10 Unreleased Video Game Consoles
There are so many video game consoles that have released into the market over the years. Some of these companies like Nintendo are still going strong and putting out devices for gamers to enjoy today, while others such as Sega decided to scrap consoles and focus on software. In any case, there were wide ranges of video game systems in the works that were supposed to hit store shelves for gamers to quickly purchase with their hard earned money.
Despite the announcements, grand reveals and promises, these consoles were completely killed off for different reasons. It’s uncertain as to if these consoles could have made a real impact or not. However, if you were curious about some of the devices that were slated to release into the market but never made it into production then check out our list down below.
#10 SNES PlayStation
This is a pretty infamous console that you likely heard about over the years. Originally Sony wasn’t going into business alone to deliver a video game console. Instead, they were working with Nintendo in order to deliver a SNES with a CD-ROM based unit attached. This console even saw the light of day during CES 1991. Ultimately the deal didn’t go through and as a result, Nintendo decided to work with Phillips for a couple CD-based video games. Sony, however, kept working on the project and eventually led them to the PlayStation release that became a massive hit and a quick competitor to Nintendo and at the time, their Nintendo 64 console.
#9 Sega Neptune
During the heyday of Sega’s console career, the company was looking to toss something into the market before the launch of the Sega Saturn. At the time, Sega had the Genesis and the 32X, however, the latter had some issues. For starters, the release of the 32X didn’t actually get into the market until the Sega Saturn already launched within Japan. As a result, the 32X was hurt by developers not opting to put much of an effort in releasing games on the platform due to the Saturn already insight for other markets. Despite this Sega had originally hoped to release the Neptune for gamers which combined the Sega Genesis and the Sega 32X into one system. In the end, Sega decided to scrap the project and put more focus on their Saturn release.
#8 Infinium Phantom
Back in the early 2000s, there was a system that easily caught the attention of gamers around the world. Infinium Phantom was a system that aimed to deliver gamers with an online subscription service where titles would be streamed to the console rather than sold in-stores. At the time this would have been a big deal but the system was constantly delayed until it was dropped completely. This eventually leads to reports of some financial issues with the company altogether.
#7 Atari Cosmos
The Atari Cosmos was close to releasing into the market as it was a somewhat handheld device that used holographic style slides for its gameplay templates. This device was shown to the world in 1981 and it quickly got thousands of pre-orders with gamers eagerly awaiting to get their hands on a unit. Despite the public immediate reception, critics bashed the device which made Atari get cold feet and pull the product. Now fewer than ten units remain with select collectors and from those few units, supposedly two are functioning.
#6 Taito WoWoW
The Taito WoWoW was a video game system that was being worked on by video game company Taito. This particular system was in developed back in 1992 where the goal was to release a system that could handle arcade ports though more specifically, a system that could handle the Taito released video game arcades. One of the more unique aspects to the device was that it could connect to satellites and download video games but after testing, developers felt that the game console would not sell due to the fact of the system being too expensive at the time. Because the game console would connect to a satellite the cost to create a receiver and a game console would also set gamers back a ton of money. All we got of the game console was a brief viewing during a Tokyo Game Show before it was killed off.
#5 Panasonic M2
While the 3DO seemed to hold its own back in the day, the development company was hoping to deliver an even more powerful system. Originally slated to be the 3DO successor, the technology was sold to Panasonic who called this system the Panasonic M2. At first, this system was being developed to compete with the ever popular, PlayStation, but it seems that Panasonic had other ideas and opted to change the system up as a multimedia player for certain professional companies rather than home users. We did get a brief look at the Panasonic M2 in action as a few Konami arcade games used the M2 board, but they were few and far between.
#4 Sega VR
VR is becoming more mainstream today with the help of PlayStation VR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive, however, the hope to bring VR into the modern day was something being worked on for decades. Back in 1991, Sega was working on a device called the Sega VR but after a few tests and trials, they couldn’t get the system to work exactly as they had intended. It likely caused the same headache issues that the Nintendo Virtual Boy caused when the system released just a few years later.
#3 NanoGear
If you were interested in playing games and developing them then you might have enjoyed the NanoGear. This was a handheld device that was being tossed around the marketing hype in 2003 for its ability to play video games along with included tools to develop them. Evidently, the device had the ability to connect to a network where players could share their creations with other gamers around the world, but this device never went much further than concept and prototyping before it was killed off. We’re not sure just what caused the device to be scrapped but it seemed like it could have made for a great idea.
#2 Gizmondo Widescreen
The Gizmodo itself wasn’t a big success. This handheld device released in 2005 and sold less than 25,000 units but despite its less than stellar reception, the company was looking to deliver fans a new device. Known as the Widescreen Gizmodo, this handheld was slated to launch in 2006 where it would feature a 4” widescreen display, Wi-Fi, TV-out, and even a 2 MP camera. Originally the unit was supposed to see its first reveal during CES in 2006, but it was cancelled with the company going bankrupt shortly afterward.
#1 Panasonic Jungle
The Panasonic Jungle is actually a relatively new console that was announced which would have fought against the PlayStation Vita and the Nintendo 3DS. Panasonic was looking to jump into the portable gaming console craze with a device known as the Jungle wherein 2010 it was announced as a means to deliver gamers with a portable handheld dedicated to MMOs. The games ideally made to work with the Panasonic Jungle included RuneScape and Stellar Dawn, however, in 2011, it seemed that the MMO popularity was starting to decline which resulted in Panasonic cancelling their device altogether.
