[philyb]

In europe we had pc engine in the 80s

Amiga cd 32
Jaguar
3do
Philips cdi
In the 90s

[cosmicsoup]

The Jaguar had some fantastic games, including Alien vs Predator and Tempest 2000.

The Dreamcast was a very under rated console/under solded console.

[unclekevo]

The N-Gage sort of flopped didn't it?

[mred2000]

Gizmondo, VirtualBoy... Not sure how well the Neo Geo did, either.

[mojobrew]

What about Sega Saturn... tends to split opinion

[fastest finger]

There was also the Commodore C64GS and the Amstrad GX4000.

There was going to be a console called the Konix Multisystem, but that went belly up before it even reached the shops.

[stefmeister]

These:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3g_KDGgSyM

[Lumstorm]

I saw a few shops that sold the PC Engine I don't think it failed. As NEC never had plans to release it here and it was Japanese units and games that were sold. A lot of people would have problems with the language I know a few gamers that ask how can I play Japanese games.

[Lith66]

I'm not sure if it was just me but my dreamcast played up a few times and did not play some games I bought for it. they was brand new games and no scratch marks all I got was a blank screen back in the day. My dreamcast still loads ups and I am tempted to buy games on ebay but the fear they won't work has put me off

[fastest finger]

Originally Posted by Lumstorm

I saw a few shops that sold the PC Engine I don't think it failed. As NEC never had plans to release it here and it was Japanese units and games that were sold. A lot of people would have problems with the language I know a few gamers that ask how can I play Japanese games.

The PC Engine did fairly well in Japan I think. The PC Engine did have an extremely limited European (PAL) release in 1990, under the name TurboGrafx. Telegames did it in the UK, while an Austrian company did it in mainland Europe. There was also an American version called TurboGrafx-16, but that wasn't a great success either, which possibly explains why NEC abandoned plans for a full European launch which was supposed to happen in 1991.

With regard to the language barrier, I'm pretty sure you could use USA games on the Japanese system with an adaptor.

[austino6]

Originally Posted by Lith66

I'm not sure if it was just me but my dreamcast played up a few times and did not play some games I bought for it. they was brand new games and no scratch marks all I got was a blank screen back in the day. My dreamcast still loads ups and I am tempted to buy games on ebay but the fear they won't work has put me off

You do know you can just download & burn a game to a blank cd right?

No need to mod the console what so ever.

[TV King]

There was also the MSX from Sony which did not sell well.


And around 1989/1990 there was the Atari Lynxs which as a portable colour games machine and eat batteries also did not sell well.

I had a Mk1 Atari Lynx and yes it did not sell well when up against the Game Boy and Game Gear but the Lynxs did have some great games such as Roadblasters and Blue Lightning which I had great fun playing.

And the Sega 32X which was an add on for the Sega Mega Drive that you slotted in to the Mega Drives cartarige slot so that you could get games that had 32 bit graphics.

The 32X did not sell well because it was very expensive and and many people just waited for the upcoming Sega Saturn.

And the Sega Mega CD also did not sell well because it was also very expensive as were the games which were on CD.

Also many people thought there was a lack of software titles available for the system.

I had one and I thought it was a great add on for the Mega Drive and had lots of grat games.

One of my favarites was Jaguar XJ220 and F1 Beyoned the Limit, Final Fight and the best Sonic Game ever released Sonic CD which I now have on XBLA.

[Conroy]

Originally Posted by TV King

There was also the MSX from Sony which did not sell well.

I always thought it was by Microsoft as it ran MS-Dos but it was a standardized architecture so companies were able to make their own MSX (like the PC platform that exists today). Sony, Yamaha and a few other companies built and sold MSXs.

[bob2005]

Remeber seeing the jaguar in game on release years ago looked a good system but remember the price not being affordable to most gamers. A shame because it did have some good games for the time.

[fastest finger]

Originally Posted by Conroy

I always thought it was by Microsoft as it ran MS-Dos but it was a standardized architecture so companies were able to make their own MSX (like the PC platform that exists today). Sony, Yamaha and a few other companies built and sold MSXs.

Same thing as with 3DO then. There were versions by Panasonic, Sanyo and Goldstar (LG).

Even the Sega Saturn had other versions by Hitachi, JVC and Samsung.

[FIFA1966]

This is the best site for unreleased consoles:


http://ultimateconsoledatabase.com/unreleased.htm


And for beta and unreleased games:


http://www.unseen64.net/

[Tal'shiar]

Apple Pippen was a failure. CD-i but thats already been mentioned.

Nintendo UFO never really took off, it was sort of like an Amiga with workbench, only not as good. You could copy games on it though (piracy was still going strong way back when as well haha)

[Ladyxxmacbeth]

Originally Posted by Tal'shiar

Apple Pippen was a failure. CD-i but thats already been mentioned.

Nintendo UFO never really took off, it was sort of like an Amiga with workbench, only not as good. You could copy games on it though (piracy was still going strong way back when as well haha)

it's amazing apple still exists since they have had so many failures!

[Jimmy_McNulty]

2013/4: Steam Console.

[mojobrew]

The industry people I know seem to be quite excited about Steambox, I'd be surprised if it didn't take off. It's certainly an interesting concept - especially with rumours about the hardware being free (or essentially so)...

[mojobrew]

Originally Posted by Ladyxxmacbeth

it's amazing apple still exists since they have had so many failures!

They were a joke until they discovered branding is much more important than content, on releasing the iPod.

[Jimmy_McNulty]

Originally Posted by mojobrew

The industry people I know seem to be quite excited about Steambox, I'd be surprised if it didn't take off. It's certainly an interesting concept - especially with rumours about the hardware being free (or essentially so)...

I don't see how they can attract current console players to choose their platform over what the player already knows and trusts. They will have to pull a huge rabbit out of the hat.

Plus there is marketing. Valve are shockingly bad at direct PR. They are good at ARGs and easter eggs, but both are those are irrelevant for a console. Steambox could be the first console released that nobody knew about because Valve didn't bother to tell anyone.

[mred2000]

Originally Posted by mojobrew

They were a joke until they discovered branding is much more important than content, on releasing the iPod.

I think they'd already cracked it with the multicoloured iMac, Power Mac G3 and Macbook computers before the iPod came on the scene... Folk were going nuts for them because they were different than the standard black/beige box PCs... Then they needed a swanky looking OS to match the exterior...

[Orbitalzone]

Originally Posted by Conroy

I always thought it was by Microsoft as it ran MS-Dos but it was a standardized architecture so companies were able to make their own MSX (like the PC platform that exists today). Sony, Yamaha and a few other companies built and sold MSXs.

MSX was quite successful in Japan and other countries and many manufacturers made them, Sanyo, Sony, Toshiba, Panasonic, Sharp, Goldstar, Spectravideo, Yamaha, Philips, JVC, Mitsubishi and others...but it never made it successfully in the UK and USA which was why it failed.

I've still got a Sanyo MSX in the loft.

They just couldn't compete with the BBC, Sinclair or Commodore and so failed although 4 versions were created.

It had plug in cartridge games, light pens, midi keyboards, as well as using tape for programmes although those Konami cartridge games were great as they loaded in seconds unlike my mates with the ZX Spectrums and unreliable tapes

[Ed R.Marley]

Barcode Battler and the Neo Geo from the early nineties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcode_Battler

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_Geo