Control-Vision
Unreleased VHS-based console that birthed FMV games.
The Control-Vision, known during development as NEMO, was a video game console created by Tom Zito that never reached the market. Its main distinction was its use of VHS tapes instead of the standard ROM cartridges, which led to game content that later appeared on more advanced CD-ROM systems.
Development began in 1985 under the code name NEMO, with support from Nolan Bushnell’s company Axlon. The team included Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and they built a prototype by modifying a ColecoVision console. This prototype combined interactive images with a video stream sent through a cable. The NEMO system stored data on VHS tapes, which held computer data alongside interleaved video and audio tracks that could be switched between.
To move beyond the prototype stage, the team sought a partner for funding. Hasbro agreed to invest $7 million in exchange for the video game rights to the technology.
By mid-1986, three short trial games were completed: *Scene of the Crime*, a four-minute interactive mystery; *Bottom of the Ninth Inning*, a baseball game; and an interactive music video for The Cars’ song “You Might Think.” The next project was the interactive movie *Night Trap*, inspired by *Scene of the Crime*, filmed in December 1986 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Hasbro’s hometown. In 1987, Zito created a second full-size game, *Sewer Shark*, shot in one month at a cost of $3 million.
After filming *Sewer Shark*, and two months before its planned 1989 release, Hasbro abandoned the project because the projected price could not compete with the cheaper, well-established Nintendo Entertainment System. Zito bought back the rights to the games and stored everything in a Rhode Island warehouse. In the late 1980s, he hired Mark Turmell—later known for *NBA Jam* and *Smash T.V.*—to develop two more interactive games: *Citizen X* and a licensed *Police Academy* tie-in.
In the early 1990s, CD-ROMs became an affordable mass storage medium for consoles, enabling full-motion video games at home. Sega, seeking content for the 1992 Sega CD add-on for the Genesis, contacted Zito. Through his company Digital Pictures, he created versions of *Sewer Shark* and *Night Trap* for the Sega CD, with ports to other systems following.
Footage of a NEMO prototype presentation to Hasbro executives appears in the Sega CD version of *Night Trap* when a cheat code is entered.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- Axlon
- Generation
- Third generation
- Release Date
- 1989 (projected)
- Media
- VHS tape, ROM cartridges
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Originally codenamed NEMO, initial development began in 1985 and was supported by Nolan Bushnell's company Axlon. The team, which included Apple Computer co-founder Steve Wozniak, created a prototype using a modified ColecoVision console to combine interactive images with a video stream transmitted through a cable. As a storage medium, NEMO employs VHS tapes that contain computer data alongside interleaved tracks of video and audio that can be toggled.
To take the project beyond prototype status, they searched for a partner who would fund further development. The Hasbro toy company agreed to invest $7 million in exchange for the video game rights to the technology. Three short trial games were finished by the middle of 1986: Scene of the Crime, a four-minute interactive mystery; Bottom of the Ninth Inning, a baseball game; and an interactive music video for the song "You Might Think" by The Cars. The next step was the interactive movie Night Trap, inspired by Scene of the Crime, and filmed in December 1986 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, the hometown of Hasbro. In 1987, Zito created the second full-size game named Sewer Shark, in one month's filming time and at a cost of $3 million.
After filming for Sewer Shark was completed, and two months prior to the 1989 release, Hasbro abandoned the project because the projected price was deemed uncompetitive against the well established and much cheaper Nintendo Entertainment System. Zito purchased the rights to the games and stored everything in a Rhode Island warehouse. In the late 1980s, Zito hired Mark Turmell, who would go on to create NBA Jam and Smash T.V., to develop two more interactive games, Citizen X, and a licensed tie-in game of Police Academy.
Reader's Guide
It was not until the early 1990s that the CD-ROM became an affordable mass storage medium for video game consoles, enabling full-motion video (FMV) games at home. Sega was looking for content for the 1992 introduction of the Sega CD accessory for the Genesis console. They contacted Zito, who created versions of Sewer Shark and Night Trap for Sega CD through his Digital Pictures company. Ports to other systems would soon follow. Thus, the Control-Vision's abandoned game library directly supplied the launch content for the CD-ROM era, with Night Trap and Sewer Shark becoming early FMV titles on Sega CD. Footage of a presentation of a NEMO prototype to Hasbro executives can be found in the Sega CD version of Night Trap when entering a cheat code. Lawrence H. Bernstein, working for Milton Bradley Company at that time, plays Scene of the Crime, the prototype of Night Trap. A playable version of Scene of the Crime can be found in Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition. The console's legacy is therefore one of technological transition: its VHS-based interactive video concepts were realized commercially only when CD-ROM made FMV viable.
Did You Know?
- The Control-Vision was codenamed NEMO and used VHS tapes as its storage medium.
- Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer, worked on the prototype.
- Hasbro invested $7 million in the project but abandoned it two months before its planned 1989 release.
- Games developed for the system, such as Night Trap and Sewer Shark, were later ported to the Sega CD.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Control-Vision?
The Control-Vision was an unreleased video game console developed by Tom Zito beginning in 1985, originally carrying the code name NEMO. Its defining trait was the use of VHS tapes as the game storage medium instead of the ROM cartridges that were standard in the industry at the time.
Who was involved in building the Control-Vision?
The project was backed by Nolan Bushnell's company Axlon, and the development team included Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. A working prototype was assembled by modifying a ColecoVision console to combine interactive still images with a cable-delivered video stream.
What made the Control-Vision's technology different from other 1980s consoles?
Rather than reading data from a cartridge, it pulled game content from a VHS tape, blending interactive frames with a continuous video feed. This made it one of the earliest experiments in what would later be called full-motion video (FMV) gaming.
Why did the Control-Vision never hit store shelves?
The console remained an unreleased prototype and never saw a commercial launch. The interactive VHS-based game content it was designed to run was eventually repurposed for CD-ROM systems, which offered far greater storage and playback flexibility.
Why do fans consider the Control-Vision important to gaming history?
It is widely credited as the conceptual birth of the FMV game genre, a style of interactive storytelling that later thrived on CD-ROM platforms in the 1990s. Its experimental blend of video and player input helped lay the groundwork for narrative-driven titles that followed.
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