59 replies to this topic

[onmode-ky]

A couple of years ago, I began keeping track of what plug-and-play games had been released by what companies.  As each one has come out or been announced, I have added to my list.  I finally figured that I ought to put the list up somewhere and share the knowledge, and this is as good a place as any.

Notes:
- this list does not contain standalone TV gaming devices of the first generation, i.e., from the 70s, nor do I have any intention of adding them.
- this list only includes devices fitting the traditional video game control schemes, i.e., joysticks, gamepads, wheels, and light guns.  Dance pads, EyeToy-like devices, and games utilizing XaviX (or XaviX-like) technology are intentionally not included, mostly for manageability's sake.  Thus, most of Radica's Play TV line is excluded.
- bootlegs are not included.

How to read the list:
- lines beginning with a dash mark company names, and the nonempty lines beneath them are products by those companies.
- the first (or only) column in an entry is the name of the plug-and-play product; if it exists, the second column is the name of the developer for that game.  In most cases, I don't know this, but in the case of Jakks Pacific, the developer is listed on the box, so it's easy to add to the list.
- lines beginning with a single asterisk mark products which are supposedly available at retail (e.g., I may have found a website offering them for sale), but for which I have no actual proof that it is available.  "Proof" can be either I myself seeing it for sale somewhere or someone online posting a picture of one or text describing ownership of one.
- lines beginning with two asterisks are announced acquired licenses (in the case of Jakks Pacific) or announced products which are not available anywhere yet, to my knowledge (in the case of all other companies).  "Announced" can be as simple as a listing on the manufacturer's website.
- the long line of dashes in the middle of the list divides the "branded" games (above the line) from the "generic" games (below the line).
- w/l = wireless, and no non-wireless version exists; (w/l) = wireless, as opposed to the non-wireless version.
- gk = GameKey; (gk) = GameKey-compatible; (gk inc.) = package with controller and a GameKey.

I'm attempting to attach the file to this post.  I've never done this before, so if it doesn't work, then I can offer a full refund.

Incidentally, to correct an earlier posting I made, the GameKey package (just the key, with no controller) I saw at Target for $10 had only one GameKey inside, not two.

I hope this list is of some use.

onmode-ky

01/05/2007 Update: I have changed the file format somewhat.  Everything above still applies (with the sole exception being that there are now two long lines of dashes, separating the "branded" games, the Japanese-market games, and the "generic" games; this is not new to this update, though), but there are some new columns on recently added entries.  All new entries now have a column marking the date the entry was last modified.  Some entries, if they have had a status change, may have more than one date; the date with no asterisks is the entry's most-recently-modified date, while a one-asterisk date is a date when an entry became a one-asterisk entry, and similarly a two-asterisk date for an entry's two-asterisk status change date.  So, an entry may potentially have three dates in it.  All dates are in MM/DD/YYYY format.

01/20/2007 Update: pnpgames.txt is no longer attached.  I removed it because it seems there were people who thought that the filename with no embedded timestamp was the newest one, when in reality, it was the oldest.  I have reattached the file with the name "pnpgames.old.txt" to make its obsolescence more apparent.  If I actually knew the date of that version of the file, I would have given it a timestamp in its name instead of "old," but all I know is that it was from sometime between 12/2005 and 05/2006.  I'm keeping the various old versions here for historical purposes, basically a set of snapshots from different times.  At any rate, to find the most recent version of the file, please see the one with the newest timestamp in its name.

10/14/2009 Update: I should note that the area in the file between the two long lines of dashes is for non-American market games, not strictly Japanese-market games.  Also, as discussed in my 09/13/2009 post in this thread, here is the Packaging Evolution timeline in this initial thread post, so that I can edit it in the future for packaging changes yet to come:

- packaging evolution: jakks pacific tv games
2001	  - (toymax activision) cardboard box, standard rectangular parallelepiped
2002-2004 - (atari joystick, namco 1, spongebob 1) cardboard box with L-shaped side cross section: tray with hard back and shaped clear plastic window
2004	  - (jakks activision) transitional: shaped clear plastic window on thin cardboard backing; this model also appeared with next major packaging form
2004	  - (portable namco 1) special packaging for this model only: blister pack
2004	  - (gamekey-bundled holiday models) blister pack
2004-2006 - truncated (shorter tray) L-shaped cardboard box, with protruding shaped clear plastic window; summer 2004 (first 2004 models) to summer 2006 (namco 3 packaging took both this and next forms)
2006-2009 - blister pack, with exposed joystick; summer 2006 to summer 2009
2008	  - (g2 and ultimotion models) cardboard box, standard rectangular parallelepiped
2009-2011 - plastic box with trapezoidal side cross section; several older models revived with this packaging; summer 2009 to late 2011
2009-	  - (gun/microphone/motion controller models) cardboard box with trapezoidal side cross section; summer 2009 to present
2010	  - (triple header sports, toy story mania) cardboard box, standard rectangular parallelepiped
2011	  - (golden tee golf, cars 2) cardboard box, standard rectangular parallelepiped, no plastic handle, open window
2012	  - (tv games touch models) blister pack
*atari joystick tv games has appeared with all 4 major packaging forms

- packaging evolution: radica arcade/play tv legends
2004-2005 - (taito, tetris, first few sega genesis) cardboard box with lopsided pentagon as top-down cross section
2005-2006 - cardboard box, standard rectangular parallelepiped

Also, here is a line to help deal with the fact that the newest edition of the file doesn't seem to automatically sort to the bottom of the list anymore:

[This line has been moved to the bottom of the post for clarity.]

