The Forgotten SEGA Console | Video Driver

[@RMCRetro]

Thank you for watching this Tech Oddity, who else has "played" a VHS video game and what were your experiences? As always feel free to support future episodes in the following ways: ● Patreon: www.patreon.com/RetroManCave ● RMC Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/TheRetroManCave ● MonsterJoysticks: monsterjoysticks.com/RMC Thanks! Neil - RMC

[@TiredFerret]

RetroManCave Not really a video game, but we used to play video board games like the Gargoyles one.

[@Alreetsausage]

RetroManCave I have a vhs actionmax arcade console if you'd like to test that bad boy out?

[@roberthornibrook6344]

I still have the vhs of it. From what I remember, I didn't like it when I was a kid.

[@williamcrowe2576]

Ever heard of Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future?

[@israelperez5509]

Wow I had this when I was 10.... 30 yrs ago

[@devlinfan]

They filmed the driving footage before the San Francisco earthquake of 1989. Noticed a freeway in the video that was destroyed and removed after the earthquake. Decent footage of highway 1, down the California coast line. Keep up the great content!

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Devlin Murphy I suppose that's one nice history fact in all this!

[@davidjames579]

It seems funny that for a Californian driving game they shot it on a dull day. Looks so oppressive!

[@exil3dlivecom]

Can you believe I bought this when it came out? I saw it at KB toy store, there was a demo playing and I was blown away by the graphics! Little did I know it was a freaking vhs tape! For lil oh me, it was ok. I was like 7yrs.

[@3DSage]

You have to admit it's a creative idea.

[@Malouco]

3DSage it makes more sense than labo.

[@natsume-hime2473]

Labo actually is a pretty ingenious idea, especially compared to this. Doing things like using the HD rumble to make remote controlled robots. Something that was comparatively prohibitively expensive compared to the interactive VHS games in the 80s and 90s.

[@Sc0pee]

a creative pile of shit!

[@marcopiras7681]

Please... it was a lame concept still in later '80. I remeber well when i was 8yo thinking "What a crap!"

[@HelloooThere]

But?

[@Ducky2317]

This brings back memories. I was bought one for Christmas when I was 7 and was excited to have a game system, but was not able to play it as our tv was just a couple inches bigger than the set up and wouldn't play properly. Two days later my father took me to a toy store and got me the NES Power Set (the one with the Power Pad) to make up for it. Was a happy few days.

[@lewisfilby2394]

I just wonder if they intentionally designed the VHS sleeve to look like it came from Blockbuster...

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Lewis Filby I thought that too!

[@fixman88]

I thought that too but then I remembered that California license plates were that color for a while.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Interesting. Ohio's has always been white in my state.

[@jason_a_smith_gb]

Christopher Sobieniak ...and me!

[@Monkey_SK]

Wow, how on earth did you find one of these? My cousin got this for his birthday and we must have played it for hour and then it went back in the box, never to be touched again. The fact there was only one drive of 6mins is poor for something I remember being rather expensive. Another great video.

[@JahnoKestt]

I laughed my ass off at the end. "Don't listen to her Jack, get in my truck". Might have saved him from that icy grave!

[@MrDuncl]

I just looked this up in the 1989 Argos Catalogue. The game was £48.99. Additional tapes: "Police Pursuit", and "Formula 1" were £6.45 each. According to the Bank of England multiply by 2.3 to get 2017 prices. Alternatives in the same catalogue were the film based Tomy Chasing Police Car (which changes speed when you change gear) for £18.95, the Tomy Racing Turbo set for £17.95 or the Grandstand Outrun Set complete with a small LCD screen for £24.95.

[@WedgePee]

Necroposting but those prices look ridiculous to me.

[@MartinKronstrom]

You could glue a microphone instead of a car and it would look like you are interviewing Jack and Rose back and forth vox pop style.

[@stefanocrespi5424]

Genius!

[@DenisGomesFranco]

Goddamnit man ROFL!

[@mootbooxle]

lmao

[@Blueflag04]

lol

[@jackkraken3888]

Or a plastic finger pointing at them!

