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[VGEsoterica]

It's rare to know a piece of hardware is a video game console...and basically nobody ever knew it existed. Especially when it's from a company like Taito. Clearly they have a BIT of name recognition lol

But does anyone remember the Taito Wowow? It was a finished console design shown off that would allow users to download games to the console via satellite. Very Nintendo Satellaview like. Sadly Taito got cold feet and cancelled the console but not before advertising games like Bubble Bobble for it.

So what did Taito do next? They made the Taito F3 arcade board, shoved most of the hardware into a karaoke machine and GAVE IT THE ABILITY TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES DOWNLOADED FROM THE INTERNET VIA PHONE LINE. Basically Taito finally got around to releasing their video game console in the most round about way humanly possible. But it has a library of over a dozen games...sadly now seemingly lost...including Bubble Bobble.

Oh and the Taito F3 arcade board? Some games came with advertisements in the attract screen that showed the X-55 and what it could do...namely play video games!

It's a weird world out there gaming wise...but I am curious if anyone on GAF knew this existed and it was actually a video game console that took the spirit of the cancelled Taito Wowow and ran with it?

 

[jufonuk]

I want this and the Gamecube DVD player those things are cool

 

[Skifi28]

Just wow.

 

[VGEsoterica]

Just wow.

It that was a pun...good job. If it wasn't...even better!

 

[fart town usa]

One of the best obscure gaming channels on YouTube. Well done.

 

[VGEsoterica]

One of the best obscure gaming channels on YouTube. Well done.

thanks. Super appreciate that!

 

[consoul]

I have the controller right here, useless as it is.
This whole ecosystem was lost when Taito took the service offline.

 

[VGEsoterica]

I have the controller right here, useless as it is.
This whole ecosystem was lost when Taito took the service offline.

if you dont need that controller send me a pm

 

[VGEsoterica]

If you don’t know what a Wowow looks like

 

[A.Romero]

Never heard of this before, very interesting.

Love your threads, thanks for sharing.

 

[VGEsoterica]

Never heard of this before, very interesting.

Love your threads, thanks for sharing.

Happy to do it. Always fun!

 

[VGEsoterica]

another fun image. Some of the Bubble Bobble / Parasol Stars stuff came over to the X-55 but there was never any sign of Darius or Rastan

 

[Redneckerz]

I knew of the Taito Wowow, and i knew the F3.. but never knew its hardware ended up in this.

This reads like how the Atari Jaguar shell was used for camera dental equipment.

 

[VGEsoterica]

I knew of the Taito Wowow, and i knew the F3.. but never knew its hardware ended up in this.

This reads like how the Atari Jaguar shell was used for camera dental equipment.

Funny story...my father was a dentist...and had that shell on the wall. I never knew back in the day thats what it came from. Now I wish I had it (he long since retired)

 

[wondermega]

I have barely ever heard any info of this console, but it's been several years now & always fascinating to me. Taito was a powerhouse in the arcades, rivaling Sega in many ways, I felt. It seemed like a natural progression that they'd try to develop a home console as well, and so when I first learned of this it didn't sound unreasonable. Anyway, it was not to be, and the company now seems to exist in some kind of limbo (we hear about new Space Invaders and Darius releases from out of the murk occasionally, but for the most part, it seems like things are 95% quiet). I am aware that Squeenix acquired them a good 20+ years ago or so. Anyway all of these things have always been fascinating and makes you try to imagine how the game industry could have charted so differently if these kind of decisions were successful and followed up on..