I found a small stash of Casio PV-1000 and PV-2000 game cartridges on Mercari a bit ago. The PV-1000 is a game console, and the PV-2000 is a computer (at least, in the same sense that the SG-1000 was a console and the SC-3000 was a computer). The PV-2000s I see are usually in terrible shape and cost a ton of money, while the PV-1000s also tend to cost a ton of money but aren't necessarily in such rough shape. I found a PV-1000 that was in somewhat rough shape but not too bad, and it ended for a comparatively reasonable price, so I stuck the winning bid on that. I was excitedly waiting for the PV-1000 so I could play with this hot stash of games.

The PV-1000 and PV-2000 came out at about the same time and had similar capabilities, and with the cartridges being the same size and sharing many of the same titles, I thought compatibility was sort of a given, but in fact it is not. It says on the cartridges themselves that cartridges labeled for one machine cannot be used in the other, as it can damage the system. Well, I doubted that, so I checked online, and I still don't think it would actually damage anything, but someone else had reported that there is indeed no compatibility, so I didn't take it any farther. In the end, the stash of games I could actually use was this:

Pachinko and mahjong barely qualify as video games, so it was mostly up to Amidar and Super Cobra to sell me on the console.

Despite its rough shape, the console itself is pretty cool, though. It looked like it would be cheap plastic like an SG-1000 series or Master System, but it's a pretty weighty console. And it's a handsome navy blue, with a slope leading up to a raised center dome which surrounds the cartridge slot.

And it has a matching joystick. Coincidentally, I'd found another PV-1000/2000 joystick a few days after finding the console so I had a matching set (except the spare one I found had a lopsided stick).

Mine came with the box, which was in a bit better shape than the console itself. Usually the other way around.

And it works! I always assume they will but it's nonetheless a relief to confirm so. Here it is in action, playing Amidar.

Here's a quick look at my four games, from least to most exciting.

First up is Pachinko UFO. It's hard to even get distinct-looking shots on this game. I tried it and got up to 200 points but I can't say I really understood how to play. I guess it might appeal to you if you like Pachinko in real life but you don't want the excitement of possibly striking it rich.

Next is Excite Mahjong. I don't loathe mahjong games, but I don't really understand how to play. But that's actually kind of this game's strong point. It wouldn't let me make certain kinds of mistakes and sort of guided me a bit to winning a hand. First time I've ever won a round! And then I was rewarded with another round using blue tiles (it only seems to have blue and green tiles).

Moving on to Super Cobra. It's a decently fun game, although I can't say space shooters are really my thing. I liked Asteroids and Missile Command back in the day, but I didn't grow my love for the genre the way I did some other styles of game. But no complaints about Super Cobra. Pew pew!

And finally we have Amidar. I knew of this game and had a mental image of the ape on the box of the Atari 2600 version. But I've definitely never played it before. It's a really fun game with arcade-style action! It's a bit of a shame that the box was slightly damaged and all taped up.

So I had some fun with this, because I like exploring the options available back in the day. But this console was not a success for Casio. It had to have been developed simultaneously with the Famicom, and the Famicom was released a few months before the PV-1000. I certainly wouldn't want the unenviable task of releasing something that needed to compete with the Famicom out of the gate, because nothing packed the Famicom's level of polish around that time. The PV-1000 was not a bad console when you compare it to the SG-1000, which is what it was probably intended to compete with, but comes up short in all the important ways compared to the Famicom.