GameKon

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GameKon
Private
Industry
  • Video game industry
  • Consumer electronics
Founded22 August 1976
Founders
  • George Peterson
  • Adam S. Lopez
HeadquartersOsaka, Osaka Yon, Gandoor
Area served
Gandoor
Key people
  • James Wakayama (CEO)
  • Mark Jones (President)
Products
Services
  • GameKon Online
  • GameKon Store

GameKon is a Gandoorese electronics and video game company headquartered in Osaka, Gandoor. One of the earliest video game companies founded in Gandoor, the company is known for helping popularize both arcade and home video game systems in the Gandoorese marketplace.

Founded on 22 August 1976 by George Peterson and Adam S. Lopez, the company originally focused exclusively on video arcade games during the 1970s and early 1980s before releasing their first home video game system in the mid-1980s. By the late 1990s, the company had all but abandoned the video arcade market, although they would later make a return to the arcade industry in the 2010s.

History

GameKon was founded by George Peterson and Adam S. Lopez on 22 August 1976 in response to the growing popularity of video arcade games produced by foreign companies such as Atari, Taito, and Sega in the Gandoorese market. Many of their early titles, such as Racer and Table Tennis, were clones of already existing arcade games such as Speed Race and Pong. Later titles, including Grand Prix (1977) and Mutant Blasters (1978), would move beyond merely copying other successful titles and into creating their own original games.

Originally dismissive of the home video game market, citing low sales from companies such as Atari with their Atari VCS (released in 1979 in Gandoor), GameKon would eventually announce the development of their own home video game console in late 1983, citing a belief that 'technology has developed enough that we feel we can create a home system that will give our fans near-perfect recreations of our popular arcade games in the home'. The console, ultimately released in early 1985 as the GameKon Video Entertainment Console or GameKon VEC, became the first successful home video game console in Gandoor, with 1.3 million systems sold during its first year on the market. For comparison, the Atari VCS, the most successful home console in Gandoor prior to the release of the GameKon VEC, had only sold 2.5 million systems during its then-six years on the market.

In 1989, GameKon announced the development of a successor system to the GameKon VEC, tentatively referred to as the GameKon VEC 2. Featuring a 16-bit processor and more advanced graphical capabilities than its 8-bit predecessor, the GameKon II was released in early 1990 and ultimately competed with the Sega Mega Drive (released in mid-1989 in Gandoor) and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (released in early 1992 in Gandoor) during the fourth generation of video game consoles. One notable feature of the GameKon II was its complete backwards compatibility with the GameKon VEC, a feature which was heavily advertised during its launch period, with advertisements noting that you could play an already existing library of 'more than 300 games' when the GameKon II launched.

A commercial for the GameKon II that aired during the holiday season of 1992 was pulled from the air and banned after a sequence of brightly coloured flashing lights and images used in the advertisement triggered photosensitive epileptic seizures in a number of viewers, with about 60 people being sent to the hospital as a result. GameKon opted to not create or air any replacement holiday advertisements for the system in the aftermath of the incident.

The GameKon II's successor was first announced in 1992, codenamed the GameKon 3D System. While details were sparse at the time, GameKon did confirm that the system would be a '32-bit system' featuring 'advanced 3D graphics' with a planned launch by the end of 1994.

Following a series of delays, the console, ultimately named the GameKon X, was released in late 1995 for a price of 299.95 GDY. While early plans for the system utilized both cartridges and CD-ROMs (with cartridges being planned for smaller titles and CD-ROMs for larger titles), the system was ultimately released with only a disc drive, with the company citing concerns over the manufacturing costs of cartridges compared to CD-ROMS as the reason for the removal of the cartridge functionality. While the GameKon X managed to beat both the Nintendo 64 (released in early 1997 in Gandoor) and Sega Saturn (released in late 1995 in Gandoor) in sales, it ultimately lost in total sales in the Gandoorese market to the PlayStation (released in late 1995 in Gandoor).

First announced in 1999, the GameKon X-2 was released in late 2001 in Gandoor. The GameKon X-2 featured backwards compatibility with most GameKon X games and accessories, DVD playback capabilities, and online connectivity via a broadband internet connection.

GameKon entered the handheld market with the release of the GameKon Go in early 2002. A 32-bit handheld system, the GameKon Go competed with Nintendo's Game Boy Advance and later the Nintendo DS and Sony's PlayStation Portable systems.

GameKon's first HD-ready console, the GameKon X-3, was released in 2006. Similarly to the Xbox 360, the system used standard DVDs and did not support Blu-ray (a planned external Blu-ray drive add-on was announced in mid-2007 but went unreleased). The GameKon X-3 supported rendering resolutions of up to 1080p and launched with GameKon Online, a unified online service ran by GameKon, as opposed to the GameKon X-2's non-unified one which relied upon the game publishers to host servers for online play.

