A list of less popular gaming consoles (Image via panic/Twitter)

Top 10 obscure gaming consoles

Over time, a few truly obscure gaming consoles have come out. Not many people apart from game collectors know about these because of their limited marketing and niche features. Some of these consoles haven’t been commercial hits like those from mainstream companies PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo. However, they have etched their place in the history books for being unique.

Obscure doesn't necessarily mean failure in the context of gaming. It's just that these consoles got lost in the shuffle and couldn't really catch on. If you possess any of them, consider yourself lucky because you have a tangible part of gaming history all to yourself.

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This article will list the most obscure gaming consoles.


Top 10 obscure gaming consoles you need to have a look at

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1) Playdate

To make sure that Pulp, our browser-based Playdate game making tool, is in solid shape when we release it to the public in January, we're doing an internal Pulp Game Jam.

The Game Jam's theme was just picked… inside a Pulp game Neven made! Get ready for some scary heartbreak.
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The Playdate is a handheld gaming system that fits in the palm of your hands. It has a black and white screen, Wi-Fi, and a loudspeaker. But it’s the console’s crank on the side that is offbeat. You can use the crank to play most games on the Playdate. It adds an element of fun that only a few other consoles have been able to implement well. The timing is a little off though, and this, coupled with the exorbitant price tag, is bound to make it an obscure gaming console.


2) Nintendo Virtual Boy

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People think VR consoles saw the light of day when mainstream VR headsets like the Oculus and HTC VIVE launched, but the truth is Nintendo did it first. The Virtual Boy 3D was launched in 1995 and marketed as a console capable of displaying in stereoscopic 3D. However, it was a commercial failure thanks to its exorbitant pricing and has to be one of the most obscure gaming consoles.


3) Game.com

Was the Nintendo DS a spiritual successor to the Game.com? (Image via Wikipedia)
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In the 1990s, the Nintendo Game Boy was making waves in the handheld console market. Tiger Electronics saw an opportunity to introduce a competitor and launched the Game.com in September 1997.

Players could buy a serial cable and connect multiple consoles for multiplayer gaming. Game.com introduced a touch-screen for the first time in the handheld gaming space and was the first handheld console to feature internet connectivity. The Nintendo DS is considered to be the spiritual successor to Game.com.


4) Nokia N-Gage

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The N-Gage isn't a fully-fledged console, but it's Nokia's attempt to bridge the gap between mobile phones and handheld gaming systems. It featured a similar shape to the Game Boy Advance. It also featured the ARM920T processor clocked at 104 MHz.

Over time, 58 games launched for the N-Gage, including Tomb Raider, Bomberman, Call of Duty, and Rayman 3. Despite the availability of games, Nokia's attempt to topple the Game Boy Advance flopped due to N-Gage's phone-like buttons, which did not suffice for gaming.


5) Apple Pippin

Look away now if the Apple Pippin offends the very fabric of your being (You know who you are) but this weekend, I shall play Shockwave the way Apple executives in 1996 thought I should. 🤣🤣
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Time and again, people called on Apple to make a gaming console of their own to compete with Sony PlayStation and the Microsoft Xbox, but surprisingly, Apple had already tested the waters back in the 1990s.

Pippin was the result of Apple and Bandai collaborating to make a gaming system based on the Macintosh platform. Unfortunately, due to Bandai's irrelevance in the USA back then, Steve Jobs' disinterest in pursuing Macintosh clones, and tough competition from Sony and Sega, the Pippin platform was discontinued.


6) Phillips CD-i

Grey is retro (Image via Wikipedia)
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The Phillips CD-i was initially marketed as a home entertainment system, but Phillips later started paying more emphasis on the gaming capabilities of the device. Nintendo mainstays like the Zelda franchise have graced the platform.

Some of the flagship titles for the system included Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, Tetris, and Hotel Mario. The system used to come with various controllers, including a touchpad controller, gamepad controller, and IR wireless controller. Unfortunately, the vision behind the product was flawed from the get-go, and this has condemned it to obscurity.


7) Sony Portable Philips CD-i Intelligent Discman

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Sony collaborated with Phillips to make a portable version of its CD-i system. It could natively play music discs or CD-i games. The console flips open to reveal two buttons and a peculiar D-pad. Although quite big to be called a handheld gaming device, it inspired the breathtaking line-up of Sony consoles that followed suit in the years to come. The awkward size and design make it fit for the tag of an obscure gaming console.


8) Action Max

Finally got my hands on an Action Max Console. I've been eyeing this system up for a long time but just never bit the bullet on it...until now. I have most of the library. Still missing the Blue Thunder. The last copy sold for $300 on eBay so I may pass on that one.

#GamersUnite
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To use this obscure gaming console, a player needs to have a VHS player at hand because, by itself, Action Max has no way to play the VHS tapes. The console came with a light gun that was used to play point and shoot games. Due to the added complexity, the console failed to generate steam and succumbed to obscurity, with only five games to have come out in the entirety of its lifespan. Sonic Fury did come bundled with the system, but it failed to create a difference.


9) HyperScan

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Think of HyperScan as the OG micro-transaction enabler. In the mid 2000s, the popularity of trading cards was at its peak. Mattel saw this as an opportunity to combine a gaming console with its trading card business. To unlock an in-game item, you needed to have a specific trading card that you could scan using the console, but this proved to be an expensive affair.

It's quite reminiscent of Nintendo's implementation, but amiibos just add to the experience, and the games do not mandate owning the extra tangibles. Forcing consumers to pay to win is a recipe for obscurity.


10) Game Wave

ᕼIᔕTOᖇY Oᖴ ᐯIᗪEO GᗩᗰIᑎG

This is the 2005 ZAPiT Game Wave. The Game Wave is a game console that has trivia, board games, word games, and card games. It can also be used as a DVD player. #gamersunute #gaming

When talking about obscure gaming consoles, the Game Wave has the potential to headline it. Game Wave was marketed as a family-friendly console that was devoid of violence. The majority of the titles were trivia-based and educational, promoting a healthy mindset. The Game Wave came with four color-coded controllers, thus allowing for four people to play at once. However, no video game console can be a commercial success if it condemns the very idea behind video games, and that is exactly what ended up happening to the Game Wave.

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Edited by
Siddharth Satish
 
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