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Pirate Discussion => Pirate Talk => Topic started by: taizou on December 28, 2010, 06:25:04 PM

Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on December 28, 2010, 06:25:04 PM
I just came across this (http://shanhudidai.en.ec21.com/) while looking for info on some of those VRT (http://www.vrtech.com.tw) systems - a company from Shenzhen called Cube Technology (立方科技有限公司) which claimed to have "16bit TV game ,100 different types of games." this led me to their alibaba page (http://www.alibaba.com/member/bai_gh/contactinfo.html) naming Wise Wang as a contact .. and how could I forget a fantastic name like that. its the same person named in the EmuVT emulator (http://s4.zetaboards.com/PGC_Forums?topic=8230456/1/#new) credited to DJ-Jungle. unfortunately there was no sign of a website at that point, until I found this (http://cubetac.itrademarket.com/profile/), which lists it as www.cubetac.com (and also claims they develop "18-bit" games. hmm). but that's down.


What isnt down is their new site: http://tec-cube.com (http://tec-cube.com)
complete with a game list (http://tec-cube.com/gamelist.htm)! so it looks like we have a developer for those weird games from the MiWi. *and* apparently the hacks from the Arcade Action 101 in 1 etc, even the ones credited to Macro Winners or Inventor (which is kinda odd, because the MW ones definitely seem to have been created by a different team.. maybe they obtained the, uh, "rights" to Inventor's hacks in 2004 somehow and just set about making some of their own to add to the set?).

btw I love that even the game list on their damn website has repeats in it.. and unmodified copies of japanese games mixed in there (Volleyball even still says "Nintendo" in the screenshot). old habits die hard i guess :D

now judging from the fact that Wise Wang works for them, and they were at some point called "Cubetac", I wonder if this company is some kind of offshoot from Jungletac.. their website does say (via google translate) "The team was founded in 2004, 2008, changed its name registered as "cubic Technology Limited." ". so the team might have existed within Jungletac before going off on its own.

theres also a seemingly connected company called Shenzhen Biikoo (深圳市碧空科技有限公司) which, in all english sources, seems to be a manufacturer of various telecommunications stuff, but Chinese pages like this one (http://biikoo.co.sonhoo.com/company_web/index-355024.html) mention game development for various VT systems. old archived versions (http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.biikoo.com) of their no longer existent website seem to show them only moving into games in 2008 (and even mentions EmuVT) so maybe, for some reason, the ex-jungletac people had connections within Biikoo and used that as kinda launchpad for Cubetac/Cube Technology?
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on December 30, 2010, 07:35:52 PM
Hm, there's definitely a connection between Cube Technology and Macro Winners. Check out the mascot of Cube's matching game (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/05PUZ/image/21.jpg)...
And not only did they develop the weird original games we had actually seen footage of on the MiWi, but they also developed the "Newly Released 24 Games" for the MiWi too.
They also had a definite connection to Advance Bright - see this screenshot (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/01SPG/image/14.jpg).
Y'know, I think Pro Genius (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/05PUZ/image/29.jpg) is a hack of Flappy. Dunno what makes me think that... :P (Also, "PRESS STAST".)
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on December 30, 2010, 07:50:48 PM
codeman38
Dec 30 2010, 07:35:52 PM
Hm, there's definitely a connection between Cube Technology and Macro Winners. Check out the mascot of Cube's matching game (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/05PUZ/image/21.jpg)[/quote]Wait, isn't YMK also one of the names on the top 10 screen of Helli-Mission by (the inappropriately named) Nice Code? (there's a video which shows it here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fncXfqnftzY&feature=channel))

BTW, are those other characters in the game other toys in the Andy Brown series or something, or were they just made up for the game?

codeman38
 
Y'know, I think Pro Genius is a hack of Flappy. Dunno what makes me think that... :P (Also, "PRESS STAST".) [/quote]

I think the level design kind of gives that away. :P
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on December 30, 2010, 07:51:11 PM
Also, I'm noticing several credits in these screenshots to a company called "YMK". Wonder if that's another name for CubeTac or what?
And wow, yeah, you're right: YMK was indeed credited as one of the "nmae"s in Helli Mission.
Bobby Go! (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/22.jpg) is even more impressive of a Mario hack than Pandamar. Wow.
Hm, no wonder. Maybe Helli Mission isn't Nice Code's work. CubeTech lists it on their site (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/04.jpg). Also, "PREEE START"!
Blatant copyright infringement ahoy! (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/19.jpg) I don't think Disney or Hudson endorsed that one...
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on December 30, 2010, 07:59:12 PM
codeman38
Dec 30 2010, 07:51:11 PM
Maybe Helli Mission isn't Nice Code's work. CubeTech lists it on their site (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/04.jpg). Also, "PREEE START"![/quote]I've got no idea at this point. Hell, at this point I can't even tell if the game uses the same sound engine as Nice Code's games.

Codeman38
 
Bobby Go! (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/22.jpg) is even more impressive of a Mario hack than Pandamar. Wow.[/quote]
Given the laziness of Pandamar, that's not saying much. :P Also note that the main character is called XDW.

Codeman38
 
Blatant copyright infringement ahoy! I don't think Disney or Hudson endorsed that one... [/quote]
All I'll say is, thank God they spelled the name right. :lol:

Also, I think Smart Andy (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/31.jpg) is a hack of the homebrew Bombsweeper (http://tinycartridge.com/post/70006396/game-watch-minus-the-watch) game.