[@tonerrr]

Holy crap, I remember seeing this behind the counter of my local Kay-Bee store when I was about 6 or 7 years old! I also remember being in awe because the footage looked too real to be true for a video game (I wasn't very bright). I never saw that box or any info that game for the rest of my life. That is, until now.

[@JacGoudsmit]

Now I want to buy a webcam, generate some timelapse footage of a long drive, and write a VirtualDub plugin to edit the video to make my own games. Then all that's left is to buy one of these from the Internet. But with a unique name like "Video Driver", it should be easy to find, right? :-)

[@Diggnuts]

Need follow up video exploring all types of replacement cars on this unit... Flintstone mobiles, Spaceships, anything!

[@RMCRetro]

You could play at Freddy Kruger throughout a whole Elm Street movie

[@Diggnuts]

Or perhaps use the Police Squad intro.. It would not be that difficult to actually edit a version with the white hazard bars..

[@airthrow]

As a kid I was always fascinated with how VHS games could even work, I knew enough then to know it'd be just a gimmick with no replay value, thank goodness for KZbinrs!

[@Larry]

I've been looking for the OutRun branded version of this for years! Was a mainstay in Argos catalogues for the longest time.

[@dpw81]

Was that not the Tiger tabletop LCD game? I had one of those and it was awful, but I loved it.

[@murphyebass7837]

5:46 spoiler!!!

[@Blueflag04]

that looks like a great thing

[@ovum]

God damn you're finally verified

[@davidjames579]

I remember seeing this in the Argos catalog when I was a kid and desperately wanting one, as it was a game that was real! Now I can see the playability won't last long, a linear video where the only interaction is how many points you score is dull. You'd have more involvement doing the Observation Round on The Krypton Factor.

[@dakotaslt232001]

I played it for hours when I was a kid. I also had other gaming systems, but this seemed realistic at the time.

[@TheVHSReviver]

The car guy in me wants to see the entire tape to watch the corvette go for a drive. Neat video thanks for posting.

[@RMCRetro]

I did take a moment to capture the whole tape just to preserve it in some way. It's showing to my Patrons tomorrow for a "Sunday Drive" treat. I use the word treat very loosely here!

[@gavincurtis]

Awwww.. that truck loves the Titanic movie.

[@keithfulkerson]

There was an arcade game in the 70s that worked just like this, but used film instead of video. The screen setup was nearly identical with the video on top and the black and white section on bottom. Search KZbin for Kasco The Driver.

[@keithfulkerson]

Sean Wilkinson I just saw the arcade one on KZbin a couple of weeks ago and was amazed at what it was pulling off for the time. I love the old electro mechanic games, too, and couldn't believe I'd never seen that one before.

[@jmalmsten]

That truck moving about on the track looked very much like some kind of mini mascot animal chasing around a laser pointer.

[@dakotaslt232001]

I had this when I was a kid. I loved it. Now 41, I have found it again. I do not play video games anymore, but research to find everything I remember. Thank you for this.

[@pauljensen519]

I had one of these for a little while as a kid. It didn't have a lot of replay value, but I liked it, since I've been a sucker for FMV games ever since Dragon's Lair came out. It's also notable because it has some footage of the old double-decked portion of the Nimitz Freeway (I-880) in San Francisco (see 4:55) right before it collapsed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, so at least it's got some historical value.

[@pancudowny]

This reminded me of a case that came-up in an episode of "Night Court"... where a man was running a driving school, but the "training simulator" was just dummy controls attached to a big-screen television, which the students manipulated as they followed a videotape of a car moving along the road--as seen from a over-the-dashboard view.

[@morph-x7153]

Wonderful! I had one of these when i was a kid. I never complained about it and now i think of it, i never asked myself why i could never beat that corvette. I do remember the joy of setting up this monstrous construction on our good old hi-fi Aristona television. Such a silly concept, what drugs were these people on when agreeing to take this into production. And yet, i wish i still had it, even if only to see the underwhelming reaction of my own kids to this ancient piece of entetainment.

