Shane, the iQue was a huge hit in China BUT the amount of legit units sold was minuscule. We used to the knock-off by the dozen at every computer market in Guangzhou and they all looked similar except for the quality. They would sell for about 40% of the price of a real iQue and that was a big reason why it died in China
Fun Fact: Speedruns of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are commonly carried out on the iQue because Chinese words are smaller, so you can skip through text faster, and because there is less gameplay lag.
poptheweasel100 that controller exists for the N64, it uses an iQue Player to N64 Controller port which lets you use extra iQue Player controllers to play N64 Games
The Swim controllers, which came bundled with the family box set, use the same controller ports as the original N64 controllers. So technically speaking, it's possible to play a normal N64 with a ique player controller.
@@nothanksfools yeah. The problem with mini consoles are that I am never going to leave one plugged in. The novelty kind of wears off when you put it on a shelf for a real console. I would much rather there be like a collection of n64 games on the switch.
From what I recall reading online at the time, the reason why the iQue was unaffected by the ban was its peculiar game distribution system. Had it used cartridges, it would have probably be outlawed.
+KWKBOX Check out history, art is a little more rare than one might think. It's a benefit of peace time. That's why Japan is producing great art while America has Kardashians.
As I'm too young when N64 was out, even though I lives in China, I actually haven't heard of the iQue player until quite a few years later. So, well, even though the games are pretty limited, now as I know what those games are, I actually kinda wish I had that thing in my childhood, since those titles are mostly the best titles on that system... Well, it's just not what's in my time. In my childhood, there's NES (because it's still popular even in 2006 I guess...) there's GBA, and a little bit later there's PSP (bootlegged, of course). For me, gaming pretty much is majorly PC gaming, and occasionally mobile gaming. By the way, apparently they banned video game consoles but not video games, and I've heard that there's iQue SP (marketed as "iQue multi-media interactive system"), iQue DS ("iQue dual-screen multi-media interactive system") out there, and if go back to Famicom knock-offs, there's XiaoBaWang educational device, which looks like a good old IBM keyboard with a FC cartridge slot XD Therefore, nintendo games really aren't what we are not familiar with, some how. Until there's no Wii in China. But nobody cares, since it's pretty easy to just buy one oversea. And actually, it seems that most 3DS being used in China are the Japanese version, despite there's a Chinese version out there. So even though Pokemon sun/moon is finally available in China, most people would still just buy the Japanese version anyway, I guess...
Hoàng Trần Minh Basically I rented a VPS and host a Shadowsocks server on it to proxy my traffic. Usually 360p and 480p would be quite smooth but sometimes I can have 720p. Don't ever use free VPN or any other proxy services (except GoAgent I guess), they are super slow and you never know if it's safe enough. Paid VPN is good if you don't need extreme security, but self-hosted Shadowsocks is the most flexible (although it won't make you anonymous).
RevolveTechUSA 99 Console ban is the least thing to be worried. The real challenge is, each single game that got official release in China would have to go through an "evaluation" process by government, and there are restrictions like, no super violent stuff (because we have no rating system), no international online connecting, the publisher must be a Chinese company, things like that. So even though we have Xbox One and PS4, people still import games a lot, or just parallel import the whole console to avoid that 17% tax. Not to mention, Nintendo consoles are region-locked in China, aka there's rarely anyone buying the Chinese version here except for second hand GBA SP and DSL (which is region free by the way).
The ban led to the growth of game pirating, console smuggling and cheap online games. Many chinese still don't understand the idea of paying money for single player games, or buying consoles.
guess the chipset was slightly improved, hence the smoothness being superior to N64 It would be awesome to work-around the region lock and adapt a bigger memory card to store all the n64 library and see how they perform compared to the 14 Chinese versions
I find it really cool how they were able to fit an entire N64, with games and button inputs, into a small controller. And this was done only a year after games for the N64 stopped production. It's a better product in every way. They should've released this in America instead of the actual N64.
Combine it with the UltraHDMI mod. Maybe slim it down a good bit as well in the center and you'd definitely have something worthwhile. Nowadays you could probably fit N64's entire library into it! Also, move the Z-Triggers to actual trigger positions. It's a must for FPS players!
I still love the idea of having a game downloader. It takes me back to the old Blockbuster days. And that would be an easy way to do demos. Download them at a store and then come back to the store or buy it digitally if you liked it.
I really wouldn't call this a lost console, it's just an N64 at the end of the day. But this was still a fascinating video & I learned about something I had no idea existed before, so there's that :P
+Chris c Nope, they use the real thing, emulation is only allowed for practise not running. That said though, iQue is no longer widely used as new discoveries have made other versions of the game faster in all categories.
+DrLilo I've been watching the speedrunning community for a long time and I remember when the iQue version of OOT dominated the leaderboards on ZeldaSpeedRuns. Only about last year were new glitches discovered and the Japanese N64 version now holds top spot. I feel so bad for all the iQue systems that are now useless.
***** I meant useless to the speedrunners. The iQue still has plenty of use and value to collectors or hardcore Nintendo fans, it's a cool piece of history!
