8 Of The Best Gaming Consoles That Were Never Released Outside Of Japan

Japan is the mecca of video games. The country essentially jumpstarted the video game industry, so it is obviously home to some of the largest and longest-lived studios, many of which develop games for Japanese audiences first and everyone else second. While some gaming sensibilities are universal, regional preferences have led to some strange collector's editions and ultra-rare controllers that never made it to the North American or European markets. That also applies to video game consoles.

While most Japanese-developed consoles are released overseas, quite a few have stayed in their home country. Perhaps sales numbers of previous consoles convinced manufacturers they shouldn't risk overseas sales, or perhaps a company wanted to port a console to the U.S. but chickened out. No matter the reason, Japanese gamers got their hands on consoles nobody else did, and while not every Japan-exclusive console was worth having, some might have actually done well stateside due to their features or library. 

Here are some of the best Japanese game consoles you probably wish you could have had growing up.

While the Sega Saturn didn't really take off in the US, it was popular in Japan, likely due to the explosive commercials featuring the fictional Segata Sanshiro (played by the legendary tokusatsu actor Hiroshi Fujioka). Maybe if Sega of America had advertised the Saturn with commercials starring Chuck Norris, the U.S. version might have sold well enough to receive a variant designed for car rides.

The Hitachi Game & Car Navi HiSaturn was the result of a collaboration between Sega and Hitachi that was essentially a Sega Saturn with a vehicular twist. Instead of plugging into a wall outlet, it plugged into a car's cigarette lighter. The HiSaturn couldn't use any other power sources, but it included ports for karaoke microphones, a GPS antenna, and a TV tuner. Aside from those additions, it was a regular Sega Saturn and could play all the classic Saturn titles you know and love.

Since the HiSaturn was a semi-portable platform, one might assume it included a TV screen so users could play on the go. Well, that is half right. Sega sold a separate, foldable LCD screen that could plug into the HiSaturn, but if you didn't own one, the Hitachi Game & Car Navi HiSaturn could plug into car-mounted televisions.

The PlayStation 2 is the best-selling console of any generation, which is an impressive feat given Sony entered the gaming business late with its original PlayStation. Many gamers see the PlayStation 3 as the start of Sony pivoting their game consoles towards multimedia roles, but that is only true outside of Japan.

In 2003, Sony launched the PSX, which was essentially an oversized PS2 with DVR capabilities. Or was it an oversized DVR with PS2 functionality? Nobody knows for sure since rumors state it was originally supposed to be just a DVR until Sony added PS2 components last minute. Since Sony marketed the system itself — instead of advertising it through the company's PlayStation branch — that's not an unreasonable assumption.

Sony produced eight different PSX models, each with different combinations of ports, hard drive storage space, and PlayStation Portable connectivity. While the PSX could play PlayStation and PS2 games, record shows, and burn the recordings onto discs, the PSX couldn't play CD or DVD discs, at least until those features were added via firmware updates. A 2005 article from IGN claimed the PSX failed because its target audience viewed the device as superfluous. Still, redundant or not, we can at least thank the PSX for prototyping some features for the PlayStation 3 — the PSX, not the PS3, was the first console to use the Cross Media Bar user interface menu.

[Featured image by Moi via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]

Before you say anything, yes, Nintendo released a console outside of Japan and called it the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), but technically speaking differed from the Famicom in several key aspects and could be considered a separate platform. At the very least, these differences are more substantial than the ones that separate "Super Mario Bros. 2" and "Doki Doki Panic."

The Famicom is immediately recognizable when placed next to the NES. The Japanese console sported a different color palette (red and white instead of grays and black), and its controllers were hardwired into the console itself. Moreover, while internationally-released games were functionally similar to the Japanese originals, their cartridges were incompatible with the Famicom and vice versa. 

However, some exceptions to the game systems rule cropped up here and there due to the microphone built into the Famicom's second controller. Games initially programmed with voice functionality needed that feature removed when localized for other markets. The original "The Legend of Zelda" is a prime example since, in the Japanese version, Pols Voice enemies could be vanquished by yelling into the microphone. Since the NES didn't have one, that weakness was changed to arrows.

Furthermore, unlike the NES, Nintendo supported the Famicom with add-ons and alternate versions. You might already know about the Famicom Disk System that let audiences play games from floppy disks, but did you know Nintendo worked with Sharp to produce a Famicom model known as the Sharp Twin Famicom that included a cartridge and disk reader in one plastic shell? Or that Sharp and Nintendo produced a Famicom designed to capture game footage? Sharp and Nintendo really spoiled Japanese gamers, didn't they?

[Featured image by Evan-Amos via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | Public Domain]

The sixth generation of consoles was a critical era for gaming. It was the time of the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube — when people started to take video games seriously. This generation also initiated a new console war between Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft. Nintendo started this battle off on the wrong foot due to the Gamecube's inability to play DVDs — outside of Japan, that is.

To solve this multimedia misstep, Nintendo partnered with Panasonic to produce the Panasonic Q. This Japan-exclusive console maintained the Gamecube's lunchbox aesthetic but was larger to fit the stand-sized disc tray. Moreover, while the Gamecube came in a rainbow of bright colors, the Panasonic Q's finish was a universal shiny gunmetal silver, but at least the controller ports lit up.

While the Panasonic Q was more expensive than the vanilla Gamecube, the higher price tag was worth it because the console could play regular-sized DVDs and even CDs in addition to the Gamecube's proprietary mini discs. However, since the Panasonic Q was limited to Japan, it could only play Japanese DVDs and CDs. Later, import shops started selling even more expensive modified, non-region locked Panasonic Qs. Despite fixing the Gamecube's most glaring problem, the Panasonic Q didn't sell well, which might explain why Nintendo's consoles never became multimedia platforms, unlike their competitors. Not that it's hurt them.

[Featured image by Evan-Amos via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0]