The Game Wave Family Entertainment System is a seventh-generation home console released by ZAPiT Games in 2005.
Spec Table
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Maker | ZAPiT Games |
| Type | Home console |
| Generation | 7th generation |
| Release Date | Canada: 2005 (initial, October); United States: 2005 |
| Launch Price | $99 USD |
| Units Sold | Approximately 70,000 |
| Media | DVD-ROM |
| CPU | Mediamatics 8611 |
| Predecessor / Successor | None / None (a planned successor was never released) |
History
Richard Fast, a Toronto-based toy inventor, conceived the Game Wave in 2003 after deciding not to compete directly with the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube for hardcore gamers. Partnering with fellow Toronto businessmen, Fast founded ZAPiT Games and built a working prototype by October 2004, aiming the console at families and casual players rather than the console-war mainstream.
ZAPiT launched the Game Wave in Canada in October 2005, with a United States release following the same year at a $99 MSRP. The hardware doubled as a standard DVD-Video player, built around a Mediamatics 8611 processor with 16MB of SRAM and 2MB of NOR flash storage, and its games were scripted in the Lua programming language rather than compiled natively. Four wireless, color-coded IR controllers shipped in the box, each tuned to a different frequency so up to six players could compete at once; extra purple and orange controllers sold separately for $30.
Because the wave-shaped hardware and alphabetical A-B-C-D controller layout were built around trivia answering rather than action gameplay, ZAPiT stocked the library almost entirely with trivia and puzzle titles such as Trivial Pursuit, Wheel of Fortune, and Bejeweled. A licensing partnership with VeggieTales proved unexpectedly important, giving the Game Wave real traction in Christian households that other seventh-generation consoles never reached, a detail corroborated by the Museum of Obsolete Media’s catalog entry on the device.
Despite that niche success, the Game Wave never approached the sales volumes of its contemporaries. ZAPiT discontinued the console in 2009 after moving roughly 70,000 units worldwide, and a planned successor system never materialized. The Game Wave is remembered today as an ambitious but commercially modest attempt to sell family gaming through a hybrid DVD format, and it now sits alongside other short-lived disc-based systems like the HyperScan and V.Flash as a footnote of the seventh console generation.
Library Highlights
The Game Wave’s 13-title library leaned entirely on trivia and puzzle genres, built around licensed board-game and TV-game-show brands rather than original action titles.
- Trivial Pursuit
- Wheel of Fortune
- Bejeweled
- VeggieTales games
- Quiz Konnect
Variants
No major hardware variants are documented. ZAPiT did offer additional purple and orange wireless controllers as separate accessories beyond the four included in the box, but the console itself was not reissued in a revised or regional hardware edition. See the ZAPiT Games manufacturer hub for the company’s other releases.
Collector Value
With only about 70,000 units ever sold, the Game Wave is a genuinely scarce piece of seventh-generation hardware, and complete-in-box units with their wireless controllers intact command a premium among collectors of gaming oddities. Loose consoles missing controllers or games turn up occasionally at lower prices, but the DVD-based game library is comparatively hard to find complete, since the trivia and puzzle titles never sold in large numbers. Sealed units are rare enough that most collectors will only ever encounter used, tested hardware.
Buying Guide
Before buying a used Game Wave, confirm the seller includes the original power adapter, since replacements are essentially unobtainable for this niche system. Test each wireless controller individually, as IR frequency mismatches or dead batteries in the controller base can make units appear broken when only a controller has failed. Check the DVD-ROM drive’s laser lens for wear and inspect included game discs for scratches, since the software library was never reissued digitally and damaged discs cannot be easily replaced.
FAQs
When did the Game Wave Family Entertainment System come out?
The Game Wave launched in Canada in October 2005, with a United States release following that same year.
How many units did the Game Wave Family Entertainment System sell?
The Game Wave sold approximately 70,000 units worldwide before ZAPiT Games discontinued the console in 2009.
How much did the Game Wave Family Entertainment System cost at launch?
The console launched at $99 USD.
What CPU does the Game Wave Family Entertainment System use?
It uses a Mediamatics 8611 processor and reads games from DVD-ROM discs.
Did the Game Wave Family Entertainment System get a successor?
No. ZAPiT Games never released a successor console, and the Game Wave was discontinued in 2009 as the company’s only entry in the market.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Wave_Family_Entertainment_System
- https://obsoletemedia.org/game-wave/
Facts on this page last verified 2026-07-15.