Know your Famiclone carts: Waixing

Next up, we have the infamous Dragon Quest VIII, a game which has little to do with dragons, quests, Dragon Quest or the number VIII. The game was published by Waixing Science & Technology, one of the first Chinese mainland development and publishing houses for original Famicom games.

When Waixing began, it was famous for its attention to detail and the quality of its packaging. Unfortunately, I do not have an early sample of its games. My only sample of a Waixing cart is Dragon Quest VII and admittedly late addition to the company’s lineup, and one released at a time when it was going very, very downhill.

Waixing Science & Technology still exists, but it is mainly a factory which makes cartridges and systems for other developers. I speculate that it makes Nanjing Technology’s cartridges, and it has been in cooperation with SUBOR, the first and most successful Famicom clone developer, for the last several years. It currently produces SUBOR’s game systems and multi-carts.

Waixing Science & Technology

Box Dimensions
Total: 28×14 centimeters
Faces: 13×14 centimeters
Spine: 2×14 centimeters

Cartridge Dimensions
Total: 10.8×6.3×1.5 centimeters
Branding: 外星

Manual Dimensions
Total: 18×12.8 centimeters
Affixed: Two half-inch staples at 3 centimeters from either edge

The front face of the box contains the game name, a branding to show it is a Chinese-language game, and the Fuzhou Waixing Science & Technology branding. Waixing uses “ES” as its logo, and its carts are names as ES-xxxx. In the case of Dragon Quest VIII, the cartridge is ES-1077.

The reverse of the box contains a list of Waixing games, as well as ordering information. Waixing’s address is:

Guo Tai Da Fu
Floor 6, Section B
No 19 Wu Si Bei Lu
Fuzhou, Fujian Province
350003

It also lists a hotline at 0591-87616865, a FAX at 0591-87564788 and a Web site at www.waixing.com.cn.

Cartridge edges are sealed with LJC Electronics security stickers to alert purchasers that the cartridge has been opened or tampered with. The manual features a glossy print cover with black and white matte paper prints inside. The manual lacks any artwork and simply introduces what the game is, as well as play controls and basic game play elements.

The cartridge plastic includes a Waixing two-character branding on the bottom edge.