Super A'Can
A Taiwanese console that failed against fifth-generation 3D rivals.
The Super A'Can was a home video game console that launched in 1995, sold only in Taiwan by Funtech/Dunhuang Technology and in China by Sino Wealth Electronic Ltd. Its main processor was the Motorola 68000, the same chip found in the Sega Genesis and Neo Geo. A total of twelve games are known to have been made for it.
The system failed commercially because its launch price was too high for buyers. It could not compete with fifth-generation consoles like the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Sega Saturn, all of which featured 3D graphics. The Super A'Can performed so poorly that Funtech lost more than $6 million USD. The company eventually destroyed all production and development equipment and sold the remaining units to the United States as scrap.
A CD-ROM attachment, similar to Sega's Mega-CD, and a CPU/graphics upgrade, like Sega's 32X, were planned but never released.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- Funtech
- Generation
- Fourth generation
- Release Date
- TW/CN · October 25, 1995
- Price
- 2,900
- Media
- ROM cartridge
- Cpu
- Motorola 68000
- Discontinued
- April 4, 1996
- Lifespan
- 1995–1996
- Display
- TV using RF or composite video, 320×240 resolution, 256 out of 32,768 colors
- Graphics
- UMC UM6618, 128 KiB VRAM
- Memory
- 256 KiB
- Memory Type
- SRAM
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Super A'Can was released in 1995, entering a market already dominated by fifth-generation consoles such as the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, and Sega Saturn, all of which featured 3D graphics. Its initial cost was too high for customers, and it had no chance to compete. The system performed so poorly that it lost its company, Funtech, over $6 million USD. In the end, Funtech destroyed all equipment used in production and development, and sold off all remaining systems to the United States as scrap parts. A CD-ROM attachment (similar to Sega's Mega-CD add-on) and a CPU/Graphics upgrade (similar to Sega's 32X add-on) were planned but never released.
Reader's Guide
The Super A'Can's significance lies in its status as a failed attempt to enter the home console market during the transition to 3D gaming. Its reliance on the Motorola 68000 processor, a chip also found in the Sega Genesis and Neo Geo, placed it technically behind the 3D-capable fifth-generation consoles. The system's high initial cost and limited library of only twelve confirmed games contributed to its commercial failure. The financial loss of over $6 million USD led Funtech to destroy all production and development equipment, and the remaining units were sold to the United States as scrap parts. Planned add-ons, including a CD-ROM attachment and a CPU/Graphics upgrade, never materialized. The Super A'Can remains a footnote in console history, remembered primarily for its rapid and complete market withdrawal.
Did You Know?
- The Super A'Can uses the same Motorola 68000 chip found in the Sega Genesis and Neo Geo.
- Only twelve games have been confirmed to exist for the system.
- Funtech destroyed all production and development equipment after the console failed.
- A CD-ROM attachment and a CPU/Graphics upgrade were planned but never released.
More in Video Game Consoles by Generation, Part 6 1-24
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