1. History of Handheld Video Game Consoles 1 April 8th, 2011 By: Massimo Melillo – 100667085 Pauline Praseuth - 100655151
2. TitlePage Introduction 3 Evolution 1970’s 4 - 5 Progress 1980’s 6 - 8 Breakthrough 9 Competition 10-13 Other Competition 14 Nintendo Upgrades 15 Revolution 16 One Step Further 17 Meanwhile… 18-19 New Generation 20 Conclusion 21 References 22-23 Questions 24 Table of Contents
3. Introduction What is the difference between a desktop video game console and a handheld video game console? 6 3
4. Evolution The 1970’s The Microprocessor chip was created. Mattel was the first company to take advantage of the new technology in 1977-78 and made the first LED based handheld. 2 3 Mattel football (1977)
5. Evolution In 1979, Milton Bradley’s Microvision introduced the first console with interchangeable cartridges. Microvision was successful, making about $8 million in its first year of production. 3 Milton Bradley’s Microvision (1979)
6. Progress The 1980’s Nintendo gets into the picture and takes off, controlling the handheld gaming world. Nintendo’s Game and Watch series of gaming became extremely popular as it offered many styles of play. 3 Nintendo Game & Watch (1980-1991)
7. In the midst of the Nintendo era, many other companies came out with their own handheld video games. Progress 3 Epoch Game Pocket aka “Pokekon” (1984) 4 Entex Space Invader (1980)
8. Progress 4 4 Tiger Pac-Man Large Screen (1984) Ritam Master Monty Plays Scrabble (1987) 4 Bandai Ghost House (1985)
9. Breakthrough In the late 1980’s, the Nintendo Game Boy was created and was a huge triumph for Nintendo, selling over 100 million devices. Nintendo was able to maximize its profits, selling the games separately from the game boy. 4 Nintendo Game Boy (1989)
10. Since the Game Boy was such a hit, it created rivalry. Manufacturers like Atari’s Lynx, Sega’s Game Gear and Sega’s Nomad became rivals to the Game Boy. Competition The 1990’s 9 Vs. 10 8 7
11. Competition Atari’s Lynx This console had good sound with a full color screen Its most distinctive quality was that it had a "FLIP" option But it was much more costly and a lot bigger than Nintendo‘s reasonably priced unit. 3 Atari Lynx (1989)
12. Competition Sega’s Game Gear This also had a colour screen with a large battery pack. It was able to keep its price down to a more affordable cost at $149. 3 Sega Game Gear (1991)
13. Competition Sega’s Nomad It was basically a handheld version of the Genesis console. But again, it could not top the Game Boy as it had short lasting battery life and was quite bulky. 3 Sega Nomad (1995)
14. Other Competitors 3 Tiger Electronics game.com (1997) 3 NEC Turbo Express (1990) 3 Neo-Geo Pocket (1998)
15. Nintendo Upgrades Nintendo improved the Game Boy, creating the Game Boy Color It offered a better color screen, case, and graphics. Also, they added in a bonus, allowing it to be compatible with older games from their previous Game Boy. 5 Nintendo Game Boy Color (1998)
16. Revolution The 2000’s In 2001, Game Boy Advance was created shaking the handheld world. It included a comfortable shape, with better graphics, sound and games. 3 Nintendo Game Boy Advance (2001)
17. Again, in 2003 Nintendo modernized the Game Boy and introduced the Game Boy SP which acts like a flip phone Has a better screen that can light up and has better processing They also made a Game Boy Micro that was basically the same but smaller 5 Nintendo Game Boy Micro (2005) 5 Nintendo Game Boy Advance SP (2003) One Step Further
20. New Generation Nintendo DSi LL/XL (2009) PlayStation Portable (2005) 4 Nintendo DS (2004) Game Park Holdings GP2X (2007) Pandora (2010) Nintendo DS Lite (2005) Nintendo Dsi (2008) Nintendo 3DS (2011)
21. Conclusion The development of handheld video game consoles began slowly but rapidly evolved due to new innovations and demand, becoming an extremely successful industry. The first hand-held gaming device was inadequate, but better than nothing. In order for companies to keep up with the demand, constant upgrading was required in order to stay alive. People were happy with them for a little while, but the gaming community was even more eager for newer and better qualities. From occasionally playing with these consoles, handheld video games has become an addictive hobby.
