Mega Duck
Handheld game console
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mega Duck WG-108 (also known as Cougar Boy) is a handheld game console that was developed and manufactured by Hong Kong–based Welback Holdings through its Timlex International division, and released in 1993.[1][2][3]
 | |
 The Mega Duck console | |
| Also known as | Cougar Boy |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Welback Holdings |
| Type | Handheld video game console |
| Released | 1993[1] |
| Introductory price | fl 129 (Netherlands) |
| System on a chip | Sharp LR35902 |
| CPU | Sharp SM83 @ 4.194304 MHz |
| Memory | 16 KB RAM (Goldstar GM76C88LFW) |
| Graphics | 160×144 pixels |
| Sound | Built in speaker |
| Controller input | 4 directional keys, A, B, Select and Start keys |
| Power | Four AA batteries or AC adapter 6VDC/300mA |
| Weight | 249 g (w/o batteries) |
It was marketed under various different brands worldwide including Creatronic and Videojet, and the shell of the console came in white or black plastic. It was sold for about fl 129 in the Netherlands, and for a similar price in France and Germany.
In South America (mainly in Brazil), the Chinese-made Creatronic version was distributed by Cougar USA, also known as "Cougar Electronic Organization", and sold as the "Cougar Boy". Cougar USA didn't release the Cougar Boy in its origin country.
The cartridges are very similar to those of the Watara Supervision, but slightly narrower with fewer contacts (36 pins, whereas Supervision cartridges have 40). But unlike the Supervision, the hardware of the Mega Duck is almost identical to that of the Game Boy, enabling easy ports between the two systems.[4][5]
The Cougar Boy came with a four-in-one game cartridge and a stereo earphone.
With an external joystick (not included) two players could play against each other simultaneously.
A variant in the form of an educational laptop for children was released in Germany by Hartung as the Mega Duck Super Junior Computer,[6] and in Brazil as the Super QuiQue.[citation needed] An extra accessory called the Mega Duck Printer was also released for this variant.
Technical specifications
The Mega Duck features a multi board design, separating the motherboard, LCD, and controller PCB into three different assemblies. The battery compartment is found on the back casing, being the contacts connected by wires and soldered onto the main board.
- CPU: Sharp SM83 (Z80-like, embedded in the LR35902 System on a chip) @ 4.194304 MHz
- RAM: 16 KB in two 8K chips (Goldstar GM76C88LFW)
- LCD: 2.7" (48 (h) × 51 (w) mm) STN dot matrix. resolution 160×144 at 59.732155 Hz
- Colours: 4 levels of dark blue on a green background
- Player controls: 4 directional keys, A, B, Select and Start keys
- Other controls: On/off switch, contrast and volume dials
- Sound: 4 channels (2 pulse wave, 1 wavetable and 1 noise) with built-in speaker (8Ω 200 mW) and stereo headset output
- Dimensions: 155 by 97 by 32 millimetres (6.1 in × 3.8 in × 1.3 in)
- Weight: 249 g (w/o batteries)
- Power: Four AA batteries or AC adapter 6 VDC / 300 mA
- Current consumption: 700 mW
- Play duration: 15 hours on one set of four AA batteries
- Expansion Interface: Serial link for two player games (6 pins), or external joystick.
- Game medium: 36 pins ROM cartridge, 63 (l) × 54 (w) mm and 7 mm thick, 17 gram.
List of games
This is an (incomplete) list of Mega Duck/Cougar Boy games.[7] Each Mega Duck/Cougar Boy game is similarly labelled as the same games were marketed for both systems, although not all games were released for the Cougar Boy. The notation MDxxx is used for Mega Duck Games, and the notation CBxxx for a Cougar Boy Games. A MD002 is exactly the same game as the CB002, even to a point that some "Cougar Boy" games start up with a Mega Duck logo. Some notation numbers go unused, going up to 037, but missing 012 and 023 for example.
With the exception of the pack-in game for the Mega Duck (The Brick Wall) which was developed by the manufacturer, all games were developed by Thin Chen Enterprise under the "Sachen" and "Commin" brand names, and were later re-released for the Game Boy in 4-in-1 and 8-in-1 cartridges without the license from Nintendo.
Although 24 cartridges (not counting Cougar Boy variants or add-ons for the Super Junior Computer) are known to exist, another game is listed on various websites called Tip & Tap,[6] however, it is not known if the game was ever released, or if it existed at all.
- Background shading indicates games that have a Cougar Boy variant.
- # followed by a/b/c/d/e indicates included games in # cartridge.
| # | Title | Developer | Release year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | The Brick Wall | Timlex International | 1993 | |
| 002 | Street Rider | Commin | 1993 | Rally-X clone |
| 003 | Bomb Disposer | Commin | 1993 | Dr. Mario clone |
| 004 | Vex | Commin | 1993 | KLAX clone |
| 005 | Suleiman's Treasure | Commin | 1993 | Anteater clone |
| 006 | Arctic Zone | Commin | 1993 | A horizontal Quarth clone |
| 007 | Magic Maze | Commin | 1993 | Also released as Dancing Block on NES and Watara Supervision |
| 008 | Puppet Knight | Commin | 1993 | Bomberman clone |
| 009 | Trap and Turn | Commin | 1993 | Reversi game |
| 010 | Pile Wonder | Commin | 1993 | Sokoban clone |
| 011 | Captain Knick Knack | Sachen | 1993 | Vertical shoot-em-up similar to TwinBee |
| 013 | Black Forest tale | Commin | 1993 | Similar to Sachen's earlier Little Red Hood game |
| 014 | Armour Force | Commin | 1993 | Horizontal shoot-em-up |
| 018 | Snake Roy | Sachen | 1993 | A Snake variant |
| 019 | Railway | Sachen | 1993 | Pipe Mania clone |
| 021 | Beast Fighter | Sachen | 1993 | Side-scrolling beat-em-up |
| 026 | Ant Soldiers | Sachen | 1993 | Lemmings clone |
| 028 | 2nd Space | Sachen | 1993 | A game similar to Pac-Man |
| 029 | Magic Tower | Sachen | 1993 | A platforming game with a Rock paper scissors element |
| 030 | Worm Visitor | Sachen | 1993 | Frogger clone |
| 031 | Duck Adventures | Commin | 1993 | Wani Wani World clone |
| 035 | Four in One | Sachen | 1993 | Compilation of 4 games: Virus Attack, Electron World, Trouble Zone, Dice Block |
| 035a | Virus Attack | Sachen | 1993 | Space Invaders clone |
| 035b | Electron World | Sachen | 1993 | Maze action game |
| 035c | Trouble Zone | Sachen | 1993 | Puzzle game |
| 035d | Dice Block | Sachen | 1993 | QBillion clone |
| 036 | Commin Five in one | Commin | 1993 | Compilation of 5 games: Store Tris 1 and 2, Taiwan Mahjong, Japan Mahjong, Hong Kong Mahjong |
| 036a | Store Tris 1 | Commin | 1993 | Tetris clone |
| 036b | Store Tris 2 | Commin | 1993 | Tetris variant with irregular shapes |
| 036c | Taiwan Mahjong | Commin | 1993 | |
| 036d | Japan Mahjong | Commin | 1993 | |
| 036e | Hong Kong Mahjung | Commin | 1993 | |
| 037 | Zipball | Sachen | 1993 | Action puzzle game |
