Game.Com emulator?

[4Ks]

I just want to try out a few Game.Com games, and I don't want to pay $80+ for a system.

[goldenegg]

MESS supports Game.Com emulation, but it doesn't work very well. That's your only option for now.

[Austin]

I just want to try out a few Game.Com games, and I don't want to pay $80+ for a system.

 

You are not going to have to pay $80 for a system. The prices you see on eBay are by sellers that don't know WTF they are doing.

 

I snagged mine for about $15 after shipping about two months ago. Someone here just made a recent post stating the same. After I purchased mine, I saw another go for about $15 complete in box. DO NOT buy one of those "brand new" units that you see on eBay just to play it. You are going to feel sorely disappointed, and I'd even be willing to bet money on that.

Edited June 24, 2010 by Austin

[4Ks]

I just want to try out a few Game.Com games, and I don't want to pay $80+ for a system.

 

You are not going to have to pay $80 for a system. The prices you see on eBay are by sellers that don't know WTF they are doing.

 

I snagged mine for about $15 after shipping about two months ago. Someone here just made a recent post stating the same. After I purchased mine, I saw another go for about $15 complete in box. DO NOT buy one of those "brand new" units that you see on eBay just to play it. You are going to feel sorely disappointed, and I'd even be willing to bet money on that.

 

 

That's why I want an emu.

[Lord Thag]

I got one with all the games for $20 at a convention, and I can honestly say, I have not got anywhere near that much entertainment out of it lol

[Cebus Capucinis]

That's why I want an emu.

 

 

[4Ks]

That's why I want an emu.

 

 

 

 

You know that's not what I meant.

[jeremysart]

I just want to try out a few Game.Com games, and I don't want to pay $80+ for a system.

 

 

Noone ever answers this question. I would just like to check out Sonic and Duke 3D just for shits and giggles.

[4Ks]

I would just like to check out Sonic and Duke 3D just for shits and giggles.

 

 

Ditto.

[Jess Ragan]

I just want to try out a few Game.Com games, and I don't want to pay $80+ for a system.

 

Hot humping haboobies! They're selling the lame.com for EIGHTY DOLLARS?! What a freaking sham! That system was awful!

[DeathAdderSF]

I just want to try out a few Game.Com games, and I don't want to pay $80+ for a system.

 

On what planet are they going for $80? People have been very nearly trying to give them away on eBay for the last ten years! Any case, the system + games aren't worth $.08, let alone $80. And while there is a preliminary game.com driver for MESS, to my knowledge it doesn't run any commercial games; it just lets you putz around in the BIOS a little bit.

 

If you'd like to see some clear ending sequence screenshots from game.com games, you're welcome to check out the little site I recently put up - The end of the game.com.

 

But you really aren't missing much...

 

 

Edited June 24, 2010 by Clean Larry

[Vectorman]

Game.com game developer Handheldgames.com had their own emulator they used to develop games with. They're the ones who made Frogger and Centipede IIRC.

[mister_pal]

http://gamecom.guruwork.de/

 

Apparently the guys who own the site reverse engineered the dev emu but so far have not released it in the last 3 / 4 years or so.

 

Not missing alot TBH

Edited June 25, 2010 by mister_pal

[DeathAdderSF]

Game.com game developer Handheldgames.com had their own emulator they used to develop games with. They're the ones who made Frogger and Centipede IIRC.

 

Correct and correct. This emulator is the one I use to create the game ending screenshots that are hosted on The end of the game.com.

 

http://gamecom.guruwork.de/

 

Apparently the guys who own the site reverse engineered the dev emu but so far have not released it in the last 3 / 4 years or so.

 

No one has authority from the current IP holders to release this emulator to the public. The "Game.Commies" team seems to be respecting this, as am I.

[SoulBlazer]

Game.com game developer Handheldgames.com had their own emulator they used to develop games with. They're the ones who made Frogger and Centipede IIRC.

 

Correct and correct. This emulator is the one I use to create the game ending screenshots that are hosted on The end of the game.com.

 

http://gamecom.guruwork.de/

 

Apparently the guys who own the site reverse engineered the dev emu but so far have not released it in the last 3 / 4 years or so.

 

No one has authority from the current IP holders to release this emulator to the public. The "Game.Commies" team seems to be respecting this, as am I.

 

To be fair, there's hardly ANY emulators that the current IP holders have officaly allowed. I think the Vectrex, Intelivision, and there's another one escaping my mind right now are the only ones. And I do all my classic game playing by emulator, also.