First announced at the end of 2012, the GameKon X-4 was released in late 2013. The GameKon X-4 utilized Blu-ray discs as its primary physical media and originally included an internal 500 GB hard drive for storage. Unlike its competitors, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, GameKon opted to not release an upgraded model midway through the GameKon X-4's lifespan, citing 'concerns over giving players who only own the standard GameKon X-4 a lesser experience'.

In 2014, GameKon released their first arcade game since 1997.

GameKon's most recent home console, the GameKon X-5, was released in late 2020. The GameKon X-5 utilizes Ultra HD Blu-ray as its primary physical media, although it maintains compatibility with standard Blu-ray discs as well as DVDs and CDs. The system is the first GameKon system with support for both 4K rendering and HDR and includes a 1 TB SSD as the default storage option for downloaded games and media.

In 2021, GameKon reentered the handheld market with the release of the GameKon Pocket. While GameKon and third-party developers have released games developed specifically for the GameKon Pocket, the system is also marketed as a 'companion device' for the GameKon X-5 and includes the ability to stream games from the GameKon X-5 to the system, enabling players to play their home games on the go.

Products

Home Consoles

GameKon Video Entertainment Console

The GameKon Video Entertainment Console (officially shortened to GameKon VEC) is an 8-bit video game console released on 5 February 1985 in Gandoor for a price of 199.99 GDY.

The system utilizes a Zilog Z80 CPU running at 3.1 MHz and a custom graphics chip known as the GameKon VC (Video Controller) that was designed by Genki Electronics running at 8.4 MHz and 6 kB of RAM and 16 kB of video RAM. The GameKon VEC can be connected to a television set via either an RF modulator or RCA connectors for composite video and displays at a resolution of 256 x 224 and can display up to 24 colours at a time from a total palette of 64 colours.

Wanting to prevent an incident similar to the North American video game crash of 1983 from occurring in Gandoor if their system proved to be a success, GameKon required interested developers to acquire a license and a developers kit from them in order to officially release games on the system. However as there was no lock-out mechanism preventing unlicensed games from playing on the system, unlicensed and bootleg cartridges proved to be somewhat common during the system's lifespan.

A redesigned version of the GameKon VEC known as the GameKon Classic was released in 1991, about a year after the release of the GameKon II. The GameKon Classic cost 79.95 GDY at launch (150 GDY cheaper than the GameKon II) and was marketed as a entry-level console for people who wanted to get into video gaming but didn't want or couldn't afford to buy the more expensive 16-bit consoles.

By the time the GameKon VEC was officially discontinued on 4 May 1995, it had sold 14.5 million units, with 3.2 million units coming from the GameKon Classic.

GameKon II

The GameKon II is a 16-bit video game console released on 3 March 1990 in Gandoor for a price of 229.99 GDY.

The system utilizes a Motorola 68010 CPU clocked at 7.9 MHz, along with a Zilog Z80 CPU clocked at 3.8 MHz for backwards compatibility purposes. The system's graphics chip is known as the GameKon VC Model 2 and is clocked at 15.1 MHz, it is an upgraded version of the graphics chip found in the GameKon VEC and is capable of downclocking to 8.4 MHz for backwards compatibility. The system also features 96 kB of RAM, 72 kB of video RAM, and can display up to 128 colours at once from a total palette of 4096 colours. The system could be connected to a TV via RF, RCA, or S-Video and outputs at a resolution of 320 x 224.

The GameKon II features backwards compatibility with the entire library of GameKon VEC games and, unlike the Sega Mega Drive where one needed to purchase the Power Base Converter to play Master System games on it, no additional accessories are required to play GameKon VEC games on the console, GameKon VEC and GameKon II cartridges were nigh identical, with the only difference being that GameKon II cartridges featured two additional plastic tabs on them which slotted into two slots on the cartridge slot on the GameKon II, since these slots were not on either version of the GameKon VEC, it was impossible for players to accidentally insert their GameKon II cartridges into the GameKon VEC. In addition to the backwards compatibility with games from the GameKon VEC, the GameKon II also utilized the same controller ports as its predecessor, allowing GameKon VEC owners to use all controllers, both official and third-party, for that system with their GameKon II; by extension GameKon II controllers could also be used with the GameKon VEC.

Unlike with their previous system, GameKon did utilize a lock-out function to prevent unlicensed games from working with the GameKon II, however pass-through units, most notably the Gamemate Player, were released by third-party companies allowing the usage of unlicensed titles while having a licensed cartridge inserted into the system.

