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Strange and forgotten consoles

9,328 bytes added, 14:07, 9 July 2019
Handhelds: added LGR video links for the Gizmondo and the Zodiac
|[[wikipedia:Action_Max|Action Max]]
|None
|None
|VHS tape console released in 1987 by Worlds of Wonder. It relied on a light gun and score counter for all of its 5 games, which could not really be lost. There's an add-on for the multi-[[Arcade LaserDisc emulators|arcade LaserDisc emulator]] [[DAPHNE]] called [https://web.archive.org/web/20150512114240/http://www.singeengine.com/cms/node/6 SINGE.] We're in murky waters here, so run this at your own risk.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj498-wkOz4 Cinemassacre Demonstration]
|[[Atari_8-bit#Atari_XEGS|Atari XEGS]]
|Preliminary
|Yes
|A repackaging of the [[Atari 8-bit]] computer line marketed as a game console. Notable for having possibly the worst physical design ever. It has preliminary support in MAME, as does the 65XE computer it's based on. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2gF5wWns0E Overview] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IVK3ukQmMA CGR Review]
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|[[wikipedia:BBC_Bridge_Companion|BBC Bridge Companion]]
|[http://www.progettoemma.net/mess/system.php?machine=bbcbc Good]
|Yes
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|[[wikipedia:Commodore_64_Games_System|Commodore 64 Games System]]
|Good
|Yes
|A hacked up console version of the regular [[Commodore 64 emulators|Commodore 64]], released only in Europe. Failed hilariously due to its outdated tech (1984 hardware in 1990!), the fact that the normal Commodore 64 was already sufficient, and a bad case of the 'no games'.
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|[[wikipedia:Dendy_(console)|Dendy]]
|Decent
|Yes
|The [[Nintendo Entertainment System emulators|NES]], but for slavs. (TCRF COMEDY!) Only [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kne6AKyYUuM Kinaman] can properly explain this one (turn on CC). Has decent support in MAME, and its status as an NES clone means its "exclusives" can be played on NES emulators that support broken pirate carts.
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|[[wikipedia:Dina_(video_game_console)|Dina]]
|Good
|Yes
|Hybrid clone of both the [[SG-1000 emulators|SG-1000]] and [[ColecoVision emulators|ColecoVision]]. Sold by Telegames as the Telegames Personal Arcade, allegedly with permission from Coleco themselves. The console's build quality leaves a lot to be desired, not to mention that games for the aforementioned platforms can be played on most [[ColecoVision emulators]] anyway.
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|[https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Video_Buddy Family Driver]/[https://segaretro.org/Video_Driver Video Driver]
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|Sega also had a go with the VHS-Based console market with the Family Driver from 1988 and unlike most of these type of consoles, this did not play Light-gun games but instead played driving games. Only three games were released for the system; it's unknown when Sega discontinued it.
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|[[wikipedia:LJN Video Art|LJN Video Art]]
|None
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|A notorious "educational" console made by the notorious LJN released in 1985. It was meant as a paint program type system that was meant to compete against television rather than mainstream consoles at the time. It flopped hard. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neURIc_A3js Commercial] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-zEhhTqdvg AVGN Review]
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|[[wikipedia:My Vision|My Vision]]
|[http://www.progettoemma.net/mess/system.php?machine=myvision Good]
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|[[RDI Halcyon]]
|None
|None
|A terrifying machine based on HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, featuring voice-recognition and AI learning. Its failure bankrupted RDI. There are currently no known emulators for the Halcyon, as mankind has yet to fully comprehend its awesome power.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeI5zKeGELA Demonstration]
|[http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=2&c=1294 Soundic SD-290]
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|Released by Soundic in 1983, the SD-290 was designed to undercut the competition but the lack of compelling games and dated hardware drove customers away from it. Only 11 of the 16 games planned for the system were released. It's unknown how many units were sold or when it was discontinued.
|[[wikipedia:Terebikko|Terebikko\Video Phone]]
|None
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|The Terebikko is a VHS-Based edutainment console released in Japan by Bandai in 1988 and in the US by Mattel in 1989, The Japanese version had less then 10 games made for it but most of them are based on high profile properties such as Super Mario, Sailor Moon, Doraemon and Dragon Ball Z, Meanwhile, Only 2 games are known to of been released for the US version, both were discontinued in 1994 and it's unknown how many units were sold.
