APF Imagination Machine
A hybrid game console and home computer with built-in BASIC.
The APF Imagination Machine is a combination home video game console and home computer system released by APF Electronics Inc. in late 1979. It consists of two separate components: the APF-M1000 game system, built to compete with the Atari 2600, and an add-on docking bay featuring a full-sized typewriter keyboard and tape drive. The system is notable for its bundled APF BASIC interpreter, which allowed users to develop their own programs, and for an active community that traded games via a monthly mailing list that continued through the video game crash of 1983.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- APF Electronics Inc.
- Generation
- Second generation
- Media
- Cartridges, cassette tape
- Cpu
- Motorola 6800 8-bit @ 0.89 MHz (3.579 MHz Oscillator divided by 4)
- Memory
- 9 KB RAM (expandable to 17 KB (8 KB / 16 KB + 1 KB)), 14 KB ROM
- Graphics
- Video Display Controller MC6847 @ 256×192×4, 128×192×8
- Sound
- One sound channel in 5 octaves
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The impetus for the Imagination Machine was to beat to market Atari's preannounced but never-launched plans to extend the Atari 2600 into a home computer. The design was inspired by reverse engineering the TRS-80, Commodore PET, and Apple II home computers. Working directly with Fairchild Semiconductor, the team got much of its I/O design from Andy Grove. The engineering department wanted a modular design for optional expansion, but the marketing department wanted to bundle features, resulting in an integrated cassette tape drive that was later removed when floppy drives appeared on the market three months later as a superior storage technology.
The console features a dual-sided cassette drive that allows the user to write or use a stored program and also to record or play audio, a feature generally used for programmers to leave notes or for instructions to be read aloud before a game. A number of aftermarket add-ons were available, including an RS-232 Storage Cartridge, Floppy Disk Storage, 8K RAM Cartridge, Mini Floppy Disk Storage, and a Telephone Modem, connected through a hub called the "building block."
APF planned a follow-up console, the APF IM-2, but the company went bankrupt in 1983 due to the Video Game Crisis Of '83 before it could be released. No official specs have been released, though former employees have mentioned it was essentially the same M1000 core with typical upgrades.
Reader's Guide
The APF Imagination Machine occupies a unique position in the late 1970s as an early hybrid of game console and home computer, directly inspired by the desire to preempt Atari's computer plans. Its bundled BASIC interpreter and the detailed instruction manuals provided by retailers encouraged home programming, and the monthly mailing list for trading user-created games sustained a community even through the video game crash of 1983. Only 15 official game cartridges were released by APF, though many more games were distributed on cassette or printout through the newsletter. The system's modular design, with its "building block" hub for peripherals, reflected an engineering preference for expandability that was partially overridden by marketing decisions. Reviews at the time noted the solid hardware and the option to buy just the game system first, with the computer component added later. The system's large RAM and ROM capacities were praised, as was its ability to store new data on the same cassette as an application. The bankruptcy of APF in 1983 ended the platform's official support, but the active programming community and the system's role as a bridge between dedicated game consoles and home computers remain its lasting legacy.
Did You Know?
- The system's I/O design came from Andy Grove of Fairchild Semiconductor.
- Only 15 official game cartridges were ever released for the system, though many more user-created games were distributed via cassette.
- APF went bankrupt in 1983 before releasing its planned follow-up, the APF IM-2.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the APF Imagination Machine?
It is a hybrid home console and computer that APF Electronics Inc. shipped in late 1979. The setup pairs a cartridge-based game unit called the APF-M1000 with a dock that adds a full typewriter keyboard and a tape drive for data storage.
What processor and memory does the APF Imagination Machine run on?
The system is built around an 8-bit Motorola 6800 CPU clocked at roughly 0.89 MHz, paired with 14 KB of ROM and 9 KB of RAM that could be expanded up to 17 KB. Video output is handled by an MC6847 display controller, supporting resolutions of 256×192 in four colors or 128×192 in eight colors.
How did APF BASIC change the way people used the Imagination Machine?
The bundled BASIC interpreter let owners write and run their own programs directly on the hardware, which was unusual for a console of that era. This turned the machine into a genuine entry-level computer rather than just a game box, and it attracted a small but dedicated hobbyist audience.
How did the APF Imagination Machine community share games and programs?
Owners relied on a monthly mailing list to trade cartridges and share code with one another. That grassroots network kept the system alive and active even after the broader video game industry collapsed in 1983.
Why do retro-gaming fans still talk about the APF Imagination Machine?
It occupies a rare niche as a true console-computer hybrid from the late 1970s, predating most competitors that tried to blend the two categories. Its small library, quirky hardware, and the surviving mailing-list culture make it a cult favorite among collectors and console-history buffs.
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