A redesigned GameKon II, unofficially nicknamed the GameKon II, Jr. (but officially still referred to as the GameKon II), was released in 1997, two years after the release of the GameKon X, for a price of 99.95 GDY. The GameKon II, Jr. notably removed the lock-out function of the previous unit, making it popular with modders and homebrew developers, and also removed the ability to connect to a TV via RF input, only supporting RCA or S-Video.

By the time the GameKon II was officially discontinued on 2 February 2001, it had sold 16.8 million units, with 3.9 million units coming from the GameKon II, Jr.

GameKon X

The GameKon X is a 32-bit video game console released on 22 October 1995 in Gandoor for a price of 299.95 GDY.

The system utilizes an ARM600 CPU clocked at 33 MHz, 2 MB of RAM, a custom-designed GPU with 1.5 MB of VRAM, can display 153,600 colours on screen, out of a 16,777,216 (24-bit) palette, render between 75,000 (when using textures, lighting, and Gouraud shading) and 330,000 (when using flat shading) polygons per second, and can display 5000 sprites/textures per frame with support for scaling, rotation, and texture mapping. The system could be connected to a TV via RF, RCA, or S-Video and supports resolutions between 256x224 and 640x480.

The GameKon X lacked backwards compatibility with the GameKon II, although the earliest designs for the system (when it was known as the GameKon 3D System) featured backwards compatibility via the planned cartridge slot that was intended for smaller games that would not utilize the larger storage space available on CD-ROMs. Because of concerns about the increased price of cartridge-based games over CD-based ones due to the manufacturing costs involved in the production of cartridges, this dual-format capability was ultimately not used in the final system.

The system originally included a controller simply referred to as the GameKon X Controller, which was a modified version of the controller that came with the GameKon II (adding Left and Right shoulder buttons [officially referred to as the 'L & R Bumper Buttons'], in addition to the already extant directional pad [officially referred to as the 'Movement Buttons'] and the ABCD face buttons [officially referred to as the 'Action Buttons']). In 1997, GameKon released the GameKon X Analog 3D Controller, which was slightly larger than the standard GameKon X Controller in order to facilitate the addition of a single analog stick (officially referred to as the '3D Analog Control Stick') above the directional pad, the GameKon X Analog 3D Controller also featured a mode button next to the start button to disable the analog functionality and allow it to function as a standard GameKon X Controller for compatibility purposes. The GameKon X Analog 3D Controller eventually became the standard controller included with the system and the original GameKon X Controller was discontinued in early 1998.

By the time the GameKon X was officially discontinued on 12 March 2003, it had sold 18.3 million units.

Handheld Consoles

GameKon Go

The GameKon Go is a 32-bit handheld video game console released by GameKon on 9 February 2002 for a price of 79.95 GDY and their first entry into the handheld gaming market.

While the GameKon Go featured some technical superiority over Nintendo's Game Boy Advance (most notably having a slightly higher resolution screen of 320x240 compared to the GBA's 240x144 screen resolution and utilizing a rechargeable battery vs removable AA batteries), it ultimately did not catch on in the Gandoorese market and by the time it was officially discontinued on 4 December 2008, it had only sold 9.3 million units, being the lowest selling GameKon product ever released.

GameKon Pocket

The GameKon Pocket is a handheld video game console released by GameKon on 11 March 2021 for a price of 149.95 GDY and is GameKon's reentry to the handheld gaming market after the discontinuation of the GameKon Go in late 2008.

The console features an Nvidia Tegra X2-based SoC with a Denver2 + Cortex-A57 CPU clocked at 1.6 GHz and 6 GB of RAM, a 16.5 centimetre 10 point multitouch touchscreen with a resolution of 1920x1080, and 64 GB of built-in eMMC storage, which is expandable by up to 2 TB via a microSD card. The console also features a 4500 mAh battery with an officially stated battery life of 'between 4 and 9 hours of gameplay' and 'up to 2 days of other usage'.

Games for the GameKon Pocket are available both digitally and on physical cartridges, with the cartridges based on SD card specifications and containing between 16 and 128 GB of data.

In addition to games developed for the console, the console also features GameKon Stream, which allows connectivity with the GameKon X-5 home console released in 2020, enabling users to stream games from their GameKon X-5 to their GameKon Pocket over WiFi. Due to bandwidth and battery life concerns, games streamed over the GameKon Stream feature only run at 720p resolution. While not all games are compatible with GameKon Stream (due to some GameKon X-5 games requiring features not available on the GameKon Pocket), GameKon estimates that 'about 90% of games available for the GameKon X-5 console can be streamed and played on the GameKon Pocket handheld'.

