Plug & Play TV Games

Pacman-pnp-promo — Promotional picture for *Namco Arcade Classics*, the first Pac-Man plug & play.

Plug & Plays are video game controllers that plug directly into a TV, with several (often retro) video games built in. Since their origin in the early 2000s, many Pac-Man or Namco-themed plug & plays have been released.

Games[]

Jakks Pacific games[]

All Jakks Pacific systems feature custom ports of the games running on either Sunplus or Winbond hardware (depending on the unit). They are very close clones of the arcade originals, but feature some minor inaccuracies and are not based on pure emulation.

Pac-Man (1980)
Ms. Pac-Man (1982)
Pac-Man Plus (1982)
Super Pac-Man (1982)
Pac & Pal (1983)
Jr. Pac-Man (1983, canceled)
Galaxian (1979)
Rally-X (1980)
Bosconian (1981)
Galaga (1981)
New Rally-X (1981)
Dig Dug (1982)
Pole Position (1982) - joystick is twisted clockwise/counter-clockwise to control; billboards are different than the arcade.
Xevious (1982)
Mappy (1983)

Bandai games[]

Bandai consoles feature the entire Jakks library (minus Ms. Pac-Man and Pole Position), in addition to:

Pac-Man 256 (2012) - hack of the original Pac-Man starting right before Level 256; not to be confused with the 2015 game.
Gaplus (1984)
Dragon Buster (1985)
Mappy: Revenge of Nyamco (2006)
Xevious: Scramble Mission (2006)
Gaplus Phalanx (2006)
Dragon Buster 100 (2006)

TecToy games[]

TecToy was the hardware manufacturer of the Mega Drive/Genesis in Brazil, who continued console production well into the 2010s; with later units in a more "plug & play"-like format featuring built-in software. Many TecToy consoles released in the 2000s feature the following Namco games (alongside titles from Sega and Taito):

Pac-Attack (1993)
Phelios (1989, 1990)
Megapanel (1990)

Other games[]

Consoles from other manufacturers sometimes feature the NES/Famicom versions of games instead of the arcade originals. List excludes titles also available on the above manufacturers' systems.

Pac-Mania (1987)
Super Xevious (1984)
The Tower of Druaga (1984)
Dig Dug II (1985)
Sky Kid (1985)
Rolling Thunder (1986)
Dragon Spirit (1987)
Galaga '88 (1987)

Systems[]

Jakks Pacific[]

Numbered[]

Name	Year	Information
Namco Arcade Classics (Pac-Man #1)	2003	Features Pac-Man, Galaxian, Rally-X, Dig Dug, and Bosconian.
Ms. Pac-Man Collection (Pac-Man #2)	2004	Features Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Xevious, Mappy, and Pole Position. A later revision adds the ability to save high scores, which all future Jakks Pacific systems also featured.
Super Pac-Man Collection (Pac-Man #3)	2006	Features Super Pac-Man, Pac-Man, Pac-Man Plus, and Pac & Pal.
Arcade Gold featuring Pac-Man (Pac-Man #4)	2007	Features Pac-Man, Pac-Man Plus, Pac & Pal, Super Pac-Man, Galaxian, Bosconian, Dig Dug, and New Rally-X.
Retro Arcade featuring Pac-Man (Pac-Man #5)	2008	Features Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, Pac-Man Plus, Galaga, Galaxian, Dig Dug, Mappy, Bosconian, Xevious, Pole Position, and New Rally-X.

Non-numbered[]

Name	Year	Information
Wireless Ms. Pac-Man Collection	2004	Re-release of Ms. Pac-Man Collection with a wireless controller, and additional games New Rally-X and Bosconian.
Ms. Pac-Man Gamekey Collection	2005	Re-release of Ms. Pac-Man Collection with a slot for external "Gamekey" cartridges. Gamekey Cartridge-NM #1 - includes Pac-Man, Bosconian and Rally-X. Gamekey Cartridge-NM #2 - includes Dig Dug and New Rally-X. Gamekey Cartridge-NM #3 - includes Pac-Man and Bosconian.
Ms. Pac-Man Collection (QVC version)	200x	The Wireless Ms. Pac-Man Collection (with its two additional games) in the same casing as the original Ms. Pac-Man Collection.
Pac-Man Pocket Edition	200x	Re-release of Namco Arcade Classics with a new, compact case.

Bandai[]

Name	Year	Information
Let's! TV Play Namco Nostalgia 1	2006	Includes Mappy and Xevious, in addition to brand-new games Mappy: Revenge of Nyamco and Xevious: Scramble Mission. Japan only release.
Let's! TV Play Namco Nostalgia 2	2006	Includes Gaplus and Dragon Buster, in addition to brand-new games Gaplus Phalanx and Dragon Buster 100. Japan only release.
Pac-Man Connect and Play (NTSC version)	2012	Features Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, Pac-Man Plus, Galaga, Galaxian, Dig Dug, Mappy, Bosconian, Xevious, New Rally-X, and Pac-Man 256. Shaped like an 8-bit graphic of Pac-Man.
Pac-Man Connect and Play (PAL version)	2015	Same gamelist as the NTSC version, but is shaped like Blinky instead of Pac-Man.
Pac-Man Connect and Play: Gold Edition	2020	Same gamelist as the original version, but in metalic gold.

