Sega Neptune [1994]
In the mid-1990s, Sega's product line suffered an extreme case of multiple personality disorder. By 1995, the company supported eight incompatible gaming platforms: Genesis, Sega CD, 32X, 32X CD, Game Gear, Pico, Saturn, and in some markets, Master System. They also sold the CDX (a combined Sega Genesis and a Sega CD unit in a semi-portable package) and the Nomad (a fully handheld Genesis console). Then, on top of all that, there was the proposed Sega Neptune. Sega designed the Neptune as a way to simplify its product line by combining a Genesis and the 32X add-on into one unit. But as you can see by the list above, Sega definitely did not need another game product to support. Around this time, a rare modicum of sanity hit the company, and the word came down from its Japanese HQ to focus only on its new flagship console, the Sega Saturn (1994). As a result, the Neptune (phew) never made it to market.
Ultravision Video Arcade System [1982]
The VAS, designed and promoted by a small American company called Ultravision, promised to be an all-in-one answer to every video gamer's wildest dreams. It was to integrate a 10-inch color TV set, a video game system, and a high-powered computer into one unit. In addition to the console's own custom software, plug-in modules would be available to let users play Atari 2600 and Colecovision games on the VAS. All this sounded too good to be true, and it was: in the end, Ultravision's promises of gaming excellence proved to be nothing more than a load of hot air.
Atari Jaguar Duo [1995]
The Jaguar Duo, like the Neptune seen earlier, was an attempt to combine a base console and an add-on device. In this case, the Duo would include the Atari Jaguar console (1994) and its Jaguar CD-ROM drive together in one sleek unit that would go head-to-head with the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn. While Atari produced a small run of cases for the console, the Jaguar Duo never made it into full production.
Konix Multisystem [1989]
By 1989, British peripheral maker Konix had already established reputation creating game controllers for other systems. When it came to designing its own game console, they took what they knew and ran with it, crafting a complex steering controller...with a video game system built-in. The Multisystem's integrated controller could be changed into three modes: steering wheel, flight yoke, and motorcycle handles (all of which supported tactile force feedback). The system would eschew cartridges for 3.5-inch floppy disks for cost reasons, and additional accessories like a joystick, foot pedals, a light gun (with recoil), and a motorized gaming chair were planned. Not too long after revealing these supremely ambitious plans, the company ran out of money (wonder why), and the console never launched.
Magnavox Odyssey 3 [1983]
Magnavox intended the Odyssey 3 to be the follow-up to its somewhat successful 1978 Odyssey 2 console. Under its hood would have been an Americanized version of the Philips Videopac G7400 (1983), which actually found release in Europe. The G7400 preserved compatibility with Odyssey 2 games while allowing better graphics for an entirely new line of software. Just as the Odyssey 3 was set for launch, the video game crash of 1983 ruined everybody's plans, and the second Odyssey sequel never made it to market.
Atari Cosmos [1981]
Before its planned release, Atari touted the Cosmos handheld game system as a sophisticated 3D machine of the future—supposedly the first electronic game system to use holographic images in game play. The reality, however, wasn't nearly as exciting: a pre-printed holographic overlay merely served as window dressing for simple, interchangeable electronic games displayed on a 7-by-6 grid of red LEDs. When the press got wind of the system's true nature, enthusiasm dropped, and Atari pulled the plug on the Cosmos just as it was ready to launch.
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