Minor notes, The kiosk were not in gas stations. They were in retail department stores, usually in the kids section. Something not covered is while the games where digital, you could buy manuals for the other games in store. They are really hard to come by now a days (all units will at least have the manual for Dr Mario in the box). If anybody actually goes out to buy one on ebay, there is a small chance the unit's usb wont work as it was not in the original firmware but was added via kiosk update. So just check with the seller first that it's been updated to support iQue@Home PC software. Software can still be purchased off iQue@Home but you will need to track down pre-paid cards (they're still out there).
Actually it's because Nintendo wouldn't have made any profit from CD games due to the contract stating Sony would be receiving royalties, so they cancelled it. Sony put a lot of effort into it and after much legal work and debate, they redid the hardware, kept the name and CD tech and released what we know and love today
They weren't to thrilled of losing money on Sony made discs, and realized Sony themselves would be able to not only manufacture these but develope and produce their own games as well.., it would've have been awesome to see a console where both games like Gran Turismo & Super Mario 64 would've existed on though...
The name iQue sound like something Apple would release, with their iThis and iThat! No disrespect to Apple or Apple fanboys, but maybe they already have made something with this name, maybe an iQue is how you wait in line in an Apple store!
+CoolDudeClem No disrespect to Apple Fanboys? Really? I don't care what device you own but when you say "Apple fanboys" I assume you mean the people who blindly follow Apple and attack anyone who has something else. Hell it's not even Apple, there are android fanboys and fanboys for about anything else. Fanboys do not deserve any respect.
+CoolDudeClem Apple made a video game console years back called Pippin. Honestly though, I could see them calling a future console 'iQ' or something like that.
Pretty much, but it's a portable N64 that doesn't even need to change cartridges and can download games online back when no other console was doing that.
txcforever someone probably just downloaded n64 roms on it and played them through the Player, that's how it worked on my cousins ATGames Sega Genesis Portable
The iQue was shipped to Singapore by Nintendo, knowing that Singapore would bootleg the system into China. The catch was, that only consoles were outlawed in China, however Nintendo could setup their kiosks to download the games at Chinese shopping centers etc.
You should read the book Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America. Nintendo has tried to make game kiosks a thing since the 80s where you could download games onto a rewritable floppy disk for the FamiCom CD.
It's a lot more depressing when you realize they didn't have the Gamecube, Wii or Wii U, along with the vast majority of games on systems they did have, not without emulating and breaking the law anyway.
William Seroyer Before 2003~04 video game are popular and video game are healthy (especially PC games) until some stupid guy write a letter to the government then the government banned video games. on the one hand some stupid parents who cannot handle the kids blame their failure on video game, on the other hand the law has a lots of loophole, these MMO games can skip the retail store and release online. For kids love video games, they won't just stop playing it, since they're not being able to buy the game, they just downloaded it illegally, then everything just get more and more ugly, that's why PC games are still really popular even though video games are banned, btw only the publish is banned, playing games are not illegal
+Ethan Boyle mhmm I found out about this thing a few years ago when I started following OoT speedruns hehe >w< I did not know all the details about the console until now tho :D
Didn't Nintendo release a GameCube in China that was also a DVD player? Being a DVD player, I think, was how they got around the video game ban with that.
In china at that time video game systems/console were allowed but they had to be an all in one systems with games pre-loaded. The restriction was mainly the video games could not be sold separately from the system. They got around the law by allowing games to be loaded electronically instead of selling actual pre-loaded cartridges at stores.
Not only is text faster and shorter loading times on iQue, but Ganon's Castle collapses so fast because there's no lag unlike N64, GameCube, and surprisingly Wii and Wii U virtual consoles
This wasn't released in the states for consumer retail but several hotels used it. I wish i didn't think this was total crap i would've grabbed a few before the hotel i used to work for threw them out.
Apple & Nintendo have the same company manufacturing there hardware. Thats why Nintendo system and Apple products work so well and last so long. Right now Apple is more demanding than Nintendo, thats one of the reasons why the Nintendo Switch is limiting their sales.
Well no, iQue was founded in 2002, Apple released the first "i" product in 1998, the iMac. But it dates back a bit further, with a company named InfoGear releasing a desktop phone called the "iPhone" (Yes really) in 1997, however they're clearly not the ones for popularising the "i" prefix.
the controller is more like a dreamcast controller....which microsoft openly copied considering xbox came out about 6 months AFTER dreamcast had died..... man why do people forget that crap
GTArajgaming they actually didn't copy it they had a partnership with sega before the xbox came out and sega worked with Microsoft before the dreamcast even came out. They actually almost made it to where the og Xbox would be backwards compatible with dreamcast games. That would have been so good for both Sega and Microsoft. I don't honestly know why that fell through.
Even with Internet and acessibility there's still a lot of Nintendo stuff I don't know. And it always amazes me what's there to learn. Good video as always Rerez.
Actually you were able to buy the iQue Wii in China around 2010/2011. Bought one back then in Guangzhou and except for the iQue labels instead of the Nintendo ones it was pretty much identical to the Wii which was released elsewhere. Do an Google image search for iQue Wii and you'll find screenshots of the health/safety warning in Chinese and a few in-store demo units.
