How many famiclones have ever been produced? I have considered this great mystery by separating to each famous companies such as Micro Genius, Dar Yar and NTDEC. The fourth article focuses on Zonic Electronics Co., (勝天電子有限公司) which was once known as the second largest famiclone player in China.
The image above taken from here.
Aaronix Industries to Zonic Electronics
So far we have looked at three major famiclone companies in Taiwan: TXC, Dar Yar Electronics, and Nintendo Electronics (NTDEC). As for the remaining major companies I've listed on the previous article, I have not been able to find any concrete figures from news papers, books or any other sources.
However, we are not without other clues. An important key is the serial number of the product, and Zonic Electronics (勝天電子有限公司), here I will discuss, is one of the manufacturers whose serial numbers give a relatively clear picture of their production status.
Before discussing Zonic Electronics, let us first look at its precursor, Aaronix Industries (嘉霖行股份有限公司). The company was founded in 1980 by Jiawen Tsai (蔡嘉文) as a manufacturer and importer/exporter of electronic devices. By 1983 at the latest, the company was dealing in electronic toys, and by that time had begun using the AARONIX brand.
The Sega Official Agency Went to Famiclone
In 1985, as an official Sega representative manufacturer and distributor, they released the localized version of the Sega's 8-bit consoles (the SG-1000 and later the Mark III) under AARONIX (阿羅士) and FULLWIS (虎威) brands.
In 1987, Aaronix began manufacturing and selling famiclones, and also established Zonic Electronics as famicolne sales division.
One reason for their shift from the Sega's official to famiclone may have been the poor sales of the Sega 8-bit consoles, but additionally I assume that the company's defeat at a legal battle with Way-up Corp. (佳寶電子業股份有限公司), a pirated SG-1000 console/cartridge maker, may also affected. At least Aaronix could have learned that the pirates could do better than the official distributor in the Taiwanese market.
Aaronix The Third Generation (Sega Mark III), image taken from here.
The Largest Force of 1989
Zonic Electronics initially used two brands mainly for their famiclones: "AARONIX" and
"ZONIC". Then the brand gradually converged on the latter. As of 1989, Aaronix/Zonic's famiclones held the top market share in Taiwan: 45% of video game console production among whole Taiwanese industry, and more than 65% of Taiwanese market distribution*. They claimed "higher quality than those made in Japan," and actually their famiclones were NT$100-150 more expensive than others.
Their famiclones have been successful mainly in Korea, Thailand, and mainland China. The presence of Zonic Electronics was especially prominent in early mainland market. Their products split the market in two with TXC there**.
In 1988, a mainland branch office of Zonic in Xiamen was established, and it eventually absorbed the head office functions. The Taiwanese Zonic Electronics was dissolved as early as 1991.
* "中國經建月報" Issue 11-20, 1989, p. 77
** '沉默的人 -- 中国电视游戏业往事' from "家用电脑与游戏" magazine, the Third Period, 2009
Three Types of Aaronix/Zonic Famiclone
There are three main types of famiclones made by Zonic Electronics:
A) Famicom Imitation
Model 7000~8000 series, though there are many without a model number as well. Serial number consists of the prefix code such as "21," "H77," "HA," or "XM" with a 6- or 7-digit number.
The image above taken from here.
B) Original Standard
Model 9x9/9x00 series. Serial number consists of the "HK" prefix code with a 6- or 7-digit number.
C) Original High-End
Model AX99x0 series. There are three different shape models in this type and I'll discuss about it later. Serial number consists of no prefix code or, "1" or "9" prefix code in rare case, with a 6- or 7-digit number.
Note that there are some exceptions. For example, product made for Thailand used a "G" prefix code with a 7-digit number regardless of the types of the console. I will discuss about it later.
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