The Samsung Gam*Boy

[@AngryBerb]

"Japan and South Korea did not always have a smooth relationship." Understatement of the century lol

[@Fredfredfredfredfredfredfred]

Yeah, but he’s James and he is a really chill Australian

[@Code7Unltd]

But Brazil had the same issues with videogaming because of import controls. The difference: Brazil was generations behind. Usually the low value of Cruzado/Cruciero would mean the masses were likely to shop the grey market and going legally above board would mean sticking with old consoles selling so high that nobody would buy them.

[@belstar1128]

@@Code7Unltd they think they can make their own game console but they don't. but the leaders of brazil are super old and think its the same as making washing machines or something .

[@RolandTheJabberwocky]

"The USA and Russia aren't overly fond of each other."

[@baoquoc3710]

Well, then in the ideal bootleg world, we have Scny and of course, you guessed it, *Smasnug*

[@marufloor02]

As someone who was born and raised in Korea, there was a time when Samsung, LG, and Hyundai made gaming consoles. People who had Samsung Gamboys were jealous of those who played Mario on the Hyundai Comboy (NES), and used to buy knockoff Mario games from sidewalk vendors.

[@CatGoomba64]

Stuff like Super Boy I on the MSX 2 probably?

[@marufloor02]

Yeah exactly:)

[@bad_collector]

Do you have any old photos from this time period? So much visual history of how the game shops and game culture looked at that time have been lost. The tiny photos in the game magazines do not reveal much detail. =)

[@Code7Unltd]

If Hyundai (now Hynix Semiconductor) distributed for Nintendo and Samsung distributed for Sega, then what was Lucky-Goldstar importing if they hadn't made games?

[@Pon3TorLord]

​@@Code7Unltd3DO to the extend of my knowledge, I don't know if they had anything else.

[@parmesanzero7678]

Of course Nintendo patented the d-pad. That explains so much.

[@EnforcerX71]

The NES & SNES d-pad's are the most overrated in history IMO.

[@quagmier3]

This is definitely something that I could not afford to buy when it came out. Thanks for showing such an awesome and rare piece of retro gaming.

[@Games_for_James]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jazeenharal6013]

​@@Games_for_James I almost gave your comment a like, but realized that it would take the amount of likes from 69 to 70...so I thought better of it and opted for a comment. You're welcome, sir. 🤔

[@artistwithouttalent]

​@@jazeenharal6013It's at 81 now if you'd like to come back

[@marioboi323]

@@jazeenharal6013too late anyway cuz now he has 90 likes

[@649eranimates]

EVEN SAMSNUG HAD A NUGGET

[@The_Did_it_to_Em_Society]

many, many

[@MFBushidoBrown]

a GAMING NUGGET

[@erzajumeidi]

SUMSANG

[@ziginox]

@@erzajumeidi SANSMUG

[@tvandbeermakehomergo]

SMASNUG

[@KnightOfGames]

i LOVE regional variants of retro consoles, its one of the more forgotten parts of classic gaming. most people just talk about the ones sold in america and japan but there were so many like this that deserve to be seen

[@belstar1128]

Yea way more variation between the region tat is what makes it more interesting than modern gaming. but usually the Japanese version was better and most the the changes they made were bad .

[@DoubleMonoLR]

@@ItBurnsWhenIP_ They were just PAL versions of what was sold in Japan & the US, and also sold in places other than Europe - such as in Australia & here in NZ.

[@amazeyourself_]

In India, Nintendo tried to enter the video game market here in India with the variation of the NES called the Samurai. It was unsucessful due to the cost being higher than that of the many Famiclones and Brick Game handhelds back in the day.

[@Doshiba]

By the way in Brazil the master system is yet to be discontinued

[@Games_for_James]

I know! I’d love some of the Tectoy consoles

[@Whateverfloatsurboat2]

@ptra4 Nope

[@thardump859]

.....How?

[@ebonhawken574]

That's wild!

