The Dendy only lasted four years before Nintendo and Sega realised what they were missing out on and moved into the market themselves. Regardless, it remains as treasured in Russia as the NES is in North America-homebrewers, hobbyists and collectors continue to use them, and with a little patience you could easily track one down to add to your own collection.
But what if you grew up in, say, Poland or Bosnia?
So that's how Russia was introduced to modern gaming. But what if you grew up in, say, Poland or Bosnia? Then you probably played the Pegasus, another NES clone released in the former eastern bloc under similar circumstances. Nobody seems sure who actually manufactured it, but like the Dendy it was popular enough to get its own TV commercials and knockoffs. Its lineup was similar to that of the Dendy's, including the ridiculous 9999999 in 1, the multi-cart game that makes other multi-cart games look like lazy pieces of junk. There was even a 16-bit version introduced later, a clone of the Sega Mega Drive that let Eastern European gamers experience Sonic the way it was meant to be played.
It's impossible to list every influential clone, both because of the sheer number of them and the general dubious nature of trying to track illegal hardware. But I would be remiss not to mention the awesomely named Super Design Ending-Man BS-500 AS, also known as the Terminator 2. Resembling a Mega Drive more than a T-1000, it's perhaps the most widespread of the NES knockoffs - sold from Spain to Serbia and India to Iran, the Terminator 2 can still be found today in flea markets and online auction sites. In this brief hardware review, commenter after commenter says that the Super Design etc. was their first console.
It's impossible to list every influential clone.
More novel knockoffs included the handheld Game Axe, which lets you play NES games in the palm of your hand if you're made of double A batteries and can hold the thing perfectly still to prevent the cart from falling out, the Gun Boy, which comes preloaded with games and is shaped like an N64 with a light gun sticking out of the end like it's happy to see you, and the Mega Kid MK-1000, which came with a full keyboard along with word processing and typing training programs. These clones could be found as far and wide as Brazil and South Africa, spreading as fast as the popularity of Nintendo itself. They helped turn gaming from a niche fad into an international hobby, something console makers were happy to cash in on as the world economy embraced globalisation and gave them access to new markets. Unfortunately for knockoff artists, their success invited in overseas competition they couldn't compete with.
In an age where almost anyone with an Internet connection and a little money to burn can buy games on Steam, hardware clones have largely been relegated to curiosities bought by those looking to relive their childhood or mock their crude designs. But they haven't completely lost their market share-the release of the Nintendo Wii lead to a flood of opportunistic Chinese products, including the MiWi and the Chintendo Vii. The latter was popular enough to air commercials and be sold in legitimate malls across Asia, despite only having lousy built-in games and quite possibly the laziest name ever.
But while they may bring in a fair bit of cash to their dubious developers, the Vii and its friends will never have the influence the Dendy once did. Hardware clones will forever clog up toy store shelves and ruin perfectly good Christmases, but as the next generation of consoles launch we won't see a new series of clones introduce gaming to an entire generation. The Wii U, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will be available around the world, and the rise of Internet piracy will fill the gap for those who can't afford their (sometimes ridiculous) price.
That's for the best, but the next time you feel the urge to laugh when the see the Game Theory Admiral in stores, try to hold off. Its brethren played a small and strange but vital part in gaming history, allowing millions of gamers to grow up with the classics they otherwise never would have experienced. We shouldn't support piracy, but anything that let a kid who grew up under communism play Super Mario Bros. can't be all bad.
Mark Hill is a Calgary based freelance writer. Read more from him at Cracked and his personal website.