Talk:Net Jet

cleanup tense
this article is written as if previous events will happen in the future. I can't verify that those "future events" have actually happened at the moment. Someone should clean this up.208.3.91.194 (talk)


 * Agreed. Incidentally, I just came across a Net Jet and tried it out this evening. I can confirm as of May, 23, 2011, it still does connect to the online service and downloads games. However, a disclaimer appears saying support has ended as of December 31, 2009 (the original packing states they're only legally bound up until Jan 1, 2009). Since there is no longer any legal obligation to keep the site up, it can disappear at any time.


 * Had a look at the game key it came with. Looks like it's just a simple jumper. There are 6 pin contacts, aligned in two groups of 3. Assuming you short only the two pins next to each other, that gives you 12 possible switches (as it happens, there are exactly 12 featured games in total). Don't think there's any memory or electronics in the keys. I think there may be some NVRAM or battery backed storage in the controller itself, when I plugged it in, it "remembered" the three other games you're allowed to choose from the previous owner. (update: Nope, opened it up. Just some ROM firmware inside the controller, which fools the computer into thinking it's a USB hub with CD-ROM drive attached. Looking at the key closely, there's a small IC chip underneath the pins. Probably something that can store a few bits of data for keeping record of which "choose" games you've permanently selected).


 * Not very impressed by it. The games remind me (and look of) early 3Dfx games for the PC back in the late 1990's. Or in some cases, the Nintendo 64. The choose-able games look they're Java based. At any rate, I wouldn't classify it as a game console, it's just a gimmicky way to get people to pay for shareware games on the PC if you ask me (some of them are very stylish, but doesn't change that fact)--Apple2gs (talk) 06:48, 23 May 2011 (UTC)


 * Just a heads up, I did a clean up of the article and added some new material. --Apple2gs (talk) 04:27, 24 May 2011 (UTC)

Net Jet not a true video game console
The article categorizes the Hasbro Net Jet as part of the seventh generation video game consoles (game consoles introduced from 2005 to the present). I disagree with that claim, or rather, it being classified as a video game console at all. In my opinion it should be removed from that category entirely.

Granted a video game console these days can be fit entirely into a joystick/controller (e.g. right in my own collection: the Super Joy III, the Jakks Pacific TV Games series), so I won't disqualify it for that, but the Net Jet is essentially JUST a controller, and little else. There is some firmware inside to trick the Windows-based computer into thinking it's a USB hub with CD-ROM drive attached so it can automatically connect to a site and download software to install, but that's it. Nothing that allows it to play games or produce graphics, animation or sound. Not even any built-in games either. It just runs Windows-based software that works on ANY x86 computer, with or without the Net Jet. Any programmer with limited skill could modify the software to play through a generic USB controller and remove the code requiring a Net Jet and game key present to run. Some of its games are actually stand alone PC software titles.

Another issue are its "media", these so-called game keys. They do not contain any game code whatsoever. They're just jumpers, a series of on/off switches really. With an EEPROM that holds 1K (that's 1024 bytes), used for remembering in which of the bonus Java-based games the player decided to select permanently.

It's marketed and advertised as a game console, but it's nothing of the sort. Just gimmickry. So unless anyone objects, I'm removing it from that category (already took it out of the info box in the article).--Apple2gs (talk) 19:25, 31 May 2011 (UTC)

Clarification on status of features
Heya, recently received this system and a Featured Game key (ordered online), but I was unsure whether it was 100% dead, or whether the download would still work. So, I'm glad to see that it *does* still download, but based on the text of the article, I wasn't able to confirm that until I actually used the thing myself. Other than that, great technical data in this article. 24.166.72.68 (talk) 23:16, 17 June 2011 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 1 one external link on Net Jet. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20070308013315/http://hasbro.com:80/tiger/netjet/ to http://www.hasbro.com/tiger/netjet/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 20:44, 22 February 2016 (UTC)