10 Consoles That Flopped Article

[Bartsfam]

I don't know if anyone saw this..but I thought it was pretty interesting, because it included consoles that I had no idea even existed.

 

http://www.mandatory...flopped#photo=1

 

 

The Apple Bandai Pippin? Mattel Hyperscan? The Halcyon? The Phantom?

 

Did anyone here ever buy one of these back in the day? Does anyone still own any of these?

 

Any good stories about these out there?

Edited March 16, 2013 by Bartsfam

[StoneAgeGamer]

The Phantom? Wasn't that just vaporware? Also I didn't think the Halcyon never made it to public release, because of this there are very few known to exist its one of the holy grails of console collecting.

[IntellivisionDude]

The article didn't get all it's info correct. It states the 32x allowed your Genesis to play cd-rom games. oops.

[Taskmaster99]

I remember the N-Gage. Wasnt that dubbed the "Ear Taco"?

[Vic George 2K3]

The article is flawed, just like one of ScrewAttack's Top 10 list about game system flops that also included mention of the Infinium Labs Phantom. You can't really call a system a flop until it's actually on the market for the consumers to judge it a flop.

[godslabrat]

How many of these "worst consoles ever" lists does the internet need? Right or wrong, they throw in the Virtual Boy, N-Gage, some Sega add-on, and a smattering of other flops. What's the point?

[Reaperman]

The article didn't get all it's info correct. It states the 32x allowed your Genesis to play cd-rom games. oops.

Yeah, it really only allowed 4(?) 32x/cd games--which is a userbase that consists of like 100 or so users, half of which are on this forum today (including me, twice).

...Night Trap was pretty good--but I only know this because 1) I can't afford the 3do version and 2) I am comparing it to the other 3(?) 32x/cd games which were total *...

 

channel F. Not on the list. Probably would have taken the place of virtual boy on mine. (or maybe halcyon or phantom which never even came out). IMO jag CD deserves a spot on way before 32x. It's main functions were to fill an ugly hole placed in the jaguar just for it and also to replace the loading screen with something slightly prettier.

 

Since hyperscan is on there, I figure Pico's fair game.

Also gameking was pretty bad.

Pokemon Mini honestly wasn't great.

Tiger R-zone?

Vtech socrates? Awful too, but hell, it was probably one of the better vtechs... V-motion or anything 'leapster' was worse than much of the list.

 

Action Max. Now that deserves a spot, and I'm one of its most hardcore "fans." Hell I think I've done the only homebrew ever for it. Calling it a "video game system" might be a stretch, though. (now that I've got a new PC, I'm even working on testing it in HD, and yes, I'm still the only one that even pretends to give half a rip)

Edited March 17, 2013 by Reaperman

[Taskmaster99]

The article is flawed, just like one of ScrewAttack's Top 10 list about game system flops that also included mention of the Infinium Labs Phantom. You can't really call a system a flop until it's actually on the market for the consumers to judge it a flop.

 

Very true. Cannot judge something that didnt have a chance at life.

[Emehr]

How many of these "worst consoles ever" lists does the internet need? Right or wrong, they throw in the Virtual Boy, N-Gage, some Sega add-on, and a smattering of other flops. What's the point?

 

Page hits.

 

A site that nobody's ever heard of trolls classic video game enthusiasts so they can see yet another person's random list of "10 consoles/video games that _______" and generate web traffic. Historical and technical inaccuracies are sure to ensue and I would be very surprised if they put all ten consoles on one page. Speaking of which, I think we are due for another Seanbaby clone list that says E.T. was the worst game ever and that it caused the crash of '83.

[Vic George 2K3]

How many of these "worst consoles ever" lists does the internet need? Right or wrong, they throw in the Virtual Boy, N-Gage, some Sega add-on, and a smattering of other flops. What's the point?

 

The point is, everybody's got an opinion of the top 10 consoles that flopped, whether their opinion is formed from actual evidence or just something that they personally believe. And sad to say, a good deal of those systems have earned their infamy, so why shouldn't people spread the message of game systems to avoid unless they just happen to be collectors who only want them as part of their collection?

