Failed consoles

[KindGrind]

http://techland.com/2010/11/04/top-10-f ... -consoles/

I don't know how I stumbled upon this... I was browsing the Time magazine online, I think, and saw a link to this. Enjoy!

I have to disagree about two choices in particular... and one I boot up once a week to play my favourite game of all time. And my favourite game is not Way of the Warrior for the 3DO!

[drauch]

Yeah, that list is kind of...eh Where is the 32x if anything? What is your favorite game on one of these systems?? Better be Plumbers Don't Wear Ties.

[CMoon]

I think it also is hard to define 'failed' when we're putting the Dreamcast on there. Certainly it fell short of expectations, but also had dozens of great games and seemed to do well while it lasted.

[drauch]

Yeah, my definition of failed is "completely bombed" on the market, which the Dreamcast did not. Sure, it didn't do as well, but it wasn't something like the 32x or the N-Gage.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

The Neo Geo wasnt a failure it was a high spec / high cost niche product and while i dont know much about NG sales i bet SNK made a profit atleast. Also imo not too sure the dreamcast was an absolute failure aswell.

Keeping in the subject of failed consoles I was reading the an old issue of retro gamer (on the archieved Retro Gamer DVD 1, which along with the 2nd DVD collection is a highly recomended buy for any retro gaming fan) About the failed Konix console (Konix was an UK manufacter of joysticks and other controllers) while some parts were ahead of its time it was a bit of mis match of 8/ 16 24 or 32 bits chips kinda like the TG16 was. Anyway the system was a stillborn. But Atari bought the designs (or should i say an upgraded version of it) and used it for their Jaguar Console with them proclaiming it was a 64 or 128bit system if you remember.

[Specineff]

If the Neo Geo was a failure, why does it command such high prices nowadays?

Now, the Neo Geo Pocket, the Watara Supervision, FM Towns Marty, Amiga CD32.. those were failed systems.

[Ganelon]

Nice to see the list, and contributed by 3 authors no less. IMO, it's an accurate list of failed American consoles within the past 18 years IMO; there's also the HyperScan, Neo Geo CD (which probably should have replaced the Neo Geo), as well as a couple of other handhelds but they're a bit too trivial. Each of the 10 pieces has very accurate info about the console and its failures but there are some miscues as well:

-The 3DO wasn't the first US system to feature CD; that would be the TurboGrafx-CD (or Turbo Duo since this article seems to focus on standalone systems, or Amiga CD32 if you want to only count CD-exclusive systems).
-We all know the DC was designed for GD-ROM play (talk about another failed format), which wasn't entirely the same as the also-supported CD-ROM.
-The N-Gage article didn't mention one of the reasons why the original N-Gage model failed so badly on the mobile side: the infamous side-talking design.

[E. Randy Dupre]

The idea that the Neo Geo - a console that was still supported by commercially-available software when SNK's competitors had all moved on two generations - was a failure is laughable.

[BrianC]

Is this a list of failed consoles, or a list that just failed? Some of these weren't even designed around games. No Tiger Game.com, Entex AdventureVision, Magnavox Odyssey 2, Bally Astrocade, RCA Studio 2, Atari Jaguar, or Atari 7800?

[njiska]

Something to keep in mind that being a failure has nothing to do with the quality of the system, just its inability to reach sales objectives. By this bar of measure the Dreamcast is indisputably a failure as SEGA stopped production early with warehouses full of unsold consoles.

Now the Neo-Geo is a bit of a debatable subject because SNK never really went for big sales. I suppose the lack of continued support for the AES despite the longevity of the MVS would indicate it being a failure from the publisher's perspective. Certainly the Neo CD was a spectacular failure/waste of time.

[Obiwanshinobi]

When I think about stillborn consoles, Amstrad GX4000 comes to mind.

[KindGrind]

Yeah, obviously the DC had quite a few good games. I can think of at least 10 US releases that I'd play right now if I had them. I remember buying my first DC for 400$ or 500$ back then with a game, an extra controller and a pair of VMUs. I still own 3 working DC consoles... which cost me next to nothing.

