New Plug n' Play system actually has GOOD classic games!

[Seob]

Since a noac, is reengineered , it doesn't use any hardware that was specially made for the nes. Like the 386 processors, intel made them, amd reengineered them to be compatible. Same with software, dr-dos was ms-dos compatible, but not a rip-off. Look at atari and the coleco gemini. Since atari used of the self hardware, anyone was able to make there own 2600 compatible system.

[BrianC]

I never saw FRONTLINE, ANARTIC ADVENTURE or PAC LAND on the NES.

Frontline

Antarctic Adventure

Pac-Land

 

Apparently the first two were canceled/unreleased.

 

 

So, the original poster was correct in stating they were COLECOVISION games.

 

No, those were officially released through Nintendo for the Famicom. What was cancelled was the US port for the NES. Once again, NES = Famicom.

 

These Famicom games aren't even Colecovision ports. Antarctic Adventure is a MSX port (which is also what the CV version is based on), Front Line may be a MSX port (not sure on this, but the MSX one looks similar to the NES. Both look different from the CV version, though), and Pac-Land is a direct to Famicom port. I'm not sure about these being canceled for US/EU release since they may not have been planned for the US/EU NES in the first place, but they did stay in Japan for the Famicom.

Edited September 23, 2009 by BrianC

[kroogur]

Ok i stopped at Walgreens on the way home and all they had was Plug-n-Play 50 Games and it was $12.99 the companies name is dreamGear and the website is: http://www.dreamgear.net/ the address is simply a PO Box in Torrence,CA

 

From what I could tell by the minuscule pics on the back the "games" are mostly NES style games like Super Mario 2, Zelda, RC Pro Am? and such. And no i'm not wasting $12.99 on this thing....$4.99 maybe.

 

And I am not surprised at all to see these things at Walgreens/Wal-Mart etc... as much of the inventory they carry is made in China so why would they not carry what their biggest suppliers tell them to carry? Last year they had them Wii-mote games at Walgreens Dr. Ashens even reviewed them:

Edited September 23, 2009 by kroogur

[akator]

Ok i stopped at Walgreens on the way home and all they had was Plug-n-Play 50 Games and it was $12.99 the companies name is dreamGear and the website is: http://www.dreamgear.net/ the address is simply a PO Box in Torrence,CA

 

From what I could tell by the minuscule pics on the back the "games" are mostly NES style games like Super Mario 2, Zelda, RC Pro Am? and such. And no i'm not wasting $12.99 on this thing....$4.99 maybe.

 

And I am not surprised at all to see these things at Walgreens/Wal-Mart etc... as much of the inventory they carry is made in China so why would they not carry what their biggest suppliers tell them to carry? Last year they had them Wii-mote games at Walgreens Dr. Ashens even reviewed them:

 

I did the same thing tonight after reading this thread

I also only saw the 50-in-1 for $12,99. I even went to a second Walgreen's to make sure. I asked the associates and asst. manager about it and the only other thing they had in stock recently was the Jakks Atari version, and that had been gone for at least a few months.

[SeaGtGruff]

Don't look now, Target has it (online only, not in stores) for $8.50!

 

http://www.target.com/Senario-101-in-1-Video-Game/dp/B000RWEF3E

 

Michael

 

PS-- The picture apparently doesn't go with the description.

Edited September 24, 2009 by SeaGtGruff

[akator]

Don't look now, Target has it (online only, not in stores) for $8.50!

 

http://www.target.com/Senario-101-in-1-Video-Game/dp/B000RWEF3E

 

Michael

 

PS-- The picture apparently doesn't go with the description.

 

Thanks for the heads up. I ordered one, the shipping put the total to $13.50. Who knows, it might be fun

[SeaGtGruff]

I ordered one, the shipping put the total to $13.50.

Yeah, I was afraid that might be the case. That means it's actually cheaper to buy it at Walgreens, *if* your local store has one. Hmm, there are several Walgreens in my area-- maybe I should check them out tomorrow!

 

Michael

[TrekMD]

I had to go to 2 different Walgreens to find it but I did. One carried the 50 game device and the other just the 101 in 1. I'm traveling now so can't test it yet but I'm eager to do so!

[gdement]

Agreed.

I was amazed when I saw pirate devices being sold in a major mall, but that was still just a fly-by-night kiosk, not a major store. I'm even more amazed now that stuff like this is at Walgreens.

I emailed Nintendo, to the piracy email they set aside for this purpose, regarding that kiosk at the mall. But it was still there through the whole Christmas shopping season and months afterward. If Nintendo actually cares about these things then they sure don't act like it. I probably could have also emailed Konami, Capcom, etc. (whose games were being pirated) but I didn't.