07/08/2010 Update: Here is my (irregularly updated) collected data detailing what processor models have been used in what plug-n-play game systems:

- product					processor						information source
# jakks pacific
namco ms. pac-man				Sunplus SPG220 or SPG240				;;04
atari paddle					Winbond W55x-family (likely one of W55V91-W55V94)	;;04
classic arcade pinball				Sunplus SPG110						;;04
blue's clues					Sunplus SPG110						;;04
super silly makeover				Sunplus SPG110						;;01
spongebob dilly dabbler				Sunplus SPG110						;;01
tele-doodle					Sunplus SPG110						;;04
disney						Sunplus SPG110; PAC300 for GameKey-capable conversion?	;;04
world poker tour				Sunplus SPG110						;;01
spider-man					Sunplus SPG110, then PAC300				;;04
ea sports					Sunplus SPG110						;;04
[the] batman					Sunplus SPG220 or SPG240				;;04
midway mortal kombat				Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;04
star wars iii					Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;04
nicktoons					Sunplus SPG240						;;04
fantastic four					Sunplus SPG240						;;02
fantastic four					Sunplus SPG220						;;08
disney princess					Sunplus SPG110 (most likely)				;;04
dragonball z					Sunplus SPG240						;;10
dora the explorer				Sunplus SPG240						;;04
care bears					Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;04
disney friends					Sunplus SPG240 (cited as both Sunplus SPG200 + PAC300)	;;04
dora's nursery rhyme adv			Sunplus SPG240						;;04
winnie the pooh					Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;04
power rangers					Sunplus SPG240						;;04
superman					Sunplus SPG240 (cited as both Sunplus SPG200 + PAC300)	;;04
shrek						Sunplus SPG240						;;04
x-men						Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;04
avatar						Sunplus SPG240 (cited as both Sunplus SPG200 + PAC300)	;;04
thomas the tank engine				Sunplus SPG110						;;04
disney princess magical adv's			Sunplus SPG240						;;04
disney/pixar classics				Sunplus SPG240						;;04
nicktoons summer camp				Sunplus SPG240						;;04
marvel heroes					Sunplus SPG240						;;04
star wars original trilogy			Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;04
spider-man 3 movie				Sunplus SPG240						;;04
spongebob jellyfish dodge			Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;04
pirates of the caribbean			Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;09
cheetah girls					Sunplus SPG240						;;04
dora smart cookie				Sunplus SPG240						;;04
spider-man in villain round-up			Sunplus SPG240 (cited as both Sunplus SPG200 + PAC300)	;;04
disney princess sleeping beauty			Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;09
dora's world adventure				Sunplus SPG240						;;04
high school musical				Sunplus SPG240						;;04
smarter than a 5th grader			Sunplus SPG240						;;04
wheel of fortune 2				Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;04
wall-e						Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;09
g2 hannah montana guitar			Generalplus GPL162xx					;;11
ultimotion swing zone sports			Generalplus GPAC800/accelerometer			;;04
ultimotion disney fairies/sleeping beauty	Generalplus GPAC800 (Generalplus GPL16250)/acceleromtr	;;04
ultimotion playhouse disney			Generalplus GPAC800 (Generalplus GPL16250)/acceleromtr	;;04
g2 hannah montana deluxe			Generalplus GPAC800					;;09
g2 high school musical deluxe			Generalplus GPAC800					;;09
namco pac-man retro arcade			Sunplus SPG240 (Sunplus PAC300)				;;07
power rangers to the rescue			Generalplus GPAC500					;;03
disney princess cinderella			Sunplus SPG240						;;04
spider-man and masked menace			Generalplus GPAC500					;;02
big buck hunter pro				Sunplus SPG293/IR+lightgun (initial version)		;;04
big buck hunter pro				Generalplus GPAC800/IR+lightgun				;;04
spongebob bikini bottom 500			Generalplus GPAC800/accelerometer			;;04
star wars the clone wars republic squadron	Generalplus GPAC800/accelerometer			;;04
power rangers force in time			Generalplus GPAC800/accelerometer			;;02
sing scene pop					Generalplus GPAC800					;;09
sing scene country				Generalplus GPAC800					;;09
ultimotion fitness				Generalplus GPAC800 (Generalplus GPL16250)/acceleromtr	;;04
disney tinker bell and the lost treasure	Generalplus GPAC800/accelerometer			;;02
phineas and ferb best game ever			Generalplus GPAC800/accelerometer			;;09
toy story toys on the move			Generalplus GPAC800/accelerometer			;;04
toy story mania					Generalplus GPAC800/IR+lightgun				;;04
golden tee golf					Generalplus GPAC800					;;04
cars 2						Generalplus GPAC800					;;04
big buck safari					Sunplus SPG293/IR+lightgun				;;04
taito space invaders				Generalplus GPAC800					;;04
walking dead zombie hunter			Generalplus GPAC800/IR+lightgun				;;04

# hasbro
mission paintball				Sunplus SPG200						;;04
dream life					Sunplus SPG240						;;05
dream life superstar				Sunplus SPG240						;;05
star wars clone trooper blaster			Sunplus SPG243/lightgun					;;02

# atari
atari flashback					Novatek NT6578						;;04

# tech2go
tmnt: battle for the city			Sunplus SPG240 or SPG220				;;04
tmnt: mutant & monster mayhem			Sunplus SPG240 or SPG220				;;04
tmnt: the way of the warrior			Sunplus SPG220						;;12
knd: operation PLUGGUHS				Sunplus SPG2xx (likely SPG240)				;;04

# mga
bratzlife					Sunplus SPG291						;;04
bratz math in the mall				Sunplus SPG288						;;06

# tommo
neogeo x					Ingenic JZ4770						;;13

- source legend
;;01 = http://www.linkedin....-mace/1/317/b68
;;02 = http://benobell.com/resume.html
;;03 = http://www.odesk.com...b55a?sid=12001#
;;04 = personally conducted developer interview
;;05 = http://www.erikhove....ik/projects.php
;;06 = http://www.linkedin....n/chrisshrigley
;;07 = system's debug mode display
;;08 = http://benobell.com/softography
;;09 = http://www.krop.com/...rkdream/resume/
;;10 = 
;;11 = http://pics.kelley.c...468427588_GsAgp
;;12 = http://www.northpalace.com/resume.html
;;13 = text printed on system's processor

08/31/2010 Update: I will be attaching a second type of file to this post from now on: in addition to the pnpgames.*.txt files which have been part of this post since 2005, there will now also be pnpgames_supplement.*.txt files.  These files cover game systems that fall outside the restrictions placed on systems that are included in the normal pnpgames.*.txt files (e.g., systems that use accelerometer or infrared reflectivity inputs).  Coverage for these systems is far from complete and is never expected to remotely approach completeness, due to the large number of such systems released in the past.  What is presented here is primarily for illustration of the plug-n-play industry's shift toward this type of system since ~2008.  As with the pnpgames.*.txt files, each successive listing contains all the information from earlier versions; the earlier versions are presented merely for historical interest.

