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Wheel of Fortune (video game)
Encyclopedia
Wheel of Fortune
is an American television game show
created by Merv Griffin
, premiering in 1975 with a syndicated version airing in 1983. Since 1986, the show has been adapted into various video games, most (if not all) based on the syndicated nighttime version. Most versions released before 1998 were published by GameTek
, which folded later that year. The modern versions of the Wheel of Fortune video games feature co-host Vanna White
since 1991 and host Pat Sajak
since 2010. From 1998 until 2010, the show's announcer Charlie O'Donnell
participated, with the last of which was released posthumously.
The video games released include a computer game for older Macintosh computers, a version for the Commodore 64
, a game for the Nintendo Entertainment System
released before the overhaul of the bonus round during the "Big Month of Cash", a version for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
and Sega Genesis, a Nintendo 64
version, several PC versions, as well as some arcade
versions. In addition, several handheld game versions, as well as slot machine versions were also released.
, Commodore 64
and MS-DOS
. A 1994 PC edition with co-host Vanna White
was created by Sony Imagesoft and released in June 1994. Atari released three PC editions with White and announcer Charlie O'Donnell
in 1998, 2000, and November 2002, all of which were developed by Artech Entertainment, Ltd.
The most recent Wheel game for the PC was released in 2007 by Sony Online Entertainment titled "Wheel of Fortune 2," as it was an updated version of their 2003 online game. A revised version of this game was released in 2010 titled as a "Platinum Edition," although the graphics and possibly the rules are the same as it's 2007 counterpart.
Players can use the Wheel Bucks to purchase more Power-Ups and receive 75 Wheel Gold for every level-up. There are also Power ups, with Free Play not on the wheel, but as a Power up. There are also three other bonuses (Timeout, Reveal Letter - which reveals a random letter and all its occurrences, and Double Bucks - Similar to the Double Play formerly used in the actual game). A player may also receive a spin of the "Spin & Win", which is a graphic of the Bonus Round wheel used to offer a random power-up, gold or an episode.
The Main Round works almost like the Online Game Sony Online Entertainment created in 2003, with 5 turns only, and no prizes/gift tags on the wheel. The top dollar is $2500, and follows the configuration of the current season. The bonus round is currently played for $5000 Wheel Bucks.
version of Wheel in July 1988. Playable by one to three players, the gameplay was much like the show with a few exceptions – a Bonus Round (as gameplay ends with this round), selectable difficulty of puzzles (normal or expert), a single Wheel arrangement for all rounds (top dollar value of $900; with all cash values in $100 increments and no Free Spin space), and prizes or bonuses. When a puzzle was solved, a $10,000 bonus was added to a player's score and that player gets an extra turn. In addition, there is no Speed-Up Round/Final Spin. Players were given a set number of "misses" (wrong guesses or hits on Bankrupt or Lose A Turn, adjustable by the arcade owner between 1 and 5) before gameplay ended and the player was prompted to buy-in and continue. Hitting certain score amounts could replenish these misses (similar to earning extra "lives" in other games). Player controls were limited to an encoder wheel (which was used to spin the Wheel or select letters and game options) and one button for each player to confirm said selections.
This was a video redemption game – while no real money was actually won (it was simply a means of keeping score), reaching certain score amounts would cause tickets to be dispensed. Graphics were on par with arcade games of the era (slightly over the home game systems of the time), and the game even featured a "Vanna" look-alike to "turn letters" on the board and urge on players with a simulated voice. The "Vanna" look-alike wore a red dress in odd-numbered rounds and wore a blue dress in even-numbered rounds.
This game used a software-based test menu (as opposed to DIP switches) to set the game options – they were saved to EEPROM.
The player rolled three balls, one at a time, down a chute that would go into one of seven slots. Whatever he or she accumulated via the wheel at the end of the three rolls was what s/he won.
Ten wedges had ticket values normally ranging from 1-15, although some units had 20 as a top value.