From the story Marty linked to, they apparently get hundreds of tips, and they simply might not have the available personnel to give you an individual response. I think you (and others) should continue writing.

I wasn't really expecting a reply to my email, though a form letter would have at least let me know someone read it. I was just surprised at how long it took before they apparently did anything about it. I had previously read about those pirate devices, probably the same article that was linked, and thought they'd react more quickly.

I wrote them in mid-November, and the kiosk was still there until at least spring of the following year. I gave them the name on the kiosk, the name/location of the mall, link to the mall's web site, etc. They were there for so long I'm not sure if Nintendo ever followed up on it, maybe the vendor just got bored and found something else to sell.

 

But if I was more determined to get them shut down I should have written more people, or really just talked to a mall manager. Part of me didn't want to let the mall off that easy though. I wanted somebody on the outside to know what was going on there, because it was disgusting to see that stuff shamelessly on display in the middle of the biggest mall in our region. If it was a flea market I wouldn't care as much. I can't believe nobody in mall management, security guys walking by, etc realized that stuff was illegal. If management didn't know it was there, then they need to get out of their office once every few months. They were just turning a blind eye to it.

Edited September 24, 2009 by gdement

[Retro Rogue]

But if I was more determined to get them shut down I should have written more people, or really just talked to a mall manager. Part of me didn't want to let the mall off that easy though. I wanted somebody on the outside to know what was going on there, because it was disgusting to see that stuff shamelessly on display in the middle of the biggest mall in our region. If it was a flea market I wouldn't care as much. I can't believe nobody in mall management, security guys walking by, etc realized that stuff was illegal. If management didn't know it was there, then they need to get out of their office once every few months. They were just turning a blind eye to it.

 

This isn't directed at you, but towards the subject you bring up in general. For me, the irony in it is people get upset at this but have no problem producing, selling, and buying homebrews that violate the same properties (i.e. ports of a game property, proto repros, hacks of code, etc.)

[nathanallan]

Games that are wrapped up in red tape are no fun to play. I emulate

[gdement]

But if I was more determined to get them shut down I should have written more people, or really just talked to a mall manager. Part of me didn't want to let the mall off that easy though. I wanted somebody on the outside to know what was going on there, because it was disgusting to see that stuff shamelessly on display in the middle of the biggest mall in our region. If it was a flea market I wouldn't care as much. I can't believe nobody in mall management, security guys walking by, etc realized that stuff was illegal. If management didn't know it was there, then they need to get out of their office once every few months. They were just turning a blind eye to it.

 

This isn't directed at you, but towards the subject you bring up in general. For me, the irony in it is people get upset at this but have no problem producing, selling, and buying homebrews that violate the same properties (i.e. ports of a game property, proto repros, hacks of code, etc.)

True. I just don't worry much about it with a small-scale homebrew release selling maybe a few hundred units. Mass produced stuff violating 100's or 1000's of copyrights at once, and being sold in retail by 100K's or millions of units, crosses a much bigger line and can do real harm.

Another big difference (to me) with homebrew ports is they're usually written from scratch, not copying someone else's code. They represent original work and have creative value.

[CARTRIDGE STEALER]

I never saw FRONTLINE, ANARTIC ADVENTURE or PAC LAND on the NES.

 

They were - the Famicom. All of these pirate systems (also known as Famiclones) come out of Asia, and usually contain pirate Famicom games.

 

 

well, we know pirates arent official so we cant include them in the official NES library.

 

Not sure what you're talking about. They were officially released Famicom games. Famicom is the NES. This unit and all the games in it is what is pirated.

 

I checked ebay and I dont see the games up there, especially under famicom. I never saw them in the stores, either.

[CARTRIDGE STEALER]

Agreed.

I was amazed when I saw pirate devices being sold in a major mall, but that was still just a fly-by-night kiosk, not a major store. I'm even more amazed now that stuff like this is at Walgreens.

I emailed Nintendo, to the piracy email they set aside for this purpose, regarding that kiosk at the mall. But it was still there through the whole Christmas shopping season and months afterward. If Nintendo actually cares about these things then they sure don't act like it. I probably could have also emailed Konami, Capcom, etc. (whose games were being pirated) but I didn't.

From the story Marty linked to, they apparently get hundreds of tips, and they simply might not have the available personnel to give you an individual response. I think you (and others) should continue writing.

I wasn't really expecting a reply to my email, though a form letter would have at least let me know someone read it. I was just surprised at how long it took before they apparently did anything about it. I had previously read about those pirate devices, probably the same article that was linked, and thought they'd react more quickly.