Never heard of it! It is truly a hidden Nintendo console. As usual, the episode is great and now, with actual crew it looks even nicer! Music by 2 Mello is cool as well, I've subscribed to him.
Why are you acting like this is such an amazing, cool device? It's literally a plug-n-play clone of an N64, with a different button layout. 3rd party controllers existed for N64 that also had two handles and a better button layout. Also, you can play Ocarina of Time on both GameCube and Wii with a GameCube controller, which I could argue offers a much better experience than the iQue, simply because you can actually read the text! How is this "possibly one of the best controllers that Nintendo ever released"? You really think this bulky controller is more comfortable than the GC controller, or even the Wii U Pro Controller? Nintendo re-releasing this today would not be a "pretty big hit," it would be a nightmare. It would cut into their Virtual Console sales, and it likely looks terrible on an LCD screen given that I doubt it has HD video output. I mean, I'll give you that it's a cool, rare item and it's definitely an interesting oddity in Nintendo's history, so it stands out in that aspect. (Though I'd argue the Famicom Disc System and the Panasonic Q are far more interesting in that regard) Nothing about the device itself though is mind-blowing or interesting at all. We practically DID get the iQue player released here. It was called the Nintendo 64, except ours was bigger and played more games.
My biggest gripe with the iQue player is the extremely limited storage space on it's memory cards. When I bought one, I wanted to get a few games installed on it but there would only be room enough for like 4... And only 1 if I were to choose Ocarina of Time. And apparently there was not any bigger memory cards or way to expand the storage you already have. It's really a shame for a console that is so dependant on digital games.. Games that you can only get via a pretty convoluted way. Would be nice to just have them all right there on the memory card.
This type of plug and play N64 reminds of the Lodgenet N64 units for hotels which, from what I gathered, had timed demos too, but the games where streamed from a server into lodgenet cable boxes? Anyways I hope you can cover those in a future video. Would've been neat if at least Nintendo had released the controller design to use for Virtual console n64 games for the Wii or something.
I picked this up in 2006 in China, I knew about the iQue before, and was happy to see one! mine came with a full game of Sin&Punishment and some weird game where a kid walks to school and starts a virtual mech fight..
The iQue is one of those things that could only happen once and only happen somewhere like China, and yeah it’s really cool to think Nintendo had online digital download games at a time when that wasn’t the norm, and the idea of being able to play games like Ocarina of time, Majoras mask, Mario 64, and super smash bros in a place and time when those games were outlawed when they were new would be well worth the price, especially being able to play smash bros 2 players with a friend
Holy crap, I actually knew about this one thanks to my interest in speedrunning. People usually speedrun The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the iQue Player because of the faster text and quicker loading times it has compared to other versions.
Nintendo re-releasing this in America would not be a good idea at all. I like the video but why should Nintendo release this when we already have the n64 which also has a bigger library of games. And with the Wii virtual console, there's absolutely no reason to release an old console. I didn't like how you keep saying we didn't get it because we did, we got the better version of it. And a few years earlier.
Fantastic! If the Big N released this over here, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, and doubly so if it also had some of the features other commentors have suggested. You said that the four built-in games were time-limited demos. Am I correct in assuming that these games can be played over and over, but only for X minutes a shot? Or, perhaps, it means that the game is locked when the total time runs out, and the player buys additional playtime the same way they DL full games from kiosks or the Web? I'm thinking the former is correct. Anyway, an N64OAC plug-and-play blows my widdle mind. I'd love one!
Shane, the iQue was a huge hit in China BUT the amount of legit units sold was minuscule. We used to the knock-off by the dozen at every computer market in Guangzhou and they all looked similar except for the quality. They would sell for about 40% of the price of a real iQue and that was a big reason why it died in China
How do you tell the difference to a real and fake one? I've just acquired a boxed one and your comment has got me thinking
It really wasnt. It sold an estimated 12000-15000 units💀
@@nordicohahah Either you didn't read the entire post before commenting or your reading comprehension skills are severely lacking.
@@nordicohahah Did you not read their comment properly?
@@nordicohahah Me when I cannot read:
Fun Fact: Speedruns of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are commonly carried out on the iQue because Chinese words are smaller, so you can skip through text faster, and because there is less gameplay lag.
Thanks Captain!
They could have two speed runs categories, iQue and N64 NTSC versions
Essem I'll stick with the 3DS version though.
Essem wow
+Essem I've got a feeling that most more recent speedruns of Ocarina of time use the 3DS version whenever possible.
Is it just me, or does that look like an Xbox "Duke" controller and an N64 controller got busy?
this came out in 2000ish
6:37
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
@@Redsoxking 2003
instead of saying "made in china" it says "made right around the corner"
lol
hahahahahahahahaha good one
+Greenfear SSB
No it says Made Here
+Greenfear SSB "You made it" XD
you owe me some new lungs.
The "faster text scrolling" is due to Chinese having alot less characters per sentence. Speedrunners use the iQue version for this exact reason.
