NEC TurboGrafx-16, 1987

At 14cm square, this is still the smallest home console ever sold and produced mock 16-bit graphics from an eight-bit CPU. Alas, Nintendo and Sega were already controlling the market.

Units sold: 10 million, Top game: Blazing Lazers

Nintendo Virtual Boy, 1995

The most notorious gaming flop since ET on the Atari 2600, this 32-bit handheld invited gamers to view monochromatic 3D graphics through an eyepiece. Migraine and financial misfortune soon followed for user and seller respectively.

Units sold: 770,000, Top game: Mario's Tennis

Panasonic 3D0, 1993

Panasonic's dream was to lease its CD gaming format to all and sundry, simultaneously ending proprietary cartridges and earning a tidy buck. The 32-bit machine had some top class arcade ports but drowned in the PlayStation's wake.

Units sold: 2 million, Top Game: Road Rash

Sega Saturn, 1994

Sega's four-month headstart on the original Sony PlayStation was squandered by a dearth of launch titles, poor support from third-party developers and a too-high asking price.

Units sold: 9.5 million, Top game: Virtua Fighter 2

Timelex Mega Duck WG-108, 1993

Sold in the US under the equally ill-conceived name "Cougar Boy", this budget handheld was a joint venture between several small companies. It rocked a 2.7-inch LCD display that produced eye-bleedingly rich, five-colour graphics but only ever had 37 games to show off on it.

Units sold: unknown, Top game: Snake Roy