Home Entertainment Suppliers
Encyclopedia
Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty. Ltd. (or HES) is an Australian company that distributes computer games and gaming equipment. HES offices are based in Riverwood
, Sydney
.
They began distributing Commodore 64
titles such as Pitfall!
in 1982 and Kung-Fu Master in 1985 and Atari 2600
titles nearing the end of the 1980s under the name Activision
.
HES still remains a dominant distributor within Australia, despite not being well known. HES currently is the distributor for Saitek
, Gamester and Mad Catz
joysticks, cables, memory cards, and other peripherals. HES also remains the official Australian distributor for Action Replay
.
Quite a large number of software titles are currently also being distributed by HES for Windows
, Xbox
, PlayStation 2
and Game Boy Advance
by publishers ZOO Digital Publishing, Tru Blu Entertainment
and Phantagram
.
In the past, HES had gained a reputation for developing and distributing some interesting peripherals such as their auto fire controllers, Game Boy
power adaptors, Master System converters for the Mega Drive and adapters for NES games such as the HES Unidaptor
and HES Unidaptor MKII.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s HES ported games from American Game Cartridges, American Video Entertainment
(AVE), Bit Corp, Color Dreams
, Epyx
, Thin Chen Enterprise
(Sachen, Joy Van, etc.) and Tengen
onto the Nintendo Entertainment System
(NES) as unlicensed titles, although they did not release games by Camerica
or Active Enterprises
. Some of the games HES distributed had no companies credited and their developers remain unknown. Most games were released in plastic cases like a video box with printed instructions on the inside, however sometimes the AVE titles were released in their original AVE boxes with a HES sticker simply stuck over AVE's original one.
HES at the time became widely known for their unlicensed distribution of NES games at budget prices. Nintendo tried to fight against all unlicensed companies by introducing a Nintendo Seal of Quality on all their products which signified that titles adorning the symbol are guaranteed to operate on their NES
hardware. To combat this, HES introduced their own seal that mimicked Nintendo’s seal, possibly in the hope of confusing buyers.
In a further attempt to limit the success of unlicensed companies, Nintendo changed the hardware of later revisions of the NES, so unlicensed games would no longer work. Therefore, early HES games are not compatible with many of the later NES consoles. In order to circumvent this, HES developed the 'Piggy Back' or 'Dongle' games, where one could insert an official NES cart into the HES game and it operated the country code of the official title instead of HES'. This was so successful that HES also used the same technology to build a device to entirely bypass the 10NES
security protocol which was released as the HES Unidaptor. The adapter allowed 72-pin and 60-pin NTSC
NES/Famicom games to be played on a PAL
NES.
HES introduced games to Australia that were not released elsewhere in the western world, and these have become very sought after classics. However, HES also chose to release their multigame cartridges and a few of their single game titles in very limited numbers. Such titles are extremely scarce and thus nearly impossible to find.
, that was released exclusively in Australia
. This game is only compatible with the Sega Master System 2 console. It includes 4 games; Power Block, Adventure Kid, Twin Mouse, and Cave Dude.
Riverwood, New South Wales
Riverwood is a suburb in southern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Riverwood is located 18 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is part of the St George area...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
.
They began distributing Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
titles such as Pitfall!
Pitfall!
Pitfall! is a video game released by Activision for the Atari 2600 in 1982. It is the second best selling game made for the Atari 2600, with over 4 million copies sold.-Gameplay:...
in 1982 and Kung-Fu Master in 1985 and Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
titles nearing the end of the 1980s under the name Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
.
HES still remains a dominant distributor within Australia, despite not being well known. HES currently is the distributor for Saitek
Saitek
Saitek is a designer and manufacturer of consumer electronics founded in 1979 by Swiss technologist Eric Winkler. They are best known for their PC gaming controllers, mice, keyboards especially the Eclipse series of back-lit keyboards, and their Flight Yoke System.- History :Saitek was founded in...
, Gamester and Mad Catz
Mad Catz
Mad Catz Interactive, Inc. is a peripherals manufacturer for various video game consoles headquartered in San Diego, California. It produces a wide range of accessories including control pads, memory cards, connection cables, headphones and other human interface devices.- History :The company was...
joysticks, cables, memory cards, and other peripherals. HES also remains the official Australian distributor for Action Replay
Action Replay
Action Replay is the brand name of a series of video game cheating devices created by Datel. As of 2010, Action Replays are currently available for some of the current major gaming platforms which include the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, PlayStation 2, and the PlayStation Portable, and many older...