Looking through that site more myself, I'll just point out the less obvious hacks and some random things I noticed while looking through them. :P

The Elevator Action hack (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/26.jpg) has Spy Vs Spy in the title for whatever reason I can't determine.

Maze Trooper (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/25.jpg)(?) is a hack of Duck by Bit Corp.

Cimi Home (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/29.jpg) is a hack of Onyanko Town.

Van 1 (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/04STG/image/12.jpg) looks like a less awful version of the Inventor hack.

Space Arrow (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/04STG/image/07.jpg) is a hack of Zunou Senkan Galg, and the font on the title screen looks very similar to the Robocop logo.

F1 Race (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/06RAC/image/04.jpg) appears to be a hack of, well, F-1 Race. The glitchy-looking scrolling makes that especially apparent.

Baseball (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTsc%28vt02%29/01SPG/image/13.jpg) looks like a glitched up version of the Nintendo game, and I'm not exactly knowledgable on the sport but last time I checked those extra lines weren't supposed to be there. :P

Winter Cup (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTsc%28vt02%29/01SPG/image/15.jpg) appears to be identical to Ice Hockey, for what I can tell from that screenshot.

And it appears that in the midst of all of the Inventor hacks at the bottom, a hack of Xiao Ma Li (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTsc%28vt02%29/05PUZ/image/08.jpg) is present. Looks the same though as far as I can tell.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on December 30, 2010, 08:18:38 PM
i notice theyre taking credit for "Russia" (the bubble based tetris clone that goes under about ten other names) which I always thought was Nice Code.. especially with that music that shows up in so much of their other stuff. and "Fruit" uses the same font NIce Code always used. But those two are also kinda unique in that theyre vt02 (ie standard famiclone) games that arent hacks or just plain stolen.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on December 30, 2010, 08:19:21 PM
So Helli Mission was definitely developed by Cube Tech... and yet, the copyright is definitely owned by Waixing (http://www.ccopyright.com.cn/cpcc/RRegisterAction.do?method=list&no=fck&sql_name=%25HELLI&sql_regnum=&sql_author=&curPage=1&count=10&sortOrder=&sortLabel=). So I guess Waixing bought games from both Nice Code and Cube Tech.
And yeah, I'd always thought "Russia" was Nice Code as well. I'm just getting confused now...
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on December 30, 2010, 08:23:54 PM
That might explain some of Cube Tech's hacks (the newer ones that are credited to "Winners" on my 88 in 1 joystick) being on the 222+23 in 1 multi mentioned in this thread (http://s4.zetaboards.com/PGC_Forums?topic=8230675/1/#new) - i thought it was odd at the time because I thought they were made by Macro Winners. but that multi is by some Fuzhou company which kinda smells like a front for Waixing, so itd make sense if theyd bought games from Cube before.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on December 30, 2010, 08:33:10 PM
Wait, if Helli-Mission was made by Cube Tech, then wouldn't that mean the other games on the Vii (in the games section at least) were made by them as well? I'm pretty sure the Slalom hack is by them at least, which I couldn't find on their website. On the other hand, Autoboat Contest looks like a Nice Code game more than anything, so I guess companies bought games off both of them for their Famiclones or something like that.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on December 30, 2010, 08:48:03 PM
well in the Vii's case it looks like Waixing bought games from both Cube and Nice Code .. and maybe made a few themselves. then licensed the whole lot to the company that actually made the console. Or something like that.

but that still doesnt explain Russia and Fruit being on their website. i dunno, maybe Cube bought them from Nice Code in an attempt to move away from just hacking shit. or maybe they just forgot which games they actually made - listing stuff stolen from Nintendo among others doesnt seem to bother them too much.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on December 30, 2010, 08:54:46 PM
taizou
Dec 30 2010, 08:48:03 PM
but that still doesnt explain Russia and Fruit being on their website. i dunno, maybe Cube bought them from Nice Code in an attempt to move away from just hacking shit. or maybe they just forgot which games they actually made - listing stuff stolen from Nintendo among others doesnt seem to bother them too much.[/quote]Given all of the Inventor and official games they have listed, I wouldn't be surprised if they stole the games myself. Also, some of these hacks appear to be lazier than a Sonic recolour, (wait, is that even possible?) which suggests that they might be made by either Cube or a different company. Then again, Cube's hacks lead me to think it might be the latter.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on December 30, 2010, 09:07:11 PM
well I think some of their hacks were kind of inherited from Inventor, and some they just made themselves.. if Nice Code is a successor of sorts to Inventor, they might have abandoned the hacks around that point and sold/given the rights (as much as they could *have* rights to something thats basically stolen) to Cube, and Russia/Fruits just sort of got mixed up in that.. I dunno though.
one thing that strikes me looking at their game list is, at least with their non-hacked games, they seem to have made much better use of the VT03 than Nice Code or Jungletac or Waixing or whoever - Cube's pretty much look like actual 16-bit games rather than just slightly enhanced 8-bit like everyone else's. and their VT168 games dont seem to be as reliant on stolen graphics as others' 16-bit efforts (unless theyre just stealing from more obscure sources I don't recognise). i guess they must have hired a decent programmer and graphics artist sometime after 2004.. now all they need to do is hire a musician and they won't have to steal *anything* anymore.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on December 31, 2010, 06:18:19 PM
Waixing definitely bought games from Cube-- the Waixing version of Zuma is indeed the same one listed on Cube's site (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VThc%28vt168%29/06PUZ/image/17.jpg). Like, literally, it even has Waixing's copyright registration number.
Speaking of Waixing connections, check out the guy on the title screen for Soccer Ball (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/01SPG/image/03.jpg). He's clearly a close cousin to the guy on the 8-bit Vii's "Penrlty Kick". This despite the fact that they're completely different games, even.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on December 31, 2010, 07:00:30 PM
codeman38
Dec 31 2010, 06:18:19 PM
Speaking of Waixing connections, check out the guy on the title screen for Soccer Ball (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/01SPG/image/03.jpg). He's clearly a close cousin to the guy on the 8-bit Vii's "Penrlty Kick". This despite the fact that they're completely different games, even.[/quote]I like how the background on the title screen looks like the one the Coca Cola logo uses. :P

