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INTRODUCTION |
PORTABLE VIDEO GAME SYSTEM WITH GIANT SCREEN
While the rest of the world turned to the Nintendo Game Boy for all their handheld
gaming needs, a few unfortunate souls were subjected to a budget, Chinese
knock-off called the Supervision. The machine, which was made available around
the world in several different styles by quite a few different firms, first
appeared on the market in the early 1990s.
Like the Game Boy, the Supervision is a handheld video game system
with a four color “pea soup” display, that runs off batteries or
an AC adapter, and accepts specially designed game cartridges. But while
there are many great Game Boy games available, Supervision games are generally
stinkers. Most of them are actually more frustrating than fun. Why? For one,
many have dreadful controls. Some are unbeatable, often due to poor or unfinished programming. And others are flat-out unplayable. Furthermore, Supervision
games often feature dull graphics and eardrum-shattering sound. In fact, you may actually get
more enjoyment from laughing at the absurdity of the games than from actually playing them. I know I do.
So, despite the machine having a few technical advantages over Nintendo's
product — such as a larger screen resolution and display, and a tiltable screen
in some models — its relative obscurity and lackluster game library kept
the Supervision from ever becoming widely popular. As a result, this “handheld
of the less fortunate” quickly faded from the market and was never heard
from again.
Until now.
This website is my best effort to inform you about the handheld the world forgot;
to cram your brain full of interesting bits of factual information about its games.
Enjoy...?
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U P D A T E S |
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• September 4, 2023
A Supervision prototype cartridge appeared!! [Cue cricket orchestra.]
Oh. My. God. Which scintillating game could it possibly be? Happy Flappy? No.
Devil Paradise?? Of course not, don't be ridiculous.
It's... *sigh* ...Sonny X'Press. Because of course it is. Yep. Sonny, that
parasite-ridden scooter jockey, has found a way to capture the dim Supervision
spotlight once again. Blech.
You'll have to excuse me for not going ape-solutely bananas over this out of
the blue discovery, but after wasting TWENTY YEARS [!] on painstaking Supervision
research (with an emphasis on pain), I was hoping for something far
better to surface. Can't a Marpol Brother catch a break?!
But, whatever. At the end of the day, a lackluster prototype is better than no
prototype at all. And just think: Next time, it could be Wonder Fish!
Anyway, the Sonny X'Press page has been updated, noting several differences
between prototype and final version.
Click here to view past updates. |
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C R E D I T S & T H A N K S |
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Brandon Cobb : That's me! My obsession with the Supervision led me
to create this website, a process which included countless wasted hours of
playing through and completing the games, making screenshots and scans,
keying in poorly written game documentation and so much more, it would
make me nauseous to write about it!
Syd Bolton : He created the first ever Supervision website. His
dedication to the machine inspired me to go above and beyond, researching
all kinds of zany Supervision info to share with the world.
Peter Trauner : For doing extensive hardware research about and
writing technical documentation for the Supervision and the TV-Link, as
well as authoring the first Supervision emulator, he deserves a gigantic
pat on the back.
Hannes Drexl : He's the pixel artist who prepared the cunning Supervision
logo that you see at the top of each page, as well as the striking pictures
of Sonny the monkey.
Osman Celimli : I somehow roped him into becoming curious enough about
the Supervision to actually develop a more capable emulator than all the rest.
My apologies, old friend.
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H E L P M E |
No, I don't mean have me committed. (Believe it or not, my Supervision obsession is manageable.)
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If you can help in any way with my Supervision research by, for example,
providing any system, game, or accessory information not already featured here,
scoring me some Supervision development hardware, software, or prototypes, or
helping me contact former developers, manufacturers or distributors involved
with the Supervision so we can have a little chat, I'd greatly appreciate it!
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In case you're curious, my interest in the Supervision began when, as a kid,
I saw an ad for it in Johnson Smith's corny “Things You Never Knew Existed”
mail order catalog. They were hawking the Supervision plus a few games for something
like fifty bucks. What a deal, right? Well my mom didn't think so, because she
refused to buy it for me. (Smart woman. I probably would have only played the
stupid thing for about a half an hour before chucking it across the room.)
Flash forward to my early 20s, when I suddenly remembered this “handheld
of the less fortunate” and could no longer contain my curiosity. I started
a collection, which regrettably sparked a HUGE and INTENSE research and documentation
effort, culminating in this website. And that's that.
Thanks for visiting. Together, we can keep the Supervision legacy alive. (Whether we like it or not.) |
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