PONG Themed Game Console - Dismantled for reference and curiosity
Manufactured in Hong Kong and released to the Australian market by Sheen in 1976 the Sheen TVG-202 Video Game is one of the many PONG and PONG-like clones. This one doesn't look all that bad for a Sheen console cosmetically. A big part of that is the casing being way bigger than it needs to be just to accommodate storing the controllers in a stylish, angled manner giving. The box boasts, 'Most Exciting Home Game'
Sheen also released the 'Sheen 100 Video Sport' and 'Sheen Video Sport 104'; see other page in this section for the 104. They are pretty much the same size as the central, metal plate of the Sheen TVG-202, however they instead have controllers that plug into the side of the unit. So technically for the Sheen TVG-202 all of the black space around the central plate is just cosmetic. As the 100 and 104 were both released after the 202, it's likely they reflect cost reduced offerings a far as the footprint goes.
The system has two removable but not fully detachable paddle controllers and a non removable RF cable. It can be powered by either an external 9Volt DC power supply or internally from six UM-1 / D-Sized batteries.
As far as games go there's four built in PONG-like games (Hockey, Squash, Tennis and Hand Ball) that are selected with a slide switch. Players can choose from two speed and two bat size settings, switch the ball bounce angle between twenty and forty degrees and choose either auto and manual serving.
Curiously enough as with the sticker on the Sheen 104 Video Sport, the casing graphics shows people playing games not offered on the console. Tennis, squash, soccer and... more tennis. On both consoles hockey is replaced with something else.
The TVG-202 was also released in France as the, 'Markint -4A Télé-Jeux' (tele game) with the Sheen name plate swapped out and it very likely saw sales in other parts of the world.
Personal Note: My parents had one of these when I was six, it was great and we had a lot of fun with it. The hockey game is pretty much PONG with two bats per player. Based on the white casing pictures, maybe it was meant to be doubles tennis and the people who made the game had no idea what hockey actually was.
Also, the paddles were a pain in the butt to put back into the console due to the firm cable insulation and limited space to cram it all back into the unit along with the controller. Still, we had a lot of fun with it!