[@Doshiba]

@@thardump859 there's a company called Tectoy in Brazil, and they we're the official distributor of sega consoles in Brazil. And when Sega stopped making consoles they decided to keep making them because it still was a very lucrative business selling the master system very cheaply (having in mind that in my country video games are VERY expensive)

[@thepthepthep]

4:13 That chip right between the controller ports is the I/O chip and the op-amp is part of the circuit for 3D glasses. 4:35 From what I've read, Sega manufactured the earliest Gam-Boys in their entirety and had them imported to Korea, then transitioned to only manufacturing the motherboard while Samsung produced the plastics, followed by Samsung fully taking over manufacturing later on

[@officialk8]

That remote is known as SCP-100 This SCP is of the class Keter and poses risk to all human life. Proceed with caution.

[@bobmcguffin5706]

I thought it was Euclid?

[@TheFurry]

was looking for this comment

[@josha_254]

It's Euclid.

[@andrewdunbar828]

Sam = Three, Sung = Star

[@PurpleLPikmin]

The Samsung Gam*Boy and the Game Boy Advance both lacking dedicated sound processors is a fun new bit of trivia I can tell people at parties before they decide to never again speak to me.

[@seanmckelvey6618]

Me when I explain to people how the sega saturn was technically more powerful than the PS1. Usually people respond with either "what is a sega saturn?" or "please leave me alone".

[@thedeadpoolwhochuckles.6852]

At least you're still getting invited to parties.

[@kaitlyn__L]

Probably works about as well as trying to discuss "jazz chords" with someone because they've got a big digital piano set up, and then they go "oh well I can play a couple of Proclaimers chord progressions" and demonstrate that (then you never get invited to another one of their parties, but you hear them happening when you take out the trash lmao)

[@abunk8691]

Gotta love watchin 3 Aussie vids on a Friday morning. James' Channel, DankPods, and How Ridiculous.

[@oddball_the_blue]

I did a thing has one out today too... And now I have to wonder if James wears shoes or is that just not how Aussies roll?

[@bad_collector]

So glad to see that controller finally terminated and in use. I can't remember exactly where I got it except that I held onto it for a long time. There is also the hangeul version of the Gam*Boy with Korean lettering. Similar to the Hyundai Super Comboy I think it's the only non-English lettered variant. There are NO model 1 Aladdin Boys as the switch came midway through gen 2. You can find both variants of GamBoy II and Aladdin Boy II, with subvariants as Samsung changed their logo to the oval around that time as well.

[@zanegandini5350]

I own a Japanese Master System and yeah, other than the lack of FM audio and changing the external power supply to an internal one, the Gam*Boy is pretty much identical. The US/PAL Master Systems got rid of the rapid fire button on the console and replaced it with a reset button, but the Korean version retains said rapid fire. It's strange that they decided to remove the FM audio, as many Korean roms retained the capabilities of it, though that's true of US/PAL SMS roms as well.

[@SockyNoob]

So that means the Japanese version is truly the ultimate version.

[@zanegandini5350]

@@SockyNoob Yeah, assuming you're not looking to get into mods. I don't really use the rapid fire on the console though, as there's no way to turn it off in the middle of a game. Better to just use a controller with turbo switches.

[@oceanman2394]

It comes from the Japanese habit of reserving the best for their own country, so you’ll see a minor missing feature in the international version of Japanese-produced products from consoles like this to videogames themselves, to professional cameras, etc.

[@zanegandini5350]

@@oceanman2394 Which was stupid in this case, since the SMS was a much bigger hit outside of Japan.

[@fordesponja]

@@SockyNoob Not really. The FM synth was an optional module that slotted in the back of the cartridge slot and all original Master Systems around the world have the pins to attach it because there wasn't any major modification done. The thing is games outside Japan had the FM sound code removed, so even if you slotted a FM module to a US or PAL console it does nothing unless you use an Everdrive with japanese or modified ROMs. So technically there isn't any superior model, all are essentially the same.

[@crazychickengd]

I love the random cat meow at the end

[@femboi_uwu]

I'm so happy someone made a video about this system! Maybe a video about the Super Gam*boy/Aladdin Boy?

[@Games_for_James]

I haven’t got those but I have a a samsung saturn and a couple of samsung picos, most of the hyundai systems too

[@veganspice3230]

I disagree

[@TrentJordan3198]

Here's the Korean TV ad for the Samsung Gam*Boy. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIrLfZ6bbbF6kM0 Samsung even made a Korean version of the Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis in North America) called the "Super Gam*Boy" (later called the "Super Aladdin Boy"). It released a year or two after the original Gam*Boy. Hyundai (the electronic company, not the car maker) made Korean versions of Nintendo consoles. The Korean NES is just called the "Comboy", the SNES the "Super Comboy", the N64 the "Comboy 64", and the Game Boy the "Mini Comboy".

