Those obscure systems you got in your collection

[CatPix]

From the earliest times of home video gaming and computing, many companies and people tried to make money from this growing market.

 

It was easy in the 70's with semi-analog Pongs then ready-to-use AY chips and the like; then come the "programmable" era.

 

Still, companies tried to make systems. Fair tries or ridiculous attempts, most of those systems would only last one year or even less before vanishing from the markets.

 

Famous examples include the RCA Studio II, the 1292 AVPS/Interton VC 4000 (tho, it's so old and was sold as late as 1982... it's quite borderline), or the Watara Supervision.

Note that I don't consider systems like the 3DO or the Virtual Boy as such. Sure they didn't make much of an impact on the market and are quite rare today, but they are also well know amongst retrogamers, and most would like at least to try them. Here we're talking about systems that make most people saying "I never ever heard of that" or "Wow, you got one of THOSE? Why do you keep it?"

 

Well, if you have one or more of those, show them, and maybe tell use more about?

 

Here is a tour of some of those systems I own :

 

Hanimex HMG 7900

 

 

This system is a clear example of a company going for the greedy aspect of video gaming.

The box art is very cheesy... text says "Programmable game computer with microprocessor"; the display is a whopping 60*52 pixels, 8 colors; sound is a mono channel integrated buzzer, the gamepad bear a 4 direction joystick, one action button and one analog potentiometer. All of this would let you think this system was released somewhere in the late 70's? Well, maybe it was created at the time, but this beast hit the market in 1983.

 

 

Clearly, this system have no other purpose than to be a cheap gaming system, a concept that would attract many people and still do today.

With such drastic limitations, the games are clearly poor, tho at least, the ones I have are playable.

One proof of this system being just for money : some versions of the system include a second joystick port. Other versions (sold by other companies, as it was one of those "buy the concept and stick your name on it") only have one build-in gamepad! Anyway, none of the 11 games include a 2 player mode.

 

Well, about the games? They are all clones of famous games of the time. Pac Man, Space Invaders, etc...

 

 

The Advision Home Arcade

"Adventure on screen"

 

It's just one of the many variants of the Emerson Arcadia 2001.

Which is really nothing but a 1292 AVPS with a new graphic chip and more RAM.

 

The interesting thing on that one is that it can play US Emerson games as there is no region lock out and the games are physically identical (which isn't the case with the ITMC variant for example).

 

BitCorp Gamate :

I mentionned the Watara Supervision as an example of "famous obscure" system. Well, the early 90's saw more than the Watara trying to grab on the success of the Game Boy.

The BitCorp Gamate is probably, quality wise, one of the best. Sadly, poor distribution, game of various quality and a terrible screen, plus the more successfull Supervision, killed the Gamate in less than 3 years. It came out in 1991, and even in Asia, sales stopped in 1993.

Technically, it's totally up to compete with the Game Boy : same screen size (144*160 pixels) 4 shades of grey; equivalent CPU, same RAM. Only the audio might be better on the Game Boy, but the Gamate have a decent 8 bits sound chip (probably a very classic AY-3-8912 but it's hard to say). The games come on cards, much like the Sega Mycard for the Master System and PC-Engine/Turbografx-16 games.

 

Mega Duck :

You know you're facing something great when the name is so ridiculous. Sold in some European countries (France and Netherland for sure, as the 3 companies that sticked their names on it are from France and Netherland), it was also released in South America, maybe the USA, under an even better name : "Cougar Boy".

 

I like the box because of the selling catchphrases. "Compact video game concept : with moving background for increasing the visual effect" (note that isn't a lie as the system include an hardware plane display that allow any programmer to put a moving or still background without the need to program it from scratch, much like most systems would include an hardware tiles and sprites display).

 

It came out in 1993. Being that it's again one of those "name it" game system, all games are from Asia. More specifically, most, if not all, were programmed by Sachen.

Unlike their NES games, they are fairly decent and plays well.

Again, it's a complete Game Boy ripoff : same CPU, same RAM, same screen, etc.

Unlike the Gamate, this time the screen is almost ghosting free. The build quality is fairly decent, even if the unit feel a bit big and childish.

