Game Systems That Time Forgot
View Feedback | Send this Article | Published 4/04/03
View Feedback | Send this Article | Published 4/04/03
 Graphic By: Jonelle Thackston The Atari 5200 Atari's history is loaded with failed game systems; so many in fact, you could write a whole book about them. In 1982, Atari was riding high. Its 2600 VCS console was selling extremely well, and the number of games available was staggering. Such conditions made it seem logical to bring out what supposed to have been at the time the 2600's successor: the 5200. Powered by a 16K computer and offering improved graphics capability, the 5200 seemed like a sure thing. So, what happened? For one thing, the games released upon the 5200's debut failed to utilize the full capabilities of the system. By the time Atari got around to releasing the games that actually did, the market for home video games collapsed. Of course, the market returned a few scant years later, which leads us to... The Atari XE I've decided to skip the 7800, simply because it enjoyed a healthy run in its day. Released around the same time as the 7800, the XE was little more than an Atari computer system with a joystick, although it was billed as a game system. In addition to the joystick, it came with a light gun (similar to the one that came with the NES), as well as Missile Command. Much like latter-day Atari products, the XE suffered from a lack of third-party licenses and a market dominated by Nintendo and Sega. This didn't stop Atari from releasing other systems though, and next we got... The Atari Lynx Hand-held gaming came to America in 1989 with Nintendo's Game Boy. Unfortunately, the color scheme on the Game Boy was somewhat lacking, displaying graphics in a drab, almost olive-green tone. Atari's Lynx system offered a colorful alternative. Much like the Game Boy, one could (ahem) link two Lynxes together for multi-player action. The Lynx was also billed as a 16- bit system (although it depended on how you defined 16-bit). Just like the XE, Lynx never really caught on. Undaunted Atari, in 1993, released... The Atari Jaguar Billed as the first 64-bit system, the Jaguar would be Atari's final console release. Much like the controversy surrounding exactly how many bits the Jaguar was, there was considerable debate regarding the Jaguar's capabilities, too. Like all of Atari's latter systems, there was a lack of third-party software support. Despite this, games are still being made for the Jaguar, and there exists a large underground following for the machine. Atari could occupy a whole chapter in the history of failed game systems. Let's move on to other companies, starting with... The Intellivision The Intellivision was Mattel's foray into the video game market. More powerful than its competitor, the 2600, the Intellivision would go on to sell three million units by the time Mattel pulled the plug on it. Several factors led to the Intellivision's demise: namely, poor marketing on Mattel's behalf: they promised a keyboard add-on at the system's release, although it would be two more years before it actually appeared; also, the video game market collapsed in 1983, and this hurt the Intellivision. Another system hurt by the collapse was... The Colecovision Superior to both the 2600 and the Intellivision, the ColecoVision debuted in 1982 and was an immediate success. Bundled with "Donkey Kong," the ColecoVision was outselling the competition not long thereafter. As mentioned earlier, the home video game market collapsed, partially due to personal computers being viewed as more "respectable" by parents. With this in mind, Coleco released the ADAM computer, which bombed big time, helping to almost bankrupt the company. Although the company survived, game production was halted in 1984. This article only scratches the surface of failed game systems; so many more exist. Yet, I have touched on the highlights: systems that were either popular in the day or were touted as being the "next big thing." For more information, head to Classic Gaming.com.
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Year: Sophmore Major: Journalism Comments: Shaun, I think there is another important game system that time forgot- the NEC-Turbo. It was a 16-bit system that came out around the same time as Sega Genesis and the SuperNintendo, so it had some stiff competition at the time, but video game fans tend to remember it. Two years ago one of my co-workers tried to trade me the Crosby, Stills and Nash box-set for the game Splaterhouse, which you could only play on the NEC system (I still have that NEC-Turbo). And I still remember my friends being impressed by it when it came out. It was not a bad system at all, it had some fun games like "Splaterhouse" and "Bonk". The graphics weren't on the level of the SuperNintendo but they were good for a 16-bit system, and in my opinion they were better than the Sega Genesis. With all the videogame systems that have come out over the past 20 years I hope videogame fans don't forget the NEC-Turbo.
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