Rare Bally Home Library Computer System Review - Gamester81 

We had one of these when I was growing up. My Dad bought it new in '77. We had a tape drive for it, I remember, with a few games on it that way as well. I loved that system so much. There used to be a guy in Kentucky that repaired them. I remember the system died twice and both times my Dad sent it off for repairs and we got it back working like a dream. We finally retired the system in '97. Up until then we used it along side our Nintendo and Sega systems.

9 years later I'm seeing this, lol! So my parents got this for my twin brother and I AFTER we begged for the Atari 2600 all our friends had. Brought back so many memories seeing Gun Fight and Star Battle on the screen. Wish I still had that system today. I think it burned out due to the poorly designed venting on the bottom. Thanks for posting!!!

Ordered a Bally Home Library Computer in 1977. After receiving my 3rd unit in early 1978 (1st 2 had heat problems...one of the reasons for delaying the release (also FCC approval). I also bought the Basic cartridge when it was released. Also I bought the cassette tape interface.Played with Basic, Could read/write programs to the cassette.

i just picked one of these up for $12 at a yard sale, it missing the top cover though

This TOTALLY takes me back! We use to have the Bally Arcade, and had the entire top section filled with game cartridges! Thanks for making this.

I had this system growing up and loved it! My favorite game was Clowns. It was like Breakout, but you has a seesaw with a clown (stick figure) on one side, then another clown would jump down onto the seesaw and send the first clown up into he air to brake balloons above. You just moved the seesaw back and forth (like moving the stick in Breakout) but you were trying to launch the clowns into the air rather than a ball.

In the early 80's my cousin had a Bally Astrocade (cost $700) & we often played when I went there. Because of my nostalgia for it, I bought 1 off Ebay in 2001, for $200. The price included 11 carts. Because it said noting on Ebay, I was totally shocked to open the well worn box & find a brand new Astrocade. It/all attachments were still shrink wrapped! It was NEW/Never used! I also bought from Ohio Labs, a 75 game Bally Multi-Cart. I can no longer find any mention of it online.

My father also bought one of these for my brother and I in the Christmas on 1978. While I may have been released in '77, local shops didn't sell them until I think the fall of 1978? I still have the game with about 30 cartridges and the Bally Basic software and cassette deck adapter to record (and read) code from a cassette deck. You are correct that the port on the back connected to a full stroke keyboard that was supposed to have higher amounts of RAM in it (ZGrass), and a more powerful chip and compiler. I do remember the plastic overlay with red green and yellow colors and a white key to do words like "Print" and "Goto" "Gosub" "Return" and "End". Thanks for the run down memory lane. Great unit. Football was a blast on it.

I love you're videos, keep up the great work!

I used to have a Bally and it was a pretty unique system i felt and my favorite game for it was Incredible Wizard aka Wizard of Wor which is a excellent port of one of my favorite arcade games.

another great video and review. Keep them coming and have a good holiday!!!

Gambling became legal in Atlantic City in 1974. The first slot machine, made by Bally, resides in the Resorts Hotel main lobby encased in glass.

With only 20 to 50,000 units produced, the Bally Astrocade is pretty rare. Though I have a Fairchild Channel F, a few pre-O2 Magnavox Odysseys, Coleco Telstar & pre-Atari 2600 dedicated (no carts) consoles, the Astrocade is definitely the pride & joy of my collection. BTW, if your at all interested in the Ohio Labs 75 game multi-cart I mentioned, perhaps I could take/post some pics or a video of it in use. It looks like a a regular cart, but has 5 tiny dip-switches on it for game selection.

This is my favorite game system! Thanks for this Video, Great Job!

What would have been really different, is if Phillip's had bought Zilog, and made an arrangement to sell the Astrocade under their own name. If they improved manufacturing, offered a keyboard and the Philip's VidroWriter software in 1980 and sold the Phillip's VideoWriter in 1982 alongside the SG-1000 (by working with Bally and Sega to create an industry standard), they could have had a practical home computer through the 1980s, and dominated video games between 1977 and 1995. The CDI would have probably been better too.

Excellent review John. Thanks for clearing up the 3 differen version of this system. I was in the market for one of these but stayed away cause i didn't know the difference between them and the reasons why. thumbs up dude.

Bally didn't "get" into pinball games after their video game work. Bally was FOUNDED on pinball in 1932.

Nice Vid John, Im impressed with the quality of the games giving the time.

Thank you for the informative video. I just picked up a Bally Computer System not knowing much about it. Now to adapt it to my television.

Well, I just did some looking into this and it wasn't until 1987, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce approved the two-letter codes for use in government documents, then that same year, the GPO (United States Government Printing Office) approved the two-letter code and made it a standard. So I hope that helps.

wow. looks like it was ahead of its time.

It looks to me like the back of the system not only acts as a storage spot for the controllers, but it also looks like it has slots for storing cartridges...

The Bally Home Library Computer actually has good graphics for the time.