[Austin]

To be fair, there's hardly ANY emulators that the current IP holders have officaly allowed. I think the Vectrex, Intelivision, and there's another one escaping my mind right now are the only ones. And I do all my classic game playing by emulator, also.

 

Likewise, I don't see why it couldn't simply, you know, "accidentally" fall into someone else's hands that's willing to distribute it.. I mean, this IS simply about preserving history, correct?

Edited June 26, 2010 by Austin

[Video]

Duke Nukem is worth checking out, IMO it's an OK game (and great for it's time and the platform), forget Sonic though. It's playable (just barely) but it's not sonic.

 

As for the emulator, that would be cool, to be honest though, it's more likely that there isn't one than it is "respecting their wishes" 90+ percent of all emulators are released against the IP holders wishes. (like all the Nintendo, Sega, and Sony ones, just to name a few) Only ones I can remember for sure that are PD (system wise) are Atari systems.

[christianscott27]

Back in what was it, 1999? I enjoyed a bit of mortal kombat, the indy 500 game and lots of Duke on my game.com. It was totally outclassed by sega and nintendo but it was still a worthy attempt to push consoles into being pdas. I liked how Duke talked in the game which seemed like a big deal at the time.

[DeathAdderSF]

To be fair, there's hardly ANY emulators that the current IP holders have officaly allowed. I think the Vectrex, Intelivision, and there's another one escaping my mind right now are the only ones.

 

In this very unique case, however, the only known game.com emulator that is fully functional was developed internally by Tiger Electronics, and is thus their intellectual property; it isn't an emulator that a hobbyist developed after reverse engineering the machine.

 

90+ percent of all emulators are released against the IP holders wishes.

 

Just because it often happens doesn't make it right. Some people choose to respect the wishes of others, even if those "others" are faceless corporations.

Edited June 27, 2010 by Clean Larry

[SoulBlazer]

To be fair, there's hardly ANY emulators that the current IP holders have officaly allowed. I think the Vectrex, Intelivision, and there's another one escaping my mind right now are the only ones.

 

In this very unique case, however, the only known game.com emulator that is fully functional was developed internally by Tiger Electronics, and is thus their intellectual property; it isn't an emulator that a hobbyist developed after reverse engineering the machine.

 

Ah, okay, didn't know that. I suspose it's only a matter of time before someone DOES develop a emulator (which are perfectly legal, BTW -- the courts have even said that.) But the game.com was such a sucky handheld, I wouldn't hold my breath.

[Vectorman]

I thought Resident Evil 2 was cool, for a handheld version. I never played all the way through it, though I never played all the way through the PS version either.

[DeathAdderSF]

the game.com was such a sucky handheld

 

Hardware-wise, I have to agree. But a good game could've been made for it, given the right development team. Sadly, Tiger chose to contract out to Chinese developers who weren't even close to being prepared for the task at hand. Nor were they given adequate time to do so.

 

Handheld Games, the only third party to tackle game.com development, only managed to pop out a couple of conversions of ancient arcade games before the system finally finished circling its way down the toilet - thus obliterating any potential the company may have had to release a notable title for it.

 

So, to overview:

 

* Three revisions of the console

* Zero games worth playing

 

That about sums it up.

[fiddlepaddle]

Game.com is good for it's collector value, not so much it's gameplay value. It's interesting to try out, but you'll prefer any other handheld when playing a good game.

 

It's unique several ways, is the "E.T." version of a console (lots made and sold, never lived up to the hype), the design exhibits many compromises, and it's kind of stupid. But it DOES actually work. That's why I like it, but I don't need to emulate it.

[Austin]

I would like to see it emulated simply so I would be able to record video of the games in action. For the people that haven't had experience with the system, there seems to be a veil of mystery surrounding it, a natural curiosity of sorts (With all the solid licenses, this makes sense). I think the curiosity would be smashed if more people were actually able to see the games in action.

Edited June 28, 2010 by Austin

[DeathAdderSF]

I would like to see it emulated simply so I would be able to record video of the games in action.

 

Well, Brian Provinciano did a good deal of reverse engineering work on the game.com, including designing and putting together a TV adaptor for it. His website isn't online anymore, but thanks to the "Internet Archive Wayback Machine," you can still view it...

 

The Tiger Game.com Handheld & Reverse Engineering