[@1stgenkpopfan646]

Actually, at the time, Hyundai Electronics and Hyundai motors were under the same conglomerate, Hyundai Group. Hyundai Electronics split off in 2001 and became their own company.

[@bigbangbot-SuperSqank]

The South Korean console market from the 80s-2010s is extremely interesting. It was very unique and overall quite overlooked in the west. It’s just a shame that getting these consoles/games outside of Korea is not exactly easy.

[@jockeyjeon9532]

Getting a hold of any of these vintage consoles is extremely difficult even as a Korean. Gaming stuff is rare around here. One of the reasons is because gaming in general was frowned upon by adults then (and still kinda is today).

[@GigaLem]

Korean versions of select consoles are always very interesting, The Saturn also had strange versions like the "Victor V Saturn" and "Hitachi Hi-Saturn"

[@JomasterTheSecond]

And the Samsung Saturn too, can't forget about that.

[@GigaLem]

@@JomasterTheSecond that's a rare one too

[@prymus141]

New notification from "James Channel" Boy i never clicked on notification so quickly ❤

[@MegaKirb]

alternate reality sega and current reality sega mustve caused a rift in space for us to have this

[@faraday9234]

SCP - 100: The Secure Contain Protect procedure code for an anomalous controller that never existed in this dimension, and only exists in Korea. Which is, of course, an alternate dimension in real life.

[@salmonsoup15]

certified smasnug moment

[@KeksimusMaximus]

Gnusmas

[@OldVHSTapefrom-wo7qh]

In South America we had the Master System built under license by brazilian manufacturer Tec Toy. Which looked exactly like a Master System built anywhere else, except that it didn't have the SEGA logo on it. The controllers said Tec Toy on them instead of SEGA. Tec Toy also went and made some localized versions of games in Portuguese and even released some ports of games that weren't released anywhere else (like the Mortal Kombat II version for the Master System) or original games only released in Brazil, like the Woody Woodpecker video game, or one based on the popular Brazilian comic series "Monica's Gang". The insane thing is that Tec Toy still has that license to build Master System consoles, and they are STILL making them and selling them to this day. The "Master System Evolution" is basically a plug and play Master System with no cartridge slot because all the games are already built in the console. So if anyone ever wants a "Master System Mini" but is sad that hasn't been done yet, all you need to do is get to Brazil and buy one there. They are super cheap because Tec Toy makes them with the idea of people with low incomes to buy them (people that can never afford a new Play Station or Xbox). Oh, and if you wanted an Atari 2600, well you had to buy an Argentinean made "Edu Games 2600" which was a locally made version of the Atari 2600, which looked quite different and also the joysticks were bigger and more sturdy to hold than the Atari 2600 ones.

[@Whateverfloatsurboat2]

Capcom couldn't do Street Fighter 2 on the Master System, but Tec Toy sure as hell did lol

[@OldVHSTapefrom-wo7qh]

@@Whateverfloatsurboat2 yes. AND Mortal Kombat 2 as well.

[@brziperiod]

2:57 the intro 3:03 the chorus Both absolute bangers

[@souljuicestudios4115]

I love random retro gaming crap

[@loudclaw1225]

I've been a gaming fan for years and its been a while since I've seen a system I haven't heard of before. Great video!

[@Vernafveik]

Even though many of these devices are older than me I still find them incredibly fascinating and cool, even more than modern technolog. To me these retro consoles seem like black magic, which is how I imagine a lot of people who grew up with these feel about modern consoles.

[@Jamesp-uw1gf]

'Sam' means 'three' and 'sung' means 'star', but they're some kind of prefixes rather than words.

[@warrior3456_]

Mom can i get a gameboy? No we have gamboy at home

[@retribution_vbz4699]

I love how your videos have a lott of character to them now, can really tell your starting to have a lot of fun with it. Keep it up ;P

[@TobiasSample]

I have heard Segger, Sayger, and now Seeger. I wonder what other ways people say it lol

[@vwluis]

Short, informative, and all james, just what i needed right now

[@imgumbydmnt]

I don't know about you, but my Sega Master System controller was threaded in the middle and came with different joysticks that could be screwed in. Loved it.