The seven slots were what controlled the wheel. Normally, from left to right, the slots were Bankrupt (automatically moved the wheel to a Bankrupt wedge), 1 Slot Right (the wheel moved counterclockwise by one space), 3 Slots Left (the wheel moved clockwise by three spaces), No Spin (the wheel did not move, with the wedge it was currently on being applied to the player's earnings), 3 Slots Right (the wheel moved counterclockwise by three spaces), 1 Slot Left (the wheel moved clockwise by one space), and Full Spin (the wheel moved around in either direction, landing on a random space).
Some arcades customized their units with different labels in order to suit their specifications for movement of the wheel. Some labels even had the option to move two slots in either direction.
The game's backdrops were similar to Tyco's 1992 Wheel board game, only the photo was morphed to stretch across the machine. There was a letter girl at the left side of the machine.
In 2005, ICE also released a coin pusher version. In order to spin the wheel at the top of the game, players needed to skillfully light up all 14 letters on a puzzle board spelling out "WHEEL OF FORTUNE". To do this, players needed to drop their coins onto a lighted section (the light would move back and forth along seven sections).
announced plans to release a Wheel of Fortune redemption game based on the slot machine versions. In it, the player can choose between a regular mode or a Double Play mode, which costs twice as much as the regular mode yet gives out twice the ticket potential. A large wheel is spun using a smaller wheel which controls the power of the spin. Whatever the large wheel lands on is the amount the player plays for per letter occurrence. The rest of the gameplay works similar to the bonus round on the actual show, yet not the same. Random letters are revealed in the puzzle, and the player has to choose three different letters out of various highlighted letters, which can be either vowels and/or consonants (all the highlighted letters are in the puzzle). The player then has to solve the puzzle by typing in the missing letters in order to win a bonus ticket value. If the player fails to solve the puzzle correctly, they still win the tickets earned during the puzzle.
. The most common machines use a version of the wheel built into the game and has a bonus spin in which the player can win coins and can also win a progressive jackpot
by lining up three "Wheel of Fortune" symbols wins the progressive jackpot. The jackpot can be linked with other Wheel machines throughout one or more states and reaches into the millions of dollars.
In 1998, Tiger Electronics released a handheld game based on the Wheel slot machines. It featured a Progressive Super Jackpot which started at $5,000 and increased by $1, $2, or $3 depending on what the player's bet is. There were two ways to win the Super Jackpot – either land on the Super Jackpot wedge when spinning the Wheel (the Wheel would be spun when a SPIN symbol hit the payout line, offering an easy way to win the Super Jackpot or some value between $20 and $1000), or get three "Wheel of Fortune" symbols on the payline with a $3 bet.
In more recent years, as video-based slot machines with many paylines have become popular, video versions of Wheel machines have appeared, with the wheel built above the main screen. In 2004, a Special Edition version featuring Sajak, White, and O'Donnell was created by IGT. A second version of the Special Edition machine was produced in 2006, which features nine video terminals situated around a giant wheel in the center. In this game, multiple players may become eligible for a bonus spin at any given time.
and Vanna White. The unit also included video tapes in these three editions with puzzles on them and allowed players to program their own puzzles. A second edition was released in November 1989, and hosted by Bob Goen
and White. The third edition was released in December 1994, and hosted by Sajak and White.
released an electronic handheld game for Wheel of Fortune in 1995, and a Deluxe version came out in 1999; both came with expansion cartridges. Both use the 3-round format the show used early during its run, but if there were only 2 players (Player 2 being the computer player), Player 1 would start Round 3. As usual, the player with the most money after the third round plays the Bonus Round, but if the computer player wins, no Bonus Round is played and the game is over.
, The Price Is Right
, Family Feud
, Password, The Joker's Wild
, and Tic-Tac-Dough
), for the Atari 2600
.http://www.rolentapress.com/memorabillia/great-game.jpg However, these plans were canceled when the North American video game crash of 1983 occurred. Since many felt that the Atari 2600 was not powerful enough to faithfully reproduce these games, it is believed that if these games had been developed and released, they would have been released as a hybrid video/board game (such as the Quest for Rings on the Odyssey2).http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49081&mode=linear
In 2004, Tiger Electronics
teamed with VEIL Wireless Technologies to make a Wheel game which let home viewers play along with the actual TV show (similar to the 1988 Mattel game). "Wheel of Fortune Live Play" was never released because of technical issues, however one unit (possibly a prototype
) was sold on eBay
in December 2006.
Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, which premiered in 1975. Contestants compete to solve word puzzles, similar to those used in Hangman, to win cash and prizes determined by spinning a large wheel. The title refers to the show's giant carnival wheel that...
is an American television game show
Game show
A game show is a type of radio or television program in which members of the public, television personalities or celebrities, sometimes as part of a team, play a game which involves answering questions or solving puzzles usually for money and/or prizes...
created by Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an American television host, musician, actor, and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 Griffin hosted his own talk show, The Merv Griffin Show on Group W Broadcasting...
, premiering in 1975 with a syndicated version airing in 1983. Since 1986, the show has been adapted into various video games, most (if not all) based on the syndicated nighttime version. Most versions released before 1998 were published by GameTek
GameTek
GameTek was a video game publisher based in North Miami Beach, Florida well known for publishing video game adaptations of game shows in the early 1990s. GameTek was a trade name for IJE, the owner of electronic publishing rights to Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune...
, which folded later that year. The modern versions of the Wheel of Fortune video games feature co-host Vanna White
Vanna White
Vanna White is an American television personality and film actress best known as the hostess of Wheel of Fortune since 1982.-Early life:...
since 1991 and host Pat Sajak
Pat Sajak
Pat Sajak is a television personality, former weatherman, actor and talk show host, best known as the host of the American television game show Wheel of Fortune.-Early life:...
since 2010. From 1998 until 2010, the show's announcer Charlie O'Donnell
Charlie O'Donnell
Charles John "Charlie" O'Donnell was an American radio and television announcer, primarily known for his work on game shows...
participated, with the last of which was released posthumously.
The video games released include a computer game for older Macintosh computers, a version for the 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...
, a game for 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...
released before the overhaul of the bonus round during the "Big Month of Cash", a version for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
and Sega Genesis, a Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
version, several PC versions, as well as some arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
versions. In addition, several handheld game versions, as well as slot machine versions were also released.
Console versions
PC versions
From 1987 through 1990, GameTek created five Wheel of Fortune computer games for the Apple IIApple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
, 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...
and MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
. A 1994 PC edition with co-host Vanna White
Vanna White
Vanna White is an American television personality and film actress best known as the hostess of Wheel of Fortune since 1982.-Early life:...
was created by Sony Imagesoft and released in June 1994. Atari released three PC editions with White and announcer Charlie O'Donnell
Charlie O'Donnell
Charles John "Charlie" O'Donnell was an American radio and television announcer, primarily known for his work on game shows...
in 1998, 2000, and November 2002, all of which were developed by Artech Entertainment, Ltd.
Artech Entertainment, Ltd.
Artech Digital Entertainment, Ltd. is a video game developer formed in 1982 in Ottawa, Canada. Also known as Artech Studios, the company developed games such as Raze's Hell, Monopoly, Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune, and a remake of Q*bert....
The most recent Wheel game for the PC was released in 2007 by Sony Online Entertainment titled "Wheel of Fortune 2," as it was an updated version of their 2003 online game. A revised version of this game was released in 2010 titled as a "Platinum Edition," although the graphics and possibly the rules are the same as it's 2007 counterpart.
Wheel of Fortune on Facebook
Sony Entertainment, together with GSN Digital released a free Wheel of Fortune game on Facebook. It combines most aspects of the TV game show and allows players to become contestants competing for virtual currency, called "Wheel Bucks," by playing a "Main Round" puzzle on their own and a "Bonus Round" puzzle that will allow them to collaborate with Facebook friends to increase their winnings.Players can use the Wheel Bucks to purchase more Power-Ups and receive 75 Wheel Gold for every level-up. There are also Power ups, with Free Play not on the wheel, but as a Power up. There are also three other bonuses (Timeout, Reveal Letter - which reveals a random letter and all its occurrences, and Double Bucks - Similar to the Double Play formerly used in the actual game). A player may also receive a spin of the "Spin & Win", which is a graphic of the Bonus Round wheel used to offer a random power-up, gold or an episode.