Iirc the Jaguar did pretty poor overall, too. Tempest 2000 with the special controller was excellent, but the rest of the games were bleh. I was into fighting games back then, so Ultra Vortex seemed like a good games in magazines.... but it was terrible when you played it in real life.

The article mentions that the main problem with the Neo was price tag of the console, around 650$ at the time. A lot more problematic were some games costing 300$+...

The US Turbo Duo was also almost mythical for me. I had never seen one, and was the only one among my gaming buddies that actually thought/knew it existed. This makes me think it was rather unpopular. I mean, among ourselves, we owned like 15 different consoles. Why not that one? I remember playing Zelda on the CD-i and thiking: Is this really the future of gaming? Next to no actual interesting gameplay and real crappy videos and voice acting? No, it couldn't be... Oh wait.

[BrianC]

Something to keep in mind that being a failure has nothing to do with the quality of the system, just its inability to reach sales objectives. By this bar of measure the Dreamcast is indisputably a failure as SEGA stopped production early with warehouses full of unsold consoles.

I listed a couple systems that are quality (7800 being one of them), but I slightly disagree. Often the quality of games and sales go hand and hand. Poor games or lack of support can cause the inability to reach sales objectives. DC started out successful and it's nowhere near the failure of some other systems.

I feel the list from that site is weak because it lists consoles that aren't gaming consoles (CD-I and Apple Pippin) and doesn't list some of the bigger failures. The list also has an unreleased console.

[TWITCHDOCTOR]

Hello everyone. I have not read the article at hand, but from the posts I've read here, I must reply.
The Neo Geo didn't fail...just like Ferrari motor vehicles didn't fail. I mean they reach a certian particular audience/buyer. Not for the mainstream. However, sales, are all about mainstream. So its a "catch 22". In other words "damned if you do, damned if you don't". Can you get what I'm trying to say?

Anyhow, its getting late, and Im a little under the influence...if you know what I mean.
Soccer moms don't buy Neo Geo's for their kids, and yet Ferrari does not make SUV's!!!

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Iirc the Jaguar did pretty poor overall, too. Tempest 2000 with the special controller was excellent, but the rest of the games were bleh. I was into fighting games back then, so Ultra Vortex seemed like a good games in magazines.... but it was terrible when you played it in real life.

The US Turbo Duo was also almost mythical for me. I had never seen one, and was the only one among my gaming buddies that actually thought/knew it existed. This makes me think it was rather unpopular. I mean, among ourselves, we owned like 15 different consoles. Why not that one? I remember playing Zelda on the CD-i and thiking: Is this really the future of gaming? Next to no actual interesting gameplay and real crappy videos and voice acting? No, it couldn't be... Oh wait.

Only if Atari had released T2K with the necessary spinner controller, it'd would've sold like hotcakes steaming hot & fresh off the griddle. It's cool to have the option to play T2K with a spinner controller...am glad that Jeff Minter had the foresight to include spinner option from the get-go.

Well, TTI's Turbo Duo had a high MSRP at $299.99 USD when it finally debuted on American soil back in late 1992. It was in January of 1994 that U.S. retailers first got word that TTI wasn't going to release the NEC 32-bit powered PC-FX gaming console, they promptly slashed prices of all the remaining TG-16 & Turbo Duo hardware/software at rock bottom prices so they could have more retail space dedicated to Genesis and SNES product stock that would sell.

Toys-R-Us was selling the TurboGrafx-16 console for a mere $29.99 USD in late 1993 as an attractive pricepoint with many TG-16 and Turbo Duo games selling at $19.99 or less.

Even the uber-expensive NEC TurboExpress handheld was promised to be launched with a $249.99 USD price tag but ended up at $299.99 MSRP at debut -- I talked to an NEC TG-16 gaming rep and he said the TEs were going to be sold at the $249.99 price. NEC was having a promotional Halloween event and it just so happened that an NEC rep brought along a prototype NEC TE running a copy of Devil's Crush TurboChip Hu-Card. I personally got to try it out and was blown away by it. The original B&W Gameboy or even Atari's 1st-gen Lynx couldn't compare to the incredible TFT-based LCD screen that this proto TE was using (manufactured by Epson of Japan).