10/19/2011 Update: The pnpgames.*.txt (and later also the pnpgames_supplement.*.txt) files will now be using additional abbreviations to be able to convey more information.  Here is a reference guide for the new shorthand (note that the parenthesized abbreviations may not always appear by themselves within their parentheses):
- gen = Genesis; md = Mega Drive; sms = Sega Master System; gg = Game Gear.
- (hh) = handheld; (js) = joystick; (sd) = includes SD card slot.
- (na) = of retro collections, runs original game binaries natively; (em) = of retro collections, runs original game binaries in an emulation engine.

The most recent file attachments are: pnpgames.20130412.txt and pnpgames_supplement.20121223.txt

Attached Files

•  pnpgames.20060531.txt   4.8K   351 downloads
•  pnpgames.20060826.txt   5.34K   233 downloads
•  pnpgames.20061028.txt   5.8K   225 downloads
•  pnpgames.20070105.txt   6.61K   274 downloads
•  pnpgames.old.txt   4.24K   251 downloads
•  pnpgames.20070503.txt   7.05K   269 downloads
•  pnpgames.20070729.txt   7.47K   342 downloads
•  pnpgames.20071107.txt   8.78K   214 downloads
•  pnpgames.20080128.txt   9.4K   211 downloads
•  pnpgames.20080528.txt   9.65K   281 downloads
•  pnpgames.20080907.txt   10.02K   162 downloads
•  pnpgames.20081228.txt   10.52K   173 downloads
•  pnpgames.20090812.txt   10.83K   165 downloads
•  pnpgames.20090502.txt   10.6K   209 downloads
•  pnpgames.20100523.txt   12.58K   125 downloads
•  pnpgames.20100222.txt   11.12K   139 downloads
•  pnpgames.20100819.txt   12.89K   113 downloads
•  pnpgames_supplement.20100819.txt   1.23K   122 downloads
•  pnpgames.20101218.txt   13.29K   91 downloads
•  pnpgames_supplement.20101218.txt   1.64K   102 downloads
•  pnpgames.20110331.txt   13.44K   88 downloads
•  pnpgames_supplement.20110504.txt   1.73K   93 downloads
•  pnpgames.20110705.txt   13.67K   124 downloads
•  pnpgames.20111019.txt   14.05K   86 downloads
•  pnpgames.20120125.txt   14.17K   69 downloads
•  pnpgames_supplement.20120125.txt   1.77K   64 downloads
•  pnpgames.20120516.txt   14.4K   52 downloads
•  pnpgames_supplement.20120516.txt   2.02K   44 downloads
•  pnpgames.20120907.txt   14.57K   43 downloads
•  pnpgames_supplement.20120907.txt   2.09K   40 downloads
•  pnpgames_supplement.20121223.txt   2.12K   26 downloads
•  pnpgames.20121223.txt   14.85K   22 downloads
•  pnpgames.20130412.txt   15.02K   13 downloads

Edited by onmode-ky, Fri Apr 12, 2013 9:48 PM.

[raindog]

Never heard of this one, but now I'm interested:

game station arcade 15 in 1 color dreams (1989-91 nes games; gsa y2k)

[onmode-ky]

I think you might be in the minority.  From what I've read, Color Dreams was one of those "renegade" publishers of NES games, not actually approved/licensed by Nintendo, and their games were generally considered to be pretty bad.  I've never played any of them, so I have no opinion of my own to offer, but the reputation is rather poor.  I think they were the ones who had plans for a "supercart," though, with its own CPU (a Z-80?) overriding the NES', so at least they had some interesting ideas (the project was scrapped, however).  I read all this stuff somewhere online, but I don't remember where.

I suppose if you're the collecting type, this device from Pelican would have been a good way to get a bunch of Color Dreams' games, though not on original carts.  I wonder how well they sold.

onmode-ky

[Hornpipe2]

This is a way cool list.  I'm actually looking for plug-and-play retro games that are 'moddable', i.e. allow addition of a cartridge slot or a way to get them to play more games.  So far I've found the Flashback 2, C64 DTV and the Radica Genesis releases to be potential candidates.

Do you think you could add any knowledge you have about hackability to your list?  Maybe something as simple as a (M) to denote 'moddable', but leave it as an exercise to the reader to figure out exactly what can be done with them...

-Greg

[onmode-ky]

Hornpipe2, on Thu Sep 20, 2007 12:50 PM, said:

This is a way cool list.  I'm actually looking for plug-and-play retro games that are 'moddable', i.e. allow addition of a cartridge slot or a way to get them to play more games.  So far I've found the Flashback 2, C64 DTV and the Radica Genesis releases to be potential candidates.

Do you think you could add any knowledge you have about hackability to your list?  Maybe something as simple as a (M) to denote 'moddable', but leave it as an exercise to the reader to figure out exactly what can be done with them...

-Greg

I'm sorry, but no.  First of all, I don't go out of my way to research whether or not something has been modded by anyone.  Secondly, technically speaking, just about anything can be modded, as long as you know the underlying hardware and maybe the instruction set as well (and provided the entire board isn't glop-topped).  For example, if you knew how to program for various SunPlus architectures (which would probably mean you had access to their development tools and libraries, though) and had the necessary hardware know-how, you could probably make your own homebrew GameKeys compatible with some of the Jakks Pacific TV Games.

If you're just looking for a list of plug-and-play models designed to be binary-compatible with retro consoles, you've already listed most of them.  The only other one(s) I know of are the handheld and joystick models which play Sega Master System and Game Gear games (released by both Playpal and the new Coleco brand).

onmode-ky

[Hornpipe2]

onmode-ky, on Sat Sep 22, 2007 2:30 PM, said:

If you're just looking for a list of plug-and-play models designed to be binary-compatible with retro consoles, you've already listed most of them.  The only other one(s) I know of are the handheld and joystick models which play Sega Master System and Game Gear games (released by both Playpal and the new Coleco brand).

Thanks, that's actually more what I was looking for : )

[Gregory DG]

onmode-ky, on Sat Dec 24, 2005 12:54 PM, said:

I think you might be in the minority.  From what I've read, Color Dreams was one of those "renegade" publishers of NES games, not actually approved/licensed by Nintendo, and their games were generally considered to be pretty bad.

Their one claim to fame was Crystal Mines, which was ported to the Atari Lynx as Crystal Mines II.

