Recently, discussions in Russia about a domestic gaming console have surfaced. The path forward remains uncertain, as such a device requires substantial development time. In the meantime, this article invites readers to look back at consoles and portables that have already appeared in the country.
Russia does not currently have its own PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or Nintendo Switch. Yet this does not mean domestic efforts are missing. There have been both clones of popular consoles and unique devices that do not have direct foreign counterparts.
Portable consoles from the Electronics family
Portable pocket consoles have been released since 1984. Many resembled Nintendo’s Game & Watch, though some designers injected personality and altered the concepts. In Electronics IM-02, for example, a wolf character echoed the Soviet animated series Well, wait a minute! There was a schoolyard legend that collecting 1000 eggs would unlock a special episode on screen, though this remained fiction. The display technology of the era simply could not render full video.
The more advanced Electronics IM-12 served as an analogue to the Nintendo CJ-93 Donkey-Kong Jr. It featured a color screen and cartridge support. Instead of Donkey Kong, players guided Winnie the Pooh.
Copying did not stop with Game & Watch. Electronics IER-01 adapted Mattel Electronics Auto Race, the first portable console ever released, with a single recorded game that was a simple race.
Another notable example is Electronics IM-27. Space adventures. It used glasses with a double LCD display to create a 3D effect. It sounded intriguing, but the device caused headaches and eye fatigue in practice. The console itself mirrored Planet Zeon, part of Tomytronic 3-D from Tomy.
Besides foreign clones, there were unique portables as well. Electronics IM-50. Fun Arithmetic offered practice in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. These devices sold not only in the USSR but also abroad.
The standout example is Electronics MK 90, also known as PK-100. This was a complete microcomputer capable of BASIC programming and memory card support. Built-in games included Tetris, Pac-Man, and chess. It hit shelves in 1988, a year before Nintendo’s Game Boy, but the price of 3,500 rubles made it inaccessible to many residents.
Have you ever played on portable Soviet consoles?
Stationary Soviet consoles
The first game machines emerged on the world stage in 1972 with the Magnavox Odyssey, followed by Atari Pong and Coleco Telstar. Similar to Game & Watch, these were copied and released as homegrown variants. The first Soviet home console appeared in 1978 under the name Tournament. It replicated Atari Pong, offering a small paddle-based game that resembled table tennis.
Later models such as Leader, Palaestra-02, Eureka, and Electronics Exi Video 01 continued the Pong tradition with only minor differences. Among them, Videosport stood out for including an electronic gun, letting players aim at the screen and shoot a white square.
Rubin TV Ts1-205 is notable for running Pong-built games from the era and for its two controllers that allowed competitive play with a friend.
In addition to consoles, early computers were also cloned. The Duet PC mirrored the ZX Spectrum and could run games, though its primary focus was programming. The Elf offered a Spectrum-inspired experience tailored for gaming, arriving in 1993 with two gamepads—one resembling a NES controller and the other a flight-stick. Cartridges served as storage media, and the appearance harked back to early 80s designs, despite the timing.
The Krokha console was built around the Soviet Specialist computer, designed as a home version of a slot machine. Its built-in lineup included Tetris, a clone of Arkanoid, Air Defense, and a curiosities-filled Balls game. Several hundred units were produced before production ended.
The Krokha today still surprises with its heavy metal casing, a testament to its era.
Russian console. GS gaming kit
The 1990s brought foreign Nintendo and Sega equivalents to the Russian market. The most recognizable was Dendy, a clone of the NES produced in Taiwan. Its presence discouraged many domestic developers from pursuing homegrown projects.
A new household device, the GS Gamekit, appeared in 2016. Marketed as a complete gaming console, it required access through the Tricolor TV service and a wireless internet connection with an annual fee of 1,000 rubles to access the local game library.
However, the catalog of GS Gamekit games leaned toward simplicity. One noteworthy title was Machinarium, a quest. The rest leaned toward mobile-ported racers, hunting sims, and top-down shooters rather than fully original titles.
Readers are invited to share which domestic consoles they have tried in the comments.
What home console did you have as a child?
What home console did you have as a child?
Endnote: This overview reflects the evolution of domestic gaming hardware and its fascination across a few decades, highlighting both parallel developments and true original efforts in the region. It references a range of devices that left a mark on a generation of gamers in Russia and nearby markets. [VG Times]