In the a long time that video video games have thrived, there are primarily 5 firms which have actually dominated the console panorama: Atari, Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and Microsoft. That’s to not say that NEC or SNK didn’t have bangers, however they weren’t as synonymous with gaming in the identical methods these different giants have been or nonetheless are.
We are at some extent now the place the established order of video gaming is the newest PlayStation and Xbox duking it out over being probably the most cutting-edge whereas Nintendo will get by on being a low-powered/high-quality wild card. Then there’s pc gaming, however that’s not what this text is about. Years in the past, there have been loads of consoles and handhelds that attempted to depart a footprint and failed. Certain consoles (just like the 3DO or the Virtual Boy) are well-known even in shame however others merely pale into obscurity.
Let’s have a look at among the consoles and handhelds that solely exist as a footnote in gaming historical past.
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SG-1000 (1983)
Finding out in regards to the existence of the SG-1000 is like experiencing a real-life retcon. On the very day that Nintendo launched the Famicom in Japan, Sega was there with their very own counterpart: the SG-1000. In phrases of success, it did higher than Sega anticipated, but it surely lacked the endurance and ended up getting crushed by the Famicom. It was launched outdoors of Japan, however by no means within the United States.
So what occurred? Well, for one, the {hardware} high quality seemed to be someplace between the Atari 2600 and the Famicom/NES. Compared to its Nintendo competitors, the SG-1000 simply couldn’t compete. This was additionally harm by Sega’s paranoia when it got here to working with different builders. Nearly all their video games have been in-house as a result of why would you wish to work with a third-party developer? Guys like Konami made arcade video games. They have been rivals!
Thank God they got here to their senses when it got here to their subsequent few forays.
Atari XEGS (1987)
Despite the Atari 7800 being contemporary and not likely catching on, Atari went with an fascinating technique of releasing yet one more console in 1987. This one was extra of a hybrid of a gaming console and a house pc, because it merely took the Atari 65XE pc’s guts and put it in a brand new package deal that was backward appropriate with different Atari methods. It additionally supported a light-weight gun, a keyboard, and a disk drive, however these all got here individually.
While it was extremely low cost to supply, it was a flailing and determined try and compete with the NES one final time that merely didn’t take. Funny sufficient, because of the backward compatibility function, Atari would rerelease previous titles in new packaging to assert that it was an XEGS sport. Other occasions, they’d simply slap a sticker on an current field to allow them to know that it additionally works on the XEGS.
My favourite factor in regards to the Atari XEGS is the industrial, that tries so arduous to persuade dad and mom to purchase it over the NES. One of their speaking factors was making an attempt to notice how lame NES was for having a robotic peripheral after they could possibly be taking part in with a keyboard as an alternative. I do know that ROB ended up being a dud, however a minimum of it appeared cool within the ads.
Action Max (1987)
I used to be six years previous when the Action Max got here out and after I noticed the industrial for what was mainly a light-weight gun being pointed at VHS footage, I used to be nonetheless sufficiently old to comprehend, “Wait, this is unnecessary. That’s not how movies work.”
The thought behind Action Max was that you’d put in a VHS tape (5 launched in whole, all roughly 20 minutes) and attempt to shoot at enemy jets, ghosts, criminals, or no matter. The console itself would preserve observe of your accuracy and rating, however as you’ll be able to guess, the video itself was by no means affected. No matter how good or dangerous your purpose was, the enemy jets would nonetheless explode and the one replay worth got here from making an attempt to get a greater rating.
GoldStar GPI-1200 (1994)
The Phillips CD-i is a type of consoles that ought to be thought of obscure and forgotten however sticks round in players’ consciousness because of these hilarious Mario and Zelda video games. It stays one of many extra fascinating failures of the 90s because of its ridiculous asking value and awkward output of video games.
But what if I advised you that there was a CD-i that you might play on the go? There have been really dozens of CD-i fashions through the years and GoldStar was behind a number of of them. The GPI-1200 appeared like a run-of-the-mill moveable DVD participant and weighed a hefty four-and-a-half kilos. Too unusual to exist, however I suppose there was someone on the market who wished to play Brain Dead 13 behind their dad or mum’s station wagon throughout a highway journey.
Capcom CPS Changer (1994)
SNK was a serious identify within the arcade scene all through the 90s and launched the Neo Geo AES as a console that might fairly actually play arcade video games at residence. It was the identical {hardware}, that means the whole lot was arcade-perfect, but it surely was sadly held again by the astronomical costs for the console and its video games. SNK’s rival Capcom determined to briefly soar on that concept by creating the Capcom CPS Changer.
The system solely got here out in Japan and in very restricted portions. While you might play good variations of such classics as Final Fight, Street Fighter II Turbo: Hyper Fighting, and Saturday Night Slam Masters, Capcom had already moved on with their know-how. The CPS Changer might solely play video games constructed on the CPS-1 arcade board and Capcom had began growing and releasing video games for the CPS-2 arcade board.