The Main Round works almost like the Online Game Sony Online Entertainment created in 2003, with 5 turns only, and no prizes/gift tags on the wheel. The top dollar is $2500, and follows the configuration of the current season. The bonus round is currently played for $5000 Wheel Bucks.
Arcade versions
GameTek also developed an arcadeVideo arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
version of Wheel in July 1988. Playable by one to three players, the gameplay was much like the show with a few exceptions – a Bonus Round (as gameplay ends with this round), selectable difficulty of puzzles (normal or expert), a single Wheel arrangement for all rounds (top dollar value of $900; with all cash values in $100 increments and no Free Spin space), and prizes or bonuses. When a puzzle was solved, a $10,000 bonus was added to a player's score and that player gets an extra turn. In addition, there is no Speed-Up Round/Final Spin. Players were given a set number of "misses" (wrong guesses or hits on Bankrupt or Lose A Turn, adjustable by the arcade owner between 1 and 5) before gameplay ended and the player was prompted to buy-in and continue. Hitting certain score amounts could replenish these misses (similar to earning extra "lives" in other games). Player controls were limited to an encoder wheel (which was used to spin the Wheel or select letters and game options) and one button for each player to confirm said selections.
This was a video redemption game – while no real money was actually won (it was simply a means of keeping score), reaching certain score amounts would cause tickets to be dispensed. Graphics were on par with arcade games of the era (slightly over the home game systems of the time), and the game even featured a "Vanna" look-alike to "turn letters" on the board and urge on players with a simulated voice. The "Vanna" look-alike wore a red dress in odd-numbered rounds and wore a blue dress in even-numbered rounds.
This game used a software-based test menu (as opposed to DIP switches) to set the game options – they were saved to EEPROM.
Lazer-Tron version (Spin To Win)
In 1992, Lazer-Tron released an arcade game loosely based on the show called Spin to Win. The main feature of the game was a 15-wedge wheel (each with three pegs) that very closely resembled the show's wheel. A light featured in the back of the game allowed players to easily see which space they landed on when the wheel came to a stop.The player rolled three balls, one at a time, down a chute that would go into one of seven slots. Whatever he or she accumulated via the wheel at the end of the three rolls was what s/he won.
Ten wedges had ticket values normally ranging from 1-15, although some units had 20 as a top value.
- Bankrupt: Two wedges marked Bankrupt would cost the player all the tickets he or she accumulated up to that point. If the player hits one of the Bankrupts on the last spin, they win nothing. If any of the player's balls went into this slot, it would move the wheel to the nearest Bankrupt wedge.
- Lose a Ball: The player wins nothing for this spin and also loses the following ball. If the player's first spin was this wedge, they would be left with only one more ball to roll.
- Double Ticket Bank: The number of tickets the player accumulated up to that point would be doubled. If the player were to spin 5, 10, and Double Ticket Bank for the game, they would win 30 tickets.
- Bonus Jackpot: If the player's last spin resulted in landing on this wedge, a second consecutive game would be played and, if their last spin resulted in landing on this wedge again, they would win the Bonus Jackpot (which could be worth hundreds of tickets).
The seven slots were what controlled the wheel. Normally, from left to right, the slots were Bankrupt (automatically moved the wheel to a Bankrupt wedge), 1 Slot Right (the wheel moved counterclockwise by one space), 3 Slots Left (the wheel moved clockwise by three spaces), No Spin (the wheel did not move, with the wedge it was currently on being applied to the player's earnings), 3 Slots Right (the wheel moved counterclockwise by three spaces), 1 Slot Left (the wheel moved clockwise by one space), and Full Spin (the wheel moved around in either direction, landing on a random space).
Some arcades customized their units with different labels in order to suit their specifications for movement of the wheel. Some labels even had the option to move two slots in either direction.
