The Game Axe is an unlicensed handheld version of the Famicom, made by the Taiwanese hardware manufacturer Legend Technology Co., LTD. It is a portable Famiclone that can play Famicom games, and by using the included adapter, American and European Nintendo Entertainment System games.

History

Launched in 1989, The Game Axe made a comeback around 2000, being sold in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan under the Redant brand.

Design

The design of the Game Axe was horizontal and similar in appearance to Sega's Game Gear. It had a 3.5-inch (model FC-812) or 4-inch (models FC-816/FC-868) colour LCD screen, two controller ports at the base, an AC jack, and an RCA jack, allowing the Game Axe to be plugged to a television and essentially replace a Famicom.

Technical specifications

These are the basic technical specifications for the Game Axe:

• Power: 9 volts DC 500-1000mA / 6 AA batteries.

• CPU: NMOS 6502 at 1.8MHz

• Graphics: PPU (Picture Processing Unit)

• Display: 3.8 inch Passive Matrix LCD screen with backlight.

• Sound: pAPU (pseudo-Audio Processing Unit)

Connectors:

• DC in, cartridge slot, A/V Out, RCA A/V in (component video Y-cable connecting to 1/8” mini jack)

• Controllers

• A/V Out (using standard Sega Genesis A/V out cord)

• Phones

Issues with the NES cartridge adapter

Due to the necessity of an extra adapter, the Game Axe suffers severe stability issues if playing NES games while holding the device. Any jarring of the hand held causes NES games to lose enough contact to freeze or shut off.

See also

• Sega Nomad

• TurboExpress

References