Family game
Encyclopedia
A Family Game is a video game console
, usually with several games built-in, with the outer shell designed to mimic popular consoles such as the Atari 2600
, the Famicom
, the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
or the PlayStation
.
The majority of the games on these consoles are direct copies of Famicom and Atari 2600 games, such as Pitfall!
, Berzerk
or Frogger
, often with their title or display colours changed. In cases where the games are copies of Famicom games, the system is often dubbed a Famiclone. Family Games have anywhere from dozens to hundreds of games built in, and some consoles accept more games via cartridge.
The usual Family Game controller port has a standard DB9 (9-pin) configuration, allowing these consoles to operate with Atari 2600 and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis gamepad
s.
Since the hardware is made of cheap plastic
, assembled in Third World
Asia
n countries and with virtually no software development
costs, these machines are sold with a price tag as low as a game for a new console. This makes them very popular with low-income households, despite being outdated (more recent Family Game machines aren't much better graphically than mid 80's 8-bit consoles).
It's fairly easy to find Family Game consoles, both new and used, in many countries, mostly in street fairs, pawn shops and utilities shops. Some of the most recent models even discard the RF unit in favour of an antenna.
The TV Boy
is an example.
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
, usually with several games built-in, with the outer shell designed to mimic popular consoles such as the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, the Famicom
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
or the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
.
The majority of the games on these consoles are direct copies of Famicom and Atari 2600 games, such as Pitfall!
Pitfall!
Pitfall! is a video game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It is the second best selling game made for the Atari 2600, with over 4 million copies sold.-Gameplay:...
, Berzerk
Berzerk
Berzerk is a multi-directional shooter video arcade game, released in 1980 by Stern Electronics of Chicago.-Gameplay:The player controls a green stick-figure, representing a "humanoid." Using a joystick , the player navigates a simple maze filled with many robots, who fire lasers back at the...
or Frogger
Frogger
Frogger is an arcade game introduced in 1981. It was developed by Konami, and licensed for worldwide distribution by Sega/Gremlin. The object of the game is to direct frogs to their homes one by one. To do this, each frog must avoid cars while crossing a busy road and navigate a river full of...
, often with their title or display colours changed. In cases where the games are copies of Famicom games, the system is often dubbed a Famiclone. Family Games have anywhere from dozens to hundreds of games built in, and some consoles accept more games via cartridge.
The usual Family Game controller port has a standard DB9 (9-pin) configuration, allowing these consoles to operate with Atari 2600 and Sega Mega Drive/Genesis gamepad
Gamepad
A gamepad , is a type of game controller held in two hands, where the digits are used to provide input. Gamepads generally feature a set of action buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left...
s.
Since the hardware is made of cheap plastic
Plastic
A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids used in the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically polymers of high molecular mass, and may contain other substances to improve performance and/or reduce production costs...
, assembled in Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n countries and with virtually no software development
Software development
Software development is the development of a software product...
costs, these machines are sold with a price tag as low as a game for a new console. This makes them very popular with low-income households, despite being outdated (more recent Family Game machines aren't much better graphically than mid 80's 8-bit consoles).
It's fairly easy to find Family Game consoles, both new and used, in many countries, mostly in street fairs, pawn shops and utilities shops. Some of the most recent models even discard the RF unit in favour of an antenna.
The TV Boy
TV Boy
The TV Boy and its successors TV Boy 2 and Super TV Boy are 1990s video game consoles produced by many different companies, including Systema, Akor, and NICS, based upon an unlicensed clone of Atari 2600 hardware. They were widely available across Europe. In the UK they were most visibly available...
is an example.