The Power Player Super Joy III (commonly known as the Super Joy) is a line of unauthorized Famiclone consoles in a "plug & play"-like form factor. The consoles were widely sold in multiple regions, notably including North America and Europe. It is not to be confused with the similarly-named Power Joy Classic TV Game.
Various iterations of the Super Joy III were produced up until 2010, with the final model being dubbed the Power Striker (XA-76-1E). Following the Power Striker, the console would be redesigned into the Power Blaster (better known as the Power Kracker and Power Racer), which was produced up until 2019.
Overview[]
The Power Player Super Joy III system resembles a Nintendo 64 controller, and attaches to a TV set. NTSC, PAL and SECAM versions are also available based on the region where it is sold. Super Joy III consoles were also packaged with a light gun (for NES/Famicom Zapper games), and a second-player controller resembling a Sega Mega Drive/Genesis controller.
The Super Joy's buttons are mapped differently from that of the Nintendo 64 controller. The C buttons of the Nintendo 64's controller function as A and B on the Super Joy, and the N64's A and B buttons are the Start and Select buttons on the Super Joy, respectively. Additionally, the N64 controller's Start button is the Reset button on the Super Joy. Infamously, the control stick does not function and was added for visual appeal. The second-player controller is shaped similarly to the three-button Sega Genesis controller, though uses a six-button layout; the directional pad features a small hole to screw in a joystick top. Super Joy III consoles were available in a variety of colors, most commonly black, gray, red, white, or blue.
Most revisions of the Super Joy III have 76 unique menu listings, though are often duplicated 1,000 times to form a "76,000-in-1" game list. Many releases place a gold sticker on the box purporting the inclusion of 76,000 games on the console. A few revisions feature a more honest 76-in-1 menu; though in most cases, a handful of repeats or hacks are still mixed in the 76-game count.
History[]
Origin[]
While the exact origins of the Super Joy III are unknown, the console line had seemingly begun production around 1998-99. The console was alluded to in an IGN article from April of 1999 (indicating the console was on the market by that point), highlighting that it had become a "minor hit" in Hong Kong at the time. While not mentioned by name, the accompanying pictures seem to state "SUPER JOY III" and "Power Player" on their packaging. The article also mentions that multiple iterations had been produced at the time, with the earliest models not featuring a cartridge slot or lightgun.[1]
Despite the vast majority of models being labeled as the Super Joy III, a Super Joy I and II were also produced (though are much rarer in comparison to the third version). A model just labeled as the "Power Player" only features seven built-in games, making it much more primitive than later variants.[2] A few different iterations exist under the Super Joy II name,[3][4] as well as a Super Joy IV and V.[5][6] All five models are still presented in Nintendo 64 controller molds.
Litigation[]
The Super Joy III become one of the most controversial Famiclones after Nintendo discovered it; they took strong legal action against importers and sellers, and obtained a temporary injunction against the import and sale of video game systems with counterfeit Nintendo games.
On December 16, 2004, the FBI executed search warrants at two kiosks at the Mall of America in Minnesota and also searched storage facilities rented by Yonatan Cohen, an owner of Perfect Deal LLC of Miami, Florida.[7] The consoles, purchased wholesale at $7 to $9 each, sold for $30 to $70 each.[8]
Yonatan Cohen's ad against piracy
In January 2005, after 1,800 units of the Super Joy III were confiscated, Cohen was charged in Minneapolis, Minnesota for selling Super Joy III units at kiosks at the Mall of America and other malls across the nation.[7] In April 2005, Cohen pleaded guilty to selling pirated video games.[8]
Nine days after Cohen's guilty plea, forty FBI agents arrested four Chinese nationals working in an international piracy ring and seized 60,000 Super Joy IIIs in searches in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Maple Shade, New Jersey.[9]
In November 2005, Cohen was sentenced to five years in federal prison and was required to run ads in mall magazines to inform the public of how he sold pirated games at Mall of America kiosks.[10]
By 2006, most shopping malls stopped selling Super Joy IIIs. However, they were still sold by other dealers (e.g. flea markets), or are resold at inflated prices.
