Bandai Karaoke Studio Commercial [1987, FC]

Описание: One of the more unusual specialty controllers released for the Famicom. The Bandai Karaoke Studio uses a special Microphone controller attached to the cartridge itself rather than use the expansion controller port as typical accessory controllers would. This was both because the controller port didn't have connection to expansion sound and to provide a direct audio output feed to the tv.

The microphone works by amplifying the voice of the person singing into it so it comes out the TV speakers, mixed in with the Famicom's 2A03 output. This is exactly how the Player 2 controller mic works, but because the signal is being fed directly to the cartridge slot and not through a controller port, the sound clarity is much higher compared to the Player 2 mic games.

Players (singers I guess in this case) would select through a list of popular jpop songs and sing along with the one of their choice as lyrics came onscreen. The game is not sophisticated enough to track or rate your performance; it's all purely for the enjoyment of the singer and their audience. This was very likely intentional, as in Japan, casual karaoke isn't competitive, but is more about expressing oneself and letting go of stress.

Karaoke Studio was successful, but it's still unusual to come across due to its high cost and limited appeal.