18 Home Video Game Systems That Never Took Off

These 18 home video game systems tried to make it big but flopped hard, fading into gaming history as expensive mistakes.

Sophia Zapanta
March 25, 2025
6 min read

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Not every gaming console can be a PlayStation or an Xbox. Some systems launched with big dreams but crashed due to bad marketing, poor game libraries, or just being ahead of their time. Let’s take a look at 18 home video game systems that never took off and ended up as forgotten relics.

1. Apple Pippin

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Apple tried to break into gaming in the ‘90s with the Pippin, but it was a disaster. The hardware was overpriced, the games were limited, and Apple just didn’t know how to market it. At $599, it cost more than the PlayStation but had nowhere near the same appeal. Only 42,000 units were sold before it faded into obscurity.

2. Atari Jaguar

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Atari hyped the Jaguar as the first 64-bit console, but in reality, it was a confusing mess of hardware. The controller was a bulky nightmare with many buttons, and the game library was weak. Developers struggled to make games for it, and players stuck with Sega and Nintendo instead. The Jaguar quickly became a cautionary tale of overpromising and underdelivering.

3. 3DO

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The 3DO was way ahead of its time in the early ‘90s, but that didn’t save it from failure. The biggest issue? It launched at an insane $700 price point when other consoles were half the price. It had some good games, but not enough to justify the cost. Gamers ignored it, and by the mid-‘90s, it was game over.

4. Gizmondo

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The Gizmondo wasn’t just a flop—it was part of a bizarre financial scandal involving crime and fraud. Released in 2005, it was an overpriced handheld system with almost no good games. The company behind it collapsed after executives were caught in a shady business scheme. The Gizmondo is now remembered more for its criminal connections than anything else.

5. Virtual Boy

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Nintendo rarely flops, but the Virtual Boy was a legendary failure. Marketed as a portable VR system, it was actually a headache-inducing red-and-black nightmare. It was uncomfortable to use, had terrible games, and flopped so badly that Nintendo abandoned it within a year. The Virtual Boy remains one of Nintendo’s biggest missteps.

6. Philips CD-i

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Philips thought it could take on the gaming giants with the CD-i, but the result was a disaster. It was expensive, had terrible controls, and featured some of the worst Zelda and Mario games ever made. No one knew if it was a game console or an educational tool, and that confusion sealed its fate. Today, it’s mostly remembered for its hilariously bad cutscenes.

7. Ouya

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Ouya launched in 2013, promising to bring Android gaming to the big screen. It raised millions on Kickstarter, but when it arrived, the excitement faded fast. The hardware was weak, the game selection was awful, and people quickly realized they’d rather just play mobile games on their phones. By 2015, Ouya was already dead.

8. N-Gage

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Nokia thought it could merge a phone and a gaming console, but the N-Gage was a disaster from day one. The design was awkward, requiring players to hold it sideways to make calls. The game library was weak, and the controls were clunky. It was an embarrassing flop that barely lasted two years.

9. Atari 5200

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The Atari 5200 was supposed to be an upgrade to the legendary 2600, but it ended up being a step backward. The controllers were unreliable, the compatibility with 2600 games was a mess, and gamers were already looking at newer consoles. It flopped hard, and Atari quickly moved on to other projects.

10. HyperScan

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Mattel’s HyperScan was a console that combined video games with collectible trading cards. It was a neat idea, but the execution was terrible. The card-scanning technology barely worked, and the game selection was laughably bad. It disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived.

11. Commodore CDTV

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Commodore tried to blend a PC, media player, and gaming console into one, but the result was a confusing mess. It was way too expensive, the software was lacking, and no one knew what to do with it. Was it a computer? A console? A CD player? No one could tell, and so no one bought it.

12. Fairchild Channel F

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This was actually the first home console to use cartridges, beating Atari to the punch, but by the time the Atari 2600 arrived, the Channel F looked ancient. It had blocky, slow games that couldn’t compete with newer consoles. Fairchild gave up, and the system faded into history.

13. RCA Studio II

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The RCA Studio II was outdated the moment it launched. It only had black-and-white graphics, a weak lineup of games, and no controllers—just weird number pad buttons built into the console. With the Atari 2600 and other color consoles hitting the market, this one never stood a chance.

14. Coleco Adam

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The Coleco Adam was supposed to be a hybrid computer and gaming system but was plagued with technical problems. Many units didn’t even work out of the box, and the system was rushed to market before it was ready. Customers lost trust, and Coleco quickly abandoned the project.

15. Amiga CD32

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The Amiga CD32 was a promising CD-based console that never got a real chance. It had decent graphics and good games, but legal issues prevented it from launching in the U.S. Without a major market, it flopped, and Commodore went bankrupt shortly after.

16. Neo Geo X

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The original Neo Geo was known for its high price and arcade-quality games, and the Neo Geo X tried to bring that magic back. However, instead of being a true successor, it was just an overpriced emulator in a fancy shell. Gamers weren’t impressed, and it disappeared quickly.

17. Tandy VIS (Video Information System)

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RadioShack tried to jump into gaming with the Tandy VIS, but no one took it seriously. It was marketed as an educational and entertainment system but didn’t do either very well. It had barely any games, and most people didn’t even know it existed. It vanished almost immediately.

18. Panasonic M2

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The Panasonic M2 was supposed to be the successor to the 3DO, but it never even made it to market. It was delayed multiple times, and by the time it was ready, the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 were already dominating. Panasonic pulled the plug, and it became one of gaming’s biggest “what ifs.”