[awace]

Aw crap I started talking about the robotron post and forgot i was going to do  a link to this
http://www.amazon.co...t/dp/B00025YP9K
and this link in witch i show where the + and (-) providing you remove one batt wire so kids wont recharge batteries when plugged in..
I think you missed this little mini cool device as long as you do the MOD or purchase one of those 4pack looking batterie eliminator's witch are rare and dont last long at
wallmart or target its a PLUG PLAY device in witch you use as battery eliminator it snapps in I cant remember if it screws in but for 4 aaa batteries the cost factor for using a power pack out weighs using $4 aaa batteries witch only last 45 minnutes just the point where you try to break youre best ralllyx hyper speed game..
oh i think you missed the KEY chains too there in there own class by them selfs the joystick ones even have a puny PAL jumper and a weird one witch produces a brown and black stripped test pattern with constant blaring tone too.. the paddle I forgot to rip apart just to see inside hmmm IDEA!! anyway I decided to use my keychain since i bought 6 of them at wallmart when they were remodling the store they decided to give in and put them on sale for $14 I decided hmm feb 14th ok june I thoght hmm who cares about 3 tv stations lame as they can be one 14 a relugius low power witch I drown out w my ch14 modulator for watching dvd's in front yard and 2 stupid lame shopping channels so i decided to mod my tv the 4 inch see threw one i got witch is almost so old its almost rotten you can barley see threw it anymore but the screen still works and i can get ½ hours on a $14 used alarm battery.. anyway I took a zenith rd mod and permanantly instlled the RF MODULATOR to ch3 inside the battery compartment and hard wired it to the antenna wires also i ran jumpers so all the RF and power connectors on the back can wiggle all they want and still be connected then replaced the single speaker wire strand for my instafuse!!! mini fuses are expensive and its soldered anyway so one speaker wire strand and solder gun and viola i have a permanant Atari . I permantly hooked the keychain power pack soldered the on off switch infact i bypassed it then hooked 5v from somwhere on the big chip on the tv since i blew video in I had to use ch3 rf besides it gets a perfect picture and i wanted to mutilate a nother Zenith box!!! i needed the rf RCA to F connectors for my SEARS Atari II console anyway.. NOW I have a tv that still gets UHF VHF and ch3 the power pack for the keychain always gets power and the rf mod is always on or crap i made a typo the RF mod uses 12v I just remembered the ZENITH RF MOD color code is as follows 1st break security screws on Z box then remove RF mod keep all wires and parts for spares.. then its like this Orange 12v + the whole can is (-) ground so just solder anywhere you want on metal to get a gnd then purple is video and yellow is audio ! I just used a old vcr rca module and just soldered left to right but since the keychain has mono it didnt matter I had used the rf mod for other things in the past.. now the cool thing is i can change from different joystick keychains w out changing anything on the tv just plug and play!
SO
IN short
did you forget to list the mini packman joystick PLug play witch is similar to the Pacman big one I dont know i never played it..
and then there is the keychains..
OH i also have a plug play poker tournament game witch i rarely play witch has lcd on the top and plugs into the tv with cdrom so you can try online to goto vegas I cant remember witch service it uses for the cd but there not interactive with the plug play .. I also have a single paddle plug play paddle with Real Atari paddles NO jitter! and a atari joystick witch i need to solder a power pack to! oh lest i forget the modded Atari 2600 4 switcher looks like crap but has a flashback II inside it.
Remember if you do enough scratching you can use the output of the 340t (lm7805) 5v + power regulator still using the original power switch then if you really scatch a lot you can use a dead 2600 mother board for youre cart mod connections also the b/w swtich is a double pole single throw switch anyway you must scratch the hell out of it to get it like that cause the both pole sides need to be seprate but it makes for some awesome flashing cause the b/w switch is so crappy you get some inbetween flashings its awesome
I found the this area intemptly left blank and most of the time you can start a flashback game 1st !!! then insert fav cart then flash between them caverns of mars and the cart missile command is a cool one to flash between cause caverns of mars geeks missile command does pretty mutch nothing but caverns of mars does. also you can notice if you do it enough that some old memmory bits get STUCK in the flashback cart area since the area dosent fill up adv II the draggon and the bird I swear on some instances when you remove power and restart into that game the dragon and the bird "bat" sometimes are in the exact same pattern they were when it was last on this is cause the memmory is not ram its non volitile ram or some new ram but its not the original c-mos type ram witch is ram in a rom  witch is cool if it was ram it would not always come up in the Damn adventure menu witch it does from time to time. I am glad you made a list of plug play item i think its cool. there
using differnt ram than orginal atari ram witch was a portion of inside one of the chips wich was RAM in a rom it was not like a pal witch can be shut off and remember its last state it goes empty when you power off . ALso note the Ghosts in the mini pacman act differnt than the arcade motherboard are still predictable but in differnt ways remember you have to address the pacman ghosts in youre  brain the exact way the computer chip ram there running addresses its own memmory.
How i do this is i Play Galaxian 1st then pacman it seems you can if you play mame a lot and Atari Galaxain on game B then after 4 hours of play and complete a complete rotation of flags they start shooting then on the 800/400 there realy mad so using this techneuqe i just play galaxain 1st then remember how the real galaxain reacts in its wait states when the bees wait to drop it is differnt than the original galaxian and differnt than atari800/400 but its differnt by the way the thing addresses its memmory just like pacman I rollled on the floor almost on the plug play mini pacman cause the ghosts were rolling around in a square around the ghost house then for no apparent reason they sniffed me out cause i went back and fourth then down then back up you could tell they sniffed me threw memmory and took off in all directions after me the pink ghost proably ambushed me. its cool to notice the differnt memmory patterns like for instance the plug play mini pacman is ALL NAMCO this is why i think the ghosts act differnt there Japanese NO offence ment by this there Original and act the way there subposed to witch seems you can tell oh thats what Namco wanted when they designed pacman.. the ghosts are predictable but the memmory addressing of the Midway board allowed patterns and prdictability. but since the new game has the correct addressing and the memmory needed to run the video it runs the ghosts the way Namco wanted this is why i think the sound in that pacman sucks.. remember MIDWAY had pal type music chips proms witch sound better than synth sounds!. cause the Midway board produced Real tones where a synth uses sample sounds. from its wav table! even if its from the original 8bit soundblasters YAMAHA mpu401 chip . this is what makes Plug play games so cool you never know what the sound is going to be like untill you play them .
breakout on the Mini key chain paddle to me is a great job. they could have made Warlords with more Difficulty setting game varitys. I know my spelling and punkt is lame.
OH before i forget sorry for the long rant I just got up. AND
PS. the list is awesome.        