[@Games_for_James]

Yeah some were, pretty rare though

[@FearlessLeader2001]

Oh no, James, your warranty!

[@Pleyer7575lol]

No one cares about warranty

[@FearlessLeader2001]

@@Pleyer7575lol that's the joke, yes.

[@THEMIMIK]

2:57 Oh jeez, i remember hearing the Gam*Boy version of the Master System startup in a "compilations of Video Game Start Ups" when i was younger. I was so confused why in that one video the Master System Bios Music sounded worse than other compilation videos i had seen Now i can rest easy knowing it wasnt a glitch and it was because of a GAM*BOY

[@Andrew_G.]

EVERYONE WAKE UP JAMES MADE A NEW VIDEO!!!!

[@erzajumeidi]

This is almost at the same level as nintendo switch chinese version with tencent. But better because it's not region locked at least to jp, and the sound chip is really bad but it's a better trade off ig than a small library of games available or censorship. Korea def has a lot of weird history in gaming, and this is really awesome james!

[@erzajumeidi]

@@channelname9843 omg i searched up ique, and it's legit nintendo wtf. I've always believe the ique player is defenitely a bootleg console, it looks so off brand lol never bother to look up, it's so great that they even release ds and 3ds lmao, and the branding is so off brand and sounded like an apple imitation that i'm glad they ditch it.

[@ChrisTRCB]

James is as good as dankpods

[@K3NnY_G]

Blows my mind how the PSU was just hucked in the case, no shielding or anything. Some pre 2000's Samsung right there.

[@silminililni]

they just wanted to bypass korea ks regulations fee for seperate adapters. korea is still notorious for their electric regulations.

[@TPLS2]

That’s a weird looking dog. Could we get more videos of it.

[@McGoogger]

There’s a retro gaming bar I like to go to called zed 80. Never knew it was an old cpu!

[@restinpeace-s8c]

scp-100 Jamaican Joe's Junkyard Jubilee!

[@aintnobetterthan]

this setup is oddly reminiscent of another aussie tech informer

[@nexboygaming]

D A N K P O D S

[@Miodowy]

"Japan and South Korea did not always have a smooth relationship." - it's like saying that Germany 90 years ago was a bit controversial on the international stage.

[@silminililni]

actually this was one of the first steps for samsung to become a major semiconductor company, transitioning from just appliances manufacturer.

[@Furko08]

every time I forget the cat at the end and every time it puts a smile to my face

[@der_kluger_gunther8391]

i had no idea that samsung did something like this, well seeing the contest it makes sense after all. the huge change in sound is amazing tho, like how a single chip could change so much is wonderful!

[@HUYI1]

SEGA clearly were way ahead of their time, even Sega dreamcast was dam dope, in europe we had it all, plot spoilers!! i known all of this already back in the day 😎😎

[@The_Did_it_to_Em_Society]

longer kitty segment, please

[@heavenlyderpfowl1180]

Oh shit, I just realized this is the dude that made the bluetooth Ipod

[@rayphoenix7296]

It is good that your cat got its Woolies Worth at the end.

[@joearnold6881]

Boy, Sam has nice gams

[@_____7704]

The Japanese Sega BIOS FM sound is simply glorious

[@CatalinaMaxCisternasJofre]

Yeah. Samsung was the Korean SEGA in the 90s.

[@xfys0]

james pronouncing sega as "see-ga" is killing me

[@Games_for_James]

It’s the Australian way!

[@ABadImagination]

@@Games_for_Jamesmust be a regional thing cos it’s “say-ga” in NSW

[@bruce11121314]

@@ABadImagination It's an Albany expression

[@Games_for_James]

@@ABadImagination I suspect so, although if you look up vintage australian sega tv ads they say seega

[@subjectnether959]

​@@bruce11121314I see. You know these hamburgers are quite similar to the ones they have at krusty burger.

[@minipolenet]

Korea's ban on importing foreign electronic products existed until the early 1990s, especially for Japanese products, until the late 1990s. To avoid this, many products were entered into joint ventures with Korean companies, and Sega was a joint venture with Samsung.

