Polystation Dual Shock
By: The Collector

  "The only "dual shock" anyone's going to get out of this box is that fact that
this isn't even close to a PSX and that it doesn't even have good Famicom support."

One thing that can be said about the pirating community is that they want to fool unknowing consumers into buying a knock-off of a popular product at a lower price, even if the knock-off isn't even the same as the source product. The Famiclones featured in the pirates section have taken the visage of the Playstation One and the Super Nintendo, which may seem like gimmicks concocted by those fun-loving game pirates, but it turns out that the gimmick is closer to a conspiracy, as discovered from the information attached to this Famiclone system, the Polystation.

"What the system comes with (not shown is a confusing RF adapter;
power supply adapter not included)."

The Polystation, as it is easy to guess, is an imitation of the Playstation 32-bit system, much like the Polystation III. The features are similar: a Famicom system that looks like a Playstation, copying the case right down to a similar font for the name. The system features standard power and rest buttons, as well as a button that opens the lid, allowing a Famicom cartridge to be inserted; sort of. The first blunder in this system is that Famicom games don't seem to actually work, which is odd, since the games that came with this particular set (which will be covered separately) work with a Game Axe.

"The back of the Polystation."

This could very well be because of another factor, a point that should discourage those thinking of looking for a Polystation on eBay right now (they're also really hard to find). This system appears to be a Brazilian pirate, which means that not only is the power adapter incompatible with American outlets (nothing a simple three dollar adapter found at Radio Shack can't fix), but also the video standard is PAL, as opposed to American video standards, which is NTSC. This means that unless you have access to a PAL-compatible television or monitor, you aren't going to be able to use this system. This might be why Japanese Famicom games don't seem to work, since Japan also operates on NTSC.

"A confusing European power supply and a $3 converter for American outlets."

The Polystation's other features include standard nine-volt power connector (with that adapter) and standard A/V or RF ports. The controller ports support two standard nine-pin controllers. The system itself, like its little brother, the Polystation III, is very light weight (lighter than most handhelds) and feels very cheap, despite the PSX association. As mentioned, Japanese Famicom support seems non-existent, which is worsened by the narrow cartridge slot.

"The standard controller, which are the best thing to come out of this box."

The pack-in controllers, however, put the system itself to shame. Molded after the original Playstation controller, the Polystation controllers feature a six action buttons, similar to the Sega Genesis six-button pad, which are variations of the A and B buttons, with turbo features for each. The start and select buttons are firm, and the directional pad, while a bit loose, is one of the more comfortable in the NES world. The controller feels a little small and made of cheap plastic, but it's light years ahead of the horrible Game Axe pack-ins.

"The Polystation gun. Looks cool and feels great."

The Polystation also comes with a gun, which looks like a standard toy gun with Zapper parts inside. It's solid black and menacing looking. There's a detachable grip/magazine, but, sadly, the one reviewed was cracked and wouldn't fit into place. Still, it's only cosmetic, and the gun is rather comfortable. Having a Famiclone light gun is definitely a good thing.

The Polystation also has a list of built-in games. It claims to have 24 games, though there are two Donkey Kong variants, and various events of Track and Field are divided up in into separate games. There are two noteworthy games, however. The first is Dragon Ball Z 2, which is a fighting game, and not a half bad one. The other is the Street Fighter 2 Famicom hack, which is very surprising, and almost makes up for the horrible quality of this system.

"Check out this list of other members of this Famiclone family."

The Polystation is very cheap and only worth the controllers and the novel interest. However, it also provides more information into the world of these Famiclones. According to an included operating sheet, there are about a dozen other clones (not including the Polystation III) that this company has created, including two that look like the first two Sega Genesis models, one that looks like a Nintendo 64, and maybe even one that looks like an NES. The conspiracy grows...

"The lies are almost too much to bear..."

And speaking of which, it is interesting to note that this system looks like it was released (or re-released) in 2002 or 2003 (according to the box). The box, which has been copied from Sony's design, indicates that this is a full-featured Playstation, capable of playing Playstation games! The pirates copied the Playstation description word-for-word, and even featured various Playstation games that can be played on that the system. The pirates probably figured that no one would buy a Famicom system, so they decided to outright lie to the customers. Take a look at the box scans and be appalled.

This is a disgusting deception, even for pirates. In addition to not being a Playstation, this system can't even play Famicom games right. Buy this system for the novelty (and the controllers), but not for functionality, and DEFINATELLY not for 32-bit gameplay.

-info, all scanned, and camera pictures for use on NES Player only