Action Max
Encyclopedia
Action Max is a console using VHS
tapes for games. It was created in 1987 by Worlds of Wonder
.
The system required its owner to also have a VCR
, as the console did not have a way to play tapes itself. Using a light gun
(or two for 2-player games) players would shoot at the screen. The gaming was strictly point-based and dependent on shot accuracy. Players could not truly "lose" or "win" a game. This, along with the fact that the only real genre on the system were light gun games that played exactly the same way every time, greatly limited the system's appeal and lead to its quick downfall.
The Action Max had a very limited release outside the US and only one PAL game is suspected to have been made.
Like the Fairchild Channel F
, this unit had an internal speaker.
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The Action Max console used the corner circle and light from the targets (picked up by the guns) to determine when something had been hit. Flashes in sync with the corner circle would count as 'enemy' hits, and would earn points for the player. Flashes out of sync with the corner circle counted as 'friend' hits, losing points.
The console can also be compatible with DVD-Rs of simple homebrew video footage created with video editing software employing the proper visual criteria for the Action Max's functionality.
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
tapes for games. It was created in 1987 by Worlds of Wonder
Worlds of Wonder (toy company)
Worlds of Wonder or WoW was a 1980s American toy company, founded by former Atari employees, including Don Kingsborough and Mark Robert Goldberg.Their products included:* Teddy Ruxpin, a story telling bear, in 1985...
.
The system required its owner to also have a VCR
Videocassette recorder
The videocassette recorder , is a type of electro-mechanical device that uses removable videocassettes that contain magnetic tape for recording analog audio and analog video from broadcast television so that the images and sound can be played back at a more convenient time...
, as the console did not have a way to play tapes itself. Using a light gun
Light gun
A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games.Modern screen-based light guns work by building a sensor into the gun itself, and the on-screen target emit light rather than the gun...
(or two for 2-player games) players would shoot at the screen. The gaming was strictly point-based and dependent on shot accuracy. Players could not truly "lose" or "win" a game. This, along with the fact that the only real genre on the system were light gun games that played exactly the same way every time, greatly limited the system's appeal and lead to its quick downfall.
The Action Max had a very limited release outside the US and only one PAL game is suspected to have been made.
Like the Fairchild Channel F
Fairchild Channel F
The Fairchild Channel F is a game console released by Fairchild Semiconductor in August 1976 at the retail price of $169.95. It has the distinction of being the first programmable ROM cartridge-based video game console...
, this unit had an internal speaker.
Games
- .38 Ambush Alley
- Blue Thunder
- Hydrosub: 2021
- The Rescue of Pops Ghostly
- Sonic Fury
- Fright Night (unreleased)
Targeting system
Before playing, a red sensor had to be attached to the lower right corner of the television screen. This corner contained a circle that was usually black, but would flash rapidly whenever something on the screen was shootable. At the same time, targets would be highlighted by rapidly flashing panels, for the player to shoot at.The Action Max console used the corner circle and light from the targets (picked up by the guns) to determine when something had been hit. Flashes in sync with the corner circle would count as 'enemy' hits, and would earn points for the player. Flashes out of sync with the corner circle counted as 'friend' hits, losing points.
Technical specifications
- CPU: HD401010
- Internal Speaker
- 2 Character, 7 segment LCD score display
Modern day
Even though DVD recorders were introduced to the market several years after this product was discontinued, a DVD-R copy of pre-recorded VHS tapes for this game are technically compatible with this game since the Action Max hardware was more dependent on the video signal than the actual hardware that plays it.The console can also be compatible with DVD-Rs of simple homebrew video footage created with video editing software employing the proper visual criteria for the Action Max's functionality.