[@3DSage]

I had NO IDEA this existed! Thank you for making this video.

[@segaprophet]

I had this before any real video game and little kid me was mighty impressed with it back in the day.

[@dakotaslt232001]

Damn straight. I loved this system.

[@Konstantinosmo]

I've owned it a few years now. I got it in used condition from abroad and had to repair some internal gears to make it work.Imagine the kids of these age, watching and playing this for the first time! Very good cooperation of the 2 companies (Sega and Tyco). By the way, would you be able to send me the scans of the instructions so I can print them because mine are missing?

[@GreyHulk2156]

'Battery nappy'. There's a phrase I didn't expect to hear! lol

[@RMCRetro]

See also "Meat nappy" found in trays of minced meat purchased in the supermarket

[@catgirl_eva]

Oh wow. I used to have one of these when I was a kid. Those suction cups never stayed on.

[@OnceShy_TwiceBitten]

do you remember it being fun, or were you like... this shits GAYYY

[@brianoconnell6459]

I know that route at the opening, it's also known as Devil's Curve on Highway 1, where Hank Ketchum's son, Dennis (AKA The Menace) died.

[@RMCRetro]

Wow that's good Highway knowledge

[@JacGoudsmit]

I recognized it too. I think the video ends here: goo.gl/maps/H42c1MtTPBE2 By the way, funny how Google Maps messes up the 3D data for the road and the bridge.

[@d.logic1]

Some of those roadways look like the San Francisco Bay Area. One freeway looked like the old Embarcadero Freeway, a roadway that was demolished after it collapsed due to the Loma Prieta Earthquake.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

I remember those being really expensive in the Argos catalogue and wondering what the hell it was, a video game with real graphics? Now finally I understand it's shit and would have been a real disappointment getting that for Christmas.

[@brokenwave6125]

Knuckles the Echidna Its "shit" now...a kid in 1988 would love it.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Broken Wave yeah I think younger kids would have loved it, I wonder what Santa or the adults who bought it would have thought?

[@Diamondblade2008]

When I was a child (I was 10 at the time) I saw this in the Argos catalogue and I was really twisting my mother's arm to get me one, but she didn't and I was left very disappointed. Sometime later on they had this on demostration in the Hamley's toy shop and the assistant let me have a go on it. It was fun to muck around with during the first few minutes, but as I played it I began to think 'this isn't very good' as being VHS-driven, you are unable to take your own route; as if you are driving on rails. And how the scenery kept changing between empty country roads and busy motorways became very annoying after a while. The worst part was when you came to the end of the tape and the scoreboard is displayed; I thought 'Is that it?!?!'. I walked away feeling very sorry for myself given how much I begged my mother to get me this. I suppose if I did have one today I could make my own games by downloading some footage from my car's dashcam and use a video editor to create the flashing bars needed for scoring.

[@trakaipilies396]

In fact it's an outrage to publish a nonsense game like this, while C64 was already showing most impressive titles with sophisticated gameplay in the same year.

[@LAlberoNero]

5:15 Pizza planet truck

[@russellwarren9595]

I have no memories of this game, but it feels very familiar! It looks like a suped up version of the Tomy dashboard, steering wheel thing, my son used to play with.

[@zh84]

It was called Tomy Racing Turbo, and I was very much reminded of that too. Eminent KZbinr "Ashens" has a couple of videos about that gadget, including taking it to pieces to see how it worked.

[@joemills8172]

Oh i had both, definitely similar. I also had the motorcycle dashboard toy, ah to be a kid in the 80s!

[@Thebossstage1]

That has to be the most intense dump truck chase I've ever seen

[@rob9472]

I enjoyed that way too much, I have the sudden urge to want one of these quite badly now.

[@thomasmcandrew8822]

I had this when I was 5 perhaps(1990.) I loved it. I'm pretty sure its still up in the loft.

