IBM PC Compatibles

1982 - No generation identified

IBM PC Compatibles, also known as IBM clones or IBM-compatible personal computers, are personal computers that are compatible with the IBM PC, the original IBM Personal Computer. IBM PC Compatibles are based on the architecture of the IBM PC and are compatible with its software and peripherals. They are made by various manufacturers other than IBM and are not manufactured by IBM itself. The first IBM PC Compatibles were introduced in the early 1980s and they were based on the hardware specifications of the IBM PC, which were made publicly available by IBM. These compatibles had the same hardware components as the IBM PC and used the same BIOS (basic input/output system) firmware, which allowed them to run the same software. IBM PC Compatibles typically used the x86 architecture and were powered by Intel processors, most commonly the 80286, 80386, and 80486 processors. They also typically had an ISA (Industry Standard Architecture) bus for expansion cards and a variety of peripheral ports. They used MS-DOS as the primary operating system, and later, Microsoft Windows as the main operating system. IBM PC Compatibles became extremely popular in the 1980s and 1990s, and they are still in use today, although they have largely been replaced by newer generations of computers. IBM PC Compatibles were responsible for the rise of Microsoft as a leading software company, as well as the growth of the personal computer industry as a whole. It's worth noting that today, IBM PC Compatibles are considered legacy computers, and support for them is limited. However, many software and hardware solutions can still be found to run on these computers. Some popular games that were released for IBM PC Compatibles include: Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, Prince of Persia, SimCity, Alone in the Dark, Myst, The Secret of Monkey Island, King's Quest, Leisure Suit Larry, Police Quest, Space Quest, Ultima, Wing Commander, X-Wing, Civilization, Elite Plus, Lemmings, The Oregon Trail, Tetris, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? It's worth noting that the IBM PC Compatibles had a large library of games that covered a wide range of genres from action, adventure, strategy, simulation, and more. Some of the games were ports from other platforms, others were exclusive to the IBM PC Compatibles. Many of these games were developed by independent developers and publishers, and some became extremely popular and influential in the industry.