 

 

 

Well, that's a lil tour of some osbcure system I own.

[AtariLynx Lover]

I have a Bentley Compu-vision. I'll get a few photos to show it later.

[+Gemintronic]

Thanks for the in depth look at this system. I personally wish I had more info on the Game King that Ashens reviewed:

[CatPix]

Well the Game King.. As far as I remember, it was released in China and maybe other asian countries around 2004 i think? Yeah, that late.

The display is something like 32*60, extremely low resolution. Sound chip is non existent as the unit is powerful enoguh to play recorded sound.

It's how the GK is made : go for the cheapest, fastest and laziest ways.

They fitted in a powerful 8 bits CPU, got game cards with lot of room, and here you go, all games are made of recorded sounds and bitmapped sprites and background.

Something you would have never seen in the 80's, but it's easier to design a game this way, rather than working with tiles, sprites,etc... and also it mean that you have to make the video display chip, where here it's probably all handled by the CPU, so it's cheaper.

[Seob]

I've got the Watara Supervision, the Mega Duck, A Commodore CDTV, a Radofin programmable videogame (interton vc-4000 compatible), a Radofin tele sports III (Cartridge pong clone). That's about it for obscure systems i own.

 

Used to have a Philips :Yes a 80186 pc compatible, a Laser 2001, a Comx35 (homecomputer with built in joystick) and a Philips P2000T homecomputer, but sold them because i was centering my collection more to consoles.

[CatPix]

I have one Radofin 1292 AVPS and one boxed Interton VC 4000 (as well as a Grundig SuperPlay Computer (a rebranded VC4000) modded for RGB out) too, but I don't have them now and I don't have the pictures either.

 

I didn't mentionned Pong clones because they are so easy to make, it's "easy" to have one rare. Unless it's a unique system, like one with a robot, the rare ones with th tank game, or one early analog system like the Zanussi Ping-o-Tronic, I do'nt think it's worth mentionning.

 

 

I mean, a crappy as the Hanimex HMG 7900 is, it's an unique system, with it's own CPU, game programming, etc... Something that got some effort put inside.

[Lentzquest]

In the 90s I bought the Barcode Battler. Oh, how I hated that piece of crap.

 

[Austin]

I have a Bandai Apple Pippin Atmark system I picked up NIB a couple of months back. I also still have my Kyocera Pro 1000S CD-I player. Only a handful of those are known to exist among CD-I collectors. Going by the OP's definition of uncommon, that's about it for my collection.

[Blazing Lazers]

Hmm, I'd have to guess that my fully working Memorex VIS would be my most obscure, and probably rarest. Next might be my APF-MP1000. Even experienced collectors and gamers don't often seem to know of them.

[Hyperboy]

I still have my Commodore SX-64 that I got in Jr High School.

[shadow460]

Obscure systems? The most obscure I own are an Arcadia 2001, a PocketStation, and a LaserActive.

[carlsson]

Used to have a Laser 2001

 

... which today is in my collection, after a stop at Videopac's place (collector using that handle, not the game system per se). :-)

 

I've also got a Comx-35, a Conic M1200 (RCA Studio II clone), hmm.. would the Amstrad MegaPC 386 count as obscure or does it rather belong to the Virtual Boy category, a system that relatively many Sega Genesis/Mega Drive collectors are fully aware of? Would a Basis 108 count as obscure, despite it is a beefed up Apple ][+ clone? I suppose it depends how hardcore you want to be, the more you have studied various vintage computers and video games, the more variants you know and fewer surprises are left to discover. On the subject of unauthorized clones, of course there is an ocean of systems to dive into, most looking and working in the same way, some having abilities that stand out.

 

I understand this is not a thread for want lists, but I'd still like to at least see one of those Al Alamiah MSX computers with a Mega Drive cartridge slot: AX-330, AX-660 or AX-990. Perhaps those also fall into the category of well known but rarely seen systems...

[CatPix]

I think the Amstrad Mega PC is indeed an obscure system. Most Megadrive and Amstrad fans altogether doesn't know this beast.