I wrote them in mid-November, and the kiosk was still there until at least spring of the following year. I gave them the name on the kiosk, the name/location of the mall, link to the mall's web site, etc. They were there for so long I'm not sure if Nintendo ever followed up on it, maybe the vendor just got bored and found something else to sell.

 

But if I was more determined to get them shut down I should have written more people, or really just talked to a mall manager. Part of me didn't want to let the mall off that easy though. I wanted somebody on the outside to know what was going on there, because it was disgusting to see that stuff shamelessly on display in the middle of the biggest mall in our region. If it was a flea market I wouldn't care as much. I can't believe nobody in mall management, security guys walking by, etc realized that stuff was illegal. If management didn't know it was there, then they need to get out of their office once every few months. They were just turning a blind eye to it.

 

 

did you threaten the mall by telling them that you would no longer partonize thier facilty? even if you did, I dont think it would have mattered because if they kick the guy out, theyre losing income from his rent, which, no offense, is alot more than what you may or may not spend in the mall. thats the way they look at it.

[cybercylon]

But if I was more determined to get them shut down I should have written more people, or really just talked to a mall manager. Part of me didn't want to let the mall off that easy though. I wanted somebody on the outside to know what was going on there, because it was disgusting to see that stuff shamelessly on display in the middle of the biggest mall in our region. If it was a flea market I wouldn't care as much. I can't believe nobody in mall management, security guys walking by, etc realized that stuff was illegal. If management didn't know it was there, then they need to get out of their office once every few months. They were just turning a blind eye to it.

 

This isn't directed at you, but towards the subject you bring up in general. For me, the irony in it is people get upset at this but have no problem producing, selling, and buying homebrews that violate the same properties (i.e. ports of a game property, proto repros, hacks of code, etc.)

True. I just don't worry much about it with a small-scale homebrew release selling maybe a few hundred units. Mass produced stuff violating 100's or 1000's of copyrights at once, and being sold in retail by 100K's or millions of units, crosses a much bigger line and can do real harm.

Another big difference (to me) with homebrew ports is they're usually written from scratch, not copying someone else's code. They represent original work and have creative value.

 

Things is some people are acting as if this is something new and shocking. This is nothing new. It did start in those mall kiosks, but haven't things like this cropped up from time to time in major retailers like Target?

 

A lot of people will end up buying these things and have no idea that copyrights are being violated. "Oh... look at this neat plug in play system for only $10. Fun simple games. I think this will make a good stocking stuffer for my kids, party favor, whatever".

[Retro Rogue]

 

I checked ebay and I dont see the games up there, especially under famicom. I never saw them in the stores, either.

 

They were released in Japan and the pacific rim, that's the Famicom's market. You are aware the NES is simply the US version of the Famicom? Why on earth would you have expected to see them in stores here? Let alone on US Ebay (unless someone imported them here or someone from Japan is selling them internationally)?

 

Here, 1up did a review of the Famicom's Front Line and several other games that were released there but not over here -

 

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3169373

 

And it's available on the Wii virtual console -

http://www.gamespot.com/games.html?type=virtual_console&platform=10311&mode=all&sort=views&letter=F&dlx_type=all&sortdir=asc&official=all%20%C2%BB

 

And here's an ebay auction for Front Line -

 

http://cgi.ebay.com.my/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120338756185&indexURL=

 

Or buy it here:

 

http://www.gameforfun.com/en/category.asp?category_id=8

 

I'll trust you can google the rest just as easily.

Edited September 24, 2009 by wgungfu

[pinball22]

Here are Antarctic Adventure and Pac-Land currently for sale on eBay:

 

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 280393245080

eBay Auction -- Item Number: 360134564056

 

They're perfectly legit Japan-only releases.

[CARTRIDGE STEALER]

 

I checked ebay and I dont see the games up there, especially under famicom. I never saw them in the stores, either.

 

They were released in Japan and the pacific rim, that's the Famicom's market. You are aware the NES is simply the US version of the Famicom? Why on earth would you have expected to see them in stores here? Let alone on US Ebay (unless someone imported them here or someone from Japan is selling them internationally)?

 

Here, 1up did a review of the Famicom's Front Line and several other games that were released there but not over here -

 

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3169373

 

And it's available on the Wii virtual console -

http://www.gamespot.com/games.html?type=virtual_console&platform=10311&mode=all&sort=views&letter=F&dlx_type=all&sortdir=asc&official=all%20%C2%BB

 

And here's an ebay auction for Front Line -

 

http://cgi.ebay.com.my/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120338756185&indexURL=

 

Or buy it here:

 

http://www.gameforfun.com/en/category.asp?category_id=8

 

I'll trust you can google the rest just as easily.

 

thanks!! it used to be one of my favs on the coleo cut after reading that review I now changed my mind!

