Video game consoles area hell of a thingwhen you think about it.
On the other hand, you might have a Wii-U sitting around, collecting dust.
Consoles that failed for one reason or twenty others and only exist as nostalgia mixed with schadenfreude.
Thats not to say that financial failure automatically ropes you in with bad quality.
Consoles like the Wii-U and the 3DO crumbled, but they werent the worst things ever.
They had their moments.
No, the worst things ever are the fifteen entries below.
*Photos from theVanamo Online Game Museum
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15.
Sega 32X
The idea of the 32X was arguably sound.
It was an add-on to the Sega Genesis that would have its own library of enhanced games.
Unfortunately, the timing of its release was horrible and the attachment fell flat.
The Sega CD at least had a stronger sense of identity.
Even though the rig was released way too late, itstillwas rushed into development and its library shows it.
In the end, it was another notch in the belt of Segas downfall as a hardware giant.
Atari Jaguar
Speaking of Segas downfall, one thing you wont see on this list is the Sega Dreamcast.
Truth is, the Atari Jaguar just wasnt very good.
Add a laughably bad controller that nobody liked and the Jaguar was doomed from the start.
Nokia N-Gage
The N-Gage was so close, but so far away.
They almost had something.
It didnt work well as a handheld gaming equipment and it did not work especially well as a phone.
Thats not to say that it was all bad.
most of the games with 3D graphics, likeCall of DutyandTomb Raider).
In hindsight, the N-Gage really could have been something more than a laughing stock it ended up becoming.
Back in 1995, they released their virtual reality portable console that supported 3D visuals.
It was an expensive novelty that nobody wanted to invest in.
That reminds me; Nintendo needs to bring backTeleroboxer.
The Virtual Boy eventually became little more than a curiosity.
SouljaGame
There are several of these, but lets just lump them together.
Not on my bingo card, but sure, lets go with that.
the rom collections you see on Amazon that hype up 500,000 GAMES!
It may not technically be theworstconsole, but its definitely one of the biggest punchlines.
Phillips CD-i
The 90s was such a magical time for failed consoles.
If they were lucky, they would be mentioned in EGMor Gamepro.
Most of the time, though, they would be forgotten or become cautionary tales.
The CD-i was the epitome of that moment in gaming.
While it was developed for more video than gaming, its infamy will always be tied to itsMarioandZeldatitles.
On that note, more people need to see the wonderful weirdness ofMutant Rampage: Bodyslam.
Commodore 64 Game System
It was 1990 and Commodore International wanted to get into the console business.
Good for them, as they rightfully made a name for themselves with 1982s Commodore 64 home computer.
There were countless games on that computer and surely the next step in their evolution had major potential.
As they had removed the keyboard (after all, what kind of console needs a keyboard?
), many of the original Commodore 64 titles were unplayable for the Commodore 64 Game System.
Funny enough, they made the same mistake decades later with the C64 Mini.
It only released thirteen games and it never left Japan.
Not the games, though.
The PV-2000 had only eleven of those and there was no cross-compatibility between the two machines.
Once again, it did not catch on and Casio realized they should stick to keyboards and calculators.
In the right hands, it could have been something special.
Unfortunately, the people at Tiger Telematics were using their own hands to cut their cocaine supply into lines.
Between all of that extravagance and the horrific sales, Tiger Telematics went bankrupt within a year.
Your lack of foresight cost us aCarmageddonport.
Because of that, all of the consoles 13 games are trivia or puzzle-based.
Incredibly, though, the Game Wave was intended to be afamilyconsole with a Christian bend to it.
It was just a collection of minigames and trivia that tried to jump onto theMario Partytrain.
Surely, it was just some kind of prototype that never made it to the next stage, right?
Anyway, is there any update on whenBetter Homes and Gardens Cool Craftsis being ported to the Switch?
Actually, is it on the SouljaGame?
Gakken Compact Vision TV Boy
Talk about being late to the party.
It simply had no chance, especially with its very basic library of six games.
It hadFrogger, at least!
Thats a point in its favor.
Its actually a fascinating design.
Hence, all of the games were single-player.
Shockingly, the video game aspect of the Nuon is legit and there was some serious potential there.
Too bad there are only eight games with some serious playability issues.
There were multiple releases of the Nuon with multiple kinds of controllers.
That meant that certain games were not compatible with different Nuons or their controllers.
Everybody walk with me for no reason!
Tandy Memorex Video Information System
First off, why would any child be interested in something named that?
Even with there being a word with an X in it, its just so dull and lifeless.
The VIS was a Radio Shack exclusive that ran on Windows and came out in 1992.
At Radio Shack it stayed as nobody wanted to buy the $700 machine.
Your usual drollwait, that last one sounds awesome.
The VIS ended up being like a lamer CD-i, without the novelty of those goofball Nintendo titles.
Maybe it was a brilliant idea that was so ahead of its time that the technology wasnt there yet.
Maybe it was the lack of funding or competence.
At least I can respect what most of them were trying.
The Mattel Hyperscan, on the other hand, is a garbage console that deserved its failure.
Lets ignore the minuscule amount of games.
Lets ignore how lousy they ended up.
The Hyperscans whole concept was lootbox DLC in console form.
Oh, you wanted to play as Iron Man in theMarvel Heroesgame?
Buy some card packs and maybe youll get your wish.
If that doesnt work?
