Many have rightfully been forgotten.
Then theres computer gaming, but thats not what this article is about.
Years ago, there were plenty of consoles and handhelds that tried to leave a footprint and failed.
Lets look at some of the consoles and handhelds that only exist as a footnote in gaming history.
It was released outside of Japan, but never in the United States.
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So what happened?
Well, for one, the hardware quality appeared to be somewhere between the Atari 2600 and the Famicom/NES.
Compared to its Nintendo competition, the SG-1000 just could not compete.
This was also hurt by Segas paranoia when it came to working with other developers.
Nearly all their games were in-house because why would you want to work with a third-party developer?
Guys like Konami made arcade games.
Thank God they came to their senses when it came to their next few forays.
Thats not how videos work.
But what if I told you that there was a CD-i that you could play on the go?
There were actually dozens of CD-i models over the years and GoldStar was behind a few of them.
The GPI-1200 looked like a run-of-the-mill portable DVD player and weighed a hefty four-and-a-half pounds.
SNKs rival Capcom decided to briefly jump on that idea by creating the Capcom CPS Changer.
The system only came out in Japan and in very limited quantities.
So, they introduced the Neo Geo CD.
On paper, it sounded like a great plan and a perfect compromise.
Things did not work out quite like that, though.
It turns out that the console had some serious loading issues.
The console was discontinued in 1997.
However, the R-Zone allowed you to change cartridges and it presented those games in red and black.
While the R-Zone was incredibly affordable, LCD gameplay was already old hat by 1995.
The R-Zone was discontinued in 1997.
What if they took the Atari Jaguar and gave it its own Sega CD?
Man, if only there was some way to add Virtual Boy technology to this.
It could possibly summon the Antichrist.
Though announced before the Jaguars release, the Jaguar CD endured several delays before it actually hit shelves.
By then, it was already too little, too late.
The Jaguar CD offered a small handful of games, though none of them really stood out.
Personally, I ship him with the equally furious Not-Emma-Stone-as-Anna-Williams-from-Tekkenlady fromthe Atari Jaguar commercial.
Too bad it was garbage to play.
They even hyped the Nintendo 64 Disc Drive attachment as something to look forward to.
At one point, they even noted it would be the only way you could play the ill-fatedEarthbound 64.
For those withNintendo Powersubscriptions, mentions of the 64DD quietly vanished and faded into memory.
The 64DD could have been a huge boon for Nintendo.
It had an internet connection, enhanced the capabilities of carts, allowed for DLC, and so on.
Nokia jumped on the idea early by creating a handheld gaming machine that was also a phone.
Too bad it needed more time in the planning and design stages.
The vertical screen wasnt much of a help and made things like theKing of Fightersport look absolutely cursed.
Even the specs were fairly impressive and the whole thing could have been a success in the right hands.
Gizmondo was wild, man.
Mattel HyperScan (2006)
Imagine creating a game system completely revolving around lootboxes.
Congratulations, you just created the HyperScan.
Only five games were released for the HyperScan.
This included three Marvel titles, aBen 10game, and something about intergalactic wrestling.
The whole thing was discontinued within months.
Zeebo (2009)
The basic idea of the Zeebo was sound.
Brazil had issues with importing video games, which led to tons of piracy.
Zeebo Inc. wanted to create a digital-only console that would support official ports from various top third-party developers.
Unfortunately, the hardwares power and functionality were on par with a 2009 cellphone.
So, those ports were limited, to say the least.
That lack of power led to developers canceling various high-profile projects likeSonic AdventureandStreet Fighter Alpha.
The better move is to notice a unique avenue and capitalize on it.
It was a budget console based around celebrating the little guy.
The Ouyas conceptual brilliance is proven by the incredible success of its Kickstarter campaign.
After killing it on Kickstarter, though, those behind the console repeatedly fumbled the ball.
The sales were so dire that Ouyas most popular game, Towerfall, sold a mere 7,000 copies.
Its honestly a shame.