[@oztheglitch]

god, australians saying "seega" feels like hearing someone pronouncing gif as "jif" i've heard sega commercials in there caused this and i know the guy who invented gif format also calls it "jif" apparently, but still it feels wrong

[@CallMeJoy_wastaken]

I remember seeing these few years ago, I live in Korea and never heard of these… Apparently the real (jp gameboy) is called Super Com-Boy (슈퍼 컴보이) and ngl, as A NINTENDO Gameboy collector, I do want the Korean Version of it.

[@kalmtraveler]

I bought the Megadrive equivalent "Samsung Super Aladdin Boy" a few years back to check it out internally - the guts were identical to a Japanese Megadrive though - motherboard layout and all. Cool stuff!

[@Games_for_James]

ohhh I still need one of those!

[@crabenjoyer2556]

I can't believe James cares enough about his audience to fly round-trip to Korea just to show us this Master System. Can't wait to see what you do next 🙌

[@nicktronson2977]

FM sound is no big loss. Though that Space Harrier FM clip sounded pretty pretty pretty good.

[@seanmckelvey6618]

IIRC Samsung sold Sega products under their own name in south korea up until the Saturn in the mid 90s. Not sure what the case with the Dreamcast was, but it's fun to see these "alternate reality" Sega consoles.

[@Games_for_James]

Yep, I have a Samsung Saturn too. The Dreamcast was Sega branded but distributed by a korean partner, I can’t remember who

[@seanmckelvey6618]

@@Games_for_James Hyundai apparently. Neat little factoid.

[@Games_for_James]

That’s pretty funny, Hyundai made all the nintendo consoles up to and including N64. Imagine the dreamcast being the successor to the N64!

[@seanmckelvey6618]

@@Games_for_James I mean, the dreamcast does have those four controller ports 😉

[@Games_for_James]

@@seanmckelvey6618haha can’t argue with that!

[@libreriapardales5850]

Samsung had a deal with SEGA to make their consoles locally (like this one or the Super Gam-boy/Super Alladin Boy which was a Genesis). Meanwhile Hyundai had a deal with Nintendo, and the Super Nintendo, Game Boy and NES were built in Korea with the Hyndai logo on them.

[@MissJazz004]

fun fact about other things samsung makes/made that most people wouldn’t expect: back in the late 80s to early 00s, samsung actually made cheap electric guitar pickups. epiphone, one of the largest budget brands, were made in korea at the time, and the cheaper models had samsung pickups. i have a 96 lp-100, a very cheap model from the time, that came stock with them. as interesting as that is, they don’t sound very good. very thin and a bit harsh, but somewhat usable if you really dial in your eq settings

[@mortmortmort8908]

My favorite game for Master System is Astro Warrior. It's not much, a pretty standard top down shmup , but the music ruled. Definitely recommend picking it up if you come across it. It was a pack-in game in the States.

[@wonseok_song]

2:11 Samsung in Korean is two words indeed, and it means Three Stars. Their old logo shown on 1:03, does have a shape of three stars.

[@hurykles99]

When i looked at the thumbnail i KNEW what video is going be about. And yet i am still glad i clicked on it. I honestly have no clue when i heard about Samsung having a deal with Sega but i sure did...

[@chiefpanda7040]

a 3d printed shell that would make the ocntroller easier to hold would be very cool like that shells for the nintendo joy cons or something

[@venichen1]

Thanks to James, I began reading about South Korea's transition from a 100 V to a 220 V grid.

[@Reevesy95]

Thank you James for another educational yet fun video

[@Games_for_James]

Very welcome

[@jb-br8bf]

I played Laser tag today and they were using the corpse of a broken Master System II as an ‘Alien Battery’ prop in the arena!

[@malcontender6319]

Tiny controllers call for claw grip! Also, your cat is very nice. Mine made me say that.

[@Arum638]

SCP-100? But I thought Jamaican Joe's Junkyard Jubilee was in South Carolina not South Korea...

[@nissan_200essex]

even the Nissan Altima had a Samsung manufactured and branded variant.

