Apple II

1977

Beeper Speakers

The beeper speaker on the Apple II is the only sound producing element of the computer. It is directly controlled by the CPU, instead of a dedicated sound chip. Because of this, to make a sound a the CPU had to divert all of its resources to the speaker, interrupting any other aspect of the game in the mean time. Games produced for the Apple II couldn't play music and video at the same time, only a few basic clicks. When video wasn't being played, developers were limited to a single square wave, a constant volume, and a few system sounds that were used to notify the user of an error or startup.

Karateka

Jordan Mechner, 1984

One of the earliest martial arts fighting games, inspired by Japanese culture and early Disney animated films and silent pictures. You can hear the clicks and tones used to simulate fighting sounds and basic background music.

Karateka cover art..