Epson HC-20, it's like seeing how fat and ugly a once homecoming queen is nowadays

When I was young, I wish I had a Epson HC-20 computer. In fact, I don't even want the HX-20, which was the international counterpart of the Japanese heldheld computer. I wanted a genuine HC-20 with all the hiragana and katakana on the keyboard. I was to write code everywhere I go and print the listing out using the damn printer at the upper lefthand corner of the device. I wanted the world to know how sophisticate and how smart I was by playing games I wrote with the screen on the 120 x32 monochrome LCD screen.

Of course, I never had it. I didn't have that much money, and so I brought a Casio FP-200. It's kind of like knowing that you never had a chance to date the cheerleader you crave in high school, and so instead you dated the only fat lady who was willing to walk with you while you were busy rearranging your pencil holder on your shirt.

And like most of the cheerleader and home coming queen back in the high school days, I found out that the Epson HC-20 the once sexy gear was like a pathetic joke comparing with any cheesy mobile phone or any laptop computer. In fact, I don't even want to take it if I was given one for free.

I know this may sounds like sour grape. But hey, aren't you also glad that you didn't marry that ugly old woman who was once the most beautiful creature in your high school universe?

I found this site listing some of the HC-20 games source code, and still fascinated by the fact that most of the HC-20 software, especially games, were written in assembly. Japanese developers sure knows how to make that 120 x 32 screen looks fantastic. And in fact, same goes to those who wrote PC-1500 games with assembly language.