Namco Handheld.

[Aswald]

A couple of years ago, I picked one of those Namco/Jakks handheld gaming units.

It had Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Rally-X, Galaxian, and Bosconian.

It was pretty good, but Rally-X was at times unplayable, since the radar would blend in with the playfield, the Galaxian stars scrolled the wrong way, and Bosconian was somewhat watered down. At least I was able to get the ship to move in 8 directions, not 4.

Yesterday, for a couple of dollars, I picked up another one. This was different, though: it was rounded, had Pac-Man on the top, and by reading the back panel, I noticed Super Pac-Man. Since I have Opcode's Pac-Man Collection, this was the only one of the basic four missing.

Across the street, at another second-hand store (we have them around here!), I tried it.

It not only had the games of the original, but Pac-Man Plus, Pac and Pal (weird), and superior versions of the others. Bosconian was multi-plane, and had the crummy voice of the arcade game; Rally-X (the sequel, I guess) had the radar in its proper place, Galaxian scrolled right down, etc. Man, the Pac-Man games are TOUGH! And, let's not forget my favorite, Super Pac-Man.

The only complaint I have is the scrolling in Dig Dug. I like the 7800 version better.

And this time, it only took 15 minutes to get Bosconian to move in 8 directions. Now, it's great! A-LIIIVE! A-LIIIVE! ("Alert?")

I can recommend this one.

[Greg2600]

Yes, the first one you had was the earliest Jakks release

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QPHEY1CPL._SL160_AA115_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Jakks-Pacific-Namco-Pac-Man/dp/B000GF2O0S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1276643100&sr=8-7)

Then you got the one specializing in Super Pac-Man

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41pPNka5JbL._SL500_SS100_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Jakks-Super-Pac-Man-TV-Game/dp/B000EDROHA/ref=pd_sbs_t_5)

Also the one featuring Ms. Pac-Man and Pole Position

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P7GQ0sTAL._SL160_AA115_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Jakks-Ms-Pac-Man-TV-Game/dp/B0008JIM3U/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1276643100&sr=8-6)

The last one is the newest of the three, and the best of the three, and the one I have. It's yellow, right? Games are Pac-Man, Galaxian, Dig Dug, Rally-X, Bosconian, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, and Pac-Man Plus.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wtWRZz0xL._SL160_AA115_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Jakks-Pac-Man-Gold-TV-Game/dp/B000QW6QBY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1276643100&sr=8-5)

They've since made another one. This one is expanded to 12 games (Pac-Man, Galaga, Pole Position, Dig Dug, Galaxian, Super Pac-Man, Xevious, New Rally X, Mappy, Pac-Man Plus, Bosconian, Pac & Pal) So maybe that's the best one to get now?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ALPP8gwXL._SL160_AA115_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Pac-Man-Arcade-Plug-Play-System/dp/B001Q3XE4O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1276643100&sr=8-2)

[Leo_A]

Yes, the first one you had was the earliest Jakks release

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QPHEY1CPL._SL160_AA115_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Jakks-Pacific-Namco-Pac-Man/dp/B000GF2O0S/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1276643100&sr=8-7)

Then you got the one specializing in Super Pac-Man

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41pPNka5JbL._SL500_SS100_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Jakks-Super-Pac-Man-TV-Game/dp/B000EDROHA/ref=pd_sbs_t_5)

Also the one featuring Ms. Pac-Man and Pole Position

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P7GQ0sTAL._SL160_AA115_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Jakks-Ms-Pac-Man-TV-Game/dp/B0008JIM3U/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1276643100&sr=8-6)

The last one is the newest of the three, and the best of the three, and the one I have. It's yellow, right? Games are Pac-Man, Galaxian, Dig Dug, Rally-X, Bosconian, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, and Pac-Man Plus.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wtWRZz0xL._SL160_AA115_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Jakks-Pac-Man-Gold-TV-Game/dp/B000QW6QBY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1276643100&sr=8-5)

They've since made another one. This one is expanded to 12 games (Pac-Man, Galaga, Pole Position, Dig Dug, Galaxian, Super Pac-Man, Xevious, New Rally X, Mappy, Pac-Man Plus, Bosconian, Pac & Pal) So maybe that's the best one to get now?

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ALPP8gwXL._SL160_AA115_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Pac-Man-Arcade-Plug-Play-System/dp/B001Q3XE4O/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1276643100&sr=8-2)

The 2nd and 3rd units are both excellent and have far more games then you listed for each.

The third unit also had two gamekeys made that added 4 more games to it. And the unit was often found in packs that came with 1 or both gamekeys, which I don't think were ever sold individually.

[InsaneDavid]

Let's not forget the mother of all Jakks TV Games plug and plays...

http://classicplastic.net/dvgi/special-galagamultigame-01.jpg

Stock video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-9_Jkl2aUo).

It used the third one pictured in Greg2600's post. The last one pictured is excellent but is restricted so that Bosconian and Xevious don't have eight way movement.

And if anyone is curious what became of that little arcade cabinet, a full write up and all the information I have about it can be found here. (http://classicplastic.net/dvgi/special-galagamultigame.html)

[Aswald]

It's very easy to get the eight-way movement in the one I now have.

Inside there is a white plastic piece, with extensions from the corners. This is what keeps it "four directions."

Just take it apart- easy- remove the four screws holding that piece in place (mind the glue), file down the corners, and there you go- instant eight-directions!

[rik1138]

Let's not forget the mother of all Jakks TV Games plug and plays... Galaga


I always loved playing Galaga on that Jakks Games. I remember actually getting the no-fire bug to work! I think these things are actually emulating the real game ROMs (at least for Galaga). I can't imagine they would deliberately program the joystick to have a bug that was fixed in a later version of the arcade ROMs... :)

Rik

[Aswald]

The Lee Pattern does not work on the Jakks version of Pac-Man Plus, and I found out why:
In the "normal" arcade mode, the Lee Pattern stops working at the fourth pancake board, because the ghosts move too fast.

What happens is that the pink (or purple, with the CV) ghost now gets you at the left tunnel.

This is what happens with the Jakks.

So board two on the Jakks version is actually this high-level board!

[Aswald]

The 2nd and 3rd units are both excellent and have far more games then you listed for each.

The third unit also had two gamekeys made that added 4 more games to it. And the unit was often found in packs that came with 1 or both gamekeys, which I don't think were ever sold individually.


I have that second-to-last one.

It's definitely better than the first. And playing Super Pac-Man, my favorite of the original four, was just something else! It'd been years.

So...

Pac-Man: 2600, 5200, CV, Jakks.

Ms. Pac-Man: 2600, 5200, 7800, CV.

Pac-Man Plus: Jakks and CV (Opcode's is better).

Super Pac-Man: Jakks. This does not mean I will not get the 5200 version, though. Into the early 2000s, a laundromat had the arcade machine in Herkimer.

Pac and Pal: Jakks. Cannot remember playing it in the arcade.