[raindog]

As long as this thread's been temporarily brought back to life, I saw at Wal-mart a week or two ago that Jakks is making a new Namco plug'n'play that's like 10 or 12 games in one (basically collecting several of their previous plug'n'plays, no idea whether they're any more accurate than the older ones) and there's also a Bejeweled one now, for those of us who think casual games are the new arcade games.  I can't find either one on Walmart.com but here's the Bejeweled one at Target:

http://www.target.co...g/dp/B00153F5NS

All the rest over the last couple of years have been licensed movie trash....

[brojamfootball]

Awace, your post is unreadable.

[onmode-ky]

brojamfootball, on Sun May 3, 2009 2:36 PM, said:

Awace, your post is unreadable.

I agree.  In this mostly-quiet thread, I never expected to find a post with a mountain of meandering text.

Also, to anyone intending to post in this thread, I don't mean to sound rude, but before posting a request to add something to my file, please make sure that it actually is not already in the file (and make sure you are looking at the most recent edition).  Obviously, it's okay if you didn't find it or didn't know how to describe a search for it, but running a "Find" in a web browser or Notepad, for example, would have easily shown that "portable," "keychain," and "bejeweled" are already there.  Here are the specific lines in the 20090502 edition for the products mentioned in the last few posts:

- line 8: namco pac-man (portable)
- line 100: bejeweled deluxe
- line 105: namco pac-man retro arcade
- line 204: keychain centipede/yar's revenge
- line 205: keychain asteroids/millipede
- line 206: keychain pong/breakout/warlords

The Namco Pac-Man Retro Arcade TV Game is the one raindog was describing (it actually has its own thread in this forum).  In fact, I think any new products found should get their own threads so we can discuss them in a focused fashion and not saturate this thread with different topics.  It would be more organized and easier to read that way.

onmode-ky

[raindog]

As I've posted before, I don't have time to browse web forums like AtariAge, which have serious inefficiencies compared to mailing lists.  I have it set up to tell me when there are new replies to threads I've posted to, but I don't hear about new threads like the one you just pointed out.  It also doesn't tell me when a previous post has been edited, and I'm certainly not about to go back and read entire threads every time there's a new reply just in case someone's made changes to an earlier post.  

In the future, given the inadequacy of forum software, you might consider posting a comment to indicate you've made such a change.

[onmode-ky]

I don't know if there might be anyone else who might find this interesting, but in light of the recent packaging change that Jakks' TV Games have gotten, I thought I'd jot down the various changes in packaging I have seen over the years for plug-and-play games.  Of course, given that most players in this market either dropped out after only using one form or are generics and never had consistent packaging to begin with, there are only two companies represented.

Edit: in case there are future packaging changes, I'm going to move this data to the first post of this thread, as I can edit that one beyond the standard time limit.

Edit 2: okay, so since it seems a bug in the forum software is preventing me from editing a post by using the Full Editor, I'll just post this data here and add it to the first post in the thread when the bug is fixed.

- packaging evolution: jakks pacific tv games
2001	  - (toymax activision) cardboard box, standard rectangular
			parallelepiped
2002-2004 - (atari joystick, namco 1, spongebob 1) cardboard box with
			L-shaped side cross section: tray with hard back and shaped
			clear plastic window
2004	  - (jakks activision) transitional: shaped clear plastic window
			on thin cardboard backing; this model also appeared with next
			major packaging form
2004	  - (portable namco 1) special packaging for this model only:
			blister pack
2004	  - (gamekey-bundled holiday models) blister pack
2004-2006 - truncated (shorter tray) L-shaped cardboard box, with
			protruding shaped clear plastic window; summer 2004 (first
			2004 models) to summer 2006 (namco 3 packaging took both this
			and next forms)
2006-2009 - blister pack, with exposed joystick; summer 2006 to summer 2009
2009	  - plastic box with trapezoidal side cross section; several older
			models revived with this packaging; summer 2009 to present
		  - gun/microphone/motion controller models: cardboard box with
			trapezoidal side cross section; summer 2009 to present
*atari joystick tv games has appeared with all 4 major packaging forms

- packaging evolution: radica arcade/play tv legends
2004	  - (taito, tetris, sega genesis) cardboard box with lopsided
			pentagon as top-down cross section
2005-2006 - cardboard box, standard rectangular parallelepiped

onmode-ky

Edited by onmode-ky, Sun Sep 13, 2009 9:08 PM.

[onmode-ky]

Now that the Full Edit mode is working for me on the initial post of this thread, I have updated it with the Packaging Evolution timeline which I first posted on 09/13/2009.  This will let me add to the timeline when future packaging changes occur.  Also, since finding the most recent edition of the pnpgames.*.txt files is no longer just a matter of scrolling to the bottom of the attachment list, I have added a line in nicely visible red text which will specify which file you should seek if you're interested in the most recent one.  Of course, I have to remember to update this line each time I add a new file, but I think I can handle that.

onmode-ky

[onmode-ky]

I thought I would post some findings from my recent research into the last decade or so of the Japanese plug-n-play game market.  Unlike the American market, the [legal side of the] market in Japan has very few retro game compilations.  Standalone, dedicated game systems existed, but most of them were single-game devices with motion gameplay (by which I mean Wii-like interfaces).

A large number of these used XaviX technology.  Some of you may be familiar with the XaviXPORT game system that came out before the Wii but had little market presence.  "XaviX" is actually the name of a family of processors by SSD (ShinSeDai) Company Ltd., and the XaviXPORT and its standalone siblings were all products created by SSD which used the XaviX processors.  In what I think is a pretty rare setup, SSD not only designed a CPU (and its successors), but they also did product design, both hardware and software; it's possible they did some subcontracting, but generally speaking, they handled a lot of the production work.  Actual distribution, marketing, and sales came from partners like Takara, Tomy, Bandai, Epoch, Hasbro, and even Square Enix.  A large number of these systems used infrared emitter/sensor setups, along with reflective props, in the user interface implementation, and these made up a significant part of the Japanese plug-n-play market.  Titles included anime licenses such as Dragonball Z, One Piece, Naruto, and Kekkaishi, and, though pricey in the 7000-8000 yen range, they were largely targeted as exercise games for children.  As far as I know, the earliest of these types of plug-n-play systems came out around 2000 (plus or minus a couple of years).  I myself have the 2003 Kenshin Dragon Quest system.