.
Quite a large number of software titles are currently also being distributed by HES for Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
by publishers ZOO Digital Publishing, Tru Blu Entertainment
Tru Blu Entertainment
Tru Blu Entertainment is an Australian publisher that is a subsidiary of Home Entertainment Suppliers who distribute their titles. It was founded in 1999.* Squatter * Dick Johnson V8 Challenge * NRL Rugby League...
and Phantagram
Phantagram
Phantagram is a video game development studio based in South Korea. It is mainly known for its popular Xbox game series Kingdom Under Fire. Phantagram also co-developed the fantasy/strategy action game Ninety-Nine Nights with Q Entertainment, for the Xbox 360...
.
In the past, HES had gained a reputation for developing and distributing some interesting peripherals such as their auto fire controllers, Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
power adaptors, Master System converters for the Mega Drive and adapters for NES games such as the HES Unidaptor
HES Unidaptor
The HES Unidaptor is a video game adapter which allows any Nintendo Entertainment System console game to be operated on any NES hardware despite the 10NES region security chip. It was developed by Australian company Home Entertainment Suppliers Pty. Ltd. . Two models were released: the HES...
and HES Unidaptor MKII.
Unlicensed
American Video Entertainment
American Video Entertainment was a San Jose, California–based software development company that developed unlicensed video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The company developed two games on its own, Krazy Kreatures and Trolls on Treasure Island in 1990, and published 19 games...
(AVE), Bit Corp, Color Dreams
Color Dreams
Color Dreams was a company that developed video games for the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System . While most companies that developed NES games obtained an official license from Nintendo to produce game cartridges, Color Dreams was unusual in that it developed NES games without an official license...
, Epyx
Epyx
Epyx, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. The company was founded as Automated Simulations by Jim Connelley and Jon Freeman, originally using Epyx as a brand name for action-oriented games before renaming the company to match in 1983...
, Thin Chen Enterprise
Thin Chen Enterprise
Thin Chen Enterprise, also known as Sachen, was a Taiwanese company that developed several original games for the Nintendo Entertainment System , Mega Drive, Game Boy and other early cartridge-based handheld systems such as the Watara Supervision and Mega Duck...
(Sachen, Joy Van, etc.) and Tengen
Tengen (company)
Tengen was a video game publisher and developer that was created by arcade game manufacturer Atari Games.-History:Atari had been split into two distinct companies. Atari Corporation was responsible for computer and console games and hardware and owned the rights to the Atari brand for these domains...
onto the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
(NES) as unlicensed titles, although they did not release games by Camerica
Camerica
Camerica was a company owned and operated by David J. Harding. It was a video game company that was notable for producing unlicensed Nintendo Entertainment System games and hardware. It was founded in 1988 and published games through 1992. It created a number of peripherals for the NES, including...
or Active Enterprises
Active Enterprises
Active Enterprises Ltd. is a defunct American video game developer headquartered in Miami, Florida that was active in the early 1990s. Their best known game, and the only title officially released by the company, was the infamous Action 52 multicart for the NES and Sega Genesis video game...
. Some of the games HES distributed had no companies credited and their developers remain unknown. Most games were released in plastic cases like a video box with printed instructions on the inside, however sometimes the AVE titles were released in their original AVE boxes with a HES sticker simply stuck over AVE's original one.
HES at the time became widely known for their unlicensed distribution of NES games at budget prices. Nintendo tried to fight against all unlicensed companies by introducing a Nintendo Seal of Quality on all their products which signified that titles adorning the symbol are guaranteed to operate on their NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
hardware. To combat this, HES introduced their own seal that mimicked Nintendo’s seal, possibly in the hope of confusing buyers.
In a further attempt to limit the success of unlicensed companies, Nintendo changed the hardware of later revisions of the NES, so unlicensed games would no longer work. Therefore, early HES games are not compatible with many of the later NES consoles. In order to circumvent this, HES developed the 'Piggy Back' or 'Dongle' games, where one could insert an official NES cart into the HES game and it operated the country code of the official title instead of HES'. This was so successful that HES also used the same technology to build a device to entirely bypass the 10NES
10NES
The 10NES system is a lock-out system designed for the American version of the Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. Various companies found ways to bypass the authorization chip.-Design:...
security protocol which was released as the HES Unidaptor. The adapter allowed 72-pin and 60-pin NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
NES/Famicom games to be played on a PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
NES.
