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From Vintage Video Game Consoles To Today
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Game Console Clones
Coleco Expansion Module #1 Screenshots
| Coleco Expansion Module #1
Released October 1982
From its introduction, Coleco had touted a hardware add-on called the Expansion Module #1 which made the ColecoVision compatible with the industry-leading Atari 2600. Functionally, this gave the ColecoVision the largest software library of any console of its day. The expansion module prompted legal action from Atari, but Atari was unable to stop sales of the module because the 2600 could be reproduced with standard parts.
Coleco was also able to design and market the Gemini game system which was an exact clone of the 2600, but with combined joystick/paddle controllers.
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Coleco Gemini Screenshots
| Coleco Gemini
Released November 1982
In 1982, Coleco released Expansion Module #1 for its Colecovision video game system using off-the-shelf components. Atari sued Coleco for patent infringement, however a court ruled that since Coleco used off-the-shelf components and not the same components found inside an Atari 2600, the Expansion Module #1 did not infringe on Atari's patents for the 2600. With this ruling, Coleco decided to make a stand-alone Atari 2600 clone and named it the Gemini.
The main difference between the Coleco Gemini and the Atari 2600 is the controller design. The Coleco Gemini controllers featured an 8-way joystick and a 270-degree paddle on the same controller (the joystick was at the top of the controller, and the paddle was at the bottom of the controller). Unfortunately, if one wanted to play the Atari 2600 game Warlords in 4 player mode, 2 sets of Atari-made paddles were required, and one set of Atari-made paddles was required for 2 player paddle games.
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Atari Flashback Screenshots
| Atari Flashback
Released October 2004
The Atari Flashback was released in 2004. The console resembled an Atari 7800 in appearance, and came with a pair of controllers which resembled those of the Atari 5200 but were slightly smaller. The system had twenty games built-in, all originally developed by Warner Communication's Atari Inc. and Atari Corp. for the 2600 and 7800 game systems. The games which originally required analog paddle controllers were made to work with the included joysticks.
It was designed by Atari veteran Curt Vendel, whose company Legacy Engineering Group designs other home video game and video arcade products. Atari Inc. gave Legacy Engineering ten weeks to design the product, produce its games, and ready it for the 2004 Winter holiday season. The Atari Flashback was based on "NES-on-a-chip" hardware, not resembling either of the Atari systems which the Flashback was supposed to represent. As a result, the games it contained were ports and differed in varying degrees from the original games, and therefore the Flashback was unpopular with some purists.
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Yobo FC Twin Screenshots
| Yobo FC Twin
Released March 2005
The FC Twin (also known as FC X2) is a Famiclone that can play Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) games. The system has been well received due to the increasing scarcity of original hardware.
The FC Twin console uses SNES compatible controllers and devices such as the Super Scope and Konami Justifier light guns, but cannot use NES compatible controllers and devices such as the NES Zapper peripheral for Duck Hunt. Yobo has its own version of the NES Zapper which is compatible with games that require use of the NES Zapper. The Super Nintendo controller buttons otherwise map to the NES controller inputs (B maps to Y, A maps to B. A maps to turbo B, X maps to turbo A; L and R serve no function). When using any controllers besides the actual FC Twin ones, the A and X buttons do nothing during 1-player or 2-player NES play.
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Atari Flashback 2 Screenshots
| Atari Flashback 2
Released April 2005
The Atari Flashback 2, the successor to the original Atari Flashback console, was released in 2005. It has forty Atari 2600 games built-in. A few of the included games are homebrews which were created by enthusiasts in recent years, and two of the games (Pitfall! and River Raid) were originally published by Activision.
The appearance of the Atari Flashback 2 is reminiscent of the original Atari 2600 console from 1977. It is roughly two-thirds the size of the original, and much lighter in weight. The Flashback 2 console has five buttons (power, reset, left and right difficulty toggles, and select); on the back it has a color/black-and-white slider switch and two ports for the included joysticks. The joysticks bear very close similarity to the original Atari 2600 joysticks from 1977, and are compatible and interchangeable with them. The Flashback 2 does not come with paddle controllers, but original paddle controllers can be connected to it and used with its paddle-based games.
The console also includes two hidden titles which require the use of paddle controllers. The Flashback 2 does not come with paddle controllers, so these games cannot be played unless the user has an original set of Atari 2600 paddle controllers. To access the hidden paddle game menu, the user must press up on the joystick 1 time, pull down 9 times, push up 7 times, and pull down 2 times (this represents the year 1972, in which Pong first appeared). The code must be entered steadily and without pauses (enter it too quickly and it won't work).