[Austin]

I appreciate that it's "Top 10 Consoles that Flopped", as opposed to the typically assertive "Top 10 Worst Consoles of All Time".

[Blazing Lazers]

My usual metric of 'how well does a site work while NoScript is activated on it' really helps filter out junk sites and clickbait, and that site was no exception. Fortunately, nothing was on that list that I haven't seen in other "articles" several times annually. Was the Studio II on that list though? Studio II is usually the one guaranteed entry on even the most challow of these articles...

[akator]

My usual metric of 'how well does a site work while NoScript is activated on it' really helps filter out junk sites and clickbait, and that site was no exception. Fortunately, nothing was on that list that I haven't seen in other "articles" several times annually. Was the Studio II on that list though? Studio II is usually the one guaranteed entry on even the most challow of these articles...

 

Including the Studio II would require the author to actually know what he was talking about. These lists are almost exclusively created by people who think they know far more than they do.

[godslabrat]

For one thing, I'd love to see some more analysis in articles like this. To anyone condemning the Virtual Boy... have they played more than one game, and on a properly-calibrated setup? If they want to mock the Hyperscan, I'd ask... were the games really that bad? Does having sub-par hardware and a small library automatically doom something to a "worst ever" list?

[Blazing Lazers]

 

 

Including the Studio II would require the author to actually know what he was talking about. These lists are almost exclusively created by people who think they know far more than they do.

[Algus]

Good call Reaperman, I've also got the 32X/Sega CD combo just so I can play the 32X Night Trap and here I am posting on AA lol

 

I actually think the 32X is pretty great and I enjoy the games we do have for it but it is a prime example of a good idea that simply cost to much for what you were getting.

 

As for this list, I hadn't actually heard of a couple of the machines on it, so I guess I don't quite have the chops of a vintage gamer as I thought I did. I think its a solid list for the most part but there are some things about it that are odd. I certainly wouldn't have included the Phantom since it is widely regarded as Vaporware and is also tied up in issues involving financial scandals with the company. I'm also pretty sure that whoever wrote this list doesn't actually know what a 32X is...or what a Sega CD is for that matter.

[8th lutz]

I got a 32x as a Christmas gift in 1994 and I still have it. My take on the 32x is it has some good games, but at the same time some of the games came out later than they should.

 

The system to me was more of a victim of a bad cooperate decision than the games themselves. The fact the 32x shouldn't have been released or worked on when the Saturn already was in development.

 

I thought the 32x was one of the things that hurt the Saturn besides the early release date of the Saturn and Bernie Stolar.

[Gregory DG]

For once, no Jaguar or 3DO on that list.

[gorfcadet]

Love my 32x. Best home versions of AfterBurner and Space Harrier. Star Wars Arcade, NBA Jam, and MK II weren't bad either.

[Crimefighter]

The Halycon was out only long enough that they released just NFL Football & Thayers Quest.

[Austin]

Love my 32x. Best home versions of AfterBurner and Space Harrier.

 

Um.. Besides the Saturn versions, anyway.

[+FujiSkunk]

I don't think it's entirely unforgivable to include the Phantom on lists like these. Sure, the system never actually made it to market, but as much as Infinium hyped it, and as much money as they spent, it may as well have.

[gorfcadet]

 

 

Um.. Besides the Saturn versions, anyway.

 

Did those get Sega Ages releases stateside? AfterBurner still had "insert coin" hidden in the code on the 32X. I am fond of my Power Drift import for Saturn; it doesn't get much play since I got the arcade cab though. Nothing beats the original. Just wish I could score an AfterBurner cab.

[+FujiSkunk]

Did those get Sega Ages releases stateside?

 

Sega released a 3-game compilation called Sega Ages for the Saturn in the U.S. The three games included were OutRun, After Burner and Space Harrier.

 

I wish they had released Power Drift in some form as well. I'll have to hunt down an import disc of that one of these days...

[gorfcadet]

I think in Japan the Ages releases were one game per disk. At least Power Drift was. I can't read the instructions so I still don't know if it supports analogue controls or the steering wheel. I was never a fan of the Saturn racing wheel design (needs pedals and a shifter) though I love Rally and Daytona.