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|[[wikipedia:Video Challenger|Video Challenger]]
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|None
|Released in 1987 by Select Merchandise and licensed to 4 companies in different regions, this VHS-Based console only had around 8 games released for it and like most systems of this type, it only played Light-gun games. It's unknown how many units were sold or when it was discontinued.
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|[http://www.christopherjhopkins.com/videosmarts-the-interactive-video-learning-system.html Videosmarts]
|None
|None
|Released around 1986 by the Connor Toy Corporation, the Videosmarts is VHS edutainment console that taught Preschool to Second Grade Subjects, It's unknown how many games were made for it, how many units sold or when it was discontinued.
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|[[wikipedia:View-Master_Interactive_Vision|View-Master Interactive Vision]]
|None
|None
|1988 edutainment VHS console that used two audio tracks on each tape, the player choosing one of two options on the screen, to create interactivity. Also had short mini-game segments with ColecoVision-like graphics. Unlike the other VHS systems, the games were actually decent. No known emulators.
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|[[wikipedia:Zemmix|Zemmix Series]]
|Good
|Yes
|Korean system that was simply an MSX/MSX 2, depending on the model, in console form. Mostly just existed as a way to play MSX games. Though there were a few games made specifically for it, they were playable on the MSX as well. Any MSX emulator should work for its games.
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|Released in Japan by Konami in 1992, the extremely rare Picno is an odd hybrid of a Video Game Console and a Drawing Tablet that used cartridges similar to [[wikipedia:HuCard|HuCard's]] and [https://segaretro.org/Sega_Pico Sega Pico]. It's unknown how many units were sold, when it was discontinued or how many games were released. [http://videogamesdensetsu.tumblr.com/post/142354502350/the-konami-picno-%E3%83%94%E3%82%AF%E3%83%8E-1992-a-drawing-tablet Software & sources lists].
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|[http://videogamekraken.com/%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%85%D0%B0-by-skb-kontur-%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B1-%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80 Krokha]
|None
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|The Krokha (Кроха) is an unreleased Russian console by SKB Kontur (СКБ Контур). The console was only in development for a short time in 1990 before Kontur pulled the plug on the project. They made 200 units for internal testing and, after it was cancelled, the 200 units were given to the people who worked on the system.
 
Furthermore, A former employee that worked on the Krokha back in the day has released Photos, Schematics and Rom Dumps for the system on his [http://alemorf.ru/comps/kroha/index.html Website]
|-
|[[wikipedia:Tandy_Video_Information_System|Memorex VIS]]
|Preliminary
|None
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|A beautiful monster sold only at RadioShack in the early 90s. The software may be playable on Windows 3.x emulators, as the console's OS was an altered version of that.
|[[Philips CD-i emulators|Philips CD-i]]
|Imperfect
|Yes
|[https://archive.org/details/redumpPhilipsCdi ✓]
|Thanks to working with Nintendo to develop a CD add-on for the SNES, the CD-i is notorious for having egregiously terrible Mario and Zelda games, so much so that the Big N ''disowned'' their existence and considered it a blank space in their official history. Aggressively promoted and held on for multiple years with multiple different models (targeted at everything from gamers to pharmaceutical companies), but couldn't compete with mainstream consoles and computers of the time.
|[[wikipedia:Apple_Bandai_Pippin|Apple Bandai Pippin]]
|Preliminary
|[https://archive.org/details/BandaiApplePippin-GamesRoms Yes]
|Apple's attempt at being relevant to games. It failed.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ln_CmNtbvQ Vintage review] Currently, there is only preliminary [[MAME]] support, but some of its games may be playable on other Apple emulators.
|[http://videogamekraken.com/arcadia-skeet-shoot-by-toymax Arcadia Skeet Shoot]
|None
|None
|Released in October of 1998 by Toymax (The makers of the Creepy Crawlers and My Pet Monster toys), this Projector-based console, that only [http://kevinisblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/arcadia-electronic-skeet-shoot-game.html played Light-gun games], sold 435,000 units in the first 18 months before being recalled after reports of projectors overheating, melting, smoking and in a few rare cases, causing burn injuries (Faulty cartridges were to blame). After about three revisions, the system was discontinued sometime between 2000 and 2001 with only 5 out of the 9 games advertised known to have been released. It's unknown how many units were sold once the console was relaunched after the recall.
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|[[wikipedia:CP_System#Capcom_Power_System_Changer|Capcom Power System Changer]]
|Good
|None
|A console version of the Capcom CPS arcade board. Compatible with SNES controllers.
