Names and pictures of consoles when first leaked?

[aaron7]

I've heard of the Neptune, the Dolphin... and I remember seeing pictures of consoles in magazines when they were first talked about. They always looked different!

Is there a list or anything of what the systems were to be called? What about pictures? Or promised features?

[Flashback2012]

Some notable names....

Ultra 64 (N64)
Project Reality (N64)
Katana (DC)

[smork]

Revolution (better name than Wii, still)

[Clownzilla]

Sega Saturn = Sega Uranus

[aaron7]

Found this:

http://www.consoledatabase.com/images/consoleinfo/nintendo64/ultra64console.jpg

[MrSparkle]

ill have to find and scan this one 2 page foldout from an old egm that was talking about several upcoming released of systems including the neptune, the psx, the saturn, and the n64

[Damaramu]

Interesting to think if Nintendo had stuck with the name Ultra 64, we might've had games like Ultra Mario Kart as opposed to Mario Kart 64. Similar to how games for the SNES had "Super" stuck in the title for a while.

[Zebbe]

Sega Mega Drive - Sega Mark V
Sega 32X - Sega Mars
Sega Dreamcast - Sega Black Belt
Sony PlayStation - Sony PlayStation X
Nintendo Virtual Boy - V.R. 32
Atari Lynx - Epyx

[RadiantSvgun]

I heard the dreamcast being called the katana or katana-edge before it came out.

[crazyjackcsa]

The Katana and Black Belt were two different systems. One designed by SOA and the other by SOJ. We got the Katana, AKA Dreamcast. The Black Belt fell by the wayside.

[rpepper9]

Sega Saturn = Sega Uranus

I really hope, for Sega's sake, that you are kidding!

[tom]

Amiga = Lorraine

[Kitsune Sniper]

Sony PlayStation - Sony PlayStation X

I'm one of the few folks who still calls the Playstation "PSX".

[PingvinBlueJeans]

I'm one of the few folks who still calls the Playstation "PSX".
With kevin_psx gone you're probably right. :p

Actually, I do.

[Pantechnicon]

Atari Lynx - Epyx

Actually, Epyx was the company behind the system's inception. I believe the working project name was the "Epyx Handy".

For that matter, I can't believe I'll be the first here to mention codename "Stella", aka the Atari 2600, or the Atari Video System X, which was released as the Atari 5200.

[ProgrammingAce]

here's a list i wrote up a while back:

Trinity was the codename for the 360 before it was Xenon.

Krypton was the code name for the wired 360 controller.

Radon was the code name for the wireless 360 controller.

Crossfire is the name of the retail 360 controller. (betcha didn't know that)

Helium was the code name for the Xbox 360/PC hybrid that was going to be an Windows computer and play 360 games. It was the brainchild of Bill Gates, and luckly, canceled.

Avalon was DirectX 10

Xenon served as the code name for both the 360 system itself as well as the processor for the system.

Xenos was the 360 gpu.

Bobsled was the generic term for the Media Center Extender.

Xsled was the codename for the xbox version.

Galaxy was a combination of the Xbox with the Windows XP media center (cancled early on).

Orcas is the code name for Visual Studio 2007.

Hawaii is the codename for the set of development tools after orcas.

The code name for the xbox1 was.... Midway. Most people assume it was Xbox. Midway was chosen to symbolize the change of power in the game industry from Japan to the US.

The code name for the xbox1 graphics chip was Crush... but that's the same code name as the rest of the nForce chipset.

The xbox divison is one of the few that still use codenames... most other Microsoft projecs just append the title with "V.next". As in "Office V.next".

[Kitsune Sniper]

With kevin_psx gone you're probably right. :p

Actually, I do.

Oh don't get me wrong; I call it that because that's how I first heard the system be named, but I also call it PlayStation, PS, PS1 and PSOne. They're all interchangeable in my mind.

And I -am- aware of the system officially called PSX. :p

[Dreamcast]

I has some old dreamcast development design pics

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

The code name for the xbox1 was.... Midway. Most people assume it was Xbox. Midway was chosen to symbolize the change of power in the game industry from Japan to the US.
Not that I could have a lower opinion of Microsoft than I already do, but if that's true, it's really really bad taste.

I wonder if the NES would have been as much of a failure in the U.S. as the Xbox was in Japan if Nintendo's code name for it had been Pearl Harbor.


...word is bondage...

[smokehouse]

I have a GameFan magazine with a ton of pics of the "Ultra 64". Apparently, it was already used by some other company/product so they had to change the name. I also have an old Nintendo power with concept drawings of the SNES...I'll have to post pics later.

[ProgrammingAce]

Not that I could have a lower opinion of Microsoft than I already do, but if that's true, it's really really bad taste.

I wonder if the NES would have been as much of a failure in the U.S. as the Xbox was in Japan if Nintendo's code name for it had been Pearl Harbor.


...word is bondage...

First off, it was an internal code name that i'd imagine 99.9% of people hadn't heard of until now. It was never meant to be public knowledge. Besides that, the code name turned out to be accurate. The Xbox was the first real successful American console.

Second, there's a big difference between Pearl Harbor and Midway. Without getting into the history of WWII, i'll just leave it at that.

Third, Microsoft used a number if famous battles as code names. There was a prototype controller known as Alamo. The irony of the Alamo is that it was never released.

Fun fact: When you search for "Xbox code name Midway", this thread is already the 4th hit to come up on google. Damn that search engine is quick...

[ProgrammingAce]

I was just informed of the official explanation behind the "Project Midway" moniker, the Xbox was midway between a console and a PC... and if you believe that, i have a bridge to sell ya.

[emceelokey]

I don't know why but I think the N64 would have been more palatable if it satyed "Ultra". I love that name because it was a progression from "Super" to "Ultra" and it just seemed cool to me back then for some reason.

[108Stars]

Codename for the Xbox WAS Xbox, at least long before the console´s official announcement; the PR-guy from Microsoft once told the story on TV. X comes from DirectX, and the concept was a console based on DirectX, so Xbox. The codename had however already spread so wide and was so well-known they kept it.

Other stuff: Beside Black Belt and Katana one of the DC-codenames was Dural. Not sure which of the 2 designs it was used for.
The Gamecube was called Starcube shortly before it was officially shown.

[Ed Oscuro]

who can forget the NDS - codenamed Nitro

[Iron Draggon]

Helium was the code name for the Xbox 360/PC hybrid that was going to be an Windows computer and play 360 games. It was the brainchild of Bill Gates, and luckly, canceled.

why do you think it's a good thing that it was cancelled? I would've been all over that! it's only a good thing because it saved me $1000's on 360 games!

[mailman187666]

What system did they codename the Dolphin? was it N64 before they even named it Ultra 64 or am I just losing my mind and there was no such codename for a system?

[TEND]

Dolphin was an eaaaarly codename for the Gamecube circa 99' or so I believe.