In this day and age of consoles getting bigger and better, there are companies out there that are offering smaller alternatives when it comes to getting the most out of your gaming. Valve is fiddling around with the idea of manufacturing a game console; there are a number of units that connect directly to your television and offer simpler gaming pleasures, like Namco's Pac-Man unit; and then there's the OUYA console, which looks to make a few waves in the market next year.
From systems that could keep your beer cool, to oddities trying to get in on the popularity of VHS and laserdisc, you’ve got some very, very weird video game consoles out there.
I had the LaserActive... it was a nice collectors piece but not very practical. Especially when it came to needing recapping. I think i paid all of about $50 for the floor model from an incredible Universe back in the day. I ended up selling it many years later for $300 at the time due to it needing a new laser and the aforementioned recapping.
An honorable mention not on the list would be the VM Labs Nuon. It basically looked like any regular DVD player but it had ports on it for controllers to play specific games. one of which is still exclusive to it with Tempest 3000. It also offered nuon enhanced DVD movies with extra content not accessible by regular players.
Virtual Boy, Sega Nomad, Ouya and the other troubled game systems that nobody bought.
How has this article missed out Sega's Dreamcast and Nintendo's Wii U, two consoles that were actually superb devices in their own right, but were seen as failed due to lacklustre sales at the time of release?
Wonder how long before Stadia appears on the list surprised the Ngage is not on that list
Talk about a blast to the past.......I remember trying the virtual boy at Toy R Us and it was cool but I did feel slightly disoriented afterwards......good article.
The Ouya, a failed Android gaming console from early in this generation, is getting a second lease on life thanks to Internet archivists and some new software.
That's pretty cool they were able to bring it back. It sucks when something online only gets killed.
I got mine when it first launched, however it wasn't good for anything other than retro emulation. I couldn't sell the thing fast enough. Managed to get almost all my money back selling it on eBay.
I guess the Stadia launch is bringing back memories of other failed consoles/services.
This OUYA console makes me say OOh YEAH! They should have the Kool-Aid man as their prime mascot.
In a serious sense,it's nice to see a new face in this competitive market place. It will get hectic if this thing does sell and at that price point, it's got me lookin'
I already *have* an Ouya.
In effect, anyway. My Transformer Prime tablet has matching (or better) specs, HDMI out, and can use Bluetooth controllers - including PS3 controllers. And it's hardly the only tablet in that class.
I still mostly game on my PC or PS3, anyway. The Ouya will certainly be (a lot) cheaper than a higher-end tablet, but I dunno how successful it'll be as a game platform.