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iQue Player
iQue Player console/controller
DeveloperNintendo
ManufactureriQue
TypeHome video game console
GenerationFifth
Release date
  • CHN: November 18, 2003
[1]
Lifespan2003–2016
Introductory price¥498
Discontinued2016
MediaFlash card, cartridge
CPUR-4300i 64Bit CPU @ 140.625 MHz
Memory16 MB (8 MB available)
Graphics62.5 MHz Reality Co-Processor
SoundADPCM 64
ConnectivityUSB (iQue@Home)
PowerAC Adapter
Online servicesiQue Depot, iQue@Home[2]
Best-selling gameDr. Mario 64 (pre-installed in bundled memory card)
RelatedNintendo 64
WebsiteiQue (in Chinese)

The iQue Player (/ˌaɪ ˈkjuː/, stylised as iQue PLAYER[3]) is a handheld TV game version of the Nintendo 64 console that was manufactured by iQue, a joint venture between Nintendo and Taiwanese-American scientist Wei Yen after China had banned the sale of home video games. Its Chinese name is Shén Yóu Ji (神游机), literally "God Gaming Machine". Shényóu (神游) is a double entendre as "to make a mental journey". It was never released in any English-speaking countries, but the name "iQue Player" appears in the instruction manual. The console and its controller are one unit, plugging directly into the television. A box accessory allows multiplayer gaming.[4]

History

Development

China has a large black market for video games and usually only a few games officially make it to the Chinese market. Many Chinese gamers tend to purchase pirated cartridge or disc copies or download copied game files to play via emulator. Nintendo wanted to curb software piracy in China, and bypass the ban that the Chinese government has implemented on home game consoles since 2000. Nintendo partnered with Wei Yen, who had led past Nintendo product development such as the Nintendo 64 console and the Wii Remote. Originally, the system would support games released on Nintendo consoles prior to the GameCube, including the NES, Super NES, and Nintendo 64, but it was decided only to include Nintendo 64 games. Additionally, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask was planned and is shown on the back of the box, but was later cancelled.[5][unreliable source?]

The iQue Player was announced at Tokyo Game Show 2003. It was originally planned to play Super NES in addition to Nintendo 64 games, and had a release date set for mid-October with debut markets including Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, expanding into the rest of China by the following spring.[6][7][8][9] The system missed its mid-October launch.[10] By November 21, it was available for purchase at Lik Sang.[11]

Release

The iQue Player was released on November 18, 2003[1] with few launch games. Nintendo's strategy to market games in China was to show how video games can help improve children's mental and social development. However, the launch was not successful. The total estimated sales was between 8,000 and 12,000 units.[12] At first, the only way to get games was via the iQue Depot, but in 2004, Nintendo released iQue@Home to download at home.[13] The last game, Animal Crossing (动物森林, Animal Forest) was released in 2006.

Discontinuation

On October 31, 2016, iQue reported that iQue@Home service would be discontinued by the end of December 2016.[14] The service was gradually phased out until the content distribution servers went offline in 2018.

Technical details

The iQue Player is a size-reduced Nintendo 64 console, using system-on-a-chip technology. It plays Nintendo 64 games specifically ported to the system.

Games

The iQue Player's library has 14 games, light conversions from past releases for the Nintendo 64 in Europe, North America, and Japan. One game was canceled, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask[15] and another, a Traditional Chinese version of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, was completed but never announced.[16]

iQue Player games differ slightly from their Nintendo 64 counterparts, with the text and voices having been translated to Mandarin. The only exceptions are the Mario games and the previously Japan-only Sin and Punishment, where the text has been translated but the voices remain in English. Many glitches and errors from the original games have been fixed. Some features were removed due to the system's lack of support for Nintendo 64 controller accessories like the Rumble Pak. Some features were added, and many games that allow the player to enter their name now have the option to use their iQue Player's username.[citation needed] Speedruns of several games, such as Super Mario 64 and Star Fox 64, are sometimes carried out on the iQue Player due to quicker loading times and faster scrolling text than the Nintendo 64 versions.[17] Nintendo had plans to support network multiplayer in games that originally only support local multiplayer, which would work in a similar manner to that of an emulator.[18][unreliable source?]