Meanwhile, SNK spent the following decade determining the best way to construct extra video games across the Neo Geo’s limitations, permitting their console to stay on longer than it ought to have.
Neo Geo CD (1994)
Continuing with the Neo Geo dialogue, SNK ultimately realized that charging tons of of {dollars} for cartridges was not going to earn them any mainstream success. So, they launched the Neo Geo CD. The thought was that each one the present SNK arcade video games could be launched in CD type and could be far more reasonably priced. On paper, it appeared like a terrific plan and an ideal compromise.
Things didn’t work out fairly like that, although. It seems that the console had some severe loading points. Playing among the smaller video games led to no issues, as there could be minimal load occasions throughout your entire playthrough. The actual downside got here with the later video games, particularly these preventing video games that have been purported to be SNK’s bread and butter. Due to the 3-on-3 nature of the collection, King of Fighters would make you endure loading screens for each spherical as they switched out opponents. If the Neo Geo CD had any potential for achievement, the dangerous phrase of mouth from the fixed loading killed it for them. The console was discontinued in 1997.
Tiger R-Zone (1995)
Tiger’s handheld electronics from the early 90s are a testomony to how a lot a toddler will put up with when a property they love is accessible by way of a rubbish product. Those LCD handheld titles have been…memorable and ultimately culminated with the discharge of the R-Zone: a console with the unholy cultural distinction of, “We have the Virtual Boy at residence.”
The thought was to hold a reflective lens over the participant’s eye as they performed titles that have been precisely just like the older Tiger handheld video games. However, the R-Zone allowed you to alter cartridges and it offered these video games in pink and black. While the R-Zone was extremely reasonably priced, LCD gameplay was already previous hat by 1995. More importantly, it seems that screwing up your eyesight was not a novelty that was going to drum up curiosity. The R-Zone was discontinued in 1997.
Atari Jaguar CD (1995)
The Atari Jaguar CD is like an unholy union between two failed ideas from the mid-90s. What in the event that they took the Atari Jaguar and gave it its personal Sega CD? Man, if solely there was a way so as to add Virtual Boy know-how to this. It might presumably summon the Antichrist.
Though introduced earlier than the Jaguar’s launch, the Jaguar CD endured a number of delays earlier than it really hit cabinets. By then, it was already too little, too late. The Jaguar was not likely setting the world on fireplace, and this toilet-looking add-on was not going to provide the console a shot within the arm. The Jaguar CD provided a small handful of video games, although none of them actually stood out. Not that it issues at this level, because the {hardware} was so defective that it’s extremely arduous to search out an previous Jaguar CD that works these days.
Atari meant to launch the JagDuo, which might be a hybrid of the Jaguar and Jaguar CD, but it surely by no means escaped the prototype part and Atari left the console world behind.
Game.com (1997)
The Game.com is especially remembered for its industrial the place a Guy Fieri-like spokesman needlessly yells at a bunch of players for being silly assholes. Personally, I ship him with the equally livid Not-Emma-Stone-as-Anna-Williams-from-Tekken woman from the Atari Jaguar industrial.
Anyway, Game.com was Tiger Electronics’ try and compete with the Game Boy, and to its credit score, it featured some formidable concepts like a contact display and on-line play. Too dangerous it was rubbish to play. Its scant library (about 20 video games) featured terrible animation, dangerous controls, and fixed blurring when stuff did transfer. There was the occasional speech audio (equivalent to a Duke Nukem one-liner right here and there) that sounded superior, but it surely seems that voiceovers that sound like Darth Vader working at a McDonald’s drive-thru don’t transfer consoles.
Nintendo 64DD (1999)
Though lots of the entries on this record come from equally obscure producers, the 64DD was a Nintendo product. As everyone knows, Nintendo liked hyping up each little factor they did by way of their very own publication, Nintendo Power. They even hyped the Nintendo 64 Disc Drive attachment as one thing to sit up for. At one level, they even famous it could be the one means you might play the ill-fated Earthbound 64. For these with Nintendo Power subscriptions, mentions of the 64DD quietly vanished and pale into reminiscence.
The 64DD might have been an enormous boon for Nintendo. It had an web connection, enhanced the capabilities of carts, allowed for DLC, and so forth. Too dangerous it ended up being delayed into oblivion and solely being launched in Japan in late 1999 only for the sake of getting it on the market. It was solely energetic for simply over a yr when Nintendo of America noticed its meager ten video games and lack of public curiosity. Not wanting that stink within the US, Nintendo of America turned off the lights and pretended they weren’t residence.
Nokia N-Gage (2003)
The N-Gage was a type of concepts that was forward of its time, however with out the appropriate know-how to make it viable. While taking part in video games in your telephone was one thing that existed in a minor means, we have been nonetheless a number of years from that idea getting a serious shot within the arm with the rise of smartphones. Nokia jumped on the concept early by making a handheld gaming machine that was additionally a telephone. Too dangerous it wanted extra time within the planning and design levels.