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|[[wikipedia:Playdia|Playdia]]
|None
|[https://archive.org/details/BandaiPlaydia_Redump.org_2018-01-22 Yes]
|A disc-based system released in Japan by Bandai in 1994. Notably, it had a wireless controller and all of its titles were interactive movies like Dragon's Lair. No known emulators.
|-
|[https://muppet.fandom.com/wiki/Video_Buddy Video Buddy]
|None
|None
|Released in November of 1999 by the Interactive Learning Group, this VHS-based console was designed for children aged 3 to 7 years old and had about 20 games released for it. A revision of the Video Buddy that used DVD's instead of VHS's was released in 2003 and while both versions were initially successful, a crowded "Children" console market led to its downfall. The [http://videogamekraken.com/category/vhs-based other company] that made the DVD-based console shut down in 2006. It's unknown how many units were sold.
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! scope="col"|ROMs
! scope="col"|Description
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|Buzztime Home Trivia System
|None
|None
|Released around 2004, the system is the result of a partnership between Cadaco Toys and NTN Buzztime; and, as the name implies, the console was designed around playing trivia with family and friends. It's unknown how many games were made for it, how many units sold or when it was discontinued.
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|[[wikipedia:Nuon_%28DVD_technology%29|Nuon]]
|[[wikipedia:XaviXPORT|XaviXPORT]]
|[https://github.com/mamedev/mame/blob/master/src/mame/drivers/xavix.cpp Preliminary]
|None
|A fitness based system, employing the usage of motion controls in an effort to get players off of the couch - beating Nintendo's [[Wii_emulators|Wii]] by more than 2 years! Each game cart came with a dedicated controller and an own CPU (not in the system, similar to Super FX chips in some SNES carts). The XaviXPORT was actually developed by eight of the engineers who worked on the original development of the [[Nintendo_Entertainment_System_emulators|NES]]. An upgraded version with a 16-bit "Super XaviX" CPU compared to the original 8-bit CPU came in 2005. Also of note is the fact that Jackie Chan partnered with SSD Company Limited in order to bring his likeness to the console, which resulted in two licensed games. [https://mamedev.emulab.it/haze David Haywood] is particularly working on reverse-engineering the XaviX technology for MAME.
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|None
|[https://archive.org/details/ZAPiT_GameWave_Redump_2017-12-23 Redump]
|A failed attempt to steal sales from the upcoming Nintendo Wii, the Game Wave was an obscure console released in 2005 by ZAPiT Games that only had trivia games. It also had a VeggieTales family party game.Giga Pets Explorer TV Game System|-|GoGo TV Video Vision|None|None|Released in sometime between 2005 and 2006 by Manley, the GoGo is Another PS2 Eye-Toy turned into edutainment console and like the Ion, it flopped and has since fallen into obscurity, it's unknown how many games were made for it, how many units sold or when it was discontinued.|-|Hasbro Ion|None|None|Released in time for the 2005 Holiday season, the Ion is basically a PS2 Eye-Toy turned into edutainment console for preschoolers and at the time, the Ion was turning heads at toy fairs, hype was building and the console looking to be real hit for Hasbro but for whatever reason, the console flopped and disappeared into obscurity faster then the refunds could be made, it's unknown how many games were made for it, how many units sold or when it was discontinued.
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|[[wikipedia:HyperScan|Mattel Hyperscan]]
|Preliminary
|[https://archive.org/details/MattelHyperscan_Redump_2014-12-14 Redump]
|Something you would expect to see under a bargain bin at Wal-mart, the Mattel Hyperscan was a card/disc based system released in 2006 to appeal to some poor child's aunt at Christmas. It was run ran on a 32-bit Sunplus system-on-a-chip CPU, a successor to the 16-bit CPUs used to run consoles such consoles as the V.Smile, many Jakks Pacific TV games and Vii. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv2-M78m_qI CGR Review].|-|Interac TV |None|None| Released by Fisher-Price in 2006. The Interac TV was designed to turn any DVD Player into an educational console. just sync the custom wireless controller to your DVD Player and put a game disk in. Unfortunately incompatibly issues resulted in most people been unable to sync the controller to their player and some even said that their DVD player couldn't even read the disks. it's unknown how many games were made for it, how many units sold or when it was discontinued.|-|Smart Cycle|None|None|Released in 2007 by Fisher-Price and not to be confused with their later phone\tablet controller of the same name. the Smart Cycle is a hybrid between an exercise bike and a edutainment console. it's unknown how many games were made for it, how many units sold or when it was discontinued.|-|Story Reader Video +|None|None|Release in 2006 by Publications International. The Video + turns the Story Reader electronic book into one of many educational consoles of the 2000s. It's unknown how many units were sold or when it was discontinued. Around 7 games were released for the system,|-|-|Telestory Interactive Storybook System|None|None|Release in 2006 by Jakks Pacific for kids aged 3 and up, The Telestory is yet another edutainment console from 2000s and all the games are exactly what the console name would suggest, it's unknown how many games were made for it, how many units sold or when it was discontinued.