[gdement]

Things is some people are acting as if this is something new and shocking. This is nothing new. It did start in those mall kiosks, but haven't things like this cropped up from time to time in major retailers like Target?

It is a pretty new and growing problem IMO. I don't think major retail got comfortable selling stuff like this until within the last few years.

[TwinChargers]

I had to go to 2 different Walgreens to find it but I did. One carried the 50 game device and the other just the 101 in 1. I'm traveling now so can't test it yet but I'm eager to do so!

 

Review? How is it?

[onmode-ky]

Senario and Dreamgear have both been players in the generic plug-n-play field since at least 2004, when the popularity of plug-n-plays was on the rise. Both of them were clients of Jungletac, and their plug-n-play systems contained only Jungletac's own set of non-violating games, though many of those certainly cloned brand-name games. The Dreamgear 50-game unit described in this thread may still be one of the legally harmless models, but if the video linked in the first post of the thread is accurate in describing it as a Senario product, then this is the first I've heard of Senario releasing an actual illegal system. Senario was one of only 3 generic plug-n-play manufacturers (the others being Excalibur Electronics and PDP) to attempt license-based systems, systems that were not entirely made up of Jungletac's (and perhaps other Chinese companies') generic software. Senario even had a license for Speed Racer games at one point. It's a little surprising that they went the full-blown illegal route. Then again, times are tough. I actually hadn't heard of any new plug-n-play systems from Senario in a few years; maybe this came about as a desperate effort to stay afloat.

 

Regarding the profit margins, they are probably actually pretty high. If you own a factory in China, making these technologically primitive systems is pretty cheap.

 

As for Target.com, they have been offering the Dreamgear generics for sale for years. Again, if they actually have real NES/Famicom ROMs in them, that would be a new development.

 

onmode-ky

[S1500]

As someone who has like 20 copies of Star Force due to pirate Famicom carts + Famiclones, I'm not surprised at all. Walgreens, Target, etc don't have the intricate videogame knowledge we know to detect an illegally copied famicom game that's almost 30 years old.

 

Mind you, you step in a major department store like CarreFour in Taiwan, and they have no shortage of Famiclones with built-in games available with playable display units.

 

DON'T get the Dreamgear game systems whatsoever. There's almost nothing for Famicom games there. Most of them are originals, and quite boring. It is the Action 52 of the modern days. I might have to stop by Walgreens to pick this up & make YouTube videos of this, especially for 10 bucks.

 

You do see the same titles over and over and over again. It's always the early Famicom titles, which are typically arcade ports, some common(Galaga, etc) and some not so common(where you could find on MAME).

 

There's still one xxx-in-1 Famicom pirate cart I still want that has quite a few good games on it.

[nathanallan]

I can attest to the fact that the dream gear games are very boring.

[BrianC]

Some of Senario's LCD keychain games also seemed a bit shady. One of them was an altered Bandai Pak Pak Monster (I think that's the name of it, JP only handheld) with the pictures changed to look more like Pac-Man and the name changed to something like Mr. Chomper (I have it, but I haven't played it lately, so I'm not 100% sure on the name).

Edited September 25, 2009 by BrianC

[jeremysart]

this is another example of how the US is devolving into a third world country

 

pirated material sold in a nation-wide drug store chain?

 

really?

 

flea markets and fly-by-night kiosks, i can see, but that is pretty bold for a producer of these things to sell them to stores or for a store buyer to think nothing of purchasing illegal knockoffs

 

The US may indeed be devolving into a third world country.. but how could you say something like "its pretty bold for a store buyer to think nothing of purchasing illegal knockoffs"?

 

I am not "devolved" or "thoughtless". I seen that it had Arkanoid and Antarctic Adventure, two games I enjoy very much, and cannot play on the NES as I dont own Arkanoid, and AntAdv was only released via Colecovision in the US (Famcom only in Japan).

 

I dont think my purchasing this cheap unit is going to hurt anything. Pirated famiclones are hurting nothing, just like illegally emulating old games or homebrews based off of them hurts nothing. Nintendo nor Konami are going to crumble because someone is distributing roms of Contra and Mario Bros. The worst thing to come out of it, is someone is making un-deserved profits, and some unsuspected customers get some cheap fun.

 

CyberCylon makes a good point by saying "A lot of people will end up buying these things and have no idea that copyrights are being violated. "Oh... look at this neat plug in play system for only $10. Fun simple games. I think this will make a good stocking stuffer for my kids, party favor, whatever."

 

And when I get bored of it, i'll likely give it to my Parents, as I did with my Flashback and my Intellivision Lives Plug n Play..

Edited September 25, 2009 by jeremysart