Distribution in Italy[]
Roberto Artigiani - POWER PLAYER SUPER JOY (High Quality Master)
The Power Player Super Joy III was distributed via the Teleshopping channel Telemondo during the early 2000s advertised by telemarketer Roberto Artigiani, the console retailed for €69.99 plus a "small" unspecified shipping fee bringing the total cost to at least $76. The channel marketed the console towards a family audience claiming to be a "cheaper" and better alternative to other consoles on the market at the time despite lagging severally behind in terms of technical power and build quality, along with being significantly overpriced. Throughout the infomercial Artigiani attempts to compare the Super Joy III with the then new Playstation 3 and other current generation consoles to make the console look more modern by boasting about the Super Joy III's supposed 76,000 games, cheaper price, ease of use and "outstanding graphics". The infomercial also shows off gameplay of games such as Super Mario Bros, Contra, Yie Ar Kung-Fu, Tag Team Match: M.U.S.C.L.E., Tengen Tetris and Duck Hunt to exemplify just how many games the Super Joy III had to offer, although most gameplay of light-gun games shows just how inaccurate the packaged light-gun was in certain units. It is unknown whether Telemondo faced any legal action from Nintendo for the sale of the Super Joy III although they and Artigiani later went on to market and sell other Famiclones featuring pirated Nintendo games such as the Mega Power.
Packaging[]
The Super Joy III comes in a colorful, yet somewhat generic box. The word "game" does not appear on any side, nor is there any text that would indicate what the unit actually does or what its features or capabilities are. The game count ("76000") on the front is in fact a gold sticker applied to the outside of the cardboard box, and it is ambiguous at first what this number actually means. The only information provided (cartridge capability, presence of internal games, etc.) is on a single small sheet of instructions, which are inside the shrink-wrapped inner portion of the packaging which would not be visible to the consumer until after the product is purchased and opened.
There are a number of scenes depicted on the front and back of the box, but all of them are artistic stylized drawings or retouched photos—none of them are actual game screenshots. The box end flap includes three illustrations of the main controller, one each in black, gray, and blue, with checkboxes next to each to indicate the contained color. The system was also available in red, however, which is not depicted on the box end flap even though it is the displayed color on the rear of the box. The rear of the box also shows a green light gun, whereas all of the available systems (red, black, gray, and blue) appear to have been shipped with a silver gun.
The original packaging in the US depicts a number of scenes depicted on the front and back of the boxes, but all of them are artistic stylized drawings or retouched photos—none of them are actual game screenshots. Funnily enough, an unlicensed still image from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is featured on the front of the box.
The product is marked as having small parts, and being for audience ages three and up.
Technical aspects[]
Cartridge compatibility with Super Joy III consoles vary:
- The majority of system models have a 60-pin cartridge slot that supports most cartridges designed for the Famicom (which may require trimming of the case plastic to allow cartridge insertion).
- While most models feature games built-in to the system itself, some variants reportedly come with an external, removable Famicom multicart instead of built-in software.
- Most releases have a both an AC adapter (DC9V, 350mA [center negative]) and a battery pack (taking four AA batteries) as power options; the battery pack is omitted if the battery space is a cartridge slot. The final model of the Super Joy III, released in 2010, also does not have a battery pack, requiring an AC adapter for power.
- The battery pack is inserted in the same area that a Controller Pak or Rumble Pak would be inserted in a Nintendo 64 controller.
- All known models have two RCA jacks for composite video and mono audio output. Some models have a RF output as well.
- As with many Famiclones, the Super Joy III has swapped duty cycles, resulting in slightly off sound in most games.
- The built-in Famicom slot (when one is available) has reasonable compatibility with Famicom cartridges, both official and unofficial. Some higher-end mappers do not run, however (such as Namco 163/"mapper 19" games).
Design/manufacturing issues[]
The Super Joy has a number of known design or manufacturing issues:
- The center terminal of the RCA video jack is only supported by a single solder connection on the circuit board, and can lift the trace off of the board when the plug is inserted. This causes a black or blue screen on the TV set, or an intermittent video signal, and is usually remedied by soldering a secondary wire to ensure that the electrical connection is continuous even if the contact moves or separates.
- Used Super Joys have been observed as often having the non-functional center joystick broken off; likely from consumers attempting to force the joystick to move, not realizing it is literally nonfunctional.