|-
|[[wikipedia:Vii|Vii]]
|[[wikipedia:Zeebo|Zeebo]]
|None
|None
|An obscure Brazilian console released in 2009. It was based on the BREW platform, and its games were delivered via a 3G mobile network. It was only sold in Brazil, Mexico, and China.
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<!--
=== Eighth generation ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"! scope="col"|Name! scope="col"|[[MAME]] support! scope="col"|ROMs! scope="col"|Description|->|Funtastic TV Adventures|None|None|Released in 2015 by Wal-Mart under there Kid Connection Brand, The Funtastic is an educational console made for Preschoolers and the only games known to of been released for the system are the two pack-in games, It's unknown how many units were sold or when it was discontinued.|-|[https://www.clementoni.com/it/myclembox/ My Clem Box]|None|None|Released in 2018 by Italian toy company, Clementoni and sold exclusively in Italy, The Clem Box is an educational console with Wii like Motion controls. Because it's still being sold, it unknown how games will be made for it and when it well be discontinued, info on how many units have been sold so far not been released to the public.|-|Smart TV Consoles|None|None|Launched sometime in the early 2010s by Italian toy company, Clementoni, Smart TV is series of educational consoles sold exclusively in Italy, the controllers of these console ranged from traditional to the gimmicky with some having Motion and PS2 EyeToy like controls, it's unknown how many games were released for these systems.|-|}
==Handhelds==
|Released in Japan by Bandai in 1995, the Denshi Manga Juku was a touchscreen-based console that was the predecessor to the WonderSwan. It was discontinued in 1996 and only four games were released for it (including of all things, an exclusive Rockman aka Mega Man game).
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|C2[[wikipedia: Color & CardBarcode Battler|Barcode Battler]]
|None
|No
|Released in 1995 Japan by Epoch in China by Baiyi Animation1991 and internationally later the same year. The console was basically a digital trading card game, whereas the player used Barcodes to get new characters, The extremely rareenemies and power-ups, C2 Barcode cards were available in packs and the player was made even encouraged to bank use Barcodes found on everyday products around the popularity of Roco Kingdom films house. The Barcode Battler was hugely popular in Japan but ultimately it was a major flopeverywhere else. Only 6 games It's unknown how many units were sold or how many cards were made for it and was discontinued shortly after officially released.
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|[[wikipedia:Cybiko|Cybiko/Cybiko Xtreme ]]
|-
!colspan="4"|2001-2010
|-
|[[wikipedia:iPod|Apple iPod]]
|None
|No
|In 2006, Apple introduced "iPod games" as there first step into the handheld console market, despite having third party companies like Square Enix, Hudson Soft and EA making games for the iPod, it wasn't the huge hit they hoped it would be, a mix of awkward click wheel controls, controversy over pricing and the lack of an iPod-specific SDK resulted in a lack of interest from developers and a quick decline in game sales, Apple stopped releasing iPod games in 2009 and removed them from the iTunes store in 2011, Around 50 games were released for the iPod.
|-
|[[wikipedia:List_of_commercial_failures_in_video_gaming#digiBlast|DigiBlast]]
|Preliminary
|Yes (No-intro)
|A disaster of a handheld, the Gizmondo was released in 2005 with a furious marketing campaign. It was ahead of its time in that it (was supposed to have) included built-in advertisements to make the console cheaper.[https://youtu.be/dv6UaHZxUys LGR Review]
|-
|[[wikipedia:GP32|GP32]]
|No
|Released in Italy in 2007, My Life was marketed towards young girls five to thirteen years of age, A Simple life simulator serves as the built-in game and as the main UI. How many units sold, number of games were released and when it was discontinued is unknown.
|-
|[https://web.archive.org/web/20170110002414/http://kmagic.kskids.com/ K-Magic]
|None
|No
|Released in 2010 by K's Kids for the 0-6 years market, The K-Magic is an educational handheld console that used cartridges called "Magic Cards" and was overall designed to be as simple as possible. It was discontinued in 2018 with the release of the K-Magic 2. It's unknown how many games were made for it or how many units were sold.
