Sail With Columbus
Secrets of Hosea Freeman, The
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Vol. 1
Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective Vol. 2
SmartKids Challenge One
Survey of Western Art, A
Talking Stepping Stones
Tell-Tale Heart, The
Time Table of History: Arts and Entertainment
Time Table of History: Business, Politics & Media
Time Table of History: Science and Innovation
Title Sampler [Demo]
Victor Vector & Rondo: The Vampire's Coffin, The Awesome Adventures of
Video Movie Guide 1993
Vision Multimedia Bible for the Entire Family
Wild Animals!
World Vista

[understatement]

I'm pretty sure it was one of the first systems to have wireless controllers as standard, so I guess it's got that going for it?

[RobotWillie]

Actually it probably was better to ask you guys. You know just as much about it as Wikipedia. And there it is officially called the Tandy VIS, not the Memorex. Althouh it was only sold at RadioShack (those good old days) under the Memorex names.
https://en.wikipedia.org/..._Video_Information_System

I believe you when you say it had some of the first wireless controllers but that isn't even talked about on that page. One of the smallest articles for a system I have ever seen on any site.

And the article says the RadioShack employees called it "Virtually Impossible to Sell", and only sold 11,000. It actually has a decent sized catalog even for educational stuff for something that only sold 11,000 units.  

It is also the only thing known to use Modular Windows which Microsoft modified Windows 3.1 to make.

I'd actually rather be called the N-Gage at this point, at least people know what it is even though its bad.  

I'm not saying I am taking the level thing seriously, its just funny even on a site like this people don't know much about it besides that it sucked a lot. But I guess it's easier to get one of the 3 million N-Gages than one of the 11,000 VIS's if your collecting even lowly systems. I don't know if I agree with the level on this though, sounds like the N-Gage is at least a little better in some ways to me. Not saying it needs to be changed.

I guess the best people here though are the ones with Donor as their level.  I will donate sometime. I have donated to 2 other forums/sites before so why not again.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

The VIS was essentially a CDTV clone made by Tandy/Radio Shack that flopped. That's all I knew of it.
Judging by the list of entries there, it looks like an updated TI-99/4A.

EDIT: TI-99/4A library meets CDi?
[img width=700 height=525]http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/BCcAAOSwepZXQmKN/s-l1600.jpg[/img]

[RobotWillie]

Look at who the spokesman was for the TI-99/4A.

https://upload.wikimedia....erlays_%28adjusted%29.jpg


I was going to make a bad joke but I won't.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

Yeah, both were marketed heavily by Radio Shack too.

[techwizard]

i love hearing about these weird systems, knowing that they exist, but i could never see myself owning one. i always want games and systems in my collection that i actually enjoy, and unless there's some really good hidden gem for the system i don't see myself ever wanting it.

by the way, i believe the ranking system on rfgeneration is tied to the number of games released for the consoles named in the ranks. so when you hit a number of posts that equals the number of games released for a system, you get that system's name. i could be wrong about that, or maybe it works in a similar but slightly different way, but i think it's something along those lines and not "this console is better than that one". and of course there's special ranks for staff, donors, and rfg friends that are assigned by staff.

[RobotWillie]

That makes sense. Since it has 71 releases and it changed to that at 50. So whoever did it chose a system that had about 50, or somewhere in the range of 50-100 when I am guessing it might change next. That makes more sense than deciding what's "better" for sure because that can open up room for people to argue about it. It just happens many of the systems with low release numbers happen to also suck.

[techwizard]

That makes sense. Since it has 71 releases and it changed to that at 50. So whoever did it chose a system that had about 50, or somewhere in the range of 50-100 when I am guessing it might change next. That makes more sense than deciding what's "better" for sure because that can open up room for people to argue about it. It just happens many of the systems with low release numbers happen to also suck.

There's usually a reason they have those low numbers

[RobotWillie]

Well, the Jaguar CD only had 14 games so I think it must really be based on popular opinions on whats better than the previous system.

[Marriott_Guy]

As has been previously stated, the VIS was originally developed/marketed by Tandy and then rebranded as the Memorex VIS.  Detailed info, review and games for the system for those interested:

http://www.videogameconso...pg90-vis.htm#page=reviews

[RobotWillie]

That is a very cool website you have there.

I have bookmarked it and I don't have very many bookmarks on my new computer I've had since January yet. Its ones of those websites you can just have fun looking through it.

[Shadow Kisuragi]

...damn, I missed my chance to plug your site and didn't even realize it.