Funhouse version
In 1995, Funhouse released the first non-video Wheel redemption game. Out of seven large boxes spelling out JACKPOT, the A, K, and O had to be lit up via a 12-wedge wheel. A light traveled around the wheel itself, and once a coin traveled down a chute into the machine, the light would stop spinning on a value. Ten wedges had values normally ranging from 2-12 tickets, while Bankrupt gave the player zero tickets (but the player would not lose any tickets already earned). The twelfth wedge at the top of the wheel netted the player a lit letter plus the biggest value on the wheel, normally 50 tickets. If the player successfully lit up the last letter, in normal circumstances, 100 tickets would be won.The game's backdrops were similar to Tyco's 1992 Wheel board game, only the photo was morphed to stretch across the machine. There was a letter girl at the left side of the machine.
ICE versions
In 2000, ICE released a Wheel redemption game similar to their popular Cyclone games. In order to spin a large, 20-wedge wheel offering bonus values, players needed to stop a light traveling around the game on a blue bulb marked "Spin Zone". Otherwise, a smaller amount of tickets were dispensed. This version uses the 1997 rendition of Changing Keys.In 2005, ICE also released a coin pusher version. In order to spin the wheel at the top of the game, players needed to skillfully light up all 14 letters on a puzzle board spelling out "WHEEL OF FORTUNE". To do this, players needed to drop their coins onto a lighted section (the light would move back and forth along seven sections).
Konami version
In 2010, KonamiKonami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
announced plans to release a Wheel of Fortune redemption game based on the slot machine versions. In it, the player can choose between a regular mode or a Double Play mode, which costs twice as much as the regular mode yet gives out twice the ticket potential. A large wheel is spun using a smaller wheel which controls the power of the spin. Whatever the large wheel lands on is the amount the player plays for per letter occurrence. The rest of the gameplay works similar to the bonus round on the actual show, yet not the same. Random letters are revealed in the puzzle, and the player has to choose three different letters out of various highlighted letters, which can be either vowels and/or consonants (all the highlighted letters are in the puzzle). The player then has to solve the puzzle by typing in the missing letters in order to win a bonus ticket value. If the player fails to solve the puzzle correctly, they still win the tickets earned during the puzzle.
Slot machines
A series of popular slot machines, all based on the current version of Wheel of Fortune, were manufactured for North American casinos by International Game TechnologyInternational Game Technology
International Game Technology is a Nevada based company specializing in the design, development, manufacturing, sales and distribution of gaming machines and network system products internationally, as well as online and mobile gaming solutions for regulated markets. The company's main offices are...
. The most common machines use a version of the wheel built into the game and has a bonus spin in which the player can win coins and can also win a progressive jackpot
Progressive jackpot
A progressive jackpot is a jackpot for a gaming machine where the value of the jackpot increases a small amount for every game played...
by lining up three "Wheel of Fortune" symbols wins the progressive jackpot. The jackpot can be linked with other Wheel machines throughout one or more states and reaches into the millions of dollars.
In 1998, Tiger Electronics released a handheld game based on the Wheel slot machines. It featured a Progressive Super Jackpot which started at $5,000 and increased by $1, $2, or $3 depending on what the player's bet is. There were two ways to win the Super Jackpot – either land on the Super Jackpot wedge when spinning the Wheel (the Wheel would be spun when a SPIN symbol hit the payout line, offering an easy way to win the Super Jackpot or some value between $20 and $1000), or get three "Wheel of Fortune" symbols on the payline with a $3 bet.
In more recent years, as video-based slot machines with many paylines have become popular, video versions of Wheel machines have appeared, with the wheel built above the main screen. In 2004, a Special Edition version featuring Sajak, White, and O'Donnell was created by IGT. A second version of the Special Edition machine was produced in 2006, which features nine video terminals situated around a giant wheel in the center. In this game, multiple players may become eligible for a bonus spin at any given time.
Play-along versions
In June 1988, Mattel released an electronic handheld Wheel of Fortune game that allowed players to point the device at the television and play along with the puzzle. It also featured hosts Pat SajakPat Sajak
Pat Sajak is a television personality, former weatherman, actor and talk show host, best known as the host of the American television game show Wheel of Fortune.-Early life:...
and Vanna White. The unit also included video tapes in these three editions with puzzles on them and allowed players to program their own puzzles. A second edition was released in November 1989, and hosted by Bob Goen
Bob Goen
Robert Kuehl "Bob" Goen is an American game show emcee and television personality, best known for his work on Entertainment Tonight between 1993 and 2004...
and White. The third edition was released in December 1994, and hosted by Sajak and White.
