Not really that surprising when you remember that one of the most well-remembered consoles from the 80s is from the Connecticut Leather Company (Colecovision).
My swimming pool still has a coleco liner. I remember going to pick it up in a Mazda 646 hatchback it went in side the car then they bent it folded the rest into the roof and then i drove it 200 miles to Massachusetts to avoid a 750 dollar delivery fee to find out it the dimensions were backwards it was 12 feet the wrong way
Once again demonstrating that just because a game is uninspiring (or even bad) and runs on terrible hardware doesn't mean that its creators didn't care.
I know of Gakken from their toys for Genesis Climber Mospeada, which Matchbox brought over for their Robotech line of toys. I had no idea that they made a game console!
Thank you so much for shining light on incredibly obscure console hardware, that we'd have no hope of knowing about, without a resource like yours! It means a lot that you put all this work, and effort into researching all of these fascinating systems and platforms. Keep up the amazing work!
Honestly getting a history from you about these ancient Japanese home consoles is honestly more intriguing to me than studying some of the usual American NES line up. These systems are so old and archeic that I had no idea this system even existed, but you make it so interesting to learn about that I can't help but stay glued. Keep up the amazing work Jeremy!
Oh man, I remember playing sideways Breakout on Apple-II computers when I was kid back in the 80s! That's awesome, I knew there was a version like that, I just hadn't seen it in forever, until your video! Thanks, Jeremy =D
I can only imagine the disappointment in getting a TV Boy for Christmas People have experienced getting an Xbox instead of a PlayStation or even a Bootleg Famicom Nintendo instead of a modern Wii Nintendo But the disappointment in getting a full console that would ever only have 5 games instead of one of the longest surviving pieces of gaming tech or even the perfectly serviceable consoles of the time would've been rough
Depends. Many people in the early 80's couldn't afford any gaming system. I remember the heartbreak of buying a broken RCA Studio 2 (one game session before it overheated), and that system was far worse than the TV Boy. But you had to be a bit obsessed with video games in the first place. I mean, this was all still competing with a deck of cards or D&D. Edit: And those early portable games were no joke, if you could look past the complete lack of smooth animation.
the desk thump though, haha. well googling it says that the Famicom was out in July of 1983, so I seriously don't think it stood any kind of a chance. it does seem to follow epoch's roadmap of doing clones.
I've been getting into retro games and the thing I'm most obsessed with is that Atari created a very solid foundation for what a console controller would look like with the 2600, and then basically every console manufacturer, including Atari themselves, completely ignored that foundation for the next six years or more to make a parade of the worst controllers known to man. Like, do any of the systems that came out between the 2600 and the Famicom have controllers that even rise to the level of "passable"?
1:55 Hey, I had that Pac-Man game as a kid! (The official US version.) Anyway, does this mean we'll also get a Milton Bradley Microvision Works at some point? 😁
These graphics, with their extremely limited color palette, make me think of the Fairchild Channel F, which itself had the right to be primitive, being released in 1976. But in 1983 people already expected a lot more. This version of Space Invaders is interesting though
Definitely an unusual looking console. I guess Excite Invader has the novelty of being Space Invaders turned on its side. October 1983 though meant Nintendo and Sega had good competing games to go against this.
While the TRS-80 CoCo was lacking in so many ways, the 6809 was one of the fastest 8-bit home computer CPUs in the early 80s. It was the one thing we could feel slightly smug about, for a couple of years anyway.
Sure, I could use a warm up before arriving at the Arcade Pit. But Senator, this invasion of my space does not excite me! So this console has around the same resolution that a 2003 Nokia cellphone?
I love vintage video game talk as much as the next old man but is it odd one of the more interesting things IMO mentioned in the video were the Denshi Blocks? QUICK TO EBAY!!
It's probably worth taking at least a cursory glance at the likes of the ZX Spectrum and C64 even without trying to look through their entire libraries. These are fairly relevant gaming platforms after all.
9:26 This channel has gone 0 days without a Zevious reference. Also, this is the first time I can remember seeing the Gakken TV Boy, so this'll be interesting.
I feel a little bit bad that despite this consoles tale of daring to go up against Famicom with THIS level of tech (and the Invader game looking kinda fun), I just can't stop feeling irritated that the handle doesn't come off to form a remote or a phone-like extension. I just look at that design and feel like it SHOULD come off but it doesn't and that makes my brain see it as Objectively Bad Design. Still, looking forward to seeing the other five games that released, just so I can get irritated all over again.
I hope some version of this controller was modified to have USB connectivity because my first instinct upon seeing it was "I wonder if you could play Devil May Cry or Marvel vs Capcom with that?"
