6 models from the end of the 20th century
The world's first game console with replaceable cartridges. It was released by the American company Milton Bradley in November 1979. In three years, it managed to sell 8 million copies!
The Microvision features a small monochrome LCD display with a resolution of 16 x 16 pixels. Here are the console's specifications:
CPU: 8-bit Intel 8021 or 4-bit TI TMS1100;
clock frequency: 100 kHz;
RAM: 16 bytes;
RAM: 2 Kb;
screen: LCD with a resolution of 16 x 16 pixels;
sound: piezo buzzer;
control: twelve-button keyboard, one paddle;
energy source: one (for TMS1100) or two (for Intel 8021) 9-volt batteries.
Interestingly, it was not the console that was equipped with the processor and control buttons, but the cartridge itself. The chip was an 8-bit Intel 8021 or a 4-bit Texas Instrument TMS1100 with an operating frequency of 100 kHz.
Each cartridge had a different number of buttons, depending on the game. The minimum was two, the maximum was twelve buttons. A total of 13 games were released on the Microvision, seven of them in 1979, two in 1980-1981, and one in 1982.
Price at the start of sales — $51.25.
Epoch Game Pocket Computer
And this is the world's second portable console with replaceable cartridges. It was released by Epoch for Japan. Before this console, the company released Epoch Derby Race in 1977, Epoch Invader From Space in 1980, Epoch Astro Command in 1982, Epoch Penguin Restaurant in 1983.
A big plus of the console is its advanced screen. The developers installed an LCD display with a resolution of 75 × 64. It made it possible to show not just squares, but more or less high-quality graphics. For 1984, of course. Another plus is convenient control. On the left is the D-pad (crosspad), and on the right are four buttons.
As for the processor, the console received an 8-bit chip with a frequency of 6 MHz. There was also an internal memory of 4 KB. All the characteristics of the console:
CPU: 8-bit NEC μPD78c06 chip;
clock frequency: 6 MHz;
screen: LCD with a resolution of 75 × 64 pixels;
RAM: 2 176 bits;
ROM: 4 Kb ROM;
Cartridge ROM: up to 16K;
sound: piezoelectric speaker;
control: buttons and D-pad;
energy source: 4 x AA batteries.
The device worked autonomously for over 70 hours.
The manufacturer placed two built-in games in the memory. There were also cartridges with games – Mahjong, Reversi, Sokoban, Astro Bomber and Block Maze. Already in our time, enthusiasts were able to port Mario, and it looks quite good on the screen of a vintage console.
Price at the start of sales — 12,000 ¥. Let us recall that the console was sold only in Japan, and converting yen into dollars at the exchange rate of that time is not an easy task now.
Atari Lynx
The world's first console with a color screen and backlight was released in 1989. Another innovation was the ability to connect devices into a network; some games supported multiplayer for up to 17 players. The console worked for 4–5 hours on six AA batteries.
Console specifications:
CPU: 16-bit, dual-core;
core clock speed: 16 MHz;
screen: 3.5-inch, 160 x 102 pixel LCD display with 16 on-screen colors out of 4,096 colors in the palette;
sound: 4-channel stereo sound;
memory: RAM – 64 KB, ROM – 256 KB;
cartridges: memory capacity up to 8 MB;
control: two joysticks, each with two buttons.
The console turned out to be quite large. But, unlike the Epoch Game Pocket Computer, where the dimensions are determined by the size of the board and components, here the reason is different. Focus group testing showed that buyers want a large device. So there is almost nothing inside the plastic case.
At the start of sales, five games were available:
Blue Lightning flight simulator;
sports game California Games;
Chip's Challenge puzzle;
pseudo-3D shooter Electrocop;
Gates of Zendocon jokemap.
Later, new ones began to appear – for example, ported arcades Klax, Gauntlet, Ms Pacman, Rygar, Rampage, Paperboy. The development of games continued until 1995 – the end of sales of the console itself. A total of 71 games were released.
Price at the start of sales — $179.99.
NEC TurboExpress
The portable console from NEC went on sale in late 1990. The device's special feature is its peripheral modules. For example, it was equipped with a TurboLink network cable for multiplayer and a TV tuner for watching analog TV.
The console's 2.6-inch screen is a color liquid crystal display with support for displaying up to 481 of 512 colors and up to 64 sprites simultaneously. The display is backlit. The console's sound is generated by a six-channel PGS synthesizer. The console operated on six AA batteries for a maximum of four hours.
All console specifications:
CPU: 8-bit Hudson Soft HuC6420;
clock frequency: 1.79 and 7.16 MHz (automatic mode adjustment);
screen: 2.6 inches, liquid crystal display with a resolution of 400 × 270 pixels;
sound: 6-channel PGS synthesizer;
ROM: No;
cartridges: up to 8 MB in size;
control: D-pad, two switches, A and B buttons.
Starting price — $249.99.
Sega Nomad
A portable console from Sega released in 1995. It did not have its own cartridges, as games were played from Sega Mega/Genesis media. It was sold only in North America. At the time of the Nomad's release, there were over 500 Sega games that could be played on the console.
All console specifications:
CPU: 16-bit Motorola 68000 chip;
clock frequency: 7.67 MHz;
graphic arts: VDP with support for 64 colors on the screen from a palette of 512 colors;
sound: YM2612 chip with stereophony support;
screen: 3.25 inch color LCD display with 320 x 448 pixels resolution;
control: D-pad and Mode, Start, A, B, C, X, Y, Z buttons.
The console's great advantage was its compatibility with Sega Mega Drive cartridges. This made it possible to play the same game at home or on the go. Both gamers and reviewers received the device well. In a 1997 review, a team of four editors from Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine put Nomad scores 8.0, 6.5, 7.0 and 7.5.
The price at the start of sales was $180The company released the console in a small print run, so now it is a real find for collectors of vintage devices.
Tell us which portable consoles from the list you had. Perhaps you can name other rare gaming devices of the past? If so, let's discuss in the comments!