[@Thewaterspirit57]

Wow…. I kinda forgot how good the sound was for that system. Kinda cool they did that, and then meanwhile the NES just used basic ass beeps, boops, and woosh sounds

[@dbnpoldermans4120]

They deleted the FM! Thanks for all the info! Really cool stuff So I guess the green motherboard pcb was from Japan, but the components were soldered on in Korea. The Koreans, were like: how many games support FM, How much does the FM chip cost? Fugg it! It works without the FM chip! The cat at the end got me, haha Looking at your backlog, I apprantly saw many of your content, subscribe it is! Also into arcade stuff, Good man!

[@Games_for_James]

I think you’re right, I even think the components may have been sourced by Samsung. A friend of mine opened his Gam*Boy for me and his has a Samsung Z80 in it. Haha thanks! I’m glad you like my vids!

[@dbnpoldermans4120]

@@Games_for_JamesStuff like this is just so awesome to examine.

[@TheTurnipKing]

It's not just the Korean model that didn't have FM, most of the foreign releases of the system depended on the built in PSG sound. Infact, FM was originally an add-on for the pre-Master System versions of the console. There's some modern third party add-ons that can add the FM back in and indeed many games still have the FM soundtrack if the chip is present.

[@dbnpoldermans4120]

S @TheTurnipKing But the Korean model came out after the Japanese SMS, so they did delete the FM chip as the Korean seems to be based on the Japanese SMS.

[@ohajohaha]

2:05 ...SCP-100? ...the Foundation?! 😱😱

[@AbdAbdAbdAbd]

since this supports 110v/220v i guess this is the first official universal voltage console

[@NatertotGD-v1j]

that fm chip really does make a huge difference!

[@Badusername2000]

i never knew about the card system for cheaper games, thats a really cool idea

[@Pressbutan]

What a nugget. Also I love how aussies say Sega. In America it’s more “say-guh”, but you really emphasize the e. See-gah

[@Fredfredfredfredfredfredfred]

I just realized that James does the same thing as DankPods but on level 1000

[@adultmoshifan87]

I just heard that French indie publisher 2minds will be releasing Mark 3 versions of their Master System games! Those should play on your Gam*boy!

[@Kumimono]

I cannot not notice, that the color, "words" spell out BWB GBOY. Can't be a coincidence.

[@FighBat]

JAMES HAS KOREAN NUGGETS!?!!?!??!?!?!??!

[@CSLucasEpic]

Well, if you liked the Gam-Boy, you will love the Comboy and the Super Comboy. Not to mention the Handy Gam-Boy.

[@Games_for_James]

I’ve got most of those ;)

[@CSLucasEpic]

@@Games_for_James Nice! Do you also have the Hyundai Comboy 64 too?

[@EllaBananas]

Never played a mastersystem but i'm ngl that chiptune on startup has litteral tears in my eyes.

[@LITTLE1994]

Wow, a Sega Master System clone, by a company now known for phones, TVs, and other electronics? How ironic.

[@RetroRacing]

Yeah I Don't Know About Localised Sega Console Until I Found Samsung Pico (basically sega pico if you don't know) And Later Found This Video

[@YimYum911]

Bro is dankpods except red and gaming 😭 (Btw I subbed😊)

[@tarstarkusz]

The 6502 probably was more widely used than the z80. It also still used today.

[@dj9volt]

The Gam Boy can be modified to have FM along with the US version of the master system

[@Games_for_James]

Yes you are correct

[@IVR02]

I learned about these Korean localized consoles a few years back. I know Nintendo licensed their consoles out to Hyundai, which I find kinda amusing. Like, something about seeing an NES with a Hyundai logo if funny to me.

[@jacob_n_r_z8755]

4:08 i always forgot that we🇵🇭 also made chips

[@belstar1128]

Some old people call every game console a game boy. i wonder what they were thinking when they picked this name. i like the think it was some old boss who doesn't actually like video games and who literally censored the word game because he didn't like video games .

[@Smokinjoewhite]

I thought that 220/110v switch was just a firework mode in 220/240v regions. The more you know.

[@TheSkaldenmettrunk]

The Gam*Boy.. a weird Sega Master System.. I don't know but I like that..😂

[@SylvesterAshcroft88]

My first console was a Master System and soon as i saw this, i thought hey that looks familiar, i couldn't place it until you said it was basically a Master System as i mostly remember the sleeker Master System II, but that's pretty insane! xD

[@bigguy115-fq1hk]

Ive recently gotten jnto retro games and i fuckin love tinkering so this channel is the perfect mix of what i love.