Also, Cat Vs Dog (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/03FTG/image/01.jpg) looks just like one of the games off the Cyber Arcade Centre, even has a similar HUD and such.

And having just looked at Edacious (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/05PUZ/image/19.jpg), I had to LOL at the title screen.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on December 31, 2010, 07:53:18 PM
I'd wondered if "Harry" on the MiWi was supposed to be some sort of Harry Potter knockoff. Well, my question is answered: on the CubeTech site, the game is listed as Harry Peter (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VThc%28vt168%29/03ACT/image/02.jpg).

Wonder if they changed it because of the near-copyright infringement or the unintended double entendre? Probably the latter, since they used music from a freaking Chemical Brothers song in one of their games...
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on December 31, 2010, 08:08:32 PM
codeman38
Dec 31 2010, 07:53:18 PM
I'd wondered if "Harry" on the MiWi was supposed to be some sort of Harry Potter knockoff. Well, my question is answered: on the CubeTech site, the game is listed as Harry Peter (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VThc%28vt168%29/03ACT/image/02.jpg).

Wonder if they changed it because of the near-copyright infringement or the unintended double entendre? Probably the latter, since they used music from a freaking Chemical Brothers song in one of their games...[/quote]Not entirely sure on that, could be that the second player is called Peter and the creators happened to pick a couple of names that happened to sound like a famous fictional character. Then again, it's made by pirates so that seems about as probable as Daniel Radcliffe going to China to make the creators of this game disappear. :P

Also, since when did pirates care about copyright infringement to begin with?

BTW, Monkey King (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VThc%28vt168%29/05STG/image/08.jpg) seems to be loosely based off the Journey to the West story.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on December 31, 2010, 08:13:44 PM
Oh wow, I just decided to run SoundHound on some of the songs in the MiWi video. First of all, I'm really impressed by SoundHound-- it recognized these songs from clips that were only a few seconds long. And secondly, it appears that Cube Tech really likes Italian '80s electro:

Alas, SoundHound couldn't identify the tune from Pro Crack. Probably an Amiga MOD or something. And the openings from Smart Bomber and Farm Keeper were just too short.

It also claims that either the opening or the in-game music to Apex Fighter is "Round & Round" by Heller & Ohlen, but the one YouTube video of that song has been removed, so I can't confirm it... Oh wow. Found a stream on a dodgy Russian site (http://s2.freshmp3.ru/gmp3.php?fid=332731). The opening music is "Round & Round". I am utterly impressed.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on December 31, 2010, 08:30:58 PM
codeman38
Dec 31 2010, 08:13:44 PM
It also claims that either the opening or the in-game music to Apex Fighter is "Round & Round" by Heller & Ohlen, but the one YouTube video of that song has been removed, so I can't confirm it... Oh wow. Found a stream on a dodgy Russian site (http://s2.freshmp3.ru/gmp3.php?fid=332731). The opening music is "Round & Round". I am utterly impressed.[/quote]With Soundhound, I'm guessing. With all of these Italian songs, I'm surprised they didn't steal Running in the 90's, which is a pity because that would've made the system a lot more epic than the other Wii ripoffs at least. :P
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on December 31, 2010, 08:35:30 PM
Cheetahmen
Dec 31 2010, 08:30:58 PM
With Soundhound, I'm guessing. With all of these Italian songs, I'm surprised they didn't steal Running in the 90's, which is a pity because that would've made the system a lot more epic than the other Wii ripoffs at least. :P[/quote]Yeah, impressed with SoundHound. Not so impressed with Cube Tech! :D

And yeah, "Running In The '90s" would indeed have been hilarious. But that one probably would've been caught, unlike these more obscure selections, thanks to the whole Initial D thing...
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on January 01, 2011, 01:21:51 PM
codeman38
Dec 31 2010, 06:18:19 PM
Waixing definitely bought games from Cube-- the Waixing version of Zuma is indeed the same one listed on Cube's site (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VThc%28vt168%29/06PUZ/image/17.jpg). Like, literally, it even has Waixing's copyright registration number.
Speaking of Waixing connections, check out the guy on the title screen for Soccer Ball (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/01SPG/image/03.jpg). He's clearly a close cousin to the guy on the 8-bit Vii's "Penrlty Kick". This despite the fact that they're completely different games, even.[/quote]Waixing's Table Tennis (the Pong clone) seems to be connected too - the title screen has the same ping pong ball with a face from this (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc(vt03)/01SPG/image/12.jpg) .. which also happens to have the same options as the Waixing Ping Pong game built into the iSports.