Really cewl find, never even heard of this system. Also the history makes it even more interesting, tanx for the vid :D

Pretty cool graphics for being that old pretty rare too, nice video John.

Had one and had 32 cartridges. Killed many a night with it, it was replaced by a Colecovision, almost had to re-mortgage the house for that one.

What would you say is the least rare version of this thing, I kind of want one now. Great video Gamester, keep up the awesome rare console videos!

That is a rare product - never seen one and I grew up playing games in this time-frame.

Wow really really great review! Never heard about that system im impressed !

@Jakkinator45 yep but I didn't like the first review and I didn't show any gameplay before. I also added some more information in this one that was not included in the first review.

Wow starfight looks pretty damn good. Awesome console Great video

That looked advanced for '77 at the end

that is in such amazingly great condition!

Shame this thing didn't take off. I have the 2600, the Channel F, the Colecovision, the Phillips G7000, and several others but this thing looks like it could have blown them all out of the water!

I had one of the Prof. Arcade Systems. Great console. My favorite was the Pinball game. It was the first game that figured ball spin into the play architecture. I played it so much that one of the memory chips began to suffer from heat stress. I identified the defective chip but could not find a replacement. When the chip failed rendering the console useless, I bought a VIC 20. The Bally was a far superior game console to anything else at the time!

another console I really wanted when I was a kid

Thanks for showing this John, I know RedChairGaming340 got this system with 15 games for around $75 I believe which is a steal. We know that went for way more at the CGE.

Wow, Gunfight looks much better than Outlaw! Excellent video John! :)

@bjoran83 im not the only one whos noticed gamester chucking his systems around!

This video is now retro. 8] thanks for all the videos.

Very cool!

Great redo, I'm glad you decided to do this one again. I'm surprised you don't consider something like your Super A'Can your rarest system. Aren't you, like, 1 of 5 people who has one in the US? Haha.

That computer is in very good condition for its age.The game play looks alot like Atar 2600 games. Very good review John. Looking forward to the Allgengamers podcast tomorrow!

good video man

Was this the one they showed in National Lampoon's Vacation? I remember they were playing some obscure video game system early in the movie, I can't remember which one though.

That last game you showed kind of reminds me of Star Strike for the Intellivision. Awesome video as always man!

I recently seen a bunch of games and it’s weird seeing like 2017 wizard names like that back then it would be crazy to think of that but funny titles

Gamester81 - John, love the vids, I found you on YT last week and I've been TEARING through your stuff. And this was a specifically good episode, and I was wondering - loved your coverage of the game cartriges and their packaging - but I don't recall seeing, did you cover the blister pack packaging, or have any idea when that packaging was used?

hey john i was wondering if you could do a review of the odessy 2 (hope i spelled that right). because all i know is that it took catrigies and had a controller as well as a keybord or something on the consol itself. so if you could please do a review of that consol that would be really cool.

you'r a real expert man

Hey thanks for showing this!! I live sorta,kinda near Illinois so maybe I might run into one someday???? Out here in the rural area I live in I imagine most everything was mail order back then!

cool stuff

that's the system that the Griswald's used to map out there vacation plans getting to Wally world lmao

Never had one, doubt I'll ever get one but it's still cool system.

@bpotts0401 IMO, The Astrocade had the best controllers of the era. Literally a pistol handle/trigger, short joystick/working knob/paddle on top. It was technologically superior to other systems (in price too, $700+) of the era, but only about 20,000 were sold. When I got mine off Ebay in 2001, after opening the very worn/tattered box, I was amazed that everything inside was BRAND NEW! BWT, has anybody ever seen/have a 75 or 150 game Astrocade multi-cart by Ohio Labs? ($150-200) I've the 75.

Grand Prix Demolition Derby is Soooo last year man! Its all about GPDD 2015 on the Xbone now!!!

Love that Star Wars arcade clone-- who would have thought that the thing had a contemporary clone? Not me!

This looks really awesome! The controller looks great, but do you have to use two hands or can you just use the one? Btw you say "let me show you..." A LOT!

Nice system, it reminded me a bit of Intellivision.. Great video, keep up the good work:)

I had one in the 80's. It was great, but for some reason my dad returned it. I think it was subject to freezes.

OMG That's like the prettiest case design I've ever seen XD

Bally? Isn't that the same company that owns health clubs? I guess it is true that they also made video games. The logo in 1:45 seems to confirm that.

Very awesome system. I think I missed the Star Battle of 2005 though lol.

it's so rare, i agree, because it is one of the few i do NOT have and never have had.

Gamester81, work on your video transitions: you cut to quick to another shot so we don't hear the last words that were said lol. But still, great videos, love all the retro stuff you demonstrate. A+

Any idea were I can find one. Trying to complete my vast retro console and computer collection. I have a bunch games for it. Just need the console. I know they can be hard to come by.

