The Forgotten Video Game Consoles Lego Will Never Turn Into Buildable Sets

Lego revealed a plastic brick recreation of the Atari 2600, the first successful home video game console, as a follow-up to its buildable Lego NES from a few years ago. The Nintendo Entertainment System helped turn video games into a billion dollar business, but these consoles weren't as famous.

There are many consoles that come and go for various reasons. They either don't offer enough games worth playing or they try to innovate in weird and different ways that consumers aren't ready to embrace. The video game consoles are the ones that are most forgotten by people.

The Game Boy was a huge hit when it was released in 1989 and many competitors followed suit. It was similar to the Game Boy in that it had a low-res green screen and a hinge that could be bent to maximize viewing angles. Most games for the system were clones of popular titles from other handhelds because of the weak processor and horrible looking controls. The supervision died and vanished in a year.

One of the earliest and most popular personal computers was the Commodore 64. It had a slot for loading software if you didn't want to invest in a disk drive, but lots of games too. The Commodore 64 games system was released in 1989 to compete with Nintendo, and was the first console for a lot of kids who grew up in the ‘80s.

Streamlining the C64 for gaming seemed like a great idea, and while the Commodore 64 Games System was compatible with the game cartridges released for the original C64, most were dependent on the computer's built in keyboard to load or navigate menu options. It wasn't enough to save the Games System from being a failure that only sold 20,000 units in Europe.

The View-Master Interactive Vision was a console that looked like a piece of modern art and was released in 1988. The Interactive Vision worked with a VCR, which was more odd than the controller. VHS tapes would be played on the VCR and the console would have interactive computer graphics on top of the video feed. Seven games were released for the system, but it wasn't enough to save it from the discount bin.

For a long time, Tiger Electronics was synonymous with handheld gaming, with an extensive line of portable gaming systems featuring basic game play and simple displays. Tiger tried to move past the simpler systems with the Game.com, which had a URL for its name and basic online functions.

The Game Boy had a black and white screen, but this one had a touch screen with a stylus. The Game.com used the same technology as the Game Boy, with popular franchises like Sonic and Duke Nukem 3D available to play, but in the end there were only about 20 games released for the system. This console failed because the games themselves didn't live up to their names.

There are times when you can do everything right and still end up with a failed product. After the Zodiac's debut, the company behind it was sold off and the handheld was no more, as the Zodiac had to face off against the Sony and Nintendo DS after its launch.

photo of Bally Professional Arcade/Astrocade

The release of a video game system in the 70s was a big gamble. The Bally Astrocade was renamed after rolling snake eyes. The mail order machine was developed by Midway and sold for $299 in 1977. Midway did a better job than the console did.

Although powered by hardware that allowed for impressive graphics capabilities, the system didn't sell well, and Bally eventually sold off the division responsible for it. The Bally Professional Arcade was renamed the Bally Computer System in 1981 and the Astrocade in 1982. What's the catch? The Astrocade didn't have a full keyboard but it did have a basic calculator-like keyboard. It didn't survive the video game crash of 1983

photo of Palmtex Portable Videogame System

You won't complain about the simplistic graphics and green screen on the original Nintendo Game Boy again after playing the Palmtex Portable Videogame System, which went through a bunch of different names in its brief existence. Games were snapped onto the back of the lid of the system, along with a light box that illuminated a colored sprite and a screen that covered and revealed some of the graphics. It's hard to wrap your head around, but you can see it in action when you play one of the games. It's possible to come to your own conclusions about why it didn't work.

The Microvision was the first handheld gaming device to use swappable game discs. The Microvision was released in 1979 for $200 and had a dial on the bottom.

In 1998, VTech threw its hat into the crowded console ring with the Socrates, an educational video system that starred a fictional robot. It wasn't long for this world and was discontinued after just 12 games were released for it to promote learning. The late ‘80s and early ‘90s were the wild west of console design, and the Socrates included a fantastic wireless controller with a full keyboard and a pair of smaller game pads.

Video games can appeal to anyone, no matter who they are, because they are easy to understand and easy to play. The Loopy, a 32-bit console with a logo featuring a pair of hearts, was marketed to female gaming enthusiasts. The system's real appeal was a built-in color printer that could be used to make stickers from game screenshots, or an optional video capture device that could work with VCRs and DVD players. Screenshots could be improved with graphics and messages, as well as an optional mouse that made designing stickers much easier. The built-in printers on the game consoles never caught on, and the loopy only lasted for three years.

There were 12 or 12.