[@meetoo594]

You could integrate a learning infrared control and then get the video to speed up,slow down and pause by controlling the vcr via the throttle. High end vcr`s are perfectly capable of frame by frame advance forward or back (I had one with a jog dial). I guess the sound would mess up but if you only had engine noises it might work.

[@RMCRetro]

In a similar style I remember an early CD game on my PC which worked in this way. The video sped up or alowed down according to speed. It worked pretty well.

[@meetoo594]

Heh, I once coded a visual basic cycling sim type thing that read rotations of the wheel on my spinbike via a magsensor soldered onto an old mouse`s left button. The program sped up or slowed down the video depending on the frequency of the mouse clicks. It worked quite well until you were pelting along at top speed and the program just couldnt keep up with the rate of clicks (or the mouse/usb had a limit).

[@electronash]

RetroManCave MegaRace?

[@MarkyShaw]

I never knew this existed! Great way to see it in action. Loved your improv with the truck, Jack and Rose! HAHA!

[@sharptoothtrex4486]

The Japan version of California Chase with the car and surfboard is Tokyo Chase since I do not know what the Japanese translation to English is.

[@DeadReckon]

00:17s ... Wait what? I almost choked on the cinnamon roll I'm eating when you said that I was laughing so hard.

[@PaulDavies4]

My father asked me to remove my old toys from his attic and i found a treasure trove of memories including a fully boxed version of this game, I remember it as a kid. Sadly when I packed it away I left the batteries in and it's damaged (minimally), the battery terminals. Still going through my old Transformers, He-Man, Secret Wars, Mask Crusaders, Ghost Busters toys etc was a lot of fun.

[@pinokotsbeer6453]

Haha that toy truck is the best replacement!

[@ArabKatib]

@ 6:42 .. LMAO!!! You killed me!!!

[@izzyosborn637]

Sega couldn’t help putting things out on the market, I think they actually enjoyed the act of creating and releasing wacky products more than supporting their most viable ones. Great video btw

[@Scott-uo9jz]

As a kid I fell in love with California because of what I saw in this video tape.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

A lot of California filled the 80's for me.

[@Wedeemgaming]

Hearing that intro brought back some nostalgic butterflies back!

[@neilloughran4437]

This is basically a 100% copy of the arcade game "Driver" by Kasco which came out in 1978. Kasco had the same idea of using photo sensors on a lower screen which showed the dark and light areas. All you did was follow a 35mm film and make sure you steered within the allocated areas. Kinda cool back in the day... I recall being in Morecambe or Blackpool in the late 70s and being mesmerised by it... that imagery stayed with my for decades and until youtube I never knew what it was.

[@qbradq]

I love these old interactive VHS games. It's so 80's it hurts :)

[@swifty1969]

wow!! the graphics looks real. So Sega was ahead of even a modern PC with SLI RTX 2080ti and 32 core intel cpu with 256gb of DDR4 memory. Why not bring that kind of graphics to the arcade? I wonder what kind of GPU was running it.......incredible......just incredible.

[@longhairedchild1]

Wow this brings back memories. Never thought I’d find this. Thank you! 😊

[@trailersic]

I agonised for years looking at this in the argos catalogue when I was a little tyke thinking, that looks so awesome I must have it, kind of glad I didn't now. :)

[@PassportKings]

Your voice and sarcasm is hilarious! Subscribing now!

[@RMCRetro]

Welcome to The Cave sir

[@davidjames579]

The video tape has been on Red Letter Media's Wheel Of The Worst for a while, but they haven't got to it yet. Looking at it they were genuinely puzzled by what it is. I can't wait for them to play it and try and work what the footage is for.

[@jewhittamore]

This really was funny. I remember parents getting these for the neighbor kids (with the TV since most kids didn't have small TVs or the consoles they had were too large to play properly) and they would end up in the local charity shops within a couple of months. The poor parents really didn't know what to think of the new video gaming system back in those days.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

John Whittamore I'm sure it was an overwhelming experience to say the least.

[@SagaciousFrank]

We owned this - got it for Christmas, and it broke Christmas day! 😂🤣😁

[@static_anachromatic]

I've seen insulting products before, and this one is pretty far up there.

