Developing new products doesn't always end well, and the video game market has given us some striking examples over the years. One of them is the Arcadia Electronic Game System, marketed by Toymax in 1998. In essence, it's a console with a built-in projector that combines cartridges and slides to play target-shooting games. What was its problem? Let's just say it liked to melt…
The year was 1998. The original PlayStation still ruled the world, and the Nintendo 64 had been on the market for over a year. That confirmed the famous "fifth generation" of home consoles, and although the Dreamcast tried to put up a fight in November of that same year, its fate was sealed quickly. At the same time, certain developments appeared that tried to take advantage of the popularity of consoles.
Even today you can still find clones of old consoles, but the Arcadia Electronic Game System was something different. It was known by more than one name, including Arcadia Electronic Skeet Shoot, and its main distributor across the pond was Toymax, keeping production in China.
How Did the Arcadia Work?
The most important feature of the Arcadia system was its total independence from the television, since it had a built-in projector. Its games were based on cartridges, and each one came with its own slide, thus reproducing a maximum of two different objects.
Its controls were similar to the Zapper of the Nintendo NES, but in this case the rifle was the main weapon, while the pistol had to be purchased separately. Duck Shoot, Deer Hunter, Meteor Attack and Fighter Attack were the main games, and it was essential not to lose the slides, otherwise the cartridge became useless.
The Achilles heel of the Arcadia console was none other than its own cartridge system. In 2000, the company had to withdraw hundreds of units due to a defect in the connection mechanism. Several consoles emitted smoke or melted, and there are isolated reports of fires.
The "improved version" of the cartridges adopted a bright orange color to differentiate itself from the previous generation, but that didn't change the Arcadia's final fate as a collector's oddity. After all, even the NES itself was superior in graphics and animation... and who didn't have a TV to use? Even more so when the novelty of the projection wore off quickly, and all that remained was a mediocre system. Next, more details and photos of the Arcadia and its accessories.
