GameShark is the brand name of a line of video game cheat cartridges and other products for a variety of console video game systems and Windows based computers. Currently, the brand name is owned by Mad Catz, Inc. who is actively marketing GameShark products for the Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation Portable, Microsoft Xbox, Nintendo DS and Nintendo Game Boy Advance including the SP and Micro models. The GameShark products never have been licensed or endorsed by the manufacturers of the products that they work with. Originally a cheat device that modified memory data, under the ownership of MadCatz the device has since become a dedicated game save storage device.

Brand history

Currently, the GameShark name is owned by Madcatz, and the devices only exist to back-up and restore game saves. While under Interact's ownership, the device modified memory and in some cases allowed the user to search for codes.

Fall of Interact

While the Game Boy device was first released, Interact acquired the rights to sell Datel's Action Replay and Pro Action Replay devices in North America; these devices were sold under the GameShark and GameShark Pro names. Interact released GameShark devices for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Saturn, Dreamcast and Nintendo 64. After Interact went bankrupt, the rights to the GameShark name were acquired by MadCatz, who relinquished the North American Action Replay distribution rights. Following this, MadCatz sold game save devices under the GameShark name instead of the traditional cheat device, and Datel marketed the Action Replay in North America directly.

All platforms

The GameShark is currently available for these platforms:

* Game Boy * Game Boy Color * Game Boy Advance * Game Boy Advance SP * Nintendo 64 * PlayStation * PlayStation 2 * Sega Dreamcast * Sega Saturn * Xbox * Xbox 360 * Nintendo DS

* PC

See also

* GameShark Pro * Action Replay * Code Breaker * Game Genie * DexDrive * Multiface * MaxDrive