Thinking inside the box is for normies! Whether they have some abnormal controls, were a little too ahead of the times or had some really outrageous gimmicks, here are 20 rather bizarre video game consoles.
#20: Nintendo DS and 3DS
 |
| It's amazing that for all the consoles that tried to be the Gameboy killer, it was something from Nintendo themselves that succeeded! |
Both systems had a clamshell design and 2 screens. The top screen was just for displaying games, while the bottom screen was a touchscreen that you could use to interact with the games or other applications. The 3DS goes further by including a little joystick and a switch that lets you view the game you're playing in 3D.
#19: Watara Supervision
 |
| Even if it didn't catch on, you can't it doesn't look unique. |
This was one of many systems released in the 90s to compete with the Gameboy. It featured a tilting screen and could be hooked up to a Televison via an official accessory, years before that practice became commonplace.
#18: Wonderswan
 |
| Who doesn't love buttons (besides Apple)? |
Made by the legendary Gunpei Yokoi, this console had 2 sets of buttons so you could play games on it either vertically or horizontally.
#17: Gizmondo
 |
| This thing tried to be smartphones before smartphones! Too bad being ahead of the times isn't always a good thing. |
Made back in 2005, this console tried to be an all-in-one device: Featuring games, a camera, mobile data, GPS and more. Unfortunately, the system was plagued with technical problems and was discontinued only one year later.
#16: McDonald's Chicken Nugget Console
| Remember when McDonald's had LCD games in their Happy Meals? Apparently, China does! |
Created by McDonald's of all companies and available only in China, this is a tiny handheld that looks like a chicken nugget and plays Tetris.
#15: Vectrex
 |
| Too bad this came out during the gaming crash of 1983. |
Made in the 80s, this console came with its own CRT screen, so you didn't have to plug it into a television to play it. As if that wasn't different enough, all the games had vector graphics and were all in black and white. To simulate color, you had to put little overlays over the screen.
#14: Apple Pippin
 |
| We all have to start somewhere. |
Years before they became the tech juggernaut they are today, Apple created this console. It runs on a modified MacOS and was designed to be a console, computer and multimedia player all rolled into one. The oddness also extends to the controller, which is shaped like a boomerang and has a trackball in the middle.
#13: N-Gage
 |
| Gaming on a phone in the 2000s? Who ever heard of such a thing? |
This Nokia creation tried to combine the worlds of consoles and cellphones way before smartphones became the norm. It used a dial pad on the front which can be used either to play games or call other people. To change games you had to take out the battery pack.
#12: Playdate
 |
| Thank you Kickstarter! |
This Gameboy-like device is the newest console on the list, debuting in 2022 after a successful Kickstarter campaign. It features a black and white screen, a crank on the side for additional control, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability and when it's not in use it has a low-power clock mode.
#11: Entex Adventure Vision
 |
| The Vectrex wasn't the only 80s console with its own screen! |
This arcade machine-looking device was one of the first handheld consoles that utilized cartridges. It features red graphics, a spinning mirror that updated the screen 15 times a second and 2 sets of buttons on both sides of the joystick for left or right-handed play.
#10: Bud Light BL6 Console
| Now that's pretty cool! |
Created of Bud Light of all companies, this six-pack shaped console has 2 unique features. Firstly it has a projector so you can play your games on the wall. Secondly it has 2 compartments for chilling your beers or other preferably canned drinks.
#9: Nintendo Switch
 |
| Apple and Google, take notes! |
This is a hybrid console that can be used either on its own as a handheld or docked to be used as a home console. The controllers, dubbed Joy Cons, can be used while attached to the unit, detached and used like Wiimotes, or attached to a special grip and used like a standard controller.
#8: Magnavox Odyssey
 |
| This thing is like the dinosaur of the console world! |
I know I already talked about the controller in a previous list, but the strangeness of this system doesn't end there. The console itself looks like an alien spaceship and pretty much all the games were just 2 movable lines. To make up for the lack of unique graphics, each game came with an overlay you'd place on your TV while you played.
#7: Nintendo Virtual Boy
 |
| Years later, Oculus does what Nintendon't! |
Again, I talked about this thing's controller in a previous list, but that's only the tip of the iceberg. The system itself is essentially a pair of binoculars on a stand and it was originally meant to be a VR system. Unfortunately, very few of the games were actually VR and all of them were in red and black, which could cause headaches and eye strain if played for too long. Plus, there wasn't a strap so actually playing the games was difficult.
#6: Mattel Hyperscan
 |
| This thing would've revolutionized the gaming market... If it worked worth a damn, that is! |
This console has a book-like design in a world where most video game consoles are rectangular. The draw of this unit was the built-in RFID scanner; players would scan special cards to do things like unlock characters within their games. Unfortunately, the console was plagued by performance issues, including instances where the scanner would refuse to work, and was thusly cancelled after only a year on the market.
#5: KFConsole
 |
| Finally, a way to use that excess heat your gaming PC makes! |
This gaming PC was born from a collaboration between Cooler Master and KFC. Where this PC differs from others is the chamber built into the device. You'd place chicken or probably some other food into this chamber and it would be cooked using the heat that the PC generates during play time.
#4: Action Max
 |
| You never heard of playing games on VHS tapes? Honestly, I don't blame you. |
This is a game console that works with your existing VCR to play light gun games with VHS tapes. I think that description is more than enough to show how odd this thing is.
#3: R-Zone
 |
| More proof that not everything that look's good on paper is actually a good idea! |
While it looks like a futuristic headband, it is essentially a Tiger LCD game that you play in front of your own face. Every cartridge for this device had its own transparent LCD display that would be projected onto a mirror on the device when turned on. Much like the Virtual Boy, the games were all in red and black.
#2: Tomytronic 3D
 |
| If this isn't the great ancestor of the Oculus Rift, I don't know what is! |
This spaceship-like device was a 3d gaming device that you wore on your head. It simulated 3D by having 2 LCD panels that were lit by outside light via a window on top of the device.
#1: Coleco Telstar Arcade
 |
| In the words of a certain nerd who reviews bad games, what madman came up with this? |
Way before the ColecoVision was a thing, Coleco made this triangular monstrosity. It features Pong controls on one side, a steering wheel and lever on another and a revolver on the last. Even the cartridges for this thing were weird, as they were triangular and went on top of the unit rather than inside of it.
Don't you just love it when video game console makers get creative? Some honerable mentions include the Panasonic Q (It's literally just the GameCube with a built in CD/DVD player, plus I have enough Nintendo systems on this list), the GPD Win line (they're basically mini-Windows computers with built-in video game controls), the Small Universe X Sugar Cube (as of this post's release date that system was still in development) and the Ultravision (scrapped consoles will get their own list some day). If you know some unique, gimmicky or downright bizarre consoles I might've missed, don't be afraid to mention them in the comments. Thanks for reading and have a nice gaming session.
No comments:
Post a Comment