In 2004, what I think is the first example of a legal multi-game retro plug-n-play system appeared in Japan: Sega Toys' Mega Drive Play TV.  I used to think that Radica Games' Arcade Legends Sega Genesis system was a borrowing of work already done by Sega Toys for the Japanese market, but now I suspect that Sega Toys and Radica actually collaborated on this and intended to jointly market it worldwide from the beginning.  The reason I think this is that even the Japanese versions of this product line use the American versions of the software.  Sega Toys' website for these systems (Japan only got three of them, by the way, while we in the US got six total; the Outrun 2019, Menacer, and Super Sonic Gold systems were not released in Japan) has a line of fine print at the bottom that says the software on these systems are the American Genesis versions.  And, I comfirmed via an e-mail to their customer service department that the games only have English (later on, I also discovered that the Japanese Wikipedia page for this product line says they're only in English, and one of the Amazon.co.jp user reviews complains that it's English-only software despite the packaging showing pictures of the Japanese versions).  This seems especially problematic for Ecco the Dolphin.  Pricing for each of these models was around 4000 yen.  In Japan, the first of the Mega Drive Play TV series was manufactured and distributed by Sega Toys, as noted on the website, but the site's pages for the subsequent models attributes manufacture and distribution to Radica.  Also worth noting, these later two models switched to Radica's distinctive US/EU packaging form factor (of course, for the latter 3 models, that never came out in Japan, Radica stopped using that packaging).

In 2006, the first home-grown retro plug-n-play systems showed up in Japan in the form of Namco Nostalgia 1 & 2 and Taito Nostalgia 1 & 2, from Bandai, under the "Let's! TV Play Classic" brand (an extension of their "Let's! TV Play" motion game line).  These actually also used XaviX technology, along with a very consumer-unfriendly setup for power and output: you had to buy a separately sold proprietary AV/power cable in order to play any of the units (note the lack of a battery power option, though there was a battery backup of some sort, as evidenced by a "Load" option at the game title screens).  This was made worse by what seems to have been a recall of that cable.  Each of the units in this series came with 2 retro games and 2 remixes of those same games.  In the case of the Namco games, the remixes used a similar setting but with a different type of gameplay, while the Taito games' remixes used characters with different abilities under the same gameplay.  Another difference, the Namco series are labeled as "8M ROM" (megabytes? megabits?), while the Taito series are "16M ROM."

Namco Nostalgia 1:
- Xevious, Xevious Scramble Mission
- Mappy, Mappy Nyamco-Dan no Gyakushuu (Nyamco Brigade's Counterattack)

Namco Nostalgia 2:
- Gaplus, Gaplus Phalanx
- Dragon Buster, Dragon Buster 100

Taito Nostalgia 1:
- Kage no Densetsu (Legend of Kage--"Kage" is a proper noun here but normally means "shadow"), Kage no Densetsu Kaiden (Revised Legend)
- Ougon no Shiro (Golden Castle, released in the US as "Gladiator"), Ougon no Shiro Amazones

Taito Nostalgia 2:
- Kiki Kaikai (Strange World--it's actually a bit of a pun--released in the US as "Pocky & Rocky"), Kiki Kaikai Kakurenbou (the name of the 1P character in Jigoku Meguri (Bonze Adventure), whose name is a homonym with the Japanese word for hide-and-seek)
- Slap Fight (released in the US as "Alcon"), Slap Fight Tiger (reference to the helicopter from Tiger Heli)

With the exception of Xevious and Mappy, none of these titles were ever released in any US plug-n-play collections.  Unfortunately, it seems the series did not sell well (some user reviews at Amazon.co.jp cite incomplete fidelity to the arcade originals), as the announced Namco Nostalgia 3 was cancelled.  This was to be released about 4 months after the initial lineup, and it was to include Druaga no Tou (The Tower of Druaga) and Chouzetsu Rinjin Berabouman (Bravoman).  Notably, this would have been only the second port of Bravoman in history.

Some final notes about the Let's! TV Play Classic series:
- Each unit was priced at 3500 yen, and the proprietary cable was 1599 yen.
- Each unit came with two interchangeable faceplates; in the case of the Taito series, one of the two plates was illustrated by manga artist "Zakkun Pop" (or "Zakkun Poppu").
- The pixel art of the series' logo mascot character, shown in the title screens and on the packaging, was illustrated by manga artist Sugaya Mitsuru, who also had a signing session (or was at least scheduled to have one) a few days after the product line launch to mark the occasion.

To my knowledge, no further retro plug-n-play systems were released in Japan after this.  The "old game fans" target audience was either too small or too unwilling to support the market (it is worth noting that 2006 was a year of decline in the US plug-n-play market as well).  In contrast, there have been further single-game motion systems based on XaviX technology.

Some of my resources:
http://www.shinsedai...nductore_e.html
http://www.shinsedai...ame_list_e.html
http://www.tv-gamekan.com/
http://playtv.sega.jp/
http://www.fupac.co.jp/products-t.html
http://tamashii.jp/lyvp/
http://www.changevwo...ay/letsplay.htm

Totally unrelated to the above:
- Before I started writing this, I witnessed wgungfu reverting the English Wikipedia article for Frogger, removing some subjective junk that had been inserted into the first sentence.
- In looking into why Majesco's Frogger plug-n-play discarded the original arcade game's music, I discovered that the reason most (all?) Frogger ports do not keep the original music is that much of it was taken from other properties.  The main gameplay music, a song called "To Rock River," is the opening title of a 1977 anime series called "Araiguma Rascal" ("Rascal the Raccoon").  The Japanese Frogger Wikipedia article goes into more detail on what anime songs are in the arcade version of the game; it also claims that several other Konami games from this time period borrowed (the word used, "ryuuyou," has "misappropriation" as one of its meanings in WWWJDIC) sounds from various television anime.
- I saw AtariAge described in a Japanese blog entry as "the #1 Atari game community in the world."

onmode-ky

[pboland]

Have you ever thought of putting up a web site for this info? That would be very interesting.