& I just downloaded SoundHound the other day, I never thought of using it to identify stolen music :D i'll have to try it on some stuff.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on January 02, 2011, 12:26:59 AM
The opening theme to Pets Crossing is "Shooting Star" by Roy.

Yes, I'm actually listening to the ZYX Italo compilations on iTunes to see if I can identify any more songs. -_-;;
Not sure if CubeTech developed Highway Racing, but whoever did stole the music for that one too: "Wall of Shame" by Course of Nature.

SoundHound continues to impress me.

Edit: LOL, "Wall of Shame" is on the Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 soundtrack. Wonder where the developers got the idea to use that in a racing game, hm... :P
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on January 07, 2011, 08:43:30 PM
found another one, from my ABL Ping Pong console (which contains this game (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc(vt03)/01SPG/image/12.jpg), and not a damn thing else) - the title screen/menu music is Fable (Dream Version) by Robert Miles.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: davidstech on January 29, 2011, 01:51:56 PM
On my MiWi 2 soccer's game, one of the "advertisements" is for YMK Software, and gives the site ymktvgames.com; which no longer works. I can't find any other branding though - on the box it is branded as "UKayed" because I bought it from internetshopuk.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: MLX on January 29, 2011, 02:20:59 PM
The site cannot be found on Internet Archive either...
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on January 29, 2011, 03:00:08 PM
according to domaintools.com it was never registered at all... ymktvgame.com *was* though, although its not anymore. and only the main page is archived. which gives the company's full name as Shenzhen Yimeike Electron Co., Ltd.
edit: chinese name is 深圳艺美科电子有限公司. also known as just Shenzhen Yimeike Co., Ltd. 深圳艺美科有限公司

found a forum post (http://bbs.gameres.com/showthread.asp?threadid=52676) by someone working for them:
google translation
 
The studio specializes in all Vt03 VT1682 8Bit 16Bit video game software development! Has successfully developed a series of no less than hundreds of dozens of game! Welcome to discuss any intended investments, please contact me! [/quote]
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on January 29, 2011, 03:07:06 PM
taizou
Jan 29 2011, 03:00:08 PM
which gives the company's full name as Shenzhen Yimeike Electron Co., Ltd.
found a forum post (http://bbs.gameres.com/showthread.asp?threadid=52676) by someone working for them:
google translation
 
The studio specializes in all Vt03 VT1682 8Bit 16Bit video game software development! Has successfully developed a series of no less than hundreds of dozens of game! Welcome to discuss any intended investments, please contact me! [/quote][/quote]Presumably, they got the YMK initials from Yimeike seeing as those are the only 3 consonants there, although why they'd shorten it in the first place is anyone's guess.

And on that last bit, the Engrish explains all of the typos in their games and on that website that lists them. Edit: Oh, Google Translate. >_> Still, I somehow doubt they're fluent in English.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on January 29, 2011, 04:02:31 PM
bit more info (albeit in chinese) here:
http://yp.hxsd.com/pl/corp.pl?id=21115 (http://yp.hxsd.com/pl/corp.pl?id=21115)
http://www.ee34.com/companyldgslff.html (http://www.ee34.com/companyldgslff.html)
apparently they were founded in 2003. no idea how Cube Tech ended up with their games though.
oh this page has Cube Tech's name but YMK's web address. (edit: and their actual address, for that matter) so maybe theyre the same damn thing.
http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/contact/largesea82.html (http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/contact/largesea82.html)
Or at least this 刘付宽 guy worked for both companies.
incidentally a bit of googling has turned this up:
http://www.hzgsl.gov.cn/auto/s/s.htm?l=&r=0&w=%E6%B8%B8%E6%88%8F%E6%9C%BA%E8%BD%AF%E4%BB%B6%E5%BC%80%E5%8F%91 (http://www.hzgsl.gov.cn/auto/s/s.htm?l=&r=0&w=%E6%B8%B8%E6%88%8F%E6%9C%BA%E8%BD%AF%E4%BB%B6%E5%BC%80%E5%8F%91)
http://www.hzgsl.gov.cn/auto/s/s.htm?r=0&w=%E7%94%B5%E8%A7%86%E6%B8%B8%E6%88%8F%E6%9C%BA%E8%BD%AF%E4%BB%B6%E5%BC%80%E5%8F%91&l= (http://www.hzgsl.gov.cn/auto/s/s.htm?r=0&w=%E7%94%B5%E8%A7%86%E6%B8%B8%E6%88%8F%E6%9C%BA%E8%BD%AF%E4%BB%B6%E5%BC%80%E5%8F%91&l=)
they seem to be searches for console developers on some kind of chinese government company listing, or something.
i havent gone through them all but Yimeike is there, theres also someone called Xu Dong Wei apparently operating as an individual. & "Bobby Go", the VT03 SMB hack on Cube Tech's website, has "XDW" replacing Mario's name. hmm. (edit: actually that site's listing for Yimeike has him as the manager too. and heres something (http://china.alibaba.com/company/detail/intro/anthonyxu.html) linking him to Cube Tech. note the "anthonyxu.html" in the URL, i guess he's the "anthony111111" who posted on that forum)
oh and they seem to have had yet another website at some point, imaigoo.com (although its not archived), listed here for cube tech:
http://www.qiye-gd.com/qiye34/468270344270.htm (http://www.qiye-gd.com/qiye34/468270344270.htm)
& here for yimeike:
http://www.xuenzhao.com/hbxuenzhaoarticle/eb/2272.html (http://www.xuenzhao.com/hbxuenzhaoarticle/eb/2272.html)
http://www.verysoo.com/1072639.html (http://www.verysoo.com/1072639.html)
i also notice basically none of these can agree on when either company was founded.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: davidstech on January 30, 2011, 04:49:02 AM
Sorry to confuse everyone - ymktvgames.com was a typo. I meant ymktvgame.com

