YouTuber Apple Demo has recovered a prototype third-generation iPod that contains a crippled called Stacker, which ne'er made it to unit models. In summation to Apple’s ain type of Tetris, nan engineering sample iPod besides came loaded pinch different unreleased titles, including games called Block0 and Klondike, as noted by Engadget.
On nan backmost of nan prototype iPod, a “DVT” (Design Validation Testing) explanation is etched wherever nan retention capacity usually goes, which, Apple Demo explains indicates it was from nan mediate shape of development. Two songs still successful its retention and a helpfully-named playlist propose this instrumentality was utilized for artillery testing.
After immoderate tinkering and transplanting nan soul difficult disk into a second-generation iPod Apple Demo sewage nan difficult disk to footwear arsenic normal, and retired of nan games available, they only demoed Stacker.
They moreover contacted nan ex-SVP of Apple’s iPod division, Tony Fadell, to study why nan Tetris clone was ne'er released. However, Fadell’s only comment, from 2022, says, “because we added games pinch later package release,” leaving nan soul communicative of Stacker a enigma for now. Apple did merchandise a licensed Tetris crippled years later connected nan “Classic” iPod models, which supported caller crippled titles purchased from nan iTunes Store.
Stacker uses nan iPod’s click instrumentality to move falling blocks near and right, and nan halfway fastener drops them to nan bottommost of nan screen. The objective, for illustration Tetris, is to sprout for a precocious people by completing and clearing lines of bricks and not overstacking pieces disconnected nan top. The crippled isn’t wholly polished — there’s astatine slightest 1 bug shown successful nan video wherever a ceramic overlapped a stack and sewage stuck erstwhile rotated. But it works!