Their ambitions have been in the appropriate place, and Nokia picked up some robust sport franchises, however the high quality of the N-Gage {hardware} was nonexistent, and it didn’t make a dent towards the Game Boy Advance. The vertical display wasn’t a lot of a assist and made issues just like the King of Fighters port look completely cursed.
I really knew someone who bought his arms on an N-Gage years after they have been discontinued and selected to make it his cellphone for the sake of ironic novelty. While a cute thought, the tedious half was that you might solely use it as a telephone by holding it fully horizontally.
Gizmondo (2005)
While numerous these entries come off as fascinating anecdotes, the story of the Gizmondo is such a comedy of errors that its existence might justify a film or documentary.
Like the N-Gage, the concept behind the Gizmondo was to combine handheld gaming with primary cell phone ideas (on this case, texting, cameras, and GPS). Even the specs have been pretty spectacular and the entire thing might have been a hit in the appropriate arms.
But wouldn’t you recognize it, Tiger Telematics (no relation to Tiger Electronics) flew too near the solar. This is what occurs when “faux it till you make it” goes incorrect. They promoted the discharge of the {hardware} with an enormous celebration that included performances by Sting, Busta Rhymes, Pharrell Williams, and others. There was even a retailer in London established particularly for promoting the Gizmondo console and its only a few video games. Hilariously, additionally they gave you the choice to pay further for a model that didn’t embrace ads, however they by no means bought round to introducing ads to the opposite Gizmondo gadgets, so it was an excellent larger waste of cash. Granted, not that many individuals purchased them to start with.
Oh, and one of many guys behind it had mafia ties and bought in a automobile accident that reduce his million-dollar Ferrari in half. Gizmondo was wild, man.
Mattel HyperScan (2006)
Imagine making a sport system fully revolving round lootboxes. A console the place playable characters, enemies, powers, ranges, places, and so forth have been all depending on proudly owning buying and selling playing cards that you might scan into your machine like low-rent Amiibos. Then make the whole lot else about this console (from the limitless load screens to the nigh-unplayable library) full rubbish. Congratulations, you simply created the HyperScan.
Only 5 video games have been launched for the HyperScan. This included three Marvel titles, a Ben 10 sport, and one thing about intergalactic wrestling. The complete factor was discontinued inside months. That not solely put the kibosh on video games primarily based on Avatar: The Last Airbender and Nick Extreme Sports, but it surely additionally meant that the cardboard units for the present video games have been by no means totally launched. Good factor the X-Men preventing sport was so awful as a result of when you have been invested in it, you’d have been cheated out of practically half of the sport’s content material after the very fact.
Zeebo (2009)
The primary thought of the Zeebo was sound. Brazil had points with importing video video games, which led to tons of piracy. Zeebo Inc. wished to create a digital-only console that may help official ports from varied prime third-party builders. The console would even be launched in Mexico, and there have been plans to ultimately distribute the console to different international locations as nicely.
Unfortunately, the {hardware}’s energy and performance have been on par with a 2009 cellphone. So, these ports have been restricted, to say the least. That lack of energy led to builders canceling varied high-profile tasks like Sonic Adventure and Street Fighter Alpha.
Due to its digital-only setup, the one means you’ll be able to play Zeebo video games as we speak is to get your arms on a used Zeebo from the 2 years when it was energetic and make sure that it already has these video games downloaded. It’s a disgrace, because the Zeebo model of Double Dragon is solely distinctive and looks like numerous enjoyable, however till an emulation breakthrough occurs, it’s practically unattainable for anybody to play it.
Incidentally, it was a bizarre transfer for them to call a console after the cigar-smoking clown ghost from Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Ouya (2013)
To stand out within the gaming business, particularly at this late stage, the concept isn’t to satisfy the highest names at their very own sport. The higher transfer is to note a singular avenue and capitalize on it. For occasion, the Ouya was a tiny field that utilized smartphone know-how and was primarily based round an enormous storefront of indie-developed video games that got here with demos. It was a funds console primarily based round celebrating the little man. The Ouya’s conceptual brilliance is confirmed by the unimaginable success of its Kickstarter marketing campaign.
After killing it on Kickstarter, although, these behind the console repeatedly fumbled the ball. The controllers have been inconsistent, their “Free the Games Fund” was buried by scandals, and the few video games of high quality have been buried by the amount of considerably lesser releases. The gross sales have been so dire that Ouya’s hottest sport, Towerfall, offered a mere 7,000 copies. Ouya was ultimately purchased by Razer, Inc., which discontinued the console in 2015 and ended its on-line exercise in 2019.
It’s truthfully a disgrace. If these in cost had performed their playing cards proper, the Ouya might have theoretically capitalized on the digital nature of contemporary gaming (particularly in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic). Then once more, Google Stadia didn’t do the identical regardless of having the ball of their court docket, so perhaps not.
The put up 15 Forgotten Video Game Consoles appeared first on Den of Geek.