English: “Doctor Mario” 12 letters
中文：“马力欧医生” 5 Hanzi
That's kinda cheating.
@@PunakiviAddikti how?
@@PunakiviAddikti No it isn't. How is it cheating?
@@PunakiviAddikti How is that cheating. Do you know anything about speedrunning or do you just say before you think.
Shane & Crew, you treated my iQue with the love and respect it deserves. LOVE this coverage, looks amazing!
+Syd Bolton Thanks so much for letting us borrow it! :D
Now if only people would make reproductions of this controller for the N64... One man can dream...
poptheweasel100 that controller exists for the N64, it uses an iQue Player to N64 Controller port which lets you use extra iQue Player controllers to play N64 Games
yep I actually had one
The Swim controllers, which came bundled with the family box set, use the same controller ports as the original N64 controllers.
So technically speaking, it's possible to play a normal N64 with a ique player controller.
"There's just no reason for a system like this to exist."
Meanwhile, in America, people are asking for a plug and play N64 Mini. :P
Can you blame them?
Yeah it would be a good time for them to announce it
Only because Nintendo hates money and won't release a N64 virtual console or any other of their systems on switch. But I hacked mine so idc
@@nothanksfools yeah. The problem with mini consoles are that I am never going to leave one plugged in. The novelty kind of wears off when you put it on a shelf for a real console. I would much rather there be like a collection of n64 games on the switch.
From what I recall reading online at the time, the reason why the iQue was unaffected by the ban was its peculiar game distribution system. Had it used cartridges, it would have probably be outlawed.
I never would of thought video games would become contraband anywhere.
+KWKBOX Check out history, art is a little more rare than one might think. It's a benefit of peace time. That's why Japan is producing great art while America has Kardashians.
+KWKBOX Guessing you don't know the history of Tetris
Rally Monster I meant as a whole not just one game.
***** Maybe if they sold the virtual boy out there things would have been different.
One country tried to limit illegal gambling by banning all electronic entertainment.
As I'm too young when N64 was out, even though I lives in China, I actually haven't heard of the iQue player until quite a few years later. So, well, even though the games are pretty limited, now as I know what those games are, I actually kinda wish I had that thing in my childhood, since those titles are mostly the best titles on that system...
Well, it's just not what's in my time. In my childhood, there's NES (because it's still popular even in 2006 I guess...) there's GBA, and a little bit later there's PSP (bootlegged, of course). For me, gaming pretty much is majorly PC gaming, and occasionally mobile gaming.
By the way, apparently they banned video game consoles but not video games, and I've heard that there's iQue SP (marketed as "iQue multi-media interactive system"), iQue DS ("iQue dual-screen multi-media interactive system") out there, and if go back to Famicom knock-offs, there's XiaoBaWang educational device, which looks like a good old IBM keyboard with a FC cartridge slot XD Therefore, nintendo games really aren't what we are not familiar with, some how.
Until there's no Wii in China. But nobody cares, since it's pretty easy to just buy one oversea. And actually, it seems that most 3DS being used in China are the Japanese version, despite there's a Chinese version out there. So even though Pokemon sun/moon is finally available in China, most people would still just buy the Japanese version anyway, I guess...
they lifted the bann of console
野龍 but google still havent gone back into china so...
what vpn service do you use that have enough bandwith to go on youtube?
Hoàng Trần Minh Basically I rented a VPS and host a Shadowsocks server on it to proxy my traffic. Usually 360p and 480p would be quite smooth but sometimes I can have 720p.
Don't ever use free VPN or any other proxy services (except GoAgent I guess), they are super slow and you never know if it's safe enough. Paid VPN is good if you don't need extreme security, but self-hosted Shadowsocks is the most flexible (although it won't make you anonymous).
RevolveTechUSA 99 Console ban is the least thing to be worried. The real challenge is, each single game that got official release in China would have to go through an "evaluation" process by government, and there are restrictions like, no super violent stuff (because we have no rating system), no international online connecting, the publisher must be a Chinese company, things like that.
So even though we have Xbox One and PS4, people still import games a lot, or just parallel import the whole console to avoid that 17% tax. Not to mention, Nintendo consoles are region-locked in China, aka there's rarely anyone buying the Chinese version here except for second hand GBA SP and DSL (which is region free by the way).
The ban led to the growth of game pirating, console smuggling and cheap online games.
Many chinese still don't understand the idea of paying money for single player games, or buying consoles.
guess the chipset was slightly improved, hence the smoothness being superior to N64
It would be awesome to work-around the region lock and adapt a bigger memory card to store all the n64 library and see how they perform compared to the 14 Chinese versions
That thing with official support for the eShop would be *the* seller for Nintendo.
After all, there is a market for older games.
When you were listing well known Nintendo consoles you forgot to mention the 'Nintendo Colour TV game', Nintendo's first console
Wouldn't really call that a well known system ;)
+Rerez
It was the best selling Pong console in Japan though (My Nintendo knowledge is better than yours :-P)
+william mitchell Haha, I bow down to your knowledge good sir. :D
+Rerez
:-D
I find it really cool how they were able to fit an entire N64, with games and button inputs, into a small controller. And this was done only a year after games for the N64 stopped production. It's a better product in every way. They should've released this in America instead of the actual N64.
