In a world filled with the likes of PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii, it would seem like the formula for developing a successful console has been nailed down (for now). The manufacturers of these systems have probably learnt from the mistakes of yesteryear. MyGaming decided to take a look at some of the less successful systems that have been launched over the years, mainly so we could share a bit of a laugh.
Nintendo Virtual Boy
Heading any list of stupid ideas with interesting technology at their core is the Virtual Boy, Nintendo’s first foray into “true 3D” gaming. Of course its nearest competitor was anaglyph 3D so the “true 3D” parallax technique sounded pretty awesome on paper. Parallax is the term used to describe the apparent displacement of an object (player character) against its background (game scenery) when viewed from two separate points of observation (your two eyes).
The Virtual Boy used a 20 MHZ 32-bit processor, hence why it is also known as the VR-32. The device itself had to be set up on a flat surface such as a table, and the player pressed their face into a neoprene eyepiece which isolated the fields of vision of each eye. An array of red LEDs working at a refresh rate of 50.2 Hz would paint a single line of pixels at a time, which were in turn beamed across an eye’s field of vision by a system of oscillating mirrors. A slightly different image is generated for each eye based on the parallax concept. As the images are rapidly displayed, one’s brain stitches it all together, creating a 3D effect.
Instead of a revolutionary gaming system, the public was given something nowhere near as portable as a Game Boy and with monochromatic visuals similar to Game Boy, except that players suffered eyestrain and headaches after short periods of play.
The Virtual Boy was spearheaded by Gunpei Yokoi, who was responsible for the ridiculously successful Game Boy handheld. Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to ensure the ill-fated virtual boy was a success. It entered the market in July 1995 at a price point of US$180. The device was not well received and retailers soon began offering hefty discounts to shift the thing off their shelves. It lasted a year on the market before Nintendo discontinued it. Ironically, since there were only around 800 000 units ever sold, they are now somewhat of a valuable collector’s item.
Phillips CD-i
The Phillips CD-i (for ‘interactive’) first appeared in 1991, having been in development since 1984, at a price of about US$700 (making a PlayStation 3 seem quite reasonable in comparison). The device could play a number of enhanced multimedia disc formats, even including MPEG-1 (if you bought the add-on video decoder card).
It initially shipped with a library of basic games such as tic-tac-toe derivatives and multimedia versions of popular TV game shows. Due to a failed deal with Sony to develop an optical disc attachment for the Super NES, Nintendo turned to Phillips. Eventually the idea was scrapped altogether, but Phillips retained some rights to publish games based on Nintendo game characters. As a result, a few gaming titles with familiar characters appeared, such as Hotel Mario, Link: The Faces of Evil, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon and Zelda’s Adventure. Incidentally, Sony used the technology they developed to produce the original PlayStation.
The primary market for the CD-i wasn’t gaming though – it was marketed as a high-end AV enthusiast device and a multimedia kiosk system. The device developed a small cult following of gamers, mostly due to its Nintendo knock-offs, but ultimately the consumer interest in the device dwindled and it was out of production by 1998.
Pioneer LaserActive
The LaserActive system is another classic example of a good idea gone awry. In 1993, if you were told that there was a console supporting its own proprietary gaming platform, four other leading systems (PC Engine/Turbo Grafx 16 cartridges and CD’s, and Sega Genesis/Mega Drive cartridges and Sega Mega CD – all region free), as well as a karaoke system, digital video, and CD player to boot, you would probably have been well impressed. With 31 LaserActive titles, and the huge library from the other console formats, you had a system with a catalogue of around mostly1500 games.
Unfortunately, the product was introduced to consumers at a price point set far above anything regarded as affordable by the mass gaming market. In 1993 the base system itself came in at about US$950, and then you still required the add-on modules (known as PACs) in order to play the various other game systems. The Mega Drive/Genesis PAC and PC Engine/Turbo Grafx 16 Pac were both US$600 – ludicrous when you consider that the Genesis itself was around US$90 at the time. The karaoke PAC was US$300.
The high pricing is reflected in the dismal sales figures – only around 10 000 units were sold. The system was discontinued after about one year on the market. These days, if you own one of these systems you have a collectible treasure on your hands, especially if you have a pair of the ultra-rare 3D goggle peripherals and their accompanying games.
Despite these bumps in the road, the gaming market has continued to grow to the giddy heights we are currently enjoying today. It’s nice to see companies still experimenting with new control inputs, (PlayStation Move, Xbox 360 Natal) and even new distribution systems, such as the soon to be launched OnLive streaming gaming console.
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