The top cap of the MBX joystick is required in order for the 360 degree control knob to work. This grey colored cap attaches to the potentiometer inside the joystick (the black piece in the middle is the potentiometer). Additionally, the cap must be inserted correctly - one side is flat, the other slightly curved - so as to match up and align correctly. To my knowledge, two games utilize the 360 degree control - Championship Baseball and Superfly. With Superfly, all features of the joystick are used - all 3 buttons, the trigger (fire) button as well as the 360 degree control knob that rotates the fly in a total of 4 directions. I did not hear your MBX ‘talk’ in this video so it may be defective, but this is great information for TI-99 fans both old and new! Thank you!
I remember this, I was a TI user, and I saw it in the TI catalog. But at the time, it was pure unobtanium, like the expansion module and an actual disk drive.
The Vectrex was an awesome system but Milton Bradley did not develop it…they acquired it with the purchase of General Consumer Electronics. Unfortunately it too met an early demise thanks to the video game crash. We’re likely going to cover the Vectrex in an upcoming video, thanks for watching!
Regarding no speech-synth sound. Did you say you plugged a microphone into the jack that is normally for a combo headphones/mic? If so, perhaps plugging in the mic mutes the speaker, and unplugging the mic would allow you to hear the speech synth come out the speaker? Btw, neat video! Had no idea MB made something like this.
Intellivision major league baseball was pretty similar graphics wise, but came out 3 years earlier in 1980. It was a pretty sophisticated version as well.
interesting thing .seems like a horrible idea in hindsight but it probably looked very cool back then until you tried to use it .but i can understand what they were thinking with video games still being new .and being able to control thing with your voice seems cool but even modern computers often misunderstand me so this stuff is going to be a disaster .
This is awesome! I wish there were weird peripherals like this now... There kinda is, that controller is nothing short of incredible!
Very cool! I never heard of this add-on for that machine.
That's a real piece of oddware from Milton-Bradley! Thanks!
I've never heard of the MBX, so once again thanks for a great video about hardware I've never heard of! I even already have a nice TI99 4/A as well.
Wow, never heard of this before. Amazing. Thank you so much for this video!
The top cap of the MBX joystick is required in order for the 360 degree control knob to work. This grey colored cap attaches to the potentiometer inside the joystick (the black piece in the middle is the potentiometer). Additionally, the cap must be inserted correctly - one side is flat, the other slightly curved - so as to match up and align correctly. To my knowledge, two games utilize the 360 degree control - Championship Baseball and Superfly. With Superfly, all features of the joystick are used - all 3 buttons, the trigger (fire) button as well as the 360 degree control knob that rotates the fly in a total of 4 directions. I did not hear your MBX ‘talk’ in this video so it may be defective, but this is great information for TI-99 fans both old and new! Thank you!
Interesting device. Apparently it uses General Instruments SP1000 chip, which does both speech synthesis and recognition..
I'd not heard of these before. Interesting device.
I remember this, I was a TI user, and I saw it in the TI catalog. But at the time, it was pure unobtanium, like the expansion module and an actual disk drive.
Does the Vectrex not count as MB's venture into making a video game console?
The Vectrex was an awesome system but Milton Bradley did not develop it…they acquired it with the purchase of General Consumer Electronics. Unfortunately it too met an early demise thanks to the video game crash. We’re likely going to cover the Vectrex in an upcoming video, thanks for watching!
@@vintagegeek No worries, most excelent video by the way!
they also had microvision
That's a really good baseball game for the era. It gives the Intellivision a run for it's money.
Regarding no speech-synth sound. Did you say you plugged a microphone into the jack that is normally for a combo headphones/mic? If so, perhaps plugging in the mic mutes the speaker, and unplugging the mic would allow you to hear the speech synth come out the speaker? Btw, neat video! Had no idea MB made something like this.
Intellivision major league baseball was pretty similar graphics wise, but came out 3 years earlier in 1980. It was a pretty sophisticated version as well.
Wait a minute, didn't Milton Bradley market the Vectrex in some countries?
Thanx, Mr. Ish-mah-el.
I'm pretty sure Milton Bradley distributed the Vectex in certain markets.
interesting thing .seems like a horrible idea in hindsight but it probably looked very cool back then until you tried to use it .but i can understand what they were thinking with video games still being new .and being able to control thing with your voice seems cool but even modern computers often misunderstand me so this stuff is going to be a disaster .
"what a piece of junk
Why is he fake smiling so much? That's didturbing.