TecToy[]

All consoles in this table feature Pac-Attack as the sole included Pac-Man title (as well as the Namco-licensed Megapanel and Phelios.

Name	Year	Information
Super Mega Drive 3 - 60 Super Jogos	2004	Based on actual Mega Drive hardware, includes a cartridge slot; 60 built-in games.
Super Mega Drive 3 - 71 Super Jogos	200?	Variant of the above unit with additional games.
Sega Mega Drive 3 (2007 version)	2007	Emulation-based, no cartridge slot; 81 built-in games. Some consoles bizarrely come with a purple marker, with the intent for the user to draw on the game console.
Sega Mega Drive 3 (2008 version)	2008	Emulation-based, no cartridge slot; 86 built-in games. Features a different design compared to the 2007 model.
Sega Mega Drive 4 / Guitar Idol	2009	Emulation-based, no cartridge slot. Some versions feature 87 built-in games while others include 100 games.

Others[]

Name	Year	Manufacturer	Information
NES Classic Edition / Family Computer Mini	2016	Nintendo	Includes 30 games, two of which are Pac-Man and Galaga.
Ms. Pac-Man	2017	MSI Entertainment	Only features the 1993 NES version of Ms. Pac-Man. Later revisions flip the control panel backwards for unknown reasons.
Bandai Namco Flashback Blast!	2018	AtGames	Features NES/Famicom versions of Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaga, Galaxian, Mappy, Sky Kid, and Xevious. Pac-Mania is included in Wal-Mart while The Tower of Druaga is included in other stores.
Namco Classics Vol. 1*	2019	MSI Entertainment	Slightly modified NES/Famicom versions of Pac-Mania, Dig Dug II, and The Tower of Druaga. Seemingly only released in Canada. A second volume was never released (or announced).
Bandai Namco Arcade Blast!	2020	AtGames	Features Pac-Man, Pac-Mania, Dig Dug, Galaga, Galaxian, New-Rally-X. Mappy, Sky Kid, The Tower of Druaga, and Xevious.
Pac-Man Collection	2020	Arcade1UP	Features Pac-Man, Pac-Mania, New Rally-X, Galaga, Galaga '88, Dig Dug, Super Xevious, Rolling Thunder, Dragon Spirit, and Mappy. Additional ROMs for various formats (NES, Game Boy Advance, Atari 2600/7800, etc.) can be added via a Micro SD card.
Pac-Man Giant Joystick	2021	Arcade1UP	An extremely large joystick standing roughly two feet tall, with Pac-Man himself as the joystick's top. Gamelist is identical to Pac-Man Collection.
Pac-Man CouchCade	2022	Arcade1UP	A joystick panel with a soft, "lap desk"-like cushion at the bottom. Features Pac-Man, Pac-Mania, New Rally-X, Galaxian, Galaga, Galaga '88, Dig Dug, Dig Dug II, Rolling Thunder, and Mappy.

*Not to be confused with Namco Classic Collection Vol. 1 (1995)

Trivia[]

The Super Pac-Man Collection was originally going to feature Jr. Pac-Man, but it was not included upon the console's retail release, likely due to issues with General Computer Corporation. Jr. Pac-Man's soundtrack is also included in the debug menu of Retro Arcade featuring Pac-Man.
- This same applies to Ms. Pac-Man on Pac-Man Connect & Play. The remains of Ms. Pac-Man can be seen unused with semi-visual graphics.
In the Jakks Pacific port of Ms. Pac-Man, the cutscene "They Meet" has Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man kiss at the end, which was not present in the arcade version or any other home port.
A second edition of the Super Pac-Man Collection with Gamekey support was planned, but never released.
One of, if not the first plug 'n play ever released, the TV Boy from 1992, features Atari 2600 Pac-Man built into it. This was unauthorized usage however, and was not affiliated with Namco or Atari in any way.
The Bandai Namco Flashback Blast had much controversy surrounding it; original gameplay trailers (and even the back of the box) show full arcade emulation, while the final product featured the Famicom/NES versions of the games. For unclear reasons, the sound also doesn't work on many TVs. The later released Bandai Namco Arcade Blast does utilize arcade emulation.
- According to Bandai Namco in their lawsuit against AtGames, they had never approved of the final released product. The device caused great damage to Bandai Namco's own reputation.
When it was initially released, the Bandai Namco Arcade Blast! was technically a bootleg product; as AtGames released it after their contract with Bandai Namco had been terminated, during the Namco-AtGames lawsuit. However, the console was eventually "licensed" following an undisclosed settlement between Namco and AtGames.
- In late 2022, another AtGames Pac-Man plug & play (the "Legends Flashback 2022") was released in Europe and Australia; it is assumed this is another bootleg product, or otherwise a large stretch of AtGames' remaining licensing contract.
When it was initially shown at CES, the Arcade1UP Pac-Man Collection was in the same form factor as the Flashback Blast!, and was titled the "Pac-Man Wireless Controller". The design was changed upon release to be a separate box resembling an actual game system; this was likely to avoid paying any royalties to AtGames, as they own(ed?) a loose patent on the design.