Also, an exact picture of my MiWi 2 appears on VR Technology's product page for the VT168's product page:

http://vrt.com.tw/product_detail.php?Id=53 (http://vrt.com.tw/product_detail.php?Id=53)

So this must imply my MiWi 2 is a hybrid 8/16-bit console. BTW I tried a Famicom cart in it and strangely it wouldn't work (it works in another famiclone.)
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: MLX on January 30, 2011, 04:59:22 AM
Then it's http://web.archive.org/web/*/ymktvgame.com (http://web.archive.org/web/*/ymktvgame.com) but it's pretty much useless (as Taizou said). Unless someone wants to email the guy.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: davidstech on January 30, 2011, 03:06:30 PM
I have more news for everyone. I have taken down the copyright information and any credits in all the games on the MiWi2, and have made a list. Strangely enough, most of the games appear to be registered to Waixing/Subor but some credit “YMK Software.” I suspect Waixing bought YMK – or at least their software – at some stage.

(games lists in spoiler tags to prevent cluttering)

7-in-1 Sports Cartridge
Spoiler: click to toggle

   
Tatacon Drum Master + “Arcase Game” Cartridge:
Spoiler: click to toggle

If anyone wants more info, screenshots, music etc then I can get that.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on January 30, 2011, 04:10:22 PM
davidstech
Jan 30 2011, 03:06:30 PM
Strangely enough, most of the games appear to be registered to Waixing/Subor but some credit “YMK Software.” I suspect Waixing bought YMK – or at least their software – at some stage.[/quote]That makes sense, seeing as YMK (as far as I know) don't seem to be around anymore.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on January 30, 2011, 05:13:27 PM
i think YMK either became or was somehow absorbed into Cube Tech, and Macro Winners (http://www.macrowin.com) (makers of the MiWi) just happened to buy games from both Cube & Waixing - YMK/Cube games never seem to appear on Waixing/Subor's own consoles (iSports etc), only Macro Winners'.

btw what are the Tatacon Drum Master games like? I don't think I've seen much of those.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: davidstech on January 31, 2011, 02:53:17 AM
If your interested, the drum master games simply involve holding both controllers and moving them in time to the beat (pressing A would work as well because they are not true motion control - moving them triggers an A button press.)
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on February 27, 2011, 03:12:37 PM
Just found some more connections between Waixing and Cube Tech.

A while back, I had discovered this Japanese blog (http://www14.plala.or.jp/you2hp/diary_200804.html) in which someone did a playthrough of all the games on a Subor VT03-based console. One of them was a hack of Inventor's F22 with a Waixing copyright registration.

Two of the other games on the same console, "Cat Vs. Dog" and "Water Fire", are known Cube Tech games-- they're included in Cube's game list.

Edit: And two others! X-Ball, and Underwater Rescue. The latter of which also seems to use a font from GLK Dance, oddly enough.

Edit #2: An easier-to-follow collection of you2hp's Subor posts (http://www14.plala.or.jp/you2hp/shouhaou/shouhaou_frame.html), for those looking for further interesting stuff.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Ninja-Kun on May 06, 2011, 11:08:58 PM
If you check the "威体多彩 VTmc -VT03平台" games of http://tec-cube.com/gamelist.htm (http://tec-cube.com/gamelist.htm), you'll see they're clearly made for a Latin (I'm guessing Argentinian) audience, just judging by the names of the games: "Entrenamiento goleador" (Goal-maker training), "Penales" (Penalties), etc. Plus, the guy of the "Soccer ball" games is dressed with Argentina's flag colors.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on May 07, 2011, 06:46:47 AM
Oh yeah, that reminds me, I found this recently: http://cgi.ebay.fr//180661729645 (http://cgi.ebay.fr//180661729645)
its a console that seems to contain those same games, but with French titles.. so maybe they made a few different versions for different countries?
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on May 07, 2011, 08:51:19 AM
Given the languages and that most of the games on there are football games, I'm willing to bet that it's marketed at a European audience. I wonder if there's a version in English.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Ninja-Kun on May 07, 2011, 12:49:52 PM
The title music of "Hoop Legend" is "Bambina" by David Lyme.

Also the "Select sence" (???) screen has a small loop of another Italian song but I can't remember which one, the loop is too short.

I'm thinking the "Select sence" music might be a small loop of some Brian Ice song, but I'm not sure, and I don't know which one. it could be "Talking to the night" or "Over again".
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on May 07, 2011, 07:16:33 PM
Ninja-Kun
May 7 2011, 12:49:52 PM
The title music of "Hoop Legend" is "Bambina" by David Lyme.[/quote]Indeed it is! Good catch.

