History of video games/Platforms/Game Wave Family Entertainment System
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Game Wave Family Entertainment System with controllers.
History
[edit | edit source]Development
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Founded in 2003 ZAPiT games was a company based in Toronto, Canada.[1] Planning for the Game Wave started in March 2003.[2]
In November of 2003 hardware development on the GameWave began,[2] and by October of 2004 the first prototype of the Game Wave was made.[3]
Launch
[edit | edit source]The Game Wave saw a Canadian launch in October 2005.[4][5]
Though the console was not religious, The Game Wave was very positively received by Christians due to its focus on family friendly titles, as well as explicitly Christian games like VeggieTales.[6]
In 2007 the system cost $99.99 USD.[7]
Legacy
[edit | edit source]About 70,000 Game Wave systems were sold.[5]
The GameWave was discontinued in 2009 when ZapIt ran out of money.[6][8] An unreleased successor for the Game Wave had been planned for 2009.[3]
Technology
[edit | edit source]The Game Wave uses the Mediamatics 8611 processor.[2]
The Gamewave has 16MB of SRAM, and 2MB of NOR Flash storage.[9]
Games for the Game Wave used Lua scripting.[3] Game files typically consist of a number of pre-rendered movies and pictures.[10]
The back of the system contains an expansion port.
Notable games
[edit | edit source]2006
[edit | edit source]- The Arc of Trivia, Bible Edition[11]
VeggieTales Veg-Out Family Tournament
[edit | edit source]The VeggieTales Veg-Out Family Tournament mixed learning games with the Veggietales cast and was sold for $27.99 USD.[1]
The game and system was promoted on the "VeggieTales God Made You Special, Live Tour", a road show that went to 50 cities.[12]
Gallery
[edit | edit source]Console
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Console with Controller Container
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The lid of the controller container matches the wave of the console. -
Clear material makes it easy to see how many controllers are left. -
A small handle makes opening the door easier. -
A clear line is maintained across both the holder and the console.
Controllers
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Controllers come in several colors. -
External Resources
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- Video Game Kraken - Game Wave page featuring in depth history and game photos.
- Video Game Console Library - Game Wave page with game information and specs.
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ a b "ZAPiT Games Announces Availability of VeggieTales Interactive Family Game Title for Game Wave(TM) System" (in en). www.businesswire.com. 14 December 2007. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20071214005397/en/ZAPiT-Games-Announces-Availability-VeggieTales-Interactive-Family. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ↑ a b c "Tear Down: Game console goes way beyond the average DVD player". Embedded.com. 1 March 2007. https://www.embedded.com/tear-down-game-console-goes-way-beyond-the-average-dvd-player/. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ↑ a b c Nass, Richard. "Under the Hood: Console is more than just a DVD player". https://www.eetimes.com/under-the-hood-console-is-more-than-just-a-dvd-player/.
- ↑ "Game Wave Family Entertainment System - Game Console - Computing History". www.computinghistory.org.uk. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ↑ a b "Game Wave Family Entertainment System – Montreal Video Game Museum". Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ↑ a b "Christians Loved Canada's Failed Video Game Console" (in en). www.vice.com. https://www.vice.com/en/article/3k5d58/christians-loved-canadas-failed-video-game-console-game-wave. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ↑ "ZAPiT Games Accelerates into Holiday with Game Wave(TM) System Titles That Keep Family, Friends Racing to Solve Puzzles" (in en). www.businesswire.com. 18 July 2007. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20070718006090/en/ZAPiT-Games-Accelerates-Holiday-Game-Wave-TM. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ↑ "Game Wave Family Entertainment System by ZAPIT – The Video Game Kraken". Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ↑ "Home Page". Video Game Console Library. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
- ↑ "Breaking Eggs And Making Omelettes » Blog Archive » Studying A Game Wave Disc". Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- ↑ "Video game:4 Degrees: The Arc of Trivia, Bible Edition - Zap It Games". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
- ↑ "VeggieTales Characters Go On the Road". www.cbn.com. https://www.cbn.com/entertainment/screen/veggietales_tour.aspx?mobile=false&u=1. Retrieved 25 October 2020.