History Platform / AppleII

* ''[[Franchise/{{Ys}} Ancient Land of Ys]]'' *

The most advanced member of the II family was the 16-bit Apple II[[AC:gs]], introduced in 1986 to much fanfare. It used the brand-new GTE 65C816 processor (the same one used in the UsefulNotes/{{SNES}}. WordOfGod has it that II[[AC:gs]] machines were used for software development at Nintendo and several other houses developing for the SNES), and upgraded the line's graphics and sound substantially. While it wasn't as well accepted as the 8-bit models were among game developers, the II[[AC:gs]] was a fixture in many schools, and in many ways outstripped the UsefulNotes/{{Macintosh}} of its day.

The Apple II finally succumbed to old age in 1993 — a run of ''16 years'', with the decade-old [=IIe=] outliving all of its more advanced siblings (the [=IIe=] did receive an update in 1987). A large enthusiast community still exists, and real diehards are still creating hardware and software.

* ''VideoGame/RobotRascals''

* ''VideoGame/{{Miner 2049er}}''

Introduced in 1977, the Apple II (officially formatted "Apple ][") was, to many kids in America in the 1980s and 1990s, their first introduction to a computer that could also play some decent games. It was an improved version of Apple's very first computer, the Apple I, which had only been produced as a model kit in limited quantities. At its premiere, the Apple II was a total shock to the industry. When most manufacturers were still selling single-board computers for developers, or big metal boxes that looked more appropriate in a server room than a family room, the II's stylish plastic case and integrated keyboard proved to be far more accessible to the home user. Its clever integrated-motherboard design by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak made it easy to connect to a common TV (important given that color monitors cost well over $500 in the mid-1970s -- owning a color monitor in 1975 was equivalent to owning a 4K 144 Hz HDR ultra-wide curved monitor in 2020), as well as providing two color graphics modes when most computers could barely display monochrome text. It shipped with a simple BASIC interpreter called "Integer BASIC", also written by Wozniak, as well as a few simple games on cassette tape.

Introduced in 1977, the Apple II (officially formatted "Apple ][") was, to many kids in America in the 1980s and 1990s, their first introduction to a computer that could also play some decent games. It was an improved version of Apple's very first computer, the Apple I, which had only been produced as a model kit in limited quantities. At its premiere, the Apple II was a total shock to the industry. When most manufacturers were still selling single-board computers for developers, or big metal boxes that looked more appropriate in a server room than a family room, the II's stylish plastic case and integrated keyboard proved to be far more accessible to the home user. Its clever integrated-motherboard design by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak made it easy to connect to a common TV (important given that color monitors cost well over $500 in the mid-1970s -- owning a color monitor in 1975 was equivalent to owning a 4K 144 Hz HDR monitor in 2020), as well as providing two color graphics modes when most computers could barely display monochrome text. It shipped with a simple BASIC interpreter called "Integer BASIC", also written by Wozniak, as well as a few simple games on cassette tape.

Introduced in 1977, the Apple II (officially formatted "Apple ][") was, to many kids in America in the 1980s and 1990s, their first introduction to a computer that could also play some decent games. It was an improved version of Apple's very first computer, the Apple I, which had only been produced as a model kit in limited quantities. At its premiere, the Apple II was a total shock to the industry. When most manufacturers were still selling single-board computers for developers, or big metal boxes that looked more appropriate in a server room than a family room, the II's stylish plastic case and integrated keyboard proved to be far more accessible to the home user. Its clever integrated-motherboard design by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak made it easy to connect to a common TV (important given that color monitors cost well over $500 in the mid-1970s and remained expensive well into the 1980s), as well as providing two color graphics modes when most computers could barely display monochrome text. It shipped with a simple BASIC interpreter called "Integer BASIC", also written by Wozniak, as well as a few simple games on cassette tape.

* ''VideoGame/ThePrisoner''

* ''VideoGame/{{Stellar 7}}''

The Apple II finally succumbed to old age in 1993 — a run of ''16 years'', with the decade-old [=IIe=] outliving all of its more advanced siblings (the IIe did receive an update in 1987). A large enthusiast community still exists, and real diehards are still creating hardware and software.

The Apple II finally succumbed to old age in 1993 — a run of ''16 years'', with the decade-old [=IIe=] outliving all of its more advanced siblings. A large enthusiast community still exists, and real diehards are still creating hardware and software.

The most advanced member of the II family was the 16-bit Apple II[[AC:gs]], introduced in 1986 to much fanfare. It used the brand-new GTE 65C816 processor (the same one used in the UsefulNotes/{{SNES}}. WordOfGod has it that II[[AC:gs]] machines were used for software development at Nintendo and several other houses developing for the SNES), and upgraded the line's graphics and sound substantially. While it wasn't as well accepted as the 8-bit models were among game developers, the II[[AC:gs]] was a fixture in many schools, and in many ways outstripped the {{Macintosh}} of its day.

The Apple II was so influential that when IBM decided to build [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer its own PC]] in 1980, it borrowed many of the Apple II's design cues, including a built-in BASIC interpreter (a trait also borrowed by the UsefulNotes/TRS80) and many expansion slots. Apple's own attempt at building a "serious" computer, the Apple III (also spelled "Apple ///"), didn't fare so well; a rushed design and Creator/SteveJobs' insistence that the machine not have a fan made it highly unreliable; it was also deliberately incompatible with a lot of Apple II software, especially games. Apple, surprised that the II series was still selling, responded in 1983 by introducing a new version, the ''[=IIe=]'', which simplified the motherboard design and added "double high res" text and graphics modes to help compete with the brand-new (and much cheaper) UsefulNotes/{{Commodore 64}}. This was followed up by the compact ''[=IIc=]'', a "portable"[[note]]although it had a built-in handle that doubled as a stand, the IIc lacked a built-in screen and did not have an on-board battery[[/note]] model with the [=IIe=]'s features and a built-in disk drive, released in 1984.

The Apple II was so influential that when IBM decided to build [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer its own PC]] in 1980, it borrowed many of the Apple II's design cues, including a built-in BASIC interpreter (a trait also borrowed by the UsefulNotes/TRS80) and many expansion slots. Apple's own attempt at building a "serious" computer, the Apple III (also spelled "Apple ///"), didn't fare so well; a rushed design and Creator/SteveJobs' insistence that the machine not have a fan made it highly unreliable; it was also deliberately incompatible with a lot of Apple II software, especially games. Apple, surprised that the II series was still selling, responded in 1983 by introducing a new version, the ''[=IIe=]'', which simplified the motherboard design and added "double high res" text and graphics modes to help compete with the brand-new (and much cheaper) UsefulNotes/{{Commodore 64}}.

* The ''Franchise/{{Ultima}}'' franchise

* ''VideoGame/PlunderedHearts''

The Apple II finally succumbed to old age in 1993 — a run of ''[[LongRunner 16 years]]'', with the decade-old [=IIe=] outliving all of its more advanced siblings. A large enthusiast community still exists, and real diehards are still creating hardware and software.