Ninja-Kun
 
I'm thinking the "Select sence" music might be a small loop of some Brian Ice song, but I'm not sure, and I don't know which one. it could be "Talking to the night" or "Over again".[/quote]Not so sure about that one. Unless it's from some sort of remix, I'm not hearing that in any of the postings of his songs on YouTube I've listened to.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Ninja-Kun on May 07, 2011, 08:20:35 PM
Yes, you're right, it's not Brian Ice. I really know that song, but the loop is so short that I can't remember which one is! It's really annoying since it's a famous Italo Disco song. I think I know who might be able to help me, I'll keep you informed.

We have a winner! My good friend ItaLoverBoy from Youtube recognized the "Select Scene" song as "Mandrill" by Patrick Colby. I knew I heard that song before :P
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on May 09, 2011, 03:29:16 PM
Ninja-Kun
May 7 2011, 08:20:35 PM
We have a winner! My good friend ItaLoverBoy from Youtube recognized the "Select Scene" song as "Mandrill" by Patrick Colby. I knew I heard that song before :P[/quote]That song's even on one of the ZYX Italo compilations I was checking! How did I not notice that?  >_<
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on May 15, 2011, 11:14:34 AM
Just realized something, while trying to write up a stub page for Cube Tech on the wiki.

According to Cube Tech's web site, as translated by Google: "The team was founded in 2004, 2008, changed its name registered as 'Cubic Technology Limited.'" ("公司团队成立于2004年,2008更名注册为'立方科技有限公司'。")

Perhaps they were founded as Yimeike, then, and became Cube in 2008?
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on May 15, 2011, 11:46:58 AM
Makes sense, I guess. I haven't seen any mentions of Cube Tech from before 2008 myself.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on May 15, 2011, 05:26:59 PM
Oh, and I've found another possible name for Yimeike: 深圳市精英时代科技发展有限公司 Shēnzhèn shì jīngyīng shídài kējì fāzhǎn yǒuxiàn gōngsī, which translates to something like Shenzhen Elite Age Technology Development Co. Ltd. Or at least this business listing (http://wanju.cciru.com/corp-36552.html) shows Jingying Shidai with YMK's URL, anyway. Who knows.

Edit: Then again, this might just be a weird case of database crosslinking. This listing for a similarly named company (http://jixie.tianpu.org/corp-113050.html) claims they make ultrasonic cleaning equipment. But then again, there might be two Shenzhenshi Jingying Shidai's...who knows.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Linkrulezall on May 15, 2011, 05:32:49 PM
Hmmm... I recently uncovered another Cube Tech piece of engineering, only it's branded by Intec. It's known as the InterAct, and it's essentially a Miwi Xtra all over again. I bought one, and guess what? In the game Duel Soccer, which is in cube tech's game list, says YMK soccer in the corner of the country select screen!
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on May 15, 2011, 05:56:31 PM
Yeah, there are YMK references on a number of Cube's games. There's a huge YMK sign in the background of the Karate game.

Never seen the Interact-branded console before (wow, I remember when they were a halfway respectable maker of controllers like the ProPad!), but from what I'm finding... yep, that's definitely Cube Tech's work. Apparently that console was sold on QVC in the past, but I can't find a video, alas.


Incidentally, Xu Dong-Wei is still around at Cube Tech. The WHOIS info for tec-cube.com lists him as the domain owner.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on May 15, 2011, 06:12:15 PM
codeman38
May 15 2011, 05:26:59 PM
Oh, and I've found another possible name for Yimeike: 深圳市精英时代科技发展有限公司 Shēnzhèn shì jīngyīng shídài kējì fāzhǎn yǒuxiàn gōngsī, which translates to something like Shenzhen Elite Age Technology Development Co. Ltd. Or at least this business listing (http://wanju.cciru.com/corp-36552.html) shows Jingying Shidai with YMK's URL, anyway. Who knows.

Edit: Then again, this might just be a weird case of database crosslinking. This listing for a similarly named company (http://jixie.tianpu.org/corp-113050.html) claims they make ultrasonic cleaning equipment. But then again, there might be two Shenzhenshi Jingying Shidai's...who knows.[/quote]Could be something like Biikoo, which seems to have started out as a telecommunications company but somehow moved into VT development (probably employing Wise Wang). the "Technology Development" bit makes me wonder if it has anything to do with Shenzhen Niutai Technology Development, since they somehow ended up making SPG versions of Cube Tech's Super Ping Pong and i've never encountered another Chinese company with "Technology Development" in its name..

Linkrulezall
 
Hmmm... I recently uncovered another Cube Tech piece of engineering, only it's branded by Intec. It's known as the InterAct, and it's essentially a Miwi Xtra all over again. I bought one, and guess what? In the game Duel Soccer, which is in cube tech's game list, says YMK soccer in the corner of the country select screen![/quote]
codeman38
 
Yeah, there are YMK references on a number of Cube's games. There's a huge YMK sign in the background of the Karate game.