Just when I thought the Wonderswan was obscure...
lol, then you know nothing yet
+dj505Gaming I was watching Rerez other video about the Nuon when I clicked his channel by accident and saw this new video.
+dj505Gaming I was watching Rerez other video about the Nuon when I clicked his channel by accident and saw this new video.
+dj505Gaming The APF Imagination Machine is one of the most obscure system I know.
The Wonderswan Was Pretty Awful, It Had A Ultra Dark Screen Which Makes The Original Game Boy's Screen Look Good
Combine it with the UltraHDMI mod. Maybe slim it down a good bit as well in the center and you'd definitely have something worthwhile. Nowadays you could probably fit N64's entire library into it!
Also, move the Z-Triggers to actual trigger positions. It's a must for FPS players!
I still love the idea of having a game downloader. It takes me back to the old Blockbuster days. And that would be an easy way to do demos. Download them at a store and then come back to the store or buy it digitally if you liked it.
6:50 and the NES Classic was born
i've thought the same. XD
I was about to make that comment lol
I really wouldn't call this a lost console, it's just an N64 at the end of the day. But this was still a fascinating video & I learned about something I had no idea existed before, so there's that :P
I don't think it's that rare, a lot of Ocarina of Time speedrunners use it due to less lag.
+Christos Karamanos they could be using the rom yeah/
+Chris c Nope, they use the real thing, emulation is only allowed for practise not running. That said though, iQue is no longer widely used as new discoveries have made other versions of the game faster in all categories.
+DrLilo I've been watching the speedrunning community for a long time and I remember when the iQue version of OOT dominated the leaderboards on ZeldaSpeedRuns. Only about last year were new glitches discovered and the Japanese N64 version now holds top spot. I feel so bad for all the iQue systems that are now useless.
***** I meant useless to the speedrunners. The iQue still has plenty of use and value to collectors or hardcore Nintendo fans, it's a cool piece of history!
+DrLilo Allowed? What is therwe an official speedrun counsel and lawmakers lol
Your content is so well put together. I feel like im watching a TV show.
ikr? that's why i love his channel!
Agreed. High level production and content. 10/10 would buy again
Just when you thought you knew "obscure," Shane comes around and taps you on the shoulder. Also, 3:11 that face "OOOO!" : O -
+stringanime Haha, I never noticed that!
Compare the castle coming down in Ocarina of Time on N64 and on iQue. On N64 you'll notice a ton of lag and on iQue you won't see any lag at all. :)
3DS one I think is as fast as iQue
Minor notes,
The kiosk were not in gas stations. They were in retail department stores, usually in the kids section.
Something not covered is while the games where digital, you could buy manuals for the other games in store. They are really hard to come by now a days (all units will at least have the manual for Dr Mario in the box).
If anybody actually goes out to buy one on ebay, there is a small chance the unit's usb wont work as it was not in the original firmware but was added via kiosk update. So just check with the seller first that it's been updated to support iQue@Home PC software. Software can still be purchased off iQue@Home but you will need to track down pre-paid cards (they're still out there).
Am I the only one who didn't mind the n64 controller?
No, I'm with u!
Ramjet164 :D
+Atari Game Lord It's comfeh to me :3
I don't know why people don't like it.
ahums16 Yeah, I find it comfortable too ;)
+Atari Game Lord it could be hand size, after all nintendo did go for children as target audience but i could be dead worng
You've certainly been spoiling us with content lately. Awesome!
Nintendo's lost console is the PlayStation...
Actually it's because Nintendo wouldn't have made any profit from CD games due to the contract stating Sony would be receiving royalties, so they cancelled it. Sony put a lot of effort into it and after much legal work and debate, they redid the hardware, kept the name and CD tech and released what we know and love today
Exactly. Sony sold a half console for full sticker price :/
Never forget, the CD-i basically existed because of the same deal. Nintendo and games on CD.
@Justin B actually they favored it but opt for sonys rival Philips but it turned into the CDI
They weren't to thrilled of losing money on Sony made discs, and realized Sony themselves would be able to not only manufacture these but develope and produce their own games as well.., it would've have been awesome to see a console where both games like Gran Turismo & Super Mario 64 would've existed on though...
I like researching the iQue player and I want one. I was thrilled when you added a video over this topic.
The name iQue sound like something Apple would release, with their iThis and iThat! No disrespect to Apple or Apple fanboys, but maybe they already have made something with this name, maybe an iQue is how you wait in line in an Apple store!
+CoolDudeClem Sounds actually like the spanish release of some inexplicable device named the "iWhat".
+CoolDudeClem "iThis and iThat" I laughed so hard at this. XD
+CoolDudeClem No disrespect to Apple Fanboys? Really? I don't care what device you own but when you say "Apple fanboys" I assume you mean the people who blindly follow Apple and attack anyone who has something else.