What REALLY gets me is that the Invaders here are based off the 2600 version of the game! I always thought it was weird Atari never even attempted to copy the original Invader designs but to then go and copy the Atari designs?! Weird.
Not really that surprising when you remember that one of the most well-remembered consoles from the 80s is from the Connecticut Leather Company (Colecovision).
And I was wondering what Coleco meant for a while
@@angelriverasantana7755In fairness, they diversified pretty well in the 70"s and 80's. We had their pools in our backyard.
My swimming pool still has a coleco liner. I remember going to pick it up in a Mazda 646 hatchback it went in side the car then they bent it folded the rest into the roof and then i drove it 200 miles to Massachusetts to avoid a 750 dollar delivery fee to find out it the dimensions were backwards it was 12 feet the wrong way
Absolutely love the audible sound of Jeremy slamming his fist on the table when he said "And, by god, I'm going to talk about it!".
It's a shame Gakken got out of the video game market so fast because their follow up could have been the TV Man.
That probably would've been obligated to play smut games.
Nintendo's Game Boy never grew up (aside from getting Advanced) nor did it learn to become less phallocentric.
I appreciate the animation at 9:42 for a new wave of invaders beaming over.
Once again demonstrating that just because a game is uninspiring (or even bad) and runs on terrible hardware doesn't mean that its creators didn't care.
I remember a "TV Boy" for sale in the UK in the mid-late '90s, though it was an all in one plug and play, that played Atari 2600 games.
Excite invader has a very pleasing color palette. What a weird ass controller for the system though
You better believe I'm gawkin' at these cool video games
That was a super cool ad for the Frogger table-top! Love the trade-dress for the TV Boy games.
You're going to do a series on every pre-Famicom game system, aren't you?
Proceed.
Might as well. 😊
Not quite, just the ones from Japan
I know of Gakken from their toys for Genesis Climber Mospeada, which Matchbox brought over for their Robotech line of toys. I had no idea that they made a game console!
Thank you so much for shining light on incredibly obscure console hardware, that we'd have no hope of knowing about, without a resource like yours! It means a lot that you put all this work, and effort into researching all of these fascinating systems and platforms. Keep up the amazing work!
Wait wait wait. All those Coleco tabletops were just American-ized versions of Gakken games? Gee, I didn't know that.
Yep, I was playing rebadged Gakken toys without even knowing it!
Gakken sounds like if Nickelodeon had a hair metal band.
Love it 🤣
Most soothing retro gaming content out there
Scott the woz would love the consistency in the packaging!
I imagine the 90º flip of the playfield allowed them to avoid any unsightly lawsuits quite handily as well.
Oh, it's that machine that looks like an office telephone with a gear shifter. I haven't thought about this thing in years.
Thank you Jeremy for this treat on a cozy snowed in day
Honestly getting a history from you about these ancient Japanese home consoles is honestly more intriguing to me than studying some of the usual American NES line up. These systems are so old and archeic that I had no idea this system even existed, but you make it so interesting to learn about that I can't help but stay glued. Keep up the amazing work Jeremy!
If only they had a Mahjong game on the TV boy, it would have been a killer app.
Oh man, I remember playing sideways Breakout on Apple-II computers when I was kid back in the 80s! That's awesome, I knew there was a version like that, I just hadn't seen it in forever, until your video! Thanks, Jeremy =D
I can only imagine the disappointment in getting a TV Boy for Christmas
People have experienced getting an Xbox instead of a PlayStation
or even a Bootleg Famicom Nintendo instead of a modern Wii Nintendo
But the disappointment in getting a full console that would ever only have 5 games instead of one of the longest surviving pieces of gaming tech or even the perfectly serviceable consoles of the time would've been rough
Depends. Many people in the early 80's couldn't afford any gaming system.
I remember the heartbreak of buying a broken RCA Studio 2 (one game session before it overheated), and that system was far worse than the TV Boy.
But you had to be a bit obsessed with video games in the first place. I mean, this was all still competing with a deck of cards or D&D.
Edit: And those early portable games were no joke, if you could look past the complete lack of smooth animation.
"It has a whopping 6 games!"
*Laughs in Nuon superiority*
the desk thump though, haha. well googling it says that the Famicom was out in July of 1983, so I seriously don't think it stood any kind of a chance. it does seem to follow epoch's roadmap of doing clones.
o man from what world this video come from :D, thanks for make my weekend perfect jeremy
always loved the box art style for these games!
I've been getting into retro games and the thing I'm most obsessed with is that Atari created a very solid foundation for what a console controller would look like with the 2600, and then basically every console manufacturer, including Atari themselves, completely ignored that foundation for the next six years or more to make a parade of the worst controllers known to man.
Like, do any of the systems that came out between the 2600 and the Famicom have controllers that even rise to the level of "passable"?