[Nesbroslash]

Where can you find that Activision TV game? It sounds like it would be a major improvement over the DC Studios game I reviewed.

[onmode-ky]

pboland, on Wed May 12, 2010 5:23 PM, said:

Have you ever thought of putting up a web site for this info? That would be very interesting.

No, I've never thought about putting up a website for this stuff.  All I have is data collected from other sites or through observations at retail.  I have almost no media, and my own collection is very small (and, aside from Kenshin Dragon Quest, includes none of the Japanese units from my previous post, if that was what you were specifically talking about).  Basically, what you see in this thread is all that would be on the site.  Would there be any advantage to having this information duplicated somewhere else (namely, a brand new page with no traffic)?  I mean, sure, I guess AtariAge could cease to exist, but . . ..

Nesbroslash, on Sun May 16, 2010 8:30 AM, said:

Where can you find that Activision TV game? It sounds like it would be a major improvement over the DC Studios game I reviewed.

I'm not sure what you mean, so I'm going to just write out a bunch of information and hope something in it answers your question.

- The Activision plug-n-play released in 2001 by Toymax was programmed by DC Studios.
- The Activision plug-n-play released in 2004 by Jakks Pacific is the same as the 2001 release (i.e., also programmed by DC Studios), just in a new, joystick form factor.  Jakks was just rereleasing the originator of the TV Games product line that they had gotten in their Toymax acquisition.
- I don't know who programmed the Activision plug-n-play released in 2006 or later by Techno Source (blind guess: the same Chinese factory that did their Intellivision plug-n-play systems), but I don't think that's the one you're talking about, either.  I can't think of any reason why anyone would consider it a major improvement over earlier models, at least based on the minimal information I wrote about it here.  All I have about it in my file are its manufacturer and its press release date.
- Where you would find any of these plug-n-play units now, years after their release, is kind of hard to answer.  Maybe try eBay, the Amazon Marketplace, pawn/thrift shops.

onmode-ky

[awace]

I did buy a coleco sports video 1 player joy pad  Coleco Plug-n-play TV Video Game System (Includes: Soccer, Hockey, Football, Racqetball, Basketball & Baseball) it costed under 10 dollars and is only like $3 something online the joypad is really hard to use and the games are lame but I still look at the yellow red black and battery wires once and a while as the bottom is missing and video wire has been snipped and the battery cover is missing with the bottom cover i cant remember what I did with it.
I Also just came back from 2010 Hamvention with a bootleg NEs type super joy w built in gun in the joysitck it self the cool thing is the games are NOT orignal but name and other hacked the dog is the same in tv shoot game but every thing else has been changed around its funny how the flashback is a nes on a chip running a nes to atari2600 file !!! emulation file anyway this one is not going to be ripped apart and im on the look out for famicom mario4.**********************
edit************
hmm I wonder if the playstation stinky brittle crock nes on chip thing would have the same 2nd player joysticks and or weather the turbo buttons would work on the other machines also the light gun weather a plasma or rear projector wont work w a light gun Ill have to try it..

Edited by awace, Wed May 19, 2010 1:18 AM.

[awace]

I took pictures of the Power Joy I bought from the flea market of the Hamvention The seller is Anonymous!!! It was outside somewhere!!! ..
anyway here is some pictures the shooting game was actully fun on my small 13 or 12 inch Panasonic composite mil spec video monitor A tv with out tuner in a metal case anyway it looks awesome on it and plays fun too the shooting game was fun until i shot a kid in the game but reset with the notion cool I was not expecting that anyway but thought it was cool later on in level two i missed a bomb but also did not shoot anything on screen and it said GOOD! then went to level 3 it just keeps going until you get like 3 strikes I think..
Also the car game is kind of fun and the block fall game witch plays like a game they stole the idea from has original music on start barker page then has level select up to level 50 or something and you can have two players I wonder if the shooting games like duck hunt lets you move objects wilst p1 shoots at them , here is some picks of the power joy pad .
WOW I cant belive how good that Panasonic composite monitor works for taking pictures with the contrast turned all the way down..
the falling bricks i moved so its jittery picture.
img_2154.jpg play select their is a level select too..
image img_2516.jpg game3
Shoot Copters 300 you can see a copter instead of a duck .
next panzer fly car 500
car alone then enymeies you cant let them make you touch p touch death the wall!!! or you blow up so dont crash into wall..
SHot glass 000 img_2524
also shooting 600 img_2525 now this is the game i DID NOT EXPECT kids to pop up instead of targets but on 2nd stage i missed all on screen and was late for bomb but did not shoot a kid or anything on page and it said GOOD!.
then I ran out of ammo .


A nother brick picture bleary but falling object caught in picture..
Here is a picture of the monitor. too
I took pictures of the back to show the 75ohm switch cause this monitor does not gitter like a new lcd or plasma or hidef sony like screen cause its a TUBE .

Attached Thumbnails

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Edited by awace, Wed May 19, 2010 2:24 AM.

[S1500]

I just look at the Ultimate Console Database for any PnP-dedicated console info. He may not go into detail with the individual games, but it still gives a bearing.

There's still that Gamevision Famiclone unit I want that has more recent(as in late 80s early 90s games, not Famicom launch title) NES games.

[onmode-ky]

S1500, on Wed May 19, 2010 6:21 AM, said:

I just look at the Ultimate Console Database for any PnP-dedicated console info. He may not go into detail with the individual games, but it still gives a bearing.

Do you mean this page?

http://ultimateconso...com/tvgames.htm

I took a look at it, and, well, it's really tiny.  There are only 39 entries.  Granted, there are pictures and some descriptions there, and it covers some motion game systems (which I specifically do not cover), but the majority of the plug-n-play market is absent.  Jakks Pacific alone has released something like 100 SKUs.  Moreover, there is the fact that some of the information is just plain wrong, namely a lot of the product dates and the unfounded insistence that several of the units run emulators (only AtGames' Genesis-based systems are known to run emulators; others either are natively binary-compatible or are ports to new, and cheap, hardware).