- Directional pads on the main controllers are fragile and often break.
- The reset button may not function on LCD TVs. The light gun will not work on most LCD TVs due to display latency.
- Inserting a power adapter from a different product or manufacturer - even if they are of a compatible voltage - can result in the system overheating and beginning to smoke, often frying the circuitry in the process.[12] For safety, it is often advised to use the battery pack over the AC adapter if both options are available.
Games[]
- Main article: List of Funtime 76-in-1 and 76000-in-1 variants
A later variant has 12,000 games.
Most iterations of the Power Player Super Joy III use either a 76-in-1 or a 76000-in-1 menu. On 76000-game versions, the menu listings are duplicated 1,000 times, hence the claim of 76,000 games when the true count is 76. A logo reading "FUNTIME" usually appears upon bootup, leading to the game selection menu. Roughly a dozen different menu configurations are known to exist, with varying included games, though usually use a near-identical menu interface.
The games included are almost entirely NROM/"mapper 0" Famicom titles, with the exception of Contra and occasionally Magic Carpet 1001. Notably, three of the listed games use incorrect titles to imply connections to (at-the-time) newer or more popular franchises: Yie Ar Kung-Fu is titled "King of Fighter", Karateka is titled "Tekken", and Kinnikuman - Muscle Tag Match is titled "WWF". Several duplicated or hacked games generally appear within the 76-game count (even past the inflated 76,000-game lists).
An uncommon revision features a different 12,000-in-1 menu interface, likely developed from a different developer than the "Funtime" variants. This version uses a decorative menu modeled after the logo to Top Gun, and features music based on Ei-How Yang's sound engine. Another uncommon "Super Joy 128" model features a larger 128-in-1 game list, featuring additional games not seen on other units (including several CNROM/"mapper 3" games).[13][14]
Built-in games (from various units) include:
- 10-Yard Fight (alternately listed as "10YF"; uncommon across most units)
- 1942
- Afro Mario Bros. (fan-made Mario Bros. hack; listed as "Mario Bros", 12000-in-1 only)[15]
- Amusement Park: Jumping Kid (2010 revision only, listed as "Jumping Kid")
- Antarctic Adventure (listed as "Antarctic")
- Arkanoid (often misspelled as "Arkonoid")
- Balloon Fight (alternately listed as "Balloon Fighter")
- Baseball
- Battle City
- Binary Land (alternately listed as "Binary" or "Binary & Land")
- Bird Week
- Bomberman
- Championship Lode Runner (listed as "Lode Runner 2")
- Choujikuu Yousai - Macross (listed as "Maxcross" or "Macross")
- Brush Roller (listed as "Brush Roll", with a level-hacked version listed as "Painter"; occasionally uses the Bookyman hack)
- BurgerTime
- Circus Charlie (often misspelled to various degrees; a level-hacked version is listed as "Toy Story")
- Clu Clu Land
- Contra
- Defender II (12000-in-1 only)
- Devil World
- Dig Dug (alternately listed as "Dig Dug I")
- Door Door (heavily glitched on the 2010 revision of the console)
- Donkey Kong (listed as "Donkey Kong 1" or "Monkey"; uncommon across most units)
- Donkey Kong Jr. (listed as "Donkey Kong", "Donkey Kong 2", "Pokney Kong 2", or "Monkey"; the latter name leads to a level-hacked version on earlier releases)
- Donkey Kong Jr. no Sansuu Asobi (Japanese version of Donkey Kong Jr. Math; listed as "Calculator")
- Donkey Kong 3 (listed as "Keykong 3"; uncommon across most units)
- Duck Hunt (Game C, Clay Shoot, is generally listed as a separate "game")
- Elevator Action (listed as "Elevator")
- Excitebike
- Exerion
- F-1 Race
- Field Combat (listed as "Combat")
- Formation Z
- Front Line
- Galaga (often misspelled as "Galaza")
- Galaxian
- Golf
- Gomoku Narabe Renju (listed as "Five Chess")
- Gradius (12000-in-1 only)
- Gyrodine
- Hogan's Alley
- Ice Climber
- Ice Ocean (2010 revision only)
- Ikki (listed as "Knight", "Knight Hero" or "Ninja II")
- Joust
- Karateka (listed as "Tekken")
- Kinnikuman - Muscle Tag Match (listed as "WWF")
- Life Force (only seen on one uncommon revision)
- Lode Runner (uncommon across most units)
- Lunar Ball
- Magic Carpet 1001 (listed as "Aladdin III")
- Magic Jewelry
- Mahjong (listed as "Majun2"; uncommon across most units)
- Mario Bros.