It was possible to buy a brand new Turbo Duo console for a mere $99.99 USD as I bought one in late 1994 at that price. Some U.S. based A/V retailers were even blowing out brand new TG-16 & Turbo Duo Super CD-Rom2 games for a mere $5.00 USD a pop! Quite a steal back in those days indeed.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[TrevHead (TVR)]

Toys-R-Us was selling the TurboGrafx-16 console for a mere $29.99 USD in late 1993 as an attractive pricepoint with many TG-16 and Turbo Duo games selling at $19.99 or less.

damn i wish my local toy-r-us would of done the same, unfortunatly TG's were like rockin horse shit in the UK, i bet the neo geo sold more. I didnt even know anything about the console back in the day, although i knew about the PCE (which i wanted to own along with all those japanese games) but i didnt know the 2 consoles were the same.

Its kinda a shame the system wasnt marketed properlly in the UK cos if ild of bought one instead of a MD, i'ld of got into shmups allot earlier (although the MD had some damn good games)

[BrianC]

I thought of another failed console that should have been on the list. Nuon!

[louisg]

Some of my favorite games are on or from failed consoles. I'm not sure how to rate consoles or computers that did great in one region while flopping in another, like the TG16 and Amiga in the US. Even the 3do's got some real gems!

[xris]

For handhelds, the Neo Geo Pocket is always going to take the losers paper crown. It had what 32, or 36 games TOTAL released for it. Which is surprising, only because at the time it was vastly superior to the Game Boy Advance. The Gamepark Wiz is on the slow grind to failure it seems.

[neorichieb1971]

Saturn was a failure and Dreamcast did worse commercially than the Saturn did. However it was for very different reasons. Saturn bombed because its 3D was shite. The DC failed because of the PS2 hype machine.

[louisg]

Saturn was a failure and Dreamcast did worse commercially than the Saturn did. However it was for very different reasons. Saturn bombed because its 3D was shite. The DC failed because of the PS2 hype machine.

Saturn was $100 more than PSX, too (afair).. totally agreed on the DC

For handhelds, the Neo Geo Pocket is always going to take the losers paper crown. It had what 32, or 36 games TOTAL released for it. Which is surprising, only because at the time it was vastly superior to the Game Boy Advance. The Gamepark Wiz is on the slow grind to failure it seems.

Better than the GBC maybe, but definitely not GBA! I think it was a victim of poor timing (right before GBA). I love my NGPC though. Good games, and the best controller ever on a portable.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

I thought the Saturn did really well in its native Japan. Im guessing the fact that it relesed before the US and Pal regions helped plus didnt have sega management pushing the 32x so much. Plus i bet the western upper managements anti RPG viewpoint didnt help a great deal aswell. Post Megadrive Sega was just full of blunders and infighting between Sega US and Sega JPN which saw Sega USA funding little progects for a 32bit machine, both were turned down by Sega JPN in faver of Saturn and the abandoned designs going to make the basis of the N64 and PS1.

Still i suppose the saturn was a blessing for us modern retro 2D game lovers considering all the great 2D games for the system. But things could of been very different if there was a disc based N64 or a Sega PS1 which would of had all those fantastic 3rd party IPs on it.

[neorichieb1971]

The Saturn did better in Japan for a number of reasons. It had a 1 week head start with Virtua fighter as its main weapon.

By the time Daytona launched though things got scary on the Saturn. If you took Ridge Racer and Daytona and put them side by side a 5 year old could tell which was better. Playstation started to rattle out all sorts of hits from companies that had not been heard of before or since. Takara - Toh Shin den for example sold millions of copies on PS1.

If the expansion cart and Xmen vs Street fighter came out year 1 it would have been different. The expansion slot was Saturns Ace, but they utilized it too late.