|-
|[[wikipedia:Leapster|Leapster]]
|Yes
|Nokia's attempt at making a cell phone/handheld system hybrid, before mobile gaming really took off. Although it was the most powerful handheld in its time and released in October 2003, it failed due to a high price, a terrible button layout, numerous design flaws, and its underdeveloped cell phone component. Had a redesign called the QD, but it was only slightly better. Most of its games were ports, either from the GBA or from the PS1 and Saturn. While it didn't have any standout titles, it still had a few odd original entries from big franchises such as Elder Scrolls Travels: Shadowkey and SSX: Out of Bounds and was the only system to have an English version of Xanadu Next. There's one emulator called N-GageCool, but it's dead payware that only runs Java games. [[Cellphone_emulators#N-Gage_(Nokia)|Modern open source emulators]] are in the works.
|-
|[https://bootleggames.fandom.com/wiki/POP_Station POP Station]
|None
|No
|This infamous Game & Watch clone was originally released sometime between late 2004 and 2006 by an Unknown Chinese Manufacturer, the first few modals had a selection of four games and each system only had one built-in game, meaning you would need to buy four of them to get all the games available, later models used interchangeable cartridges. it's unknown if these later models are were made by the same manufacturer that made original systems or if theirs other companies making clones. It's unknown how many units have been sold so far.
|-
|[[wikipedia:Tapwave_Zodiac|Tapwave Zodiac]]
|None
|[http://www.theoldcomputer.com/roms/index.php?folder=Tapwave/Zodiac Some]
|A handheld released in 2003 that used an enhanced Palm OS. Ahead for its time, even receiving awards. However, the PSP and Nintendo DS killed it.[https://youtu.be/Mz3nNKQRnNQ LGR Review]|-|Teachermate Handheld Educational Computer|None|No|Released in 2008 by the non-profit company, Teachermate, This educational handheld console was only sold to schools and taught kids in a Kindergarten to Second Grade level, It's unknown how many games were made for it, how many units sold or when it was discontinued.
|-
|[[wikipedia:VideoNow XP|VideoNow XP]]
|None
|No
|Released in 2003 and underwent 5 total revisions. An often forgotten attempt by Hasbro and their subsidiary Tiger Electronics (of Game.com fame) to use the popularity of the their VideoNow portable video players to enter the Video Game market.
|-
!colspan="4"|2011-2020
|-
|C2: Color & Card
|None
|No
|Released in 2015 in China by Baiyi Animation, The extremely rare, C2 was made to bank on the popularity of Roco Kingdom films but ultimately it was a flop. Only 6 games were made for it and was discontinued shortly after released.
|-
|[https://www.clementoni.com/it-en/16612-clemstation-60/ Clemstation 6.0]
|None
|No
|Released in 2018 by Clementoni, the Clemstation is an "multimedia educational console" only sold in Italy that appears to be on a running custom version of Android. Because it's still being sold, it unknown how games will be made for it and when it well be discontinued, info on how many units have been sold so far not been released to the public.
|-
|[https://liliputing.com/2012/11/lg-kids-pad-tablet-hits-south-korea-for-276.html Kids Pad]
|None
|No
|Released in 2012 by LG. The Kids Pad was only sold in South Korea and featured an app store and support for cartridges. How many units sold, number of games were released and when it was discontinued is unknown.
|-
|[http://kmagic.kskids.com/ K-Magic 2]
|None
|No
|Released in 2018 by K's Kids for the 0-6 years market, The K-Magic 2 simplifies the original console by having everything already built-in and ready for parents and children to use, Because it's still being sold, when it well be discontinued and info on how many units have been sold so far not been released to the public.
|-
|M&D Monon Color
|No
|Like the C2, The Monon Color from 2014 also tried to bank on the popularity of Roco Kingdom films and was only slightly more successful than it; it's unknown how many games (At least 15) were released for it or when it was discontinued. Preliminary support for it was added in MAME [https://www.reddit.com/r/emulation/comments/a9i37l/mame_0205/ 0.205] on [https://wiki.mamedev.org/index.php/MAME_0.205 December 2018].
|-
|[https://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/zukanneopad NEO Consoles]
|None
|No
|Released in 2017.by Takara Tomy. The NEO Series are educational consoles only sold in Japan and appear to be using a custom version of Android. Because it's still being sold, it unknown how games will be made for it and when it well be discontinued, info on how many units have been sold so far not been released to the public.
|-
|}
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