Favorite Failed Consoles

[Nz17]

While it is difficult to define the term "failed" as there are so many different ways to define it (for examples: hardware unit sales, software sales, marketplace percentage, mind-share, gameplay genre variety, the presence of your favorite genre, and limited or non-existent worldwide success versus local territorial success), we all know when a console is considered a "failure" or a "second runner." For two examples, though many people like them or the games for them, the Nintendo Virtual Boy and the SEGA 32X might be considered failures by the overall popular mindset of gamers.

There are so many underappreciated consoles to choose from that I won't list them all here. But I will say that some of my favorite under-performing consoles include the SEGA Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and the SEGA Dreamcast. Sure, there were consoles that sold worse than these so they aren't failures per se; however, they definitely weren't the best-selling consoles of their respective generations though they are all well worth playing with excellent games for their console libraries.

All that being said, which consoles are your "favorite failures?"

[gbpxl]

The 32X because it was easily the most idiotic video game product ever conceived.

[AdamAnt316]

I believe the Atari 7800 was considered a failure; originally intended for release around the time of the video game crash, it ended up being shelved for three years before inexplicably being released in the midst of the NES onslaught and getting buried. I had no idea it existed before one of my brother's friends gave me one in the late '90s, but I was quickly impressed by the superior graphics compared to the 2600, which was easy since it was easily backwards-compatible with its games, which were also fun. I was less impressed by the 7800 power supply, which was eventually killed by frayed wires going to its proprietary connector, but I eventually found a replacement.

My second favorite failure would be the mighty Vectrex. It was released before the crash occurred, but still ended up being affected. I first came across one of these relics at a flea market, where I was blown away by the sharp vector graphics of the built-in game even though it didn't have the overlay. It could've been mine for $10, but I'd run out of money that day; I went back the next weekend with cash in hand, but predictably it was gone. Fortunately, a friend eventually found me another one at a record store for $45; it didn't work properly at first, but somehow managed to fix itself. Games have been hard to find, but I've been able to find a couple of them over the years, and also have a multi-cart for it.
-Adam

[Steve W]

I've always loved the Atari Jaguar. I've got the majority of the library and appreciated the system for what it was trying to do.

I really liked the Gizmondo. A surprisingly capable machine that was hampered by the fact that the founders of the company were criminals who siphoned off development funds into their own pockets. A huge amount of potential that never got utilized.

I'd say the Dreamcast would be the most obvious console on most people's lists. It had a mostly solid library and real innovation put into its design (VMU, built-in modem swappable with an ethernet port) but Sony's PS2 hype machine just brainwashed everybody into bypassing Sega's console.

[Tron 2.0]

Turbografx 16 and Sega Saturn hey they were commercial failures in the u.s and fair better in japan.Beside the wealth of releases they had in japan compared to the u.s.

[TimTendo]

Turbografx 16 and Sega Saturn hey they were commercial failures in the u.s and fair better in japan.Beside the wealth of releases they had in japan compared to the u.s.

Definitely the PC-E and Saturn. Those are two fantastic consoles with poor legacies in the states.