Pinball machine
A Wheel of Fortune pinball machine was released in Fall 2007 and was developed by Stern Pinball. It was designed by Kevin O'Connor and Margaret Hudson, and featured host Pat Sajak and announcer Charlie O'Donnell.Handheld games
Tiger ElectronicsTiger Electronics
Tiger Electronics is an American toy manufacturer, best known for its handheld LCD games, the Furby, and Giga Pets. When Tiger was an independent company, Tiger Electronics Inc., its headquarters were in Vernon Hills, Illinois....
released an electronic handheld game for Wheel of Fortune in 1995, and a Deluxe version came out in 1999; both came with expansion cartridges. Both use the 3-round format the show used early during its run, but if there were only 2 players (Player 2 being the computer player), Player 1 would start Round 3. As usual, the player with the most money after the third round plays the Bonus Round, but if the computer player wins, no Bonus Round is played and the game is over.
Cancelled versions
In 1983, GameTek planned to release a version of Wheel, along with conversions of six other popular game shows (Jeopardy!Jeopardy!
Griffin's first conception of the game used a board comprising ten categories with ten clues each, but after finding that this board could not be shown on camera easily, he reduced it to two rounds of thirty clues each, with five clues in each of six categories...
, The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right (U.S. game show)
The Price Is Right is an American game show which was created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Contestants compete to identify the pricing of merchandise to win cash and prizes. The show is well-known for its signature line of "Come on down!" when the announcer directs newly selected contestants to...
, Family Feud
Family Feud
Family Feud is an American television game show created by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman. Two families compete against each other in a contest to name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 people...
, Password, The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild
The Joker's Wild is an American television game show that aired at different times during the 1970s through the 1990s. Contestants answered questions based on categories that were determined randomly by a mechanism resembling a slot machine....
, and Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough
Tic-Tac-Dough is an American television game show based on the pen-and-paper game of tic-tac-toe. Contestants answer questions in various categories to put up their respective symbol, X or O, on the board. Three versions were produced: the initial 1956–59 run on NBC, a 1978–1986 run initially on...
), for the 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...
.http://www.rolentapress.com/memorabillia/great-game.jpg However, these plans were canceled when the North American video game crash of 1983 occurred. Since many felt that the Atari 2600 was not powerful enough to faithfully reproduce these games, it is believed that if these games had been developed and released, they would have been released as a hybrid video/board game (such as the Quest for Rings on the Odyssey2).http://www.atariage.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49081&mode=linear
In 2004, Tiger Electronics
Tiger Electronics
Tiger Electronics is an American toy manufacturer, best known for its handheld LCD games, the Furby, and Giga Pets. When Tiger was an independent company, Tiger Electronics Inc., its headquarters were in Vernon Hills, Illinois....
teamed with VEIL Wireless Technologies to make a Wheel game which let home viewers play along with the actual TV show (similar to the 1988 Mattel game). "Wheel of Fortune Live Play" was never released because of technical issues, however one unit (possibly a prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
) was sold on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
in December 2006.
External links
- Wheel of Fortune on Station.comStation.comStation.com is Sony Online Entertainment's portal that is the home to its many PC, Console, Casual and Mobile games. It is the home to many MMORPG's including EverQuest, EverQuest II, The Matrix Online , PlanetSide, and Star Wars Galaxies, which have gained hundreds of thousands of paid...
- Wheel of Fortune 2 on Station.comStation.comStation.com is Sony Online Entertainment's portal that is the home to its many PC, Console, Casual and Mobile games. It is the home to many MMORPG's including EverQuest, EverQuest II, The Matrix Online , PlanetSide, and Star Wars Galaxies, which have gained hundreds of thousands of paid...
- Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine Demo (non-US visitors only)