Evolution of Handheld Game Consoles

1. To From Evolution of Handheld Game Consoles By Ashley Trimble

2. Microvision • The world of handheld video game consoles all started with Microvision by Milton Bradley. • It was released in 1979 • It was designed by Jay Smith • It grossed $8 million in the first year of release • It appeared in the movie “Friday the 13th Part 2” • Few cartridges, small screen, and lack of support from home video game companies, led to its demise in 1981

3. Game Boy • The second handheld console was the original Game Boy. • Five years after the Microvision hit its demise, the Game Boy was released. • It was released by Nintendo • Its “killer app” was the famous ‘Tetris’ • As of 2005 the Game Boy and Game Boy Color combined to sell 118.69 million units worldwide.

4. Atari Lynx • Created in 1987 Epyx created Handy Game, which became Atari Lynx in 1989. • First handheld console with colour and a backlit screen. • Featured network support-up to 17 other players. • Could be turned upside down to accommodate left hand players. • Came at very high price, leaving people looking for cheaper choices.

5. TurboExpress • Portable version of TurboGrafx • Released in 1990 for $249.99 • Price briefly raised to $299.99 but soon dropped back down. • Most advanced handheld of its time. • Could play all TurboGrafx-16’s games. • Had an optional “TurboVision” TV tuner. • “TurboLink” allowed for two player multiplayer.

6. Bitcorp Gamate • One of first handheld systems made in response to the GameBoy • Games designed with stereo sound but console only came with mono speaker, to get full music you must plug in headphones to reveal sophisticated music. • Internal components professionally assembled. • Bitcorp closed in 1992. • New games continued to be published, possibly until 1994.

7. Sega Game Gear • Third coloured handheld console. • It was released in Japan in 1990 • Released in North America in 1991 • Based on Sega Master System, which gave Sega the chance to make games quickly from its Master System library. • Most frequently seen in black or navy-blue, but also came in red, light blue, yellow, clear, and violet.

8. Watara Supervision • Released in 1992 in attempt to compete with the GameBoy • Never impacted the sales of Sega or Nintendo • Watara designed many games themselves but had third party support, mainly from Sachen. • TV adapter could transfer the black and white colour pallet to four colours.

9. Hartung Game Master • Obscure handheld released at an unknown point in the early 1990’s • Graphics lower than most of its contemporaries. • Was available in black, white, and purple. • Likely around 20 games were released for the console. • Frequently turns up in Europe and Australia.

10. Game.com • In TV commercials pronounced it Game com not Game dot com. • Released in 1997 by Tiger Electronics. • Featured many new ideas for handhelds • Aimed towards older targeted audience. • Tiger also hoped it would gain the attention of a younger audience as well. • Two slots for game cartridges.

11. Game Boy Colour • Nintendo’s successor to the GameBoy. • Released in 1998 • Response to pressure from game developers for a new system. • First handheld with backward compatibility • Capable of displaying up to 56 colours simultaneously on screen. • Could add four colour shading for games made for the original GameBoy.

12. Neo Geo Pocket Color • Released in 1999 by SNK • 16 bit handheld game console • Dropped in US and Europe markets in 2000 • More successful than any Game Boy competitor

13. WonderSwan Color • Released in 2000 by Bandai • Had moderate success • Original had only black and white screen • Slightly larger than the original WonderSwan • 512kB of RAM and colour LCD screen • Bandai got a deal with Square • Only released in Japan

14. GameBoy Advance • Released in 2001 by Nintendo • Nintendo added two shoulder buttons, a larger screen, and more computing power than the GameBoy Color • Design revised two years later into the Game Boy Advance SP • In 2005 the Game Boy Micro was released • As of December 31, 2007 all of the above consoles including the GameCube combined sold 80.72 million units world wide

15. Game Park 32 • Released in 2001 by Game Park • Released a few months after the GameBoy Advance • 32bit CPU, 133MHz processor, Mp3 and DivX player, and E-book reader • SmartMedia cards used for storage • Redesigned in 2003 • Popular with developers and technically-adept users

16. N-Gage • Released in 2003 by Nokia • Designed as a combination of MP3 player, cellphone, PDA, radio and gaming device • Received much criticism • Defects in physical design include its vertically oriented screen and you must remove the battery to change the game • Most well known defect was “sidetalking” which was the act of placing the speaker and receiver on the edge, not a flat side, which made the user look like they were speaking into a taco.

17. Nintendo DS • Released in 2004 • Had two screens, a touchscreen, and a normal screen • Also had wireless connection and a microphone port • In 2006 Nintendo revealed an updated version- the Nintendo DS Lite • The DS Lite has a cleaner design, longer battery life, and a brighter, higher quality screen • The DS Lite was also able to connect with the Wii

18. Game King • Released by TimeTop • Released in 2004 • The first design owes a large debt to the GameBoy Advance • The second design was a more direct rip-off of the PSP

19. PlayStation Portable • Abbreviated to PSP • Manufactured and Marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment • Released in March 2005 • First handheld to use an optical disc format, the UMD (Universal Media Disc) • Can connect to the PlayStation 3, other PSPs, and the Internet

20. Gizmondo • Released by Tiger Telematics • Released in 2005 • Designed to play music, movies, and games, have a camera, and GPS functions • It also connected to the internet • Had a phone for sending texts, and multimedia messages • Email was promised but never happened before Gizmondo and Tiger Telematics downfall

21. Game Park Holdings GP2X • Open source, hand held console and media player • Released by GamePark Holdings • Commonly used to run emulators for other game consoles such as Neo Geo, Sega Genesis, Sega Master System, Sega Game Gear, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64 • Designed for homebrew developers and commercial developers

22. Dingoo • Micro-sized handheld that looks similar to the GameBoy Micro • It supports music, radio, emulators, and a recording program • Currently two colours-white and black

23. PSP Go • Version of the PSP • Manufactured by Sony • Released in 2009 • In 2011 the PSP Go was discontinued so Sony could focus on the PSP • Later Sony said it would only be discontinued in Europe and Japan • Shape and Sliding Mechanism are similar to the Mylo COM-2 internet device

24. iPod Touch • Portable media player, personal digital assistant, hand held game console, and a Wi-Fi device • It is the first iPod with wireless access • It has wireless access to the iTunes Store, and App Store • You can download and purchase apps straight onto your iPod • The fourth generation of the iPod Touch includes a camera

25. Nintendo 3DS • The successor to the Nintendo DS handheld • Released March 27, 2011 in North America • Able to project stereoscopic 3D effects without requirement of an active shutter or a passive polarized glass • ^^ Above requirements are necessary for most 3D televisions to show the 3D effect • Has online service called the Nintendo eShop

26. PlayStation Vita • The successor to the PSP • Released in Japan and parts of Asia on December 27, 2011 • Was expected to be released in North America on February 22, 2012 • Has a four core processor and a four core graphics processing unit • Supports Bluetooth, and optionally, 3G

27. Bibliography • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handheld_console