Hell it's not even Apple, there are android fanboys and fanboys for about anything else.
Fanboys do not deserve any respect.
+CoolDudeClem Apple made a video game console years back called Pippin. Honestly though, I could see them calling a future console 'iQ' or something like that.
+Rerez ikr
"You just might consider this to be one of the best Nintendo consoles you've ever played"
Dude it's just an N64.
Pretty much, but it's a portable N64 that doesn't even need to change cartridges and can download games online back when no other console was doing that.
TopBadge I read this literally just as he said it
TopBadge nigga why you talkin shit boi
Cringe.
TopBadge
I wonder if anyone hacked it to play N64 game Roms.
txcforever someone probably just downloaded n64 roms on it and played them through the Player, that's how it worked on my cousins ATGames Sega Genesis Portable
@@KibSquib48 Those things are totally different and really crappy. Although while yes, that CAN work, but for the majority of 64 games it doesn't work
Can I mention that your intro is fantastic? It's only a second long and isn't annoying in the slightest.
+Sam Maggie Well I'm glad you like it! I felt the old ones I made in the past were just way to long so I wanted to make it as short as possible.
Fun fact: Que is What in Spanish, so the console in a literal translation to Spanish it'll be something like IWhat?
u wot?
wouldn't be translated as "so what" phonetically?
more like Yoque xD
Pronounced different though. This que is more like a line, "kew". "Kay" is the que you're thinking of lol.
More like "Y Qué?" Which can be translated as "so what?"
talking about chinese, i remember the meme of parappa the rapper CHINESE!
Ana Rodriguez CHINESE CHINESE CHINESE MEXICAN CHINESE CHINESE
I never heard of that meme before
***** ah I see XD
"Anything goes, even *C H I N E S E*."
I got that somewhere a while back, also, Taiwanese Rap, now you got Trap!
Wait.... IT'S ALMOST A N64 CLASSIC EDITION
That was actually really really cool, and now I want one.
Most OoT Speedrunners know about the iQue Player, mainly as it can be faster than playing on VC. But still a great video :)
The iQue was shipped to Singapore by Nintendo, knowing that Singapore would bootleg the system into China. The catch was, that only consoles were outlawed in China, however Nintendo could setup their kiosks to download the games at Chinese shopping centers etc.
An IQ kiosk at gas stations
Ok that's cool
You should read the book Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America. Nintendo has tried to make game kiosks a thing since the 80s where you could download games onto a rewritable floppy disk for the FamiCom CD.
Tommy Lee Lynn You mean Famicom Disk Drive.
It's a lot more depressing when you realize they didn't have the Gamecube, Wii or Wii U, along with the vast majority of games on systems they did have, not without emulating and breaking the law anyway.
I never know about this! Thank you so much for making this video!!!
+Van Nintendo You're welcome!
Wow,I remember this one,but kind of failed in China since the year 2002 players in China really just play PS2 for the most of time.
LOL WITH HOW SUCCESSFUL PS2 GAMES WERE AND SUCH I CAN TOTALLY AGREE XDDD
Not any other channel would capture this, but Rerez. And Shane told me he wasn't good enough for Normal Boots.
"But they're probably not gonna do that."
Actually, it seems like it could happen, given the NES mini being hyped up.
Fascinating! You just earned a new subscriber!
+The Rad Channel Thanks for the sub! :)
So I'm guessing Video game consoles being illegal in China till 2015 is why PC gaming is a huge market their.
William Seroyer Before 2003~04 video game are popular and video game are healthy (especially PC games) until some stupid guy write a letter to the government then the government banned video games. on the one hand some stupid parents who cannot handle the kids blame their failure on video game, on the other hand the law has a lots of loophole, these MMO games can skip the retail store and release online. For kids love video games, they won't just stop playing it, since they're not being able to buy the game, they just downloaded it illegally, then everything just get more and more ugly, that's why PC games are still really popular even though video games are banned, btw only the publish is banned, playing games are not illegal
William Seroyer
There*
Thanks Rerez amazing quality and content as always !!
I actually didn't know this existed. That's cool I thought you would have said something like the virtual boy or something.
I fucking hate when YTers do shit like that... No fucking shit dude, weve all seen this! But this video, showcases quite the gem, id say!
Pretty sure most fans of OoT speed runs will already know about his but it's cool to hear your perspective
+Jacobs Tech *narcissa
+Ethan Boyle mhmm I found out about this thing a few years ago when I started following OoT speedruns hehe >w< I did not know all the details about the console until now tho :D
DUDE YOUR SHIRT IS COVERED IN FLIES.
+spugintrntl OH GOD! YOU'RE RIGHT!!!! :O
+Rerez XD
It reminds me of poppyseed muffins.
This is actually really neat. It's very clever, functional, and creative.
Man, and we thought we had it rough with Amiibos and Gamecube adapter shortages...
+Paige Culver Right? It's pretty crazy to think of a whole ban on consoles!
This is really cool, and I'm honestly really surprised that I've never heard of it. Great video!
I actually did know about this, i saw it on Wikipedia somewhere
I would have never known it even existed, thanks for showing us that product.