Clones are... I can't tell.

It depends of their story i would say. Something like the KC Kompact (a CPC clone made in East Germany around 1989) is a very interesting and obscure system despite being "just" a clone of one of the most successful micro computer of the 80's.

On the other hand, the Expansion 1 Cassette adapter for Colecovision or the Gemini are just clones, but quite well know (okay, the Gemini probably less, and not at all outside America).

Edited October 2, 2013 by CatPix

[high voltage]

 

my Teradrive perhaps?

(used to own a Amstrad Mega PC, but basically it sucked. The Teradrive is better)

Edited October 2, 2013 by high voltage

[Seob]

In the 90s I bought the Barcode Battler. Oh, how I hated that piece of crap.

 

I have one too. Still think the idea is good.

 

 

The telesports iii is called a cartridge clone because it uses a chipset that is often used inside pongs. I don't consider it a pong machine at all.

 

I still remember seeing the amstrad mega pc in stores when i was on intermship in England back in 1994. Would love to have one, but they are to expensive.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Seob

[CatPix]

The Telesports you're mentionning could be either a system like the SD-050/SD-090 series, with Pong chips on carts and nothing in the system. It might confuse people because of using carts and having "complex" games, like tank war, motorcycle, grand prix and submarine battle, but they are all AY chip variants, and doesn't use any microprocessor and ROM carts. And the cart are labeled as "Programmable cartridge" to add to the confusion.

 

Or it could also be one of those rare semi analog systems like the Interton Video 2000 or the Philips Telespiel, which use both analog components for display (like the original Odyssey does) and chips can be added on the carts to add some display like score and "sprites" (I think there is homebrews Odyssey carts that does it, even adding sound?).

Pong carts machines were common so I think yours is just that, a cart Pong system.

Even Radofin made one with the main cart named like their sport game cart for the 1292 AVPS series, to add to the confusion.

[goldenegg]

my Teradrive perhaps?

(used to own a Amstrad Mega PC, but basically it sucked. The Teradrive is better)

I want one of these, but they rarely come up for sale.

[CatPix]

quadruple post !(buggy connection)

Edited October 2, 2013 by CatPix

[CatPix]

quadruple post !(buggy connection)

Edited October 2, 2013 by CatPix

[CatPix]

quadruple post !(buggy connection)

Edited October 2, 2013 by CatPix

[+atari2600land]

I have an ActionMax. But I would like to have more obscure systems, too bad there aren't any in my area and I'd have to resort to eBay.

[DaytonaUSA]

Wow, you guys make my collection look commonplace.

 

Other than a couple Rev0 Dreamcasts and my custom modern day Macintosh SE, I don't have much of anything of note for oddities.

[Seob]

Here's a description of the family of systems it's related to: http://www.old-computers.com/magazine/view.asp?r=2&a=4

[carlsson]

As for my MegaPC, I got it at a retro gaming event. A friend of mine had it on display but wanted to unload it for $75 untested. Nobody was interested, so I took pity and bought it. Of course it works great, just that one needs a monitor that can sync to RGB/VGA signals both at 15 kHz and 31 kHz which is not so easy to find. Since then, I have upgraded the RAM to a whopping 16 MB, not that I really need a 386SX/16 (or if it is /25, can't recall without looking it up) with a lot of LIM EMS memory.

 

Two other specimen in my collection that might be uncommon, but far from obscure would be the laptop Data General One (mine is a Model 2T) and the Olivetti PC-1, which really is not that exciting except for its neat all-in-one design and being difficult to expand. After all, it is just yet another 8088 XT clone with dual front loaded floppy drives instead from the side.

[CatPix]

Wow, you guys make my collection look commonplace.

 

Other than a couple Rev0 Dreamcasts and my custom modern day Macintosh SE, I don't have much of anything of note for oddities.

There is systems that are hard to find but well know that can make your collection "unique".

Bally Professionnal Arcade, Amstrad CPC Plus series, Atari XEGS, Nintendo Virtual Boy, any 3do model, Atari Jaguar... hell, even a Neo Geo AES is not a so common system...