- Mappy (alternately listed as "Mice Love Cat")
- Mighty Bomb Jack (listed as "Bomb Jack")
- Millipede
- Nature Clan: Island (2010 revision only, listed as "Island")
- Night Arrow (hack of Galaxian; uncommon across most units)
- Ninja-kun: Majou no Bouken (listed as "Ninja I")
- Nuts & Milk (listed as "Milk & Nuts", "Milk Nuts" or "Milk Muts")
- Pac-Man (alternately listed as "Mr. Pacman")
- Pacman 3 (graphic hack of Mappy; listed as just Pacman on early units)
- Pacman & Land (graphic hack of Binary Land; listed as just Pacman on early units)
- Paperboy (12000-in-1 only)
- Pinball (often listed as "Pin Ball")
- Pooyan
- Popeye
- Raid on Bungeling Bay (listed as "Helicopter" or "Raid on Bay")
- Road Fighter
- Slalom (often misspelled as "Slacom")
- Sky Destroyer (alternately listed as "Sky Destory")
- Snowfield Shoot (Inventor hack of Duck Hunt)
- Space Invaders (listed as "Space ET")
- Spartan X (listed as "Spartanx" or "Spartan")
- Soccer (listed as "Word Soccer" [sic], "World Soccer" or "FIFA Soccer")
- Sqoon
- Star Force
- Star Gate (often misspelled as "Stae Gate")
- Super Arabian (listed as "Arabian")
- Super Contra (12000-in-1 only)
- Super Dyna'mix Badminton (listed as "Super Dynamix" or "Badminton")
- Super Mario Bros. (listed as "Super Mario")
- Tank 1990 (different modes are separated into multiple different "games" in the menu; generally listed under the names "Desert Tank", "Speed Tank", "Abrams Tank", and "Battle Field").
- Tennis
- Tetris (BPS version; 12000-in-1 only)
- Tetris: The Soviet Mind Game (Tengen version; listed as "Tetris 2")
- TwinBee
- Urban Champion
- Warpman (erroneously listed as "Burger Time" on the 2010 revision)
- Wild Gunman (often misspelled "Wild Guman")
- World Soccer
- Yie Ar Kung-Fu (listed as "King of Fighter" or "Mortal Kombat")
- Zippy Race
The following games only appear on the 128-in-1 model:
- Astro Robo Sasa
- Baltron
- Binary 4 (graphic hack of Donkey Kong)
- Bokosuka Wars
- Bomber Pacman (graphic hack of Bomberman)
- B-Wings (misspelled as "B-Waings")
- Castle Excellent (listed as "Castle")
- Chack'n Pop
- Challenger
- City Connection
- Dig Dug II
- Dough Boy
- Duck
- Exed Exes
- Flappy
- Flipull
- Geimos
- LotLot
- Mach Rider (misspelled as "Match Rider")
- Magmax
- Milk & Nuts II (graphic hack of Nuts & Milk)
- Ms. Pac-Man (Tengen version)
- Ninja Hattori-kun (listed as "Ninja III")
- Obake no Q-Tarou - Wan Wan Panic (listed as "Splatter Man")
- Onyanko Town (listed as "Town")
- Pac-Land
- Pachi Com (listed as "Pach Com")
- Penguin-kun Wars (listed as "Wars")
- Popeye no Eigo Asobi (listed as "English")
- Pyramid (listed as "Pyria")
- Route-16 Turbo (listed as "Route-16")
- Seicross (misspelled as "Seccrdss")
- SonSon
- Spelunker
- Spy vs Spy
- Star Luster (misspelled as "Star Juster")
- Thexder (misspelled as "Chexdez")
- The Tower of Druaga (listed as "Druaga")
- Track & Field
- Transformers: Convoy no Nazo (listed as "Key Kong")
- Volguard II
- Warp Binary (graphic hack of Warpman)
- Wrecking Crew (misspelled as "Wreching Crew")
- Xevious
- Xiao Ma Li (listed as "Small Mary")
- Zunou Senkan Galg (listed as "Galg")
Successor consoles[]
Following the success of the Super Joy III, several further consoles were made that were connected to the Power Player line:
- Super Joy 3.5 (200x) - variant of the Super Joy III that added Pac-Man to the gamelist. Design and box is unaltered from other Super Joy III variants, though was officially highlighted as a new version.[16]
- Super Joy IV (200x) - the direct sequel to the Super Joy III. Some versions are presented in the same Nintendo 64-based design as the third model,[5] while others use a mold resembling a GameCube Wavebird controller.