[@RMCRetro]

You mean to say you don't beleive it's a "real driving experience"??

[@danielgreen878]

handling looks terrible.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

RetroManCave When you were 7, you didn't really care!

[@hollowneedles]

Kid me fell for the con, but it was a spaceship shooting game with light sensors on the ship that provided the only feedback.

[@104d_3rr0r_vince]

DAMN! I wanted this so bad back in the days. Didn't miss anything as I see it playing for the first time here.

[@Agenteyes007]

That was a brilliant concept for its time. You can’t hate just appreciate.

[@mr.vidjagamez9896]

I have had one of these for years, but dont have the tape or the little useless car piece. I always thought it would be a fun little project to try and create original game play tapes for it and the Action Max. The Interactive Vision actually did games on VHS in a somewhat impressive means.

[@GamingHistorySource]

What utter garbage ! I would have felt so ripped off if I had gotten something like this for Christmas.

[@Kiliny]

Because you are thinking as someone who always had a PS3 at least... Back in the day, that kind of bullshit may have looked cool

[@GamingHistorySource]

AHHH !! But you would be wrong. I played PONG when it was 1st introduced & saw the horrors of the Action Max. 0_0 ... I have seen some shit. 0_0

[@Kiliny]

Ho, Ok, sorry then...

[@GamingHistorySource]

It's cool. :D

[@lutello3012]

worse than Hit Stix

[@crdleoffilth1987]

I actually owned this when I was about 5 years old. It seemed like it was going to be pretty cool. I owned a NES at the time, still works without any replaced parts since it was bought in 87. I found it weird that this was supposed to be a game with a VHS, "played" through it once and thought it was kind of lame that I couldn't actually race at all, which wouldn't have been possible. The brackets to attach on the TV always fell off so I had to have the bar sit in front of the TV instead. The car was hollowed out and the tires to it were glued on with a cheap adhesive, they kept falling off. And if you kept turning right or left at the end of the bar, the gears would grind loudly haha

[@GazzJ82]

I have never seen this. But I do remember the sega lock on laser guns and headsets that a friend had. They were actually pretty good from memory.

[@TheLemminkainen]

I remember watching this on kids catalog on games + consoles pages back in the days. I was wondering how the hell this works and now i know its rubbish

[@Tr0nzoid]

I wanted and got this for Christmas 1989. The idea fascinated me and I learned that it was simply a videotape with no real interaction and control whatsoever. At the time, most of us would not be aware of the extent of technology and we certainly did not have a place to read or watch reviews of this stuff. What I regret is that I was asked if I wanted to return it and get a Nintendo game instead and I just said it didn't matter.

[@Dad3601]

A trip down memory lane subscribed omg I remember the advert on TV Tandy shop in UK used to have this in there display window at the time this was so unique never seen before And now we have virtual reality and games that sell more than films make

[@doingbigthings9781]

Omg what a throw back. I remember building a card board car and using this. What great times man .

[@philscomputerlab]

Fascinating, I had no idea something like this existed :D Thanks for sharing these interesting gadgets.

[@wtffy204]

The end was funny. Jack said no to the truck and chose his true path.

[@Teab8g]

Wow. This is bringing back memories. I used to love this as a small child.. But the ending always scared the crap out of me when the car fell off the cliff.

[@ProtoKun7]

Found myself thinking about this again so I had to look it up. Really enjoyed playing with this as a kid, even if it wasn't always even with the accompaniment of the video itself.

[@steveofx23]

Brilliant episode, the humour is spot on!

[@97GeoPrizm]

It was pain and a half to set up, the suction cups weren't strong enough, and our regular console TV seemed too big for it to fit quite right. Plus it got boring real fast. I remember trying it on the tunnel scene in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" for something else to do with it. I feel bad my parents wasted the money on it.

[@TomChucklehead]

That Titanic scene in the fogged up car is much better when replaced by a truck with “heavy load” on the back.