The Vectrex has a very decent controller
Fascinating work to dive and find these obscure Japanese systems.
1:55 Hey, I had that Pac-Man game as a kid! (The official US version.)
Anyway, does this mean we'll also get a Milton Bradley Microvision Works at some point? 😁
These graphics, with their extremely limited color palette, make me think of the Fairchild Channel F, which itself had the right to be primitive, being released in 1976. But in 1983 people already expected a lot more. This version of Space Invaders is interesting though
A charming little console in all its weird glory.
Awesome work! love your retrospectives on the obscure systems!
Definitely an unusual looking console. I guess Excite Invader has the novelty of being Space Invaders turned on its side. October 1983 though meant Nintendo and Sega had good competing games to go against this.
So showing Xevious but not mention it avoid the counter going back to zero
While the TRS-80 CoCo was lacking in so many ways, the 6809 was one of the fastest 8-bit home computer CPUs in the early 80s. It was the one thing we could feel slightly smug about, for a couple of years anyway.
Sure, I could use a warm up before arriving at the Arcade Pit. But Senator, this invasion of my space does not excite me!
So this console has around the same resolution that a 2003 Nokia cellphone?
I am LOVING the evening uploads
My favourite creator. Sweet
Not a bad diversion from educational DIY kits.
The packaging for the games is the kind of thing I get up in the morning for.
TBH, I genuinely like the t-bar joystick handle. Shame the console itself is a disappointment, obsolete on arrival.
The console would make a good repurposed prop for a sci-fi movie.
I love vintage video game talk as much as the next old man but is it odd one of the more interesting things IMO mentioned in the video were the Denshi Blocks? QUICK TO EBAY!!
That controller/main unit reminds me of the station Homer Simpson works with in the nuclear plant
THE COLOR PALETTE OF EXCITE INVADERS IS SO WEIRD
cyan magenta...orange???? and off-white? wild stuff, never even heard of gakken or the tv boy
Gakken the Garish console.
CMYK the game
Reminds me of games in CGA when they'd let you play around with the palette.
@@EvanCWaters Reminds me of games in NESTICLE where they'd let you play with the palette
It's probably worth taking at least a cursory glance at the likes of the ZX Spectrum and C64 even without trying to look through their entire libraries. These are fairly relevant gaming platforms after all.
Go for it!
Very funny video title, thank you Jeremy.
The box art for Mr. Bomb didn't need to go that hard but it does.
Looking forward to learning more about that game with the fish falling into the glass of water. Looks like that one was pretty difficult to play.
Kaboom clone
It looks like a clone of Kaboom which was played with a paddle controller, not a stick.
Have you ever thought of doing some videos on the Vectrex?
I love that vintage frogger ad, like an animated lcd game brought to life
Hot damn that is one sexy thumbnail good *LORD*
Joysticks will always do that!
was thinking it would be an excitebike clone....
i knew that it would be space invaders though, because yeah
Nah, nah, nah, that counts as a Xevious reference. Reset it back to zero. You can't pull a fast one by just not saying it aloud.
Excite invader is very similar in mechanics to Alien Raiders on the microvision.
9:26 This channel has gone 0 days without a Zevious reference.
Also, this is the first time I can remember seeing the Gakken TV Boy, so this'll be interesting.
I feel a little bit bad that despite this consoles tale of daring to go up against Famicom with THIS level of tech (and the Invader game looking kinda fun), I just can't stop feeling irritated that the handle doesn't come off to form a remote or a phone-like extension. I just look at that design and feel like it SHOULD come off but it doesn't and that makes my brain see it as Objectively Bad Design.
Still, looking forward to seeing the other five games that released, just so I can get irritated all over again.
I will be very disappointed if there aren't at least five low-budget SF movies that use TV Boy shells as spaceship controls.
We finally get to meet Game Boy's weird, alcoholic uncle that nobody talks about.
I hope some version of this controller was modified to have USB connectivity because my first instinct upon seeing it was "I wonder if you could play Devil May Cry or Marvel vs Capcom with that?"
Was that a stealth Xevious reference?
I would never!
But… what did Nintendo Power have to say about Excite Invader???
TV Boy has real "creepy uncle you aren't allowed near during family gatherings" vibes
I guess you could say Japan was not gakken it's pants over this console, emiright?
Somehow the video that comes out of this thing looks even worse than the Cassette Vision.
no xevious card? i guess it wasn't actually mentioned...
What REALLY gets me is that the Invaders here are based off the 2600 version of the game! I always thought it was weird Atari never even attempted to copy the original Invader designs but to then go and copy the Atari designs?! Weird.
Rotated Invaders
is it legal to be gakken in public?