In other news, I reconsidered pboland's suggestion to put up my information on a dedicated website, aside from here at AtariAge.  I realized that a lot of this thread is discussion rather than pure data.  So, in the interest of providing a location with just information, without the distraction of side discussions, I have launched a small page of my own that collects all my substantive AtariAge contributions into a single place:

http://pnp-info.angelfire.com/

Of course, it's really just a duplicate of material available in this forum, but it does let you find things a little more quickly.  Please note that there are ads at the bottom of the page; I went for a free hosting plan.

onmode-ky

[S1500]

That's the one I meant. Yep. There might not be many for PnP games, but it's still a fun site.

For your angelfire site, you're onto a good start, but go beyond textfiles. WAY beyond textfiles. Flesh 'er out a bit! Add pictures! Maybe a wiki or something would fare better in the long run.

[Nesbroslash]

onmode-ky, on Tue May 18, 2010 2:32 PM, said:

pboland, on Wed May 12, 2010 5:23 PM, said:

Have you ever thought of putting up a web site for this info? That would be very interesting.

No, I've never thought about putting up a website for this stuff.  All I have is data collected from other sites or through observations at retail.  I have almost no media, and my own collection is very small (and, aside from Kenshin Dragon Quest, includes none of the Japanese units from my previous post, if that was what you were specifically talking about).  Basically, what you see in this thread is all that would be on the site.  Would there be any advantage to having this information duplicated somewhere else (namely, a brand new page with no traffic)?  I mean, sure, I guess AtariAge could cease to exist, but . . ..

Nesbroslash, on Sun May 16, 2010 8:30 AM, said:

Where can you find that Activision TV game? It sounds like it would be a major improvement over the DC Studios game I reviewed.

I'm not sure what you mean, so I'm going to just write out a bunch of information and hope something in it answers your question.

- The Activision plug-n-play released in 2001 by Toymax was programmed by DC Studios.
- The Activision plug-n-play released in 2004 by Jakks Pacific is the same as the 2001 release (i.e., also programmed by DC Studios), just in a new, joystick form factor.  Jakks was just rereleasing the originator of the TV Games product line that they had gotten in their Toymax acquisition.
- I don't know who programmed the Activision plug-n-play released in 2006 or later by Techno Source (blind guess: the same Chinese factory that did their Intellivision plug-n-play systems), but I don't think that's the one you're talking about, either.  I can't think of any reason why anyone would consider it a major improvement over earlier models, at least based on the minimal information I wrote about it here.  All I have about it in my file are its manufacturer and its press release date.
- Where you would find any of these plug-n-play units now, years after their release, is kind of hard to answer.  Maybe try eBay, the Amazon Marketplace, pawn/thrift shops.

onmode-ky

what i mean, is that the DC Atari joystick had a majority of paddl controller games while still utilizing a joystick, so controlling sucks. And, I know for a fact that Activision made mostly joystick games, so the controls are probably better. Hope that clears things up for you.

[onmode-ky]

I have updated my http://pnp-info.angelfire.com/ main page, alongside the addition of the latest edition of the plug-n-play listing file, pnpgames.20100523.txt, to the original post of this thread.  This update of the listing adds very little in the way of American releases, instead focusing on details of Japanese and European systems.  In addition to adding the Japanese data I discussed earlier in this thread, with dates, the 20100523 edition of the listing also moves Videojet from the non-American section of the file to the generics section.  This is because most of Videojet's releases have been French distribution of X-in-1 products from Chinese manufacturer Conny.  Conny, like Jungletac, appears to be an OEM supplier of handheld plug-n-play systems with in-house game content, though I have seen self-branded packaging as well.  Ironically, Videojet's website has better coverage of Conny's content than Conny's own website, even including demo video of every game on each unit.  Conny's site has not even been updated since early 2006, which actually predates the earliest sales of their products that I am aware of: Takara Tomy's distribution of their Pocket Dream Console in Japan later that year.

Regarding the update to my Angelfire page, two new sections have been added:

- a plug-n-play product line names chart
- an image archive

The product line names chart contains the following data showing the branding each manufacturer gave/gives to its plug-n-play lineup:

Atari - Flashback
Conny - PDC (Pocket Dream Console; handhelds)
Dreamgear - My Arcade
Jakks Pacific - [Plug It In & Play] TV Games
Majesco - TV Arcade
Mammoth Toys - TV Board Games (introduced after their C64 DTV)
Namco Bandai - Let's! TV Play Classic (subset of Let's! TV Play motion game product line)
PDP - VG Pocket (handhelds)
Radica - Arcade Legends; renamed to Play TV Legends in 2005 (subset of Play TV motion game product line)
Senario - VS Maxx
Techno Source - [Plug in for] TV Play

The image archive is very small and just contains some images (with commentary) that I figured might be rare on the Web now.  I don't have many images to show anyway.

S1500, on Thu May 20, 2010 7:25 AM, said:

For your angelfire site, you're onto a good start, but go beyond textfiles. WAY beyond textfiles. Flesh 'er out a bit! Add pictures! Maybe a wiki or something would fare better in the long run.

I've now added all the pictures I have that add any value.  To add any more images, I'd have to go on a stealing rampage, and that's just not in my nature.

Nesbroslash, on Thu May 20, 2010 5:10 PM, said:

what i mean, is that the DC Atari joystick had a majority of paddl controller games while still utilizing a joystick, so controlling sucks. And, I know for a fact that Activision made mostly joystick games, so the controls are probably better. Hope that clears things up for you.

The Atari 10-in-1 joystick TV Game had 3 paddle games . . . which is hardly a majority.  Nonetheless, it is true that Jakks Pacific's Activision TV Game has no paddle games.  Be aware, though, that Techno Source's Activision plug-n-play system includes Kaboom! and is a gamepad.

Here's something amusing I noted while researching Conny's PDC systems.  In 2006, when NCSX showed a preview of the Takara Tomy release of the original PDC, they showed screenshots of several of the games, one of them being a clone of Puzz Loop (of which Zuma is also a clone).  Gameplay footage I later found of this PDC game showed that a string of text, "2007 Licensed from Mitchell Corporation," had been added to the bottom of the gameplay screen.  Mitchell Corporation is the owner of Puzz Loop.  Releasing the clone in Puzz Loop's homeland of Japan must have incurred some legal threats.

onmode-ky