Never seen the Interact-branded console before (wow, I remember when they were a halfway respectable maker of controllers like the ProPad!), but from what I'm finding... yep, that's definitely Cube Tech's work. Apparently that console was sold on QVC in the past, but I can't find a video, alas.[/quote]
ah yeah, i've been trying to get my hands on one of those - i saw it for sale on eBay as a "Miwi 360" (still InterAct branded though), but it was fairly expensive. (edit; actually the Miwi 360 on ebay has 41 games - its the 89 game version i'm after, for its maximum cubetechness. which is a shame because theres a much cheaper 360 up there now.)
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Linkrulezall on May 20, 2011, 11:22:13 PM
taizou
May 15 2011, 06:12:15 PM
ah yeah, i've been trying to get my hands on one of those - i saw it for sale on eBay as a "Miwi 360" (still InterAct branded though), but it was fairly expensive. (edit; actually the Miwi 360 on ebay has 41 games - its the 89 game version i'm after, for its maximum cubetechness. which is a shame because theres a much cheaper 360 up there now.)[/quote]Taizou, If you really want one of these so badly, check out this amazon listing (Which is where I got mine)
http://www.amazon.com/MIWI2-VIDEO-GAME-ACCESSORIES/dp/B001KSIEWC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305947654&sr=8-1 (http://www.amazon.com/MIWI2-VIDEO-GAME-ACCESSORIES/dp/B001KSIEWC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305947654&sr=8-1)

It's listed as a Miwi2, but if you get it from bandr_sales then you'll get an InterAct. Albeit, It's the 41 game version, but i believe the 89 game version is mostly just the same games repeated. There's a 3rd multicart which has the 32 in 1 and 8 in 1 bundled together inside. I have no idea where the other 9 came from.

I did also find the 89 game version on amazon, but it's $30.
http://www.amazon.com/InterAct-Complete-Entertainment-Not-Machine-Specific/dp/B00376AWK2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_1 (http://www.amazon.com/InterAct-Complete-Entertainment-Not-Machine-Specific/dp/B00376AWK2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_m_1)

Good luck! (You're gonna need it to survive all that Cube Tech)

Also, as a side note, if Davidstech sees this, I'd really like to see a video of the Drum Master games.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on May 20, 2011, 11:57:51 PM
as far as i know the 89 game version actually has 89 unique games, heres a list:
http://www.macrowin.com/en/productview.asp?id=28 (http://www.macrowin.com/en/productview.asp?id=28)

that $30 one is fairly reasonably priced really, compared to some of the chancers out there (someone on ebay UK is currently trying to sell the 41-game version for £43, approx ~$70) but i think i might wait and see if a used one shows up on ebay - wii clones always sell for like £1 because hardly anyone knows what they are, and the people who do know what they are mostly don't want them. :D
heres a cheap one on ebay if anyone's interested, $14.99:
http://cgi.ebay.com//370510233897 (http://cgi.ebay.com//370510233897)
at that price i'd buy it myself but they don't ship internationally.

or if you just have more money than you know what to do with:
http://cgi.ebay.com//170643040223 (http://cgi.ebay.com//170643040223) $99! and its used.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on May 21, 2011, 05:55:16 AM
I like how with the 89-in-1, the "Guitar games" are basically titles of random songs. Somehow, I doubt they got the licenses for them. :P And I'm guessing that the arcade games are VT02 or VT03, with Monkey King and Sea Wolf listed there. Never heard of most of the others though.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Linkrulezall on May 21, 2011, 10:04:16 AM
taizou
May 20 2011, 11:57:51 PM
as far as i know the 89 game version actually has 89 unique games, heres a list:
http://www.macrowin.com/en/productview.asp?id=28 (http://www.macrowin.com/en/productview.asp?id=28)

that $30 one is fairly reasonably priced really, compared to some of the chancers out there (someone on ebay UK is currently trying to sell the 41-game version for £43, approx ~$70) but i think i might wait and see if a used one shows up on ebay - wii clones always sell for like £1 because hardly anyone knows what they are, and the people who do know what they are mostly don't want them. :D
heres a cheap one on ebay if anyone's interested, $14.99:
http://cgi.ebay.com//370510233897 (http://cgi.ebay.com//370510233897)
at that price i'd buy it myself but they don't ship internationally.

or if you just have more money than you know what to do with:
http://cgi.ebay.com//170643040223 (http://cgi.ebay.com//170643040223) $99! and its used. [/quote]Heh. I love how the guy on the $99 dollar ebay listing puts "NEW" in the title, then it says Used all over the page. Genius. Also, The 89 in 1 doen't appear to have 89 unique games, based on looking at the list. ARMORED FOX REPEATS! AAAAAAAAAAAAH! Anyways, If you do manage to snag one of those, it would be very interesting. I've never seen good quality video of half the games on that list.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Ninja-Kun on May 21, 2011, 10:32:33 AM
By any chance the game "Lawn purge" is the same as "Mowing"?

Lol, I should read better: Lawn Purge is a 16-bit game and Mowing is a 8-bit game. Why these Chinese guys are so obsessed with lawn mowing?
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on May 21, 2011, 11:15:01 AM
Ninja-Kun
May 21 2011, 10:32:33 AM
By any chance the game "Lawn purge" is the same as "Mowing"?