Do you have Family Fun Fitness for NES? I got one for like 3 bucks few weeks ago. Looking for Stadium Events now :P Funny thing is I got Family Fun Fitness in Lithuania, an extremly rare place to find NES stuff. I only seen 3 NES in Lithuania.

Man that last game would probably give epileptics the floppy jiggles.

Space & star, two names that appeared nearly on every game in the 70's and 80's

The only problem I have with watching your video game vids is I want the game(s) or console(s) your talking about. xD Very cool system I'll have to keep my eyes open for this console. :)

@Gamester81 Those are very much like Fairchild Channel F controllers, only slightly less functional. Do you know if they were licensed from those?

Thanks for sharing this vid. I had never heard of this retro console/computer before today. It looks fantastic. It is a shame its life-span was so short and that Bally were so short-sighted and didn't market this machine as a games console. Who knows maybe they would have given Atari a run for their money. The Gunfight game reminds me of Outlaw on the 2600. Do you think they tried to clone it? Great vid.

@StickPeopleAndPuff How rare is the Neo Geo Pocket Color, how much would those be on eBay or Amazon?

Yeah basically I think thats how it went.. I'm almost 31 and I remember when that change was made.. I grew up in Illinois but I remember in school when they were teaching us on how to write our home adresses, we were taught to write ILL and then maybe a year or 2 later the abbreviations were changed to 2 letters.. I collect allot of electronics and things and I actually have something that says TEX, for made in Texas..

@unleadedlogic I should be abit more clear and say that it was an Astrocade though not the HLCS

States once used 3 letter abbreviations, I remember as a kid Illinois was ILL back in the day, thats what we put on mail to send out.. I'm not sure when that change was made but I'm 30 now, so I don't know..

I quite like the game box design, a bit similar to the early TI 99 titles. The graphics are quite impressive, especially for the time period. They look at a quite a decent resolution, definitely higher than the base modes of the 2600 & of course the Intellivision.

Hey John, do you have the computer programing cartridge to this thing. I found one while cleaning the other day and have no use for it. Let me know

i saw one of these at good will!! i would of gotten it if i knew it was that rare, probly gone now

The only way to resolve that problem is to learn the tech side of this system in order to understand what makes it tick.

Your cord management is killing me!

realy interesting videogame-system and controller design. btw. you lost your youtube partnership?

@DLiberator78 realy interesting videogame-system and controller design. btw. you lost your youtube partnership?

I had an opportunity to pick up one of these at a resale shop for about 20 bucks, unfortunately I decided to keep looking through the shop and someone else grabbed it on me. It was pretty beat up though so it wasn't a giant loss.

looks great im trying to do reviews man

@MasterKOfficial No problem, thought so. ;-)

I always wanted one of these but sadly could find one. Now I know why.

1977, the same year when Atari 2600 came out.

are tha controllers compatible with atari or sega controllers? that's what the plug on the controler looks like to me.

So did they just take the first 3 letters of the name of the state? Like Louisiana would be LOU, Texas TEX etc? I'm 27 and I've never heard of that system of abbreviation.

wow im watching this video in 2014, what a coincidence

I'm watching this in 2014 right now

My father bought us this system as kids. He still has it. He has two of them. We have the Bally Computer System version and the Astrocade version. The Bally BLEW the original Atari system out of the water when it came to graphics and game play. The proof is evident in the games "The Incredible Wizard" (Bally) and Wizard of Wor (Atari). They are the same game, but the Bally version is superior. Also, both our systems have the computer programming cartridge...where is your cover for the keypad? Each system came with a cover for the keypad that when you used you were in computer mode because the keypad functions changed. It just slipped over it. Also, those controllers do not break easily. I don't know what you are talking about! We have 4 for one system, 2 for the other and after all these years, 4 kids and now 4 grandkids...we've never broken one. This system is still one of the best out there. One of it's biggest problems wasn't so much the marketing, it was the PRICE of the cartridges and Atari hogging all the licensing rights.Bally had a more powerful gaming system, with better sound and graphics. However, it did cost more. Back in the late 70's and early 80's, I remember my dad saying the games cost as much as $70 each, maybe more. The system itself was expensive. By today's standards, the system would retail for over $1000; adjusting for inflation! BTW, when you were talking about the computer adapter, were you talking about the keyboard you could add to it? We have one for one of the systems. Thanks for reviewing the Bally. I can't tell you how much I love this system. It just brings back so many happy memories.(And no, I am not THAT old. I think my dad bought this more for him, than my brother and I! We were still little the Christmas he bought it.LOL!)

"Is this system connected with Bally Fitness? They have the same logo." Yep, same parent company, though I think LA Fitness owns most of the gyms now.

I remember this a neighbor had it I had the intelevision

i thought the expansion module was called the ZGRASS

cool shirt!!!

I had this. We bought it at JC Penny?

Is this system connected with Bally Fitness? They have the same logo.

Well, better than the stuff put into 90's stuff, read the back of Rocket Knight and Sparkster, hooooo boy.