[CIT]

I always felt the N64 was the biggest failure of the "32-bit era". Yes, it did okay commercially, but holy shit was it a letdown after the SNES. A poor selection of way too expensive games, and the technical performance was really underwhelming (no RGB!) especially given Nintendo's pre-release hype ("Project Reality") and multiple postponements.

[FRO]

I think it also is hard to define 'failed' when we're putting the Dreamcast on there. Certainly it fell short of expectations, but also had dozens of great games and seemed to do well while it lasted.

QFT! Putting something like the Phantom or Pippin alongside what was a fairly successful console in its own right is hardly fair or congruent with what actually happened.

[louisg]

I think it also is hard to define 'failed' when we're putting the Dreamcast on there. Certainly it fell short of expectations, but also had dozens of great games and seemed to do well while it lasted.

QFT! Putting something like the Phantom or Pippin alongside what was a fairly successful console in its own right is hardly fair or congruent with what actually happened.

There's definitely multiple kinds of failed. There's failed from a marketing/sales perspective, and then failed because the idea was lame/terrible software library. I think of the DC similarly to the TG16. Both went for a couple years, but during that time managed to have an incredibly tight game library. Of course, the TG16 drew from a couple extra years of PCE development.

[gameoverDude]

Sega 32X should have been listed as a failed console. We never got to see any games that used the 32X CD's power. IMO, Fatal Fury Special should have been done on 32X CD instead of the 16-bit CD. The 32X CD combo has more RAM (10 Mbit?). A 32X cart/CD combo similar to Saturn KOF'95 could probably have done the trick.

Sadly, we got nothing but rehashed FMV titles for the 32X CD. What a waste.

[neorichieb1971]

There were only 6 months or so between 32x and PS1 in Japan. Why would you make anything for 32X??

Dreamcast to me was a failure in many ways. The only thing it did at the time was make really good graphics for the year. In the first 2 years of DC the devs were still shunning it in favour of PS2. The DC got raped afterwards as well, there are probably only 5 games on the system which got rave reviews which are not ported elsewhere.

I believe Soul Calibur was the best selling game, or was it RE CV. Either way, Sega screwed up.

[Drum]

There were only 6 months or so between 32x and PS1 in Japan. Why would you make anything for 32X??

Dreamcast to me was a failure in many ways. The only thing it did at the time was make really good graphics for the year. In the first 2 years of DC the devs were still shunning it in favour of PS2. The DC got raped afterwards as well, there are probably only 5 games on the system which got rave reviews which are not ported elsewhere.

I believe Soul Calibur was the best selling game, or was it RE CV. Either way, Sega screwed up.

I actually agree with this. Dreamcast had some nice games and was fun at the time, but it wasn't all that - its exclusives were quickly lost in the post-death diaspora, and often better off forgotten.

Want to pour one out for the Fairchild Channel F - first programmable console and a real bold effort (the controller was really creative and I wish the twist stick becasme standard) but it was quickly eaten alive by the Atari 2600 (Atari were so desperate to squash it they sold themselves to Warner for the extra capital) - only had a handful of games were released.

[gameoverDude]

There were only 6 months or so between 32x and PS1 in Japan. Why would you make anything for 32X??

Dreamcast to me was a failure in many ways. The only thing it did at the time was make really good graphics for the year. In the first 2 years of DC the devs were still shunning it in favour of PS2. The DC got raped afterwards as well, there are probably only 5 games on the system which got rave reviews which are not ported elsewhere.

I believe Soul Calibur was the best selling game, or was it RE CV. Either way, Sega screwed up.

Actually, why would Sega even make the 32X itself with the PS1 so close (and the Saturn even a little closer)? I think this mistake sealed their fate as a hardware developer.
PS1 JPN -> 12/3/94
Sat JPN -> 11/22/94

DC Sega Rally 2 made me about cry, just as Daytona did on Saturn. These were inexcusable. Virtua Fighter 3 was decent if not exact- it probably would've been 1:1 if the development were kept inhouse and not rushed. At least DC Soul Calibur took a flying leap over both versions of VF3 visually.