Original title Simplified Chinese title Pinyin Release date Game code
Wave Race 64[games note 1] 水上摩托 Shuǐ Shàng Mótuō November 18, 2003 51011[19]
Star Fox 64[games note 1] 星际火狐 Xīngjì Huǒhú November 18, 2003 41011[20]
Dr. Mario 64[games note 2] 马力欧医生 Mǎlìōu Yīshēng November 18, 2003 61011[21]
Super Mario 64[games note 1] 神游马力欧 Shén Yóu Mǎlìōu November 18, 2003 11011[22]
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time[games note 1] 塞尔达传说 时光之笛 Sàiěrdá Chuánshuō: Shíguāng zhī Dí November 18, 2003 21011[23]
Mario Kart 64 马力欧卡丁车 Mǎlìōu Kǎdīngchē December 25, 2003 52011[24]
F-Zero X F-Zero X 未来赛车 F-Zero X Wèilái Sàichē February 25, 2004 52021[25]
Yoshi's Story 耀西故事 Yàoxī Gùshì March 25, 2004 11021[26]
Paper Mario 纸片马力欧 Zhǐpiàn Mǎlìōu June 8, 2004 21021[27]
Sin and Punishment 罪与罚-地球的继承者- Zuì yǔ Fá: Dìqiú de Jìchéng Zhě September 25, 2004 41021[28]
Excitebike 64 越野摩托 Yuèyě Mótuō June 15, 2005[29] 51021[30]
Super Smash Bros. 任天堂明星大乱斗 Rèntiāntáng Míngxīng Dà Luàn Dǒu November 15, 2005 12021[31]
Custom Robo 组合机器人 Zǔhé Jīqìrén May 1, 2006 21051[32]
Animal Crossing 动物森林 Dòngwù Sēnlín June 1, 2006[33] 21041[34]
  1. ^ a b c d A demo was included with the system.
  2. ^ The full version was included with the bundled memory card.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "iQue PLAYER优惠套装上海试卖，五款精品游戏同步发售！" [iQue Player Discount Set Trial Sale in Shanghai, Five High-quality Games Released Simultaneously!] (in Chinese). iQue. Archived from the original on December 25, 2005. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  2. ^ iQue Ltd Archived 2018-04-08 at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ "iQue Ltd". www.ique.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-11. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  4. ^ iQue Ltd Archived 2007-07-05 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Nintendo iQue Player - History and Hardware Overview". YouTube.
  6. ^ Calvert, Justin (September 25, 2003). "New Nintendo console for China". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 8, 2003. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  7. ^ "iQue". IGN. November 25, 2003. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  8. ^ "Nintendo to launch new console in China". Eurogamer. September 26, 2003. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  9. ^ "【TGS】任天堂が中国向けに新ハード「神遊」を発売。ソフトはダウンロード方式！" [【TGS】 Nintendo launches new hardware "iQue" for China. Software is downloadable!]. Dengeki Online (in Japanese). September 26, 2003. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  10. ^ Calvert, Justin (November 13, 2003). "Nintendo iQue Player spotted". GameSpot. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  11. ^ "Nintendo's iQue in stock and shipping: iQue opened and exposed [picture gallery and videos inside]". Lik Sang. November 21, 2003. Archived from the original on December 6, 2003. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "《记录》第17期：神游中国（上） - 触乐". www.chuapp.com. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
  13. ^ "再次升级啦". iQue Ltd. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  14. ^ 神游机服务终止通知 [Notice of Discontinuation]. iQue (in Chinese). 2016-10-31. Archived from the original on 2018-02-24. Retrieved 2016-11-01. The company has decided to formally terminate the service in the end of December 2016 and hereby informing that iQue Depot stations providing the service will be terminated.
  15. ^ Lim, Gabriel (October 16, 2018). "China's iQue Player Was Originally Supposed To Get Zelda: Majora's Mask". NintendoSoup. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  16. ^ "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Traditional Chinese) - iQueBrew". www.iquebrew.org. Retrieved 2019-06-02.
  17. ^ Gates, Christopher (2015-05-09). "Gamer Sets New World Record for 'Ocarina of Time' Speedrun". Gamerant.
  18. ^ IGN IGN (2014-08-01). "IQue Fun Facts". IGN.
  19. ^ iQue Ltd
  20. ^ iQue Ltd
  21. ^ "iQue Ltd". Archived from the original on 2006-05-15. Retrieved 2006-06-06.
  22. ^ iQue Ltd
  23. ^ iQue Ltd
  24. ^ iQue Ltd
  25. ^ "iQue Ltd". Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2006-06-06.
  26. ^ "iQue Ltd". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2006-06-06.
  27. ^ iQue Ltd
  28. ^ iQue Ltd
  29. ^ "iQue". Archived from the original on 2006-02-12. Retrieved 2006-02-12.
  30. ^ iQue Ltd
  31. ^ iQue Ltd
  32. ^ "iQue Ltd". Archived from the original on 2006-05-30. Retrieved 2006-06-06.
  33. ^ "iQue". Archived from the original on 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2007-10-28.
  34. ^ iQue Ltd

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to IQue Player.
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Video game consoles (fifth generation)
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