non-games on retro platforms?

[Playcosm]

Do you know of any non-games on older game platforms?

Like the Compton Encyclopedia on the Sega Saturn. Or the lots of titles on the Philips CD-i that are not games. Do platforms like Playstation, SNES and Mega Drive also have non games? I mean, more like 'programs', reference stuff.

[tom]

on ebay UK i was keeping my eye on this cartridge for MSX, the Koran, obviously very rare. I think the bidding closed at approx GBP 100.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c173/thomasholzer/MSXkoran1.jpg

[Cinder6]

Taboo on the NES? :)

[k8track]

Color Bar Generator, by Videosoft, for the Atari 2600.

[Hardcore]

The King James Version and New International Version of the Bible for the Game Boy.

[Compute]

How about BASIC for the Atari 2600? Compton's encyclopedia, that crappy "Animals" or whatever zoo reference, the CD+G samplers, and Sherlock Holmes made their way to damn near every first gen "multimedia" system. I'm sure you could consider the VCD movies for CDi. There's the Nintendo (NES) Lottery cart. Breakfast is ready!

[Tetsu]

Alex Maer and others have released their music albums on NES cartridge format:


http://www.headlessbarbie.com/

[ubersaurus]

Practically 3/4ths of the VIS library wouldn't qualify as games.

I want to say there were a few different language programs for Game Boy...

[j_factor]

There's the Miracle Piano Teaching System for Genesis, and I think Amiga also.

[RJ]

There were some personal organizer programs for the Game Boy, which didnt do any good since the contents werelost when you shut it off IIRC.

&, some sort of sewing machine control program for the GameBoy as well.

[Drixxel]

There's the Miracle Piano Teaching System for Genesis, and I think Amiga also.

..And NES & SNES. The Miracle Piano Teaching System did the rounds.

As far as art and drawing applications are concerned, there's always Mario Paint for SNES, Wacky Worlds Creativity Studio for Genesis, and Color A Dinosaur for NES.

[Tetsu]

CV Drum for the Colecovision, a drum machine program:

http://games.kaotic.ca/game.aspx?GID=3174

[tom]

http://www.videogamecollectors.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=192324&g2_serialNumber=1

http://www.videogamecollectors.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=192348&g2_serialNumber=1

[tom]

http://www.videogamecollectors.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=203476&g2_serialNumber=1

http://www.videogamecollectors.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=203478&g2_serialNumber=1

[Astrosmash]

The NES also has Videomation and Tiny Toon Adventures Cartoon Workshop.

And I don't think anybody mentioned it yet - Mario Paint would qualify in this category, right?

[Aussie2B]

If you look at Japanese releases on disc-based systems, there are usually loads of non-games. A lot of educational stuff and a lot of "gallery" type releases that just have media related to a license (usually anime, sometimes live-action stuff).

I have a "how to care for cats" release on PlayStation. :P

[Cornelius]

Playstation had a whole teaching package with a ton of different discs. Lightspan I believe. Here's a link to someones eBay auction thread from a while ago. (http://www.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124817&highlight=playstation+educational)

Vectrex had Animaction and Melody Master, both light pen programs that are a little tough to consider games.

[Pantechnicon]

There were some personal organizer programs for the Game Boy, which didnt do any good since the contents werelost when you shut it off IIRC.

&, some sort of sewing machine control program for the GameBoy as well.

The first one you're thinking of is Personal Organizer by a company called Infogenius. And it does have a battery backup, so information is not lost when it's powered off.

Infogenius also made a few language translation carts for Gameboy as well: English, Spanish, etc.

The Sewing Machine cart was a GBC title made for use with a Singer-made sewing machine called the IZEK. You bought the sewing machine, cart and a GBC with a color scheme that matched the sewing machine. What makes this really cool is that the sewing machine itself has a non-detachable GBC link cable built into it.

[j_factor]

If you look at Japanese releases on disc-based systems, there are usually loads of non-games. A lot of educational stuff and a lot of "gallery" type releases that just have media related to a license (usually anime, sometimes live-action stuff).

Ah yes. Like the Saturn's Virtua Fighter CG Portrait Series. I also bought a random Lupin III game once, just to see what it would be like, and it wasn't a game at all.

[RJ]

Manci Games magazine #1 (May 2004) pp 5-7 "Power Up" feature lists several Game Boy applications like this. Thats where I THOUGHT I read the org. cart didnt have battery backup (which is why I typed "IIRC").

[kirin jensen]

I guess you should list the two Space Shuttle simulators for the 2600.

[jcalder8]

I have a "how to care for cats" release on PlayStation. :P
I looked in the guide for this and I didn't find it. Is it known as anything else?

[Rob2600]

There were some personal organizer programs for the Game Boy, which didnt do any good since the contents werelost when you shut it off IIRC.


The first one you're thinking of is Personal Organizer by a company called Infogenius. And it does have a battery backup, so information is not lost when it's powered off.

There was also the Work Boy, which turned the Game Boy into a PDA, but I don't know if it was ever released:

http://www.bladefm.es/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/workboy1.jpg (http://www.bladefm.es/2008/11/retrovision-los-gadgets-de-nintendo/)

Here's a scan of an old article about the Work Boy:

Assemblergames - Work Boy for Game Boy (http://assemblergames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20027)



EDIT: Actually, I just read this on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy#Accessories):

"The Work Boy was an unreleased accessory for the Game Boy which included a mini keyboard that plugged into the link cable outlet. The Work Boy cartridge featured such programs as a clock, calendar, measurement conversion, and a phone book. This accessory was described in Volume 36 (May, 1992) of Nintendo Power."

The Work Boy was supposed to be released in June 1992 for $70 USD.

[Kevincal]

I'd have to say the 3DO takes the cake for non-games. :) There are loads on that system.

[Rob2600]

some sort of sewing machine control program for the GameBoy as well.

http://www.bladefm.es/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/nintendo-izek_2001.jpg (http://www.bladefm.es/2008/11/retrovision-los-gadgets-de-nintendo/)

[Gameguy]

There was a fish finder for the Gameboy.
http://www.gamersgraveyard.com/repository/gameboy/peripherals/pocketsonar.html

I have the Spell Checker for Gameboy. Also, Don't forget about the Outback Joey Personal Trainer for the Genesis, and the LifeFitness Bike Unit for the SNES. And I believe there was an SNES cartridge and light gun accessory used for military training.

[Haoie]

Has Music and Music2000 been mentioned yet? PS1.

[j_factor]

Has Music and Music2000 been mentioned yet? PS1.

I'm not really sure if that kind of thing totally qualifies as a non-game. I mean, yes, it's "music-creation software", but eh, I dunno. If you count those there's also MTV Music Generator (psx), Pocket Music (gbc), and CPU Bach (3DO). Not to mention the countless homebrew programs for a variety of systems, especially C64 and Game Boy.

[Chickenpuppet]

The KJB and NIV bibles were both released on gameboy.

[Astrocade]

There's that cart also for the Gameboy that was a travel atlas, the name escapes me.

The Dreamcast had several different Internet Browser discs for it.

I guess you could also factor in all the gaming mags that made discs playable in consoles that contained articles and stuff.

[slapdash]

Biorhythms for Bally Astrocade.

[Sonicwolf]

Flowers of Robert Mapelthorpe for the Compact Disc Interactive.

[Haoie]

Hey, I wouldn't call Music/2000 games, for the exact reason. They're software, for all accounts and purposes.

But if you wanted another example: Aquanaut's Holiday.

Or, Fluid.