Alas Poor Oric - Days #24 & 25 of 30 Day Minimalist Challenge

Still better than a ZX Spectrum, the Oric Atmos

1983 and the home computing boom in the UK was well underway. All my mates were getting Sinclair ZX Spectrums but I wanted to be different so pestered my Dad to get me an Oric-1.

This determination to be different, the championing of the underdog, became known in our house as 'Oric Syndrome'. I would never make the same choices as everybody else. Someone once summed it up by saying "You're the sort of person who if they moved to Liverpool would start supporting Tranmere Rovers". And you know what? They're right, I would have.

However just before the one year guarantee was up it stopped working so we sent it back. They took ages to respond and by then the Oric-1 had been discontinued so instead they sent a shiny new Oric Atmos. Unfortunately though none of my old games worked on it and by now this computer was losing ground and not getting much software support (the bloody ZX Spectrum was still going strong though - bastards!). My own interest in it though was also on the wane and so with no games to play the Oric Atmos was put away.

Up in the loft a couple of days ago, looking for more books to liberate I spotted it. Sitting forlornly in a corner and unused for more than 30 years. Did it mean anything to me? Did it add any value to my life? Not really. Time to let it go along with the (incompatible) games that I found with it. They are now on eBay.

The rest of Day 25

I texted my Dad to let him know and his reply was simply, "I knew I should have got you a ZX Spectrum".


So Day 25 is an Oric Atmos, assorted games and a top up of yet more books, mainly Stephen Fry.

The previous day was CDs and the last few DVDs that I hadn't cleared out yet.

Day 24

[Update: The Oric sold on eBay for £165. More than I was expecting]