| Manufacturer | Goldstar |
| Model Number(s) | P-G500AW |
| MSRP | ? |
| Countries Released | South Korea |
| Release Year | ? |
| Discontinued | ? |
Background
The P-G500AW is a very strange piece of hardware with very little information out there. Visually, it looks very similar to the P-R500AW but the top of the unit has an oddly placed Famicom cartridge slot. Nobody is quite sure if Nintendo licensed the Famicom hardware out to Goldstar for this device, or if it was done illegally without a license.
Features
The P-G500AW supports watching PAL VHS tapes and Nintendo Famicom cartridges. Unlike the P-R500AW it’s based on, It does not have a record feature, so you can only play back tapes. Unlike most other Famicom systems, the Game VCR does not have controller ports. Instead, the game functions are controlled using a wireless remote in the shape of a game controller. This remote has a switch labeled “Game” and “Video” which is unfortunately the only way to change modes on the system, meaning without the remote, it is stuck in VHS mode.
Common Failures / Issues
Being a VCR from the 90s, it is very common for these units to need some maintenance in order to read tapes correctly. It is recommended to replace any worn out belts and clean the play head to minimize the chance of damage to your tapes.
Possible Replacement Remotes
As the remote for this system exclusively uses IR signals to communicate with the player, It’s possible for someone to record the signals and use them to create replacements. Unfortunately, my unit did not come with a remote so if anyone has one and would like to help me, it would be greatly appreciated!
RetroZero 