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History of video games/Platforms/WOWOW

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History

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JSB operated the Japanese WoWoW satellite broadcasting company.[1]

The WOWOW was a canceled console that would have streamed arcade games to the home over a satellite connection.[1] This could be seen as an early example of cloud gaming.

The console was co-developed by companies Taito, JSB and ASCII.[2] Taito engineer and director of Darius Yukiharu Sambe spearheaded the project.[3][1]

At the Tokyo Toy Show in 1992 Taito announced the WOWOW.[2] Functional demo systems were shown to the public.[4]

However the system was never released due to issues with the technology of the time.[2][5] The project was shuttered early on in development, though it did lead to a successful venture into a telecommunication karaoke service.[1]

Planned games

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Technology

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Compute

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The WOWOW was powered by a 32 bit / 16 bit Motorola 68000 processor clocked at 12 megahertz.[2][6]

The system did not have enough RAM for downloaded games to be easily stored.[2]

Hardware

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The WOWOW would play games streamed over a satellite connection, and also had an RJ-45 jack.[2][1] Uniquely for the time, games would be charged by time used.[1]

The WOWOW had a CD drive.[2][1]

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    A Motorola 6800 CPU die, similar to what would have been used in the WOWOW.
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    A communications satellite being deployed from space shuttle Atlantis during STS-61-B in 1985. Technological innovations in telecommunications technology made concepts like the WOWOW feasible.
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    Aside from streamed games, the WOWOW was intended to have the capability to play compact disks, similar to this one.
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    An RJ45 (8P8C) Jack, similar to what would have been used in the WOWOW. It is unknown if the jack would have been keyed, as shown here.
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    The building which housed the former ASCII cooperation headquarters.
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    A TAITO development center.

References

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Wikipedia has related information at Taito, Wowow  and ASCII Corporation

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j "The lost Taito WOWOW: interview with Yukiharu Sambe". Unseen64: Beta, Cancelled & Unseen Videogames!. 10 August 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Ago, Ixindamixin #retrogaming • 3 Years (7 January 2018). "Taito Wowow : The game console a little too far ahead of its time !". Steemit. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  3. ↑ "Wowow: The 1990s Taito Console That Never Was". Den of Geek. 12 August 2015. https://www.denofgeek.com/games/wowow-the-1990s-taito-console-that-never-was/. 
  4. ↑ Life, Nintendo (11 August 2015). "The Tragic Tale Of Taito's WOWOW, The Console Which Promised Download Gaming In 1992". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  5. ↑ a b Hawken, Kieren (9 May 2016). "10 Unreleased Video Game Consoles You Never Knew Existed" (in en). WhatCulture.com. https://whatculture.com/gaming/10-unreleased-video-game-consoles-you-never-knew-existed?page=8. 
  6. ↑ "Motorola 68000 microprocessor family". www.cpu-world.com. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
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