This is simply not true. The dedicated machines were using the same processors as “home” computers, dedicated machine manufacturors had no faster production advantage in buying and building dedicated machines than did home computer manufacturors. Both Atari and Amiga were building units with 68000, 68020 and 68030 processors, same as dedicated manufacturors who could build around the same processors. Any high end home computer was just as able to run an engine as any expensive dedicated machine.MikeB wrote: ↑Thu Oct 25, 2018 3:09 amAt one point, the dedicated machines ( and particularly many of the Mephisto units , with others, TASC etc)) were stronger than any engine on any consumer PC. That changed with the 100 Mhz Pentium CPUs and the release of Chess Genius for the PC.S.Taylor wrote: ↑Wed Oct 24, 2018 10:16 pmBefore the scandalous ones it was rybka. Nothing could approoach the versions.
Before that were fruit derivatives, before that was shredder, before that, hiarcs had a long rule.
Chessmaster 6 had a short reign, but genius 3 had a very long reign. It was the completion of richard langs and psion legacy.
Mephisto was very hyped, but I'm not sure it was what it was hyped to be.
Just to be clear , since the Intel brand "Pentium" is still used today, it was this CPU that allowed home computers to be stronger than dedicated machines with the PC release of Genius 2.
https://ark.intel.com/products/49954 Released March 7, 1994.
The difference in computer chess platforms was the price and the profit margin, which was massive for producers and retailers of dedicated machines. Retailers of software chess engines, by contrast, made far less profit per unit sold and the selling prices were way lower. Programmers, btw, saw very little of the huge selling price of dedicated machines.
There was basically a conspiracy revolving round resellers and manufacturors of dedicated machines and others to big up the dedicated machines and big down the home computer software. Some of the programmers agreed to contracts to NOT produce competing home computer product. This was all about the money, as always.
Eventually, programmers wised up, realised their share of the selling price was ridiculously low, and sidestepped the dedicated manufactuctors by either finding a publisher or publishing themselves.