[@madkwadzfpv2515]

I remember playing that game as a kid. At that time it was amazing! . Watching the car chase video reminded so much memories.

[@johneygd]

It’s a very clever but an alternative way to simulate FMV in a video game, it doesn’t have much use to it but it’s technically very interesting, the light sensor is moving in accordance how far you’re stearing to the left or right, then it it is able to detect light from the screen at sudden moment to deincrease your score there was also a similar console from another company wich uses a lightgun wich worked on the same principle using a vhs tape too but that system detected light to increase your score.

[@tardisrider25]

This thing was terrible. I was a big gamer when I was a kid so I think that's why they thought this would be a good gift for me. I remember feeling guilty because I was pretending I loved it, but I knew the moment I pulled this thing out that it was a piece of junk.

[@rooneye]

Wow I was JUST thinking about this machine that I remembered from a kids party when I was like 4-5yrs old. I had no idea it was Sega, though the one I remember had a little red car (might have even been a motorbike I forget, but definitely red and not a truck). Serendipity.

[@BrianLewisdev]

Holy crap. I vaguely remember having one of these as a kid. But now I'm asking myself if I actually had one, or if I'm just misremembering. That VHS and the thin metal bars tiggered me, though. I HAD to have had this.

[@johalun]

What ingenuity! I had no idea this kind of game existed :)

[@MorganJustGames]

Another nice video. I was a big fan of this in the old days. However I didn't own it. One of my Friends had it and I borrowed it a few times. I really enjoyed it. That one had the original Car and not a Truck hehehehe. Great stuff though and great to see it again after so many years.

[@josephnealescratchcards]

Love the video as always

[@JeremyPeeples]

I remember having this back in the day - I haven't seen this since its original release.

[@MarkusBurgstaller1508]

hilariously cool again! i so love your episodes!

[@michelangelo5903]

i like how you’re chasing that car through the highway but the other cars are moving faster

[@ZZtheDark]

More like you were an Expert Driver. This kicks ass!

[@startedtech]

Wow, that box is in surprisingly good shape!

[@runcmd8851]

ha I remember getting this for Christmas when i was a kid, and i am sure this will still be at my mum and dads house.. and i thought this was the state of the art when i was a child lol

[@djhabibi04]

I had this when I was 7 (it was often a pain to set up properly though). I also had the extra F1 Tape though I think it didn't come with the white F1 car (so used the red one that came with it). Great memories!

[@eformance]

This is like watching Matt Farah on The Smoking Tire, it's the same road he does many of his drives on.

[@stircrazyvidz8530]

Remember getting this from my parents when i was around 6 years old. It was surprisingly addictive, but we were only allowed to play at the weekend one day a week

[@AGomez1821]

the toy truck reminds me of a dog getting excited for a car ride and a cat trying to catch the laser dot in a room

[@jason_a_smith_gb]

Very dangerous racing a truck while doing wheelies imo.

[@williamgottlieb8723]

This seems more like a gag from the Simpsons. Bart would be hinting around about the hot new video game console he wanted for his birthday and Marge would get him this thing. Cut to the scene where Bart is halfheartedly playing this thing with a big frown on his face as the family cat is swatting at the toy car as it slides left and right.

[@CousinHubertRetrogaming]

Hi! Do you know if this toy also work with an lcd screen? Provided it is small enougj to acomodate the sensor bar?

[@RDJ134]

It's SEGA see the box. No dissrespect. Great video, never heard of this thing.

[@RMCRetro]

are you happy now huh? huh?! :D

[@RDJ134]

Yes :) And now you can draw me like one of those French Girls.

[@rDanny]

I had this as a kid it was actually quite fun I memorised the whole thing, you just had to keep the car between the white bars

[@Doobie3010]

Never heard of this thing,thankfully! Nice outro!

[@dogeymon83]

Once you started gameplay.....I’d never laughed at something so hard in my life

[@lutello3012]

Nobody has a vintage vcr like the one on the box but you have a neat tv.

[@GreyHulk2156]

Why'd they put the video spine label on the front of the cassette? Barbarians!