Radar, do you have websites/datasheets for these platforms? Googling for the info on these platforms didn't turn up much.
Okay, very cool. you're actually the second person to tell me that the newer Jakks systems use a SunPlus architecture, so I guess I should believe it. I've heard that Jakks is going to start putting cartridge ports on their systems so that they can release new games for them. I think it'd be very cool if they released cartidges (they're calling them "Game Keys" I guess) the the games for their older systems, too. I I think a lot of their games look cool, but I can't afford nor do I have space to buy like 15 plug'n'play systems just from Jakks. I was gonna post that these systems might still be NES-on-a-chip, but just not the usual NES-on-a-chip as seen in all the Famiclones. The 65816 is a 6502-compatible chip. Plus the games on that Spongebob one just look exactly like NES games (the colors used, the way the sprites move, everything), but actually it uses a 27Mhz crystal (as does the Activision 10-in-1), so I guess I was wrong. Not exactly. Jakks Pacific isn't the only company that makes these plug-n-play systems. A number of systems from other companies definitely use NES-on-a-chip architecture. As I mentioned, the ROM has been dumped from the Intellivision plug'n'play system and found to be working on an NES emulator (I don't have a link to this info, but it was Kevin Horton that did the hacking, it's not on his page, but I remember him talking about it on some mailing list I was on at the time). The original Atari Flashback also definitely uses an NES-on-a-chip (the removable controllers are even compatible with other pirate Famicoms), though the new Flashback 2.0 which sounds totally killer will be using 2600-on-a-chip architecture. There's also these systems form dreamGear that must be NES-on-a-chip because even though all the games on the dreamGear systems are original, I've seen the same games mixed in with pirate NES games on other Famiclones from other companies. The last systems that you can be sure are NES-based are the Konami Arcade Adavnced ones from Majesco, they feature new games (Time Pilot, Frogger and I think Scramble is new, too) as well as some NES classics (Rush'n Attack, Yie-Ar Kung Fu and one other), the other Majesco system which just has Frogger is probably NES-based, too, but I can't say for sure. Then, as for Mega Drive-based systems, I guess only the Radica ones are. They have to Sega collections out and a Street Fighter 2 CE (with Ghouls'n'Ghosts hidden) and Menacer collection ones coming out soon. No newly programmed games here, but they're obviously Genesis hardware. I also have to wonder about the EA Classics one from Jakks; why would they have the '95 versions of the games on there if they were newly written for the SunPlus architecture? And since other systems use MD-on-a-chip, maybe that one does, too. Maybe not, though. I, too, am really curious what the other Play TV Legends systems from Radica use, the earlier Play TV systems were Xavix-based and the Genesis ones are Genesis, but what about the Tetris and Space Invaders ones? I've been planning on getting the Space Invaders one (lots of good games on it), so I'll definitely be taking it apart to see what I can see. I would be interested in the Tetris one, since Tetris is always one of my favorite games, but man, that controller just looks so shit. ...word is bondage...
is there an actaul c64 on a chip and the xavix thing you refer to, i saw one at walmart, believe it or not it looked like a cartrideg based system that contained the entire rom on the cart, i read somewhere that the atari and activision sticks are actually emulators running on somewhat spec hardware
Just as a quick followup on my own post - all the Jakks systems mentioned above were developed by in the UK by companies run by infamous ex-Probe boss Fergus "Fergality" McGovern. Firstly he was running HotGen, and he's now back as "Netherrock"? (I can't keep up!)
None the games for these systems are emulated, thay've all been ported (or technically just re-written since I assume they didn't have access to the actual source code). As Radar just posted the games on the Namco systems were coded by HotGen. The games on all the Atari 2600 systems form Jakks were done by DC Studios (who are also behind the Commodore DTV system, though they didn't write the games for it since it uses original ROMs). And the EA Sports and Mortal Kombat systems were done by Digital Eclipse. These three companies are also responsible for most of the original games on Jakks' systems, too. The Star Wars joystick I bought recently says it was developed by a company called Griptonite, though. I used to know who wrote the games on the Radica Arcade Legends systems, too, because I remember going to their website once and noticing that they had also worked on some Sega CD games, but I can't recall the name now. As for the Xavix system you mentioned, yeah I've seen that, too. It's called the XavixPort and not only do the cartridges contain the game ROMs, each one also contains the Xavix hardware. All the XavixPort itself is is an interface box. The Xavix stuff I'm referring to, though, are the older systems from Radica like Play TV Boxing and Play TV Ping Pong and some newer ones from Tiger like the Lord Of The Rings and SSX Snowboarding ones. Those used the same Xavix architecture as the XavixPort, but didn't take cartridges or anything. The xavix systems are cool because they mostly all use really interesting control methods. There's also a ton of Xavix-based systems available in Japan, too, including some pretty cool looking ones like a Dragon Quest game and Choro-Q and much cooler sports games (called Excite Boxing, Excite Tennis, etc.). I think the XavixPort is a really bad marketing move on the part of the Xavix people (as proof, here we are on a video gaming forum and who here has heard of the thing?), they had the right idea with the all-in-one systems, but they just need to alter their marketing approach. Essentially they need to market their stuff very much like Jakks markets their joystick systems. I think that's how the Xabix systems are sold in japan and they seem to be pretty popular over there. ...word is bondage...
wow, i never knew thew xavix core was used in as many things as that, i always just thought it was some poor ass guy who had no idea what the videogame industry was like and decided to make a shit system.... i am kinda interested in it though, i like the weird stuff
