The Evolution of Video Game Consoles #6 The Left Out Forgotten Remains
Now that we covered the great portions of the 5th generation... let's not forget these other failures that popped on the scene in the mid to late 90's.Apple Bandai Pippin
Released: 1996
Discontinued: 1997
Generation: 5th
Units Sold: 42,000 (unranked)
Initial Price: $599
IGN Rank: Unranked
What do you get with Apple, and console joint the answer a massive failure. One notable one of all of these is the price being as high as it was, and how Apple keeps doing this prophecy with their current iPhone X. A console of that caliber should not be that reasonable high demand without the capabilities it could which it failed to produce. With saying too much it just was not the right time to think they would be able to surprise people with a name like the Pippin I mean yeah that will sell (not.) Even worse it basically a slightly updated computer console which in hindsight yes you are better off with your windows 95 playing games like DOOM, or some other famous title you've been dying to have in the mid 90's than to waste it all on this. 4.5/10
Amiga CD32
Released: 1993
Discontinued: 1994
Generation: 5th
Units Sold: (around) 100,000 (unranked)
Initial Price: $250,000
IGN Rank: Unranked
The Amiga right... just got done talking about this one. With its most dull and generic color scheme the CD32 was something that was seen in few countries that included Europe, Canada, Brazil, and Australia one of the rarest consoles to own for its time, if you had many would not of known it actually existed while others are all like oh what's that? Code named ''spellbound'' as if it was made of voodoo with all of the plugs it requires all together is insane. It had this 80's looking controller with yes you could have a keyboard in mouse inserted if you wanted because well the manufacture is Commodore, and you know how much I was not a fan of that. Fascinating enough it was beaten my our next console in sells, and that was more in one country territorial. This was in four countries and failed to beat that. Not every game on there was 32 bits, but it had some games that were capable of it considered it was the first of its kind I wouldn't say a 180 hit since it could not beat things it competed against thus faded away in a year no less. 4/10
FM Towns Marty/Casino Loopy
Released: 1993, 1995
Discontinued: 1995, 1997
Generation: 5th
Units Sold: 45,000, unidentified
Initial Price: unidentified (both)
IGN Rank: unranked (both)
What exactly does the FM, and the Loopy have in common? There branded by you guessed it Casino. The Marty was suppose to go from 32, and even 64 bit system, but unfortunately not everybody is aware of its presence. From what I could find it played 32 bits, and rarely any 64 at all. It does have some quality games in its library that are worth a look, but as for the system itself... its Japanese restricted good luck trying to afford one. The same can be said about its successor the Loopy which was targeted towards girls than the general audience well no wonder it undersold. Only for Japan once again, and with a strange color scheme probably doesn't help its case nor its game selection being not very impressive. Thus another flop by Casino that was the end for them in the console business. 5/10, 4/10
Atari Jaguar
Released: 1993
Discontinued: 1996
Generation: 5th
Units Sold: (around) 250,000
Initial Price: (ironically) $250,000
IGN Rank: 24th
''DO THE MATH!'' 64 bits, and Atari's final console, but for the worst reasons. It had a boxy like controller that seems way too complicated for the average gamer to figure out. While the game selection is not entirely terrible it has a pretty good DOOM only thing missing is music, and Alien vs Predator, and Tempest 2000 are also really good choices that show off proper gameplay. On the other hand you have games like Club Drive, Cybermorph, and Kasumi Ninja which are just terrible first these to chose from racing, flying, and even a clone of a popular fighting game. The commercials were epic marketing failures thus nobody really cared about the system. It even came with a CD which Even couldn't find a way for it to work the Jaguar had its problems with dust, and thus its replayability must be in good wrapped condition in order to revisit. Backup a little bit since they were gonna go with a different animal in Panther instead of Jaguar, but regardless of the switch it wouldn't of mattered to the ultimate downfall of a once iconic game company of the late 70's early 80's. 5.5/10
3DO
Released: 1993
Discontinued: 1996
Generation: 5th
Units Sold: 2,000,000
Initial Price: $700,000
IGN Rank: 22nd
Panasonic's sole console representative was dearly expensive to afford. As implied by title the 3D effect with the 32 bits right into your living room, but does it deliver to its high price exactly? Color scheme looks fine, library of games is very mixed. Your suppose to be witnessing play a movie right well not every game on their was like this, but you have things like Plumbers Don't Wear Ties which does even qualify as game let alone anything that belongs on a 3DO. It sold just enough to have a possible sequel system that was planed, but scrapped immediately saving Panasonic's reputation. The project was titled ''M2'' also the system was going to unveil something not done before, but never really got a chance sine it wouldn't be until another two years for that invention to be relevant today. For now though the 3DO remains as a high price to avoid. 5/10
PC-FX
Released: 1994
Discontinued: 1998
Generation: 5th
Units Sold: 400,000
Initial Price: Unidentified
IGN Rank: Unranked
Yes a PC console ever heard of that? Well back in the 90's there was two types of this the Apple Bandai Pippin, and the PC-FX. Its Predeceased were TurboDuo, and a rare Engine Turbografx upgrade which isn't saying much other than its more cooler looking for its time. Yeah I never realized this was there last attempt at hitting it big in the video game market. The games that I saw remind me of playing Phillip CD-I games, and that ain't good since this came 3 years after that debacle. graphics are mostly of polygons, and while that's not what should ruin enjoyment of games in general it just doesn't seem right for the time of 32 bits. NEC definitely took a big casualty hit here, and just stopped what they were doing all together and hit the dust. 4.5/10
There's that on today's forgotten consoles that were no match for the top 3 of this gen with a lot of companies having their one hit approach that went no where, or in this Case Atari's last gasp hurrah. Next time we look at the early 21st century, and how much of it is still relevant in today's world. Sega was on its last leg, Sony was the most dominant video game marketer on the planet, and Nintendo went in a new direction while another newcomer took center stage with its debut console that same time period what are they find out next time on The Evolution of Video Game Consoles.