- Super Joy V (200x) - Nintendo 64-modeled system; limited information is known.[6]
- Power Player Super Joy 128 (200x) - Nintendo 64-modeled system; features a larger gamelist than the standard Super Joy III models.[13]
- Power Player Super Entertainment System (200x) - modeled after a Dreamcast controller; features a wireless antenna attachment via RF output, alongside standard RCA cables. Features an 128-in-1 game list featuring Digimon and "Y2K" ROM hacks by Funtime.
- Power Games Super Entertainment System (200x) - uses a separate base unit resembling a penguin with glowing red eyes. Features an RF sensor for wireless controllers. Later sold as the Power Zone in 2010.
- Game Fillip (200x) - an 88-in-1 console modeled after the Sega Genesis 3. Uses similar packaging and plastics to the Super Joy III, likely originating from the same manufacturer.
- Power Player Vii (2007) - a "Wii clone" system featuring motion controls. It comes with a VT03 cartridge featuring sports games by Waixing, as well as featuring a built-in 111-in-1 menu (containing either 8-bit Waixing games or pirated Famicom/NES titles depending on the model). Also sold as just the Vii (without Power Player branding).
- Power Blaster (2011) - superseded the Super Joy III in production; modeled after an Xbox 360 controller, and powered via a USB cable. Uses a 76000-in-1 game list modified from the 2010 Power Striker model, notably adding Dr. Mario. Later sold as the Power Kracker from 2012-16, and the Power Racer from 2017-19.
- Ultimate Portable (2014) - a portable version of the Power Blaster with a built-in screen. Features more advanced games than prior models, including what appear to be the vintage Mario Pirate Hacks (Mario 6, 9, 10, 16, and 18).[17]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Piracy in Hong Kong" - IGN
- ↑ "Super TV game" (Unauthorizon)
- ↑ "SUPER JOY II / super TV game / power player" (Unauthorizon)
- ↑ "Power+Play III / SUPER JOY II" (Unauthorizon)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "SUPER JOY IV / POWER TV GAME" (Unauthorizon)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Super Joy V" (Unauthorizon)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 St. Paul Pioneer Press (January 20, 2005) Knockoff games allegedly sold at mall. Section: Local; Page B6
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 St. Paul Pioneer Press (April 5, 2005) Man pleads guilty in pirated game sales. Section: Local; Page B3
- ↑ Business Wire (April 15, 2005) Nintendo Applauds the FBI — Four Arrested for Allegedly Distributing Pirated Nintendo Products. (Wayback Machine)
- ↑ St. Paul Pioneer Press (November 19, 2005) Man gets five years in video game fraud. Section: LOCAL; Page 5B
- ↑ strange superjoy 3 (miniature 68-pin connector in battery pack slot location) - Ben Heck Forums
- ↑ Footage of a Power Player Super Joy III bursting into smoke
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "SUPER JOY 128" (Unauthorizon)
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7xgG-nWa0I
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZIQ31GFvUw&t=527s
- ↑ "Power Player 3.5" (Unauthorizon)
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20161020100400/http://www.kanrio.com/2014UP.html
Related articles[]
External links[]
- Power Player Super Joy III on Vidgame.net (Wayback Machine)
- Review on the Power Player Super Joy System
- Italian Power Player Super Joy Infomercial featuring Roberto Artigiani
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