Didn't Nintendo release a GameCube in China that was also a DVD player? Being a DVD player, I think, was how they got around the video game ban with that.
no that was released by panasonic because nintendo had a contract with them to make the gamecube disc drive
+Jack Newton Jack is correct about that. That was a Japanese release, not a Chinese one.
In china at that time video game systems/console were allowed but they had to be an all in one systems with games pre-loaded. The restriction was mainly the video games could not be sold separately from the system. They got around the law by allowing games to be loaded electronically instead of selling actual pre-loaded cartridges at stores.
Guessing that this is how the N64 Classic might look like
that's gonna be awesome. expensive, but awesome.
you shoot some pretty cool and interesting videos for all of us. thanks!!!
If it's forgotten how did u find it?
That Lego Guy google.com
Now that's a great question!
tnightwolf thank you.
I'm smart 😋
Indeed m friend! Indeed!
tnightwolf 😋
Hey, I have one of these. And there is an official multiplayer adapter for it, it's called iQue Family Pack.
+nin10jo Cool! How did you get yours?
eBay. I think I got it all in a bundle.
Nintendo will always be my favorite game company.
@referral madness Nintendo has and had more memorable IPs
this plus display & "Animal Forest" would be a childhood dream coming true
Could those extra controllers be used with a real N64?
Good find! I had no idea this existed.
+Muzic Kidd Thank Mr. Bolton for lending it to us. :)
iQue Player + Flash Cart = Epicn64ss!
Not only is text faster and shorter loading times on iQue, but Ganon's Castle collapses so fast because there's no lag unlike N64, GameCube, and surprisingly Wii and Wii U virtual consoles
I liked this video. Will you make more?
+Will M We make 2 episodes per week, and one is usually on rare and obscure game stuff. :)
Ok.
+Will M I hope not. That background...omg
+Rerez The IQue id Nintendo
DallasCraft ???
This wasn't released in the states for consumer retail but several hotels used it. I wish i didn't think this was total crap i would've grabbed a few before the hotel i used to work for threw them out.
iQue wait....APPLE RIPPED OF NINTENDO
SebbyGet Four Nope. iPod came out 2 years before the iQue.
Obviously not sarcasm dumbass.
Apple & Nintendo have the same company manufacturing there hardware. Thats why Nintendo system and Apple products work so well and last so long. Right now Apple is more demanding than Nintendo, thats one of the reasons why the Nintendo Switch is limiting their sales.
Simon Harris Sounds like my day so far.
Well no, iQue was founded in 2002, Apple released the first "i" product in 1998, the iMac. But it dates back a bit further, with a company named InfoGear releasing a desktop phone called the "iPhone" (Yes really) in 1997, however they're clearly not the ones for popularising the "i" prefix.
Very interesting. That's innovative engineering for back then. Thanks for the upload.
the controller is more like a dreamcast controller....which microsoft openly copied considering xbox came out about 6 months AFTER dreamcast had died..... man why do people forget that crap
GTArajgaming they actually didn't copy it they had a partnership with sega before the xbox came out and sega worked with Microsoft before the dreamcast even came out. They actually almost made it to where the og Xbox would be backwards compatible with dreamcast games. That would have been so good for both Sega and Microsoft. I don't honestly know why that fell through.
Great videos Rerez. Keep it up man
step 1) hack the 'demo' timer in the hardware to prevent lockout
step 2) ????
step 3) PROFIT!!!!
+ReddmanDGZ Much Profit.
+Rerez very wow
+Rerez All. Dat. PROFIT.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
+ReddmanDGZ So much Profit that Matt Stone and Trey Parker would be coming in their pants.
Lol
Even with Internet and acessibility there's still a lot of Nintendo stuff I don't know. And it always amazes me what's there to learn. Good video as always Rerez.
+Igorcastrochucre Get ready for this week! Another rare gaming item video is coming up. :)
*****
Cannot wait, but I will make a marathon on your channel while I'm at it.
Tell me what you think afterwords. If you have any suggestion for the show let me know right here! :)
Very awesome!
THE LEGEND RETURNS!
Hi, Rerez!
Actually you were able to buy the iQue Wii in China around 2010/2011. Bought one back then in Guangzhou and except for the iQue labels instead of the Nintendo ones it was pretty much identical to the Wii which was released elsewhere.
Do an Google image search for iQue Wii and you'll find screenshots of the health/safety warning in Chinese and a few in-store demo units.
Before Apple got Ipod Nitendo got Ique.
LOL 😂
+sl1fka 666 However, the iPod wasn't a major success until around 2004. Before that, it was an expensive niche gadget.
Mario M It Was Still First Bro
Apple had the iMac in 98
"nitendo"
Never heard of it! It is truly a hidden Nintendo console. As usual, the episode is great and now, with actual crew it looks even nicer! Music by 2 Mello is cool as well, I've subscribed to him.
Really interesting even tho I know about the Ique already!