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Messiah Entertainment Generation NEX Screenshots
| Messiah Entertainment Generation NEX
Released September 05, 2005 for $59.99
Generation NEX is a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) hardware clone released in 2005. It is developed by a company called Messiah Entertainment, Inc. with the name being a portmanteau of Generation X and Nintendo Entertainment System. The machine is designed to play most games released for the Nintendo Famicom and its American/European equivalent, the Nintendo Entertainment System. The console takes both the Japanese Famicom 60-pin and North American/European NES 72-pin cartridges used by Nintendo.
Messiah Entertainment, Inc.'s official compatibility list states that the system is compatible with 97.25% of NES games released in the US. Twenty-one NES games are listed as not compatible, including Castlevania III. The compatibility, with regards to games that Messiah's compatibility chart lists as working, is disputed; while there are claims from some that the NEX is faithful to the original Nintendo Entertainment System, others claim that the color and sound reproductions are inaccurate and some games have additional glitches when played on the NEX.
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Yobo FC 3 Plus Screenshots
| Yobo FC 3 Plus
Released January 2006
The Yobo FC 3 Plus Game System has separate circuitry and card slots for 8-Bit NES, 16-Bit SNES, and 16-Bit Sega Genesis game cartridges, allowing you to play the original NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis games all on one single gaming system. You can easily switch between the NES/SNES/Genesis games with the system selector switch. There is also an LED indicator that tells you the game system mode that has been selected.
The Yobo FC3 Plus game console comes with two eight-button controllers, providing control for NES, SNES, and Sega Genesis games. A NES zapper gun is also included for NES compatible games such as Duck Hunt.
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Retro-Bit Retro Duo Screenshots
| Retro-Bit Retro Duo
Released January 2007
The Retro Duo is a video game console developed by Retro-Bit and distributed by Innex, Inc. The Retro Duo is an 8-bit and 16-bit video game console. It was designed to fit the needs of 8-bit and 16-bit console gamers and plays game cartridges for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super NES. There have been quite a few clone systems made in recent years, but the difference with this one is that it plays American, European, and Japanese games and has the highest compatibility over any other clone system. Another notable difference is that S-video is now compatible when playing SNES games and it makes the games look noticeably better. The console is not licensed by Nintendo and is not fully compatible with every game released for the two game systems; however, the majority of games will function properly.
Reviews of the Retro Duo have praised its compatibility for games many other clone consoles struggle with (due to hardware issues) such as Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse on the NES, Star Fox on the SNES, and the Game Genie cheat cartridge. The Retro Duo is also compatible with the Super Game Boy device. The Retro Duo was released in four different color schemes: white/blue, silver/black, black/red, and a red/gold limited edition version.
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Eittek MiWi Screenshots
| Eittek MiWi
Released April 2007
If this looks and sounds familiar, that’s because the MiWi tries its best to look and feel like the Nintendo Wii. The MiWi claims to play WiiSports-esque games including boxing, ping pong, tennis, golf, baseball, soccer and bowling. The controllers are very similar to the Nintendo Wii controllers, and the controller add on pieces are very similar as well.
The MiWi is a 16 bit system with several games developed specifically for it. The games are a far cry from today’s Wii. Nice try guys.
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Hyperkin RetroN Screenshots
| Hyperkin RetroN
Released August 01, 2009 for $49.99
Replay your classic NES games with the Retron 1 NES system. The Retron 1 utilizes the top loading mechanism; it lets you easily change out game cartridges with ease. Its NES controller ports are full compatible with original Nintendo controllers and zapper guns.
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Hyperkin RetroN 3 Screenshots
| Hyperkin RetroN 3
Released May 01, 2010 for $69.95
Hyperkin is no stranger to creating low cost videogame consoles and portables. Their RetroN 3 Video Gaming System claims compatibility with Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo (SNES), and Sega Genesis cartridges via its three cartridge ports and wireless Sega 6-button controller clone. This unit also has three sets of controller ports to match the respective original systems. The RetroN 3 was released in two colors, metallic red and dark grey.
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Atari Flashback 3 Screenshots
| Atari Flashback 3
Released September 01, 2011 for $39.99
In 2011 Atari licensed out Legacy Engineering's Flashback concept and name to AtGames for the "Flashback 3". The Flashback 3 includes 60 built-in Atari 2600 games, 2 joysticks, and a case design that is similar to the Flashback 2/2+ design, except for front-based joystick ports, no B/W switch, and a different curvature. Internally the Flashback 3 system uses emulation running on an ARM-based processor instead of Legacy's "2600-on-a-chip" and is not hackable to add a cartridge port for reading original Atari 2600 cartridges. Original 2600 joysticks and paddles will also work on this system however.
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