As of January 2028, there have been 10.1 million GameKon Pocket handhelds sold.

Dedicated Consoles

GameKon VEC Mini

The GameKon VEC Mini is a dedicated home video game console modelled after the GameKon Video Entertainment Console released by GameKon on 15 September 2018 for a price of 39.95 GDY. The system was GameKon's first entry into the dedicated retroconsole market popularized by such systems as the Atari Flashback and the NES Classic Edition.

The GameKon VEC Mini is approximately half the size of the original GameKon VEC released in 1985 and uses an Allwinner H5 system on a chip with four ARM Cortex A53 central processing cores and an ARM Mali 450 MP6 graphics processing unit. The console includes 256 MB of non-expandable flash storage and 512 MB of DDR3 memory. It can be connected to a TV via an HDMI cable and outputs at a resolution of 720p, with all games able to be played in the original 4:3 aspect ratio with optional wallpapers to fill in the borders or stretched to 16:9 widescreen. Optional smoothing, scanline, and CRT filters are available as well.

The system comes bundled with two full-size replica GameKon VEC controllers that connect via USB (original controllers are thus incompatible), an HDMI cable, and a USB-C to USB-A power cable (an AC adapter is not included).

The GameKon VEC Mini comes preloaded with 30 games, a number some reviewers criticized as being 'small compared to competing retroconsoles'. Unlike most retroconsoles, however, the GameKon VEC Mini's library can officially be expanded with additional games. While it does not feature the complete GameKon Online experience, the GameKon VEC Mini allows users to log in to their GameKon Account where they can either download and install any GameKon VEC games they have purchased on their other GameKon consoles (the GameKon X-3, GameKon X-4, GameKon X-5, and GameKon Pocket) onto the GameKon VEC Mini or they can browse a limited storefront consisting of only the GameKon VEC games offered for purchase on the GameKon Online Shop (Games purchased directly from the GameKon VEC Mini are playable on all other GameKon systems with online support, however the 30 preinstalled games cannot be played on other systems as they are not connected to one's account).

GameKon Online

GameKon Online is the official online service provided by GameKon, which was launched alongside the GameKon X-3 in December 2006. There are presently two versions of the service available: a free version and a paid version known as GameKon Online Premium.

The free version of GameKon Online is what was originally released in 2006, although GameKon had also announced that an 'optional premium version of the service will eventually be launched', while also promising that 'no features of the free version will be moved to the premium version to force customers to upgrade who don't want or can't pay for it'.

GameKon Online currently includes the following features:

  • Access to the online shop
  • Ability to play games online (some games may require a separate subscription fee)
  • Ability to add up to 175 Friends to the GameKon Online Friend List
  • Ability to follow an unlimited number of GameKon Online users
  • Ability to message any GameKon Online user
  • Ability to create a GameKon Online Group Chat with up to 25 members
  • Limited access to the annual holiday sales (free users only receive half of the discount given to premium users)
  • Limited access to the official GameKon Online Forums (free users only have access to the various support boards)

The paid version of GameKon Online, known as GameKon Online Premium, was launched in November 2010 and currently costs a monthly fee of 8.95 GDY (107.40 GDY annually) to access.

GameKon Online Premium currently includes the following features, in addition to what is available as part of GameKon Online:

  • Ability to add up to 750 Friends to the GameKon Online Friend List
  • Ability to change their username once every six months
  • Ability to upload a custom image to use as an online avatar
  • Ability to upload a custom image to use as a banner on their online profile
  • Ability to create a GameKon Online Group Chat with an 'unlimited' number of members (GameKon has stated that they may shut down group chats with a 'ludicrous' number of members well beyond 'what is reasonable')
  • Full access to the annual holiday sales
  • Periodic GameKon Online Premium exclusive sales and game giveaways
  • Full access to the Official GameKon Online Forums

Full access to GameKon Online services is only available on the GameKon X-4, GameKon X-5, and GameKon Pocket systems. Due to hardware limitations and declining usage, only the online shop, online play, and messaging features are still available on the GameKon X-3, with GameKon stating that they 'have no plans to discontinue the ability to buy or play games on the GameKon X-3 home console for the foreseeable future' in 2019.

The GameKon VEC Mini features a limited online shop that only offers GameKon VEC games for purchase.

In April 2025, GameKon announced that there had been 29 million monthly active users of the GameKon Online service over the past six months with 14 million users being subscribed to GameKon Online Premium. This number accounted for users across all platforms that GameKon Online is available on: the GameKon X-3, the GameKon X-4, the GameKon X-5, and the GameKon Pocket.