I remember seeing this thing on internet back then, only I had no idea this was an officially licensed machine. Well documented videos
Why are you acting like this is such an amazing, cool device? It's literally a plug-n-play clone of an N64, with a different button layout. 3rd party controllers existed for N64 that also had two handles and a better button layout. Also, you can play Ocarina of Time on both GameCube and Wii with a GameCube controller, which I could argue offers a much better experience than the iQue, simply because you can actually read the text! How is this "possibly one of the best controllers that Nintendo ever released"? You really think this bulky controller is more comfortable than the GC controller, or even the Wii U Pro Controller?
Nintendo re-releasing this today would not be a "pretty big hit," it would be a nightmare. It would cut into their Virtual Console sales, and it likely looks terrible on an LCD screen given that I doubt it has HD video output.
I mean, I'll give you that it's a cool, rare item and it's definitely an interesting oddity in Nintendo's history, so it stands out in that aspect. (Though I'd argue the Famicom Disc System and the Panasonic Q are far more interesting in that regard) Nothing about the device itself though is mind-blowing or interesting at all. We practically DID get the iQue player released here. It was called the Nintendo 64, except ours was bigger and played more games.
Well he just said that he likes that Controller way more than the Original N64 Controller. Not that its the best Controller ever released.
My biggest gripe with the iQue player is the extremely limited storage space on it's memory cards.
When I bought one, I wanted to get a few games installed on it but there would only be room enough for like 4... And only 1 if I were to choose Ocarina of Time.
And apparently there was not any bigger memory cards or way to expand the storage you already have.
It's really a shame for a console that is so dependant on digital games.. Games that you can only get via a pretty convoluted way.
Would be nice to just have them all right there on the memory card.
the n64 controller was great for n64 games!
You mean great for first party N64 games. I know of a lot of flawed 3rd party games due to the controller.
7:18 - "Thanks, Cid."
"Not such a dummy now, am I?"
Wrong this does not look like the Xbox controller it looks like the DreamCast controller, Which the Xbox ccontroller is also based on.
John Roe ....
John Roe Opinion
John Roe Xbox is basically a spiritual successor to dreamcast afterall.
John Roe sooo it is the Xbox controller AND the dreamcast controller with N64 Buttons
John Roe so it indeed looks like an Xbox controller
Oh how much I love learning about video game stuff that I don't know about :)
China could only have video games that were educational, so they had to market the iQue as such.
This type of plug and play N64 reminds of the Lodgenet N64 units for hotels which, from what I gathered, had timed demos too, but the games where streamed from a server into lodgenet cable boxes? Anyways I hope you can cover those in a future video.
Would've been neat if at least Nintendo had released the controller design to use for Virtual console n64 games for the Wii or something.
the GameCube controller is the best controller is the best controller they ever made.
you said "is the best controller" twice.
+Haakon Anderson I like the Wii U Gamepad though. The GameCube controller felt a little awkward to me to be honest.
+MEXTRINITY4EVR !!!!!!! lol
JordonAM me too.
+Haakon Anderson I could not could not agree more.
I picked this up in 2006 in China, I knew about the iQue before, and was happy to see one! mine came with a full game of Sin&Punishment and some weird game where a kid walks to school and starts a virtual mech fight..
Evangelios?
Can anyone provide the link to the website @ 5:50?
+Steven Ruff Yup, here you go: (osc.idc.ique.com:16976/osc/public/iQueHome)
The iQue is one of those things that could only happen once and only happen somewhere like China, and yeah it’s really cool to think Nintendo had online digital download games at a time when that wasn’t the norm, and the idea of being able to play games like Ocarina of time, Majoras mask, Mario 64, and super smash bros in a place and time when those games were outlawed when they were new would be well worth the price, especially being able to play smash bros 2 players with a friend
well its the N64 classic edition
Holy crap, I actually knew about this one thanks to my interest in speedrunning. People usually speedrun The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time on the iQue Player because of the faster text and quicker loading times it has compared to other versions.
I believe the NX is going to be basically this with Wireless HDMI, a Screen and a dedicated service to download games.
+Rauelius that doesnt sound that bad.
This guy gives good informative reviews and people thumbs down and share negativity in the comment section smh.
0:23 ahem GameCube
They're not terribly hard to come by in China. There are many small shops inside of malls that sell these and many other gray market consoles.
Nintendo re-releasing this in America would not be a good idea at all. I like the video but why should Nintendo release this when we already have the n64 which also has a bigger library of games. And with the Wii virtual console, there's absolutely no reason to release an old console. I didn't like how you keep saying we didn't get it because we did, we got the better version of it. And a few years earlier.
Dogbunns Now we see, you where wrong...
Well, it would basically be a Nintendo 64 Classic built inside a controller.
Fantastic! If the Big N released this over here, I'd buy it in a heartbeat, and doubly so if it also had some of the features other commentors have suggested.
You said that the four built-in games were time-limited demos. Am I correct in assuming that these games can be played over and over, but only for X minutes a shot? Or, perhaps, it means that the game is locked when the total time runs out, and the player buys additional playtime the same way they DL full games from kiosks or the Web? I'm thinking the former is correct.
Anyway, an N64OAC plug-and-play blows my widdle mind. I'd love one!