Lol, I should read better: Lawn Purge is a 16-bit game and Mowing is a 8-bit game. Why these Chinese guys are so obsessed with lawn mowing? [/quote]There is an 8-bit version of Lawn Purge on the Sudoku 49-in-1, a game which makes sudoku itself look interesting if you ask me. No idea what the obsession is with lawn mowing games, I'm guessing they watched the Black Hole Sun music video and thought that Americans enjoy lawn mowing or something. :rolleyes:
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Ninja-Kun on May 21, 2011, 12:09:50 PM
Talking about that 49-in-1, has anyone else noted that "Horrible Area" is a bad clone of Data East's "Disco No. 1"? :P
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on May 21, 2011, 12:37:14 PM
Ninja-Kun
May 21 2011, 12:09:50 PM
Talking about that 49-in-1, has anyone else noted that "Horrible Area" is a bad clone of Data East's "Disco No. 1"? :P[/quote]Never heard of that game, but it's actually a ripoff of Thin Ice for the Intellivision, which in itself looks sort of like a ripoff of Qix.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on May 21, 2011, 12:58:25 PM
Cheetahmen
May 21 2011, 05:55:16 AM
I like how with the 89-in-1, the "Guitar games" are basically titles of random songs. Somehow, I doubt they got the licenses for them. :P And I'm guessing that the arcade games are VT02 or VT03, with Monkey King and Sea Wolf listed there. Never heard of most of the others though.[/quote]Actually, a number of those actually are listed on Cube's game list (http://tec-cube.com/gamelist.htm#vthc); their names are listed in Chinese, but appear in English if you view the graphics. They do appear to be VT168, from all I can tell.

Edit: Monkey King (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VThc%28vt168%29/05STG/image/08.jpg) and Sea Wolf (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VThc%28vt168%29/05STG/image/10.jpg). Definitely VT168 versions even for those.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on May 21, 2011, 01:04:50 PM
codeman38
May 21 2011, 12:58:25 PM
Edit: Monkey King (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VThc%28vt168%29/05STG/image/08.jpg) and Sea Wolf (http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VThc%28vt168%29/05STG/image/10.jpg). Definitely VT168 versions even for those.[/quote]Those are different games to the VT02 versions, which is kind of odd. I was thinking of Seawolf from the DreamGEAR 75-in-1 and Monkey King (a platformer) from numerous other Famiclones, as opposed to a Sub-Scan clone and generic shooter. (Which vaguely looks like Chuka Taisen, BTW)
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: codeman38 on May 21, 2011, 01:08:29 PM
Ninja-Kun
May 21 2011, 12:09:50 PM
Talking about that 49-in-1, has anyone else noted that "Horrible Area" is a bad clone of Data East's "Disco No. 1"? :P[/quote]It's a direct hack of the Famiclone port of Intellivision's "Thin Ice"... which was indeed directly inspired by Disco No. 1. Whee!

Also, "Carrier" is a complete knockoff of Sunsoft's Shi-Kin-Joh. Even the level design is knocked off!
Cheetahmen
May 21 2011, 01:04:50 PM
Those are different games to the VT02 versions, which is kind of odd. I was thinking of Seawolf from the DreamGEAR 75-in-1 and Monkey King (a platformer) from numerous other Famiclones, as opposed to a Sub-Scan clone and generic shooter. (Which vaguely looks like Chuka Taisen, BTW)[/quote]Ah, right... the other Seawolf is Nice Code's, not Cube Tech's. Interesting that the two developers would make completely different games with the same name...
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Awesome Panda on May 21, 2011, 01:16:33 PM
codeman38
May 21 2011, 01:08:29 PM
Ninja-Kun
May 21 2011, 12:09:50 PM
Talking about that 49-in-1, has anyone else noted that "Horrible Area" is a bad clone of Data East's "Disco No. 1"? :P[/quote]It's a direct hack of the Famiclone port of Intellivision's "Thin Ice"... which was indeed directly inspired by Disco No. 1. Whee!
Also, "Carrier" is a complete knockoff of Sunsoft's Shi-Kin-Joh. Even the level design is knocked off![/quote]Not surprised, quite frankly. From what I noticed, a fair few Intellivision games are clones of games from other systems, like that Space Invaders ripoff which I forget the name of.

Never heard of that puzzle game either. Again, not surprised seeing as these developers are too lazy to come up with their own games. Play Dice is a complete ripoff of Korodice for the Game Boy except played from an isometric perspective. BTW, not sure if anyone else noticed but the menu on the 101-in-1 Arcade Action II is stolen from Contra Force.
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: Linkrulezall on June 07, 2011, 07:58:59 PM
More Stolen Music! I was watching The Adventures of Pete and Pete earlier and I noticed that a tune from Duel Soccer as well as VR Tennis World Champ is actually part of the Pete and Pete theme!
Title: Cube Technology
Post by: taizou on July 25, 2017, 06:00:29 PM
no
Title: Re: Cube Technology
Post by: kelvin donna on February 16, 2021, 08:34:24 AM
Hello Folks,
has anyone of you got at least one of this screenshots Downloaded?
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc(vt03)/01SPG/image/12.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/26.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/25.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/29.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/04STG/image/12.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/04STG/image/07.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/06RAC/image/04.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTsc%28vt02%29/01SPG/image/13.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTsc%28vt02%29/01SPG/image/15.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTsc%28vt02%29/05PUZ/image/08.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VThc%28vt168%29/06PUZ/image/17.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/01SPG/image/03.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/03FTG/image/01.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/05PUZ/image/19.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VThc%28vt168%29/03ACT/image/02.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/05PUZ/image/21.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/01SPG/image/14.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/05PUZ/image/29.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/04.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/19.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/04.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/22.jpg
http://tec-cube.com/image/gamelist/VTmc%28vt03%29/02ACT/image/31.jpg
i would be happy, if anyone of you has them?