-The Birth of the Game Axe-

A special section devoted to the evolution of the world’s only portable NES still in production.

 

A couple of months ago, I decided to contact Redant about my webpage, because of the wonderful feedback I had gotten from all of you. I wanted to know as much as possible. I figure a system that is this much fun deserves its place in Video Game history.

 

I was referred to a gentleman by the name of Ivan Chen, who was very friendly, and was happy to take time out of his busy schedule to talk about the Game Axe. And the following pictures are courtesy of him and his boss, Mr. Lin Wen Ping.

 

In 1995, Mr. Lin Wen Ping correctly assumed that the NES(Famicom) would make a great portable system, and that Nintendo was not filling that need, and ignoring a great chance to revitalize its market in a time when it was suffering the blows from one of the most unsuccessful consoles in history, the Virtual Boy. Mr. Lin Wen Ping, Mr. Ivan Chen, and their co-workers, can be credited as the inventors of the Game Axe.

 

There were actually two versions of the Game Axe, the FC-812 and the FC-868. From 1995 until 1997, they produced the 812, which had a 3”(7.26cm) screen and a characteristic white border around it. The power LED was also red.

 

From 1997 until present, they produced the FC-868, which has a 4”(10.2cm) screen and a green power LED. This is the version you will most likely see. It is also the one I currently own.

 

The following is a gallery of photographs showing various stages in the Game Axe’s evolution. Many thanks to Ivan Chen and his boss, Lin Wen Ping for providing the beautiful pictures.

 

A poster for the FC-812.

 

A poster for the FC-868.

 

What appears to be the Game Axe’s main circuit board. It is clearly for the 868.

 

 

A film diagram, showing the circuit pathways for the board. This one is from the 812.

 

Another film, also from the 812.

 

A concept sketch for the Game Axe poster.

 

A beautifully detailed draft of the Game Axe’s front panel. This is obviously a concept, because of where the speaker is located. It also seems this is a left-handed design.

 

 A great front sketch of the 868.

 

This appears to be a diagram for the main circuit of the Game Axe.

 

This diagram clearly shows the button circuits and NES CPU chip for the Game Axe. The chip that is in the background, the NMOS 6582, is the famous “NES-on-a-Chip”, which hobbyists adore.

 

This I am unsure of. It might be a button contact of some sort.

 

This is for a structure that goes over the top of the Game Axe. Notice the button locations on each side.

 

Well, there you have it! An inside look into the development of the Game Axe. Again, special thanks to the Team at Redant for providing me with these great, high-res images. Nintendo wouldn’t even have been so courteous.

 

Again, a reminder. These images are copyright Airbus Productions, and Legend Technologies LTD. Photographs courtesy Ivan Chen and Lin Wen Ping. Images from this site may not be used publicly without permission from the webmaster and Airbus Productions. If you would like to use these images in your website. Please email me.