HES introduced games to Australia that were not released elsewhere in the western world, and these have become very sought after classics. However, HES also chose to release their multigame cartridges and a few of their single game titles in very limited numbers. Such titles are extremely scarce and thus nearly impossible to find.
NES titles
- 4 in 1 Fun Blaster Pak (Pipemania, Twin Eagle, Metal Fighter and Little Red HoodLittle Red HoodLittle Red Hood is an unlicensed Taiwanese NES video game by Thin Chen Enterprise .-Summary:Little Red Hood is loosely based on the Little Red Riding Hood tale. In Little Red Hood, Red Hood must clear levels by going down staircases to find keys, and collecting fruit to allow the exit to...
) - 4 in 1 Total Funpak (Pac-manPac-Manis an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
, Sidewinder, Duck Maze & OthelloOthelloThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
) - 4 in 1 Mind Blower Pak (Math Quiz, Jackpot, Arctic Adventure, Galactic Crusader)
- Real Players Pack 6-Pak (Rarest Known HES Game) Has The Same Unique Games As The (CaltronCaltronCaltron 6 in 1 is a multicart published in for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America, and the only game known to be released by Caltron, a Taiwan-based video game company. In Australia, it was published under the title Real Players Pack by Home Entertainment Suppliers...
6 in 1/Myriad 6 in 1) - Arctic Adventure (Penguin and Seal)
- Chiller
- Death Race
- Duck Maze
- F15 City War
- Impossible Mission 2
- Jackpot
- Little Red HoodLittle Red HoodLittle Red Hood is an unlicensed Taiwanese NES video game by Thin Chen Enterprise .-Summary:Little Red Hood is loosely based on the Little Red Riding Hood tale. In Little Red Hood, Red Hood must clear levels by going down staircases to find keys, and collecting fruit to allow the exit to...
(By Thin Chen EnterpriseThin Chen EnterpriseThin Chen Enterprise, also known as Sachen, was a Taiwanese company that developed several original games for the Nintendo Entertainment System , Mega Drive, Game Boy and other early cartridge-based handheld systems such as the Watara Supervision and Mega Duck...
as Sachen) - Maxi 15
- OthelloOthelloThe Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
- Pac-manPac-Manis an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
- Pipemania
- Raid 2020Raid 2020Raid 2020 is a NES action video game that takes place in the year 2020.-Summary:The object is to defeat all the drug dealers, defeat the drug lord Pit Bull, and eradicate drugs from the streets of America. As agent Shadow, the player faces a dystopian future world where moral collapse is inevitable...
- Pyramid
- RBI BaseballRBI BaseballR.B.I. Baseball is a baseball video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It was developed by Namco and published by Tengen and originally released in 1987. RBI spawned two sequels on the NES as well as versions for the Mega Drive/Genesis, TurboGrafx-16 , Sega 32X, Commodore Amiga, Super...
- Sidewinder (Mission Cobra)
- Silent Assault
- Super SprintSuper SprintSuper Sprint is a 1986 arcade game by Atari Games. The player drives a Formula One-like car on a circuit that is viewed from above.-Gameplay:...
- Toobin'Toobin'Toobin' is an Atari video game originally released as an arcade game in 1988. It was later ported to systems such as NES, Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64, MSX, and Game Boy Color. In the game, you play as the main characters Bif or Jet, guiding them through many winding rivers on an innertube...
- Twin Eagle
4 Pak All Action
4 Pak All Action was an 1995 unlicensed video game for the Sega Master SystemSega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
, that was released exclusively in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. This game is only compatible with the Sega Master System 2 console. It includes 4 games; Power Block, Adventure Kid, Twin Mouse, and Cave Dude.
Atari 2600 titles
HES released quite a few titles and multi game packs for the Atari 2600 Video Computer System. The cartridges are virtually identical to the Activision cartridges, but the Activision logo on the underside is blacked out.- Smash Hit Pak (5-in-1 cartridge: Frogger, Stampede, Seaquest, Boxing, Skiing)
- Super Hit Pak (5-in-1 cartridge: River Raid, Grand Prix, Fishing Derby, Sky Jinks, Checkers)