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Consoles of the '90s

Nintendo loses the lead and Sony takes over the world as we fill out our console catalog

Words: Brett Elston, GamesRadar US

Console: Super NES
Manufacturer: Nintendo
Discontinued in: 1999

The US version of the Super Famicom we covered on the previous page. People love it. You should too, so go try some of the Virtual Console ports. Contra III, Super Metroid and Link to the Past, anyone?

Console: TurboDuo
Manufacturer: NEC
Discontinued in: ~1999
Yet another CD/game card hybrid from NEC, and therefore another system that's hard to say when it died. The graphics looked like NES, but the audio was far beyond anything carts could accomplish (thanks to vast CD storage). Didn't matter though, and that's why you'll be playing its best games (Ys, Lords of Thunder) on the Virtual Console.

Console: Lynx II
Manufacturer: Atari
Discontinued in: 1994

The second version of Atari's ill-fated handheld. It should have been obvious there was no stopping Game Boy, even with a new look and some mumbling about better specs. Doesn't matter anyway, as barely anyone played either version of the damn thing. Kung Food, really?

Console: Sega CD / Mega CD
Manufacturer: Sega
Discontinued in: ~1995

Released in the US a year later and Europe after, Sega CD was supposed to enhance the Genesis beyond the SNES. The marketing ploy "Welcome to the Next Level" drove the idea home, though anyone who actually played the thing knew the truth - most of the games were FMV trash or Genesis ports with a new soundtrack. It did, however, give us Lunar, Sonic CD and early SRPG Dark Wizard, so thanks for that.

Console: CD-i
Manufacturer: Philips
Discontinued in: 1998

Immensely expensive, embarrassing Nintendo shilling and the bastard child of a multimedia deal gone wrong, the Philips CD-i is arguably the worst console of all time. It's the kind of machine people collect now only to see the look on everyone else's face. "You have a CD-i? Why?"

Console: FM Towns Marty
Manufacturer: Fujitsu
Discontinued in: 1999?

Another Japan-only machine that made little impact. It was backwards compatible with previous FM Towns machines, which might have been good news for a few distraught children who couldn't find a Super NES. It is, however, the first 32-bit console and sported a CD and hard drive, so eat it everyone else!

 
9 Comments
abovedefault  - 3 months 25 days ago 
holy crap, i had a game.com! i wonder what happened to it...
Sukururu  - 3 months 15 days ago 
I still remember...I had a Super NES
barrage7667  - 2 months 24 days ago 
lol im bout to go play my nintendo and genisis tht i havent played in 8 or 9 years
goombaisawesome  - 1 month 30 days ago 
I think that you forgot the halycon laserdisc system. But there were only two games, and VERY few sold at the $1000+ Pricetag, so it doesn't matter.
hardcore_gamer1990  - 7 days 1 hour ago 
Does anyone else think that the TurboDuo looks like a PS2 slimline with a "quirky" controller? no? just me then...
Taxtm  - 5 days 3 hours ago 
Dude, I actually had a Gamegear way back when! That thing used up so much juice, every time I took it in the car, we'd have to bring a brand new 8 pack of AAs!
Taxtm  - 5 days 3 hours ago 
Ahh, the Sega Genesis... my first game system at the age of 4, and my first game being Sonic 3. Man, those were the days...
Fallenangle  - 1 day 15 hours ago 
Wow, the Master System II was my very first console ( i still have it somewhere) it does have the alex kidd game built in,

which was cool to think you could just turn it on and play without taking the Cartridge out and blowing on it.

Also is it wrong to have own at least half of these?
AA95mp  - 1 day 5 hours ago 
i remember my psone i still have it. it was my 1st console
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