You’ve seen the Super Mario World widescreen mod, now check out a localization prototype that was never released. Put simply, it was essentially an early build of the game that developers turned into the North American release in 1991. Some of the oddities you can find include debugging glitches, a thinner text box, and the Yoshi’s House sign with different shading.
Long before DVD players, there was the Sony GV-500 Video Walkman, an 8mm portable VCR that could have easily been stored in a backpack. It was officially touted as an video recorder with an LCD that allowed users to watch TV programs and video tapes anywhere. Featuring a menu function for six items, Hi-Fi stereo, a TV tuner, timer-activated recording, a sleep timer, and a MEGA BASS circuit for dynamic bass sound.
There was one specific reason why Nintendo developed Super Mario Kart for the Super Famicom / NES in the early 90s, and it was because they wanted a 2-player racing game for their new flagship console. Hideki Konno realized that there were already too many Formula 1 games, so they turned to go-kart racing, and the rest is history.
No, ‘Homework First’ isn’t a joke, but a real Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) lock released by Master Lock back in 1990. It’s designed to thwart kids from playing video games before doing their homework by locking the cartridge slot. That’s right, it attaches to the open bay of a front-loading NES-001 system via a screw hole below the cartridge slot.
Nintendo Power magazine was first published in July / August 1988 and its 24-year production run is one of the longest of all video game magazines in North America. You’ve probably come across a few at garage sales or vintage shops, but now all 285-issues are available online for download.
Mobile phones with cameras were just starting to take off in 2001, with many new models being introduced, including the Ericsson T66, Samsung SGH R220, Sony Ericsson T68, Samsung SGH-T100, Nokia 6310 and more. BBC correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones set out to see if this technology was feasible and why texting may have lead to the inclusion of cameras on many phones at the time.
Before Rheinmetall’s Lynx 120 existed, there was this tank simulator from the 1970s that is actually powered by a Raspberry Pi computer. It can be found at the Military Museum in Full, Switzerland and is the last known example worldwide. Just getting set up to use it requires one to wear a throat microphone and heaset before getting into the metal container.
DVDs had a competitor back in the 1990s, and it was D-VHS, a VHS-based high definition digital video recording format that was developed by JVC, Hitachi, Mitsubihi, Matsushita (Panasonic), and Philips. The video cassettes debuted in 1998 and capable of playing HD content in 1920×1080 or 1280×720 at 28.2 Mbit/s (HS speed), 720×576 (720×480) standard-definition content and bit rates from 14.1 Mbit/s down to 2.8 Mbit/s (STD, LS3, LS5 speeds).
Did You Know Gaming takes a fascinating look back at Retro Studios’ canceled Nintendo DS Zelda game, titled ‘Heroes of Hyrule’. This game reportedly drew inspiration from Final Fantasy Tactics and was never approved by Nintendo, so it never went past the planning stages, which means there is probably no alpha gameplay footage floating around.
Photo credit: Vellosia
Just like the Dreamcast, the SEGA Mega Modem was ahead of its time. This accessory was first released in Japan on November 3, 1990 and designed for use with SEGA Meganet, which was an online service for the Mega Drive in Japan and later Brazil. It was SEGA’s very first pay-to-play online multiplayer gaming service.