Handhelds

Handheld · 1976

Little Professor

The "Little Professor" is a series of electronic toys by Texas Instruments (TI), which addresses children between the ages of 5 and 9 to learn arithmetic. In …

Model illustration · Image: Joe Haupt from USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 1978

Atari Touch Me

Atari’s arcade game Touch Me appeared in 1974. Players press four buttons in a specified sequence, which grows by one button after each successful round. Three …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1978

Electronic Touchdown

Electronic Touchdown by Sears Electronic Games is a licensed version of Colecos Electronic Quarterback. The handheld simulates an American football game …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1978

Master Merlin

Master Merlin is one of the first handheld computer games. The game is very successful at the time and sells over five million copies in the USA alone.

Model illustration · Image: Joe Haupt from USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 1978

Mattel Basketball

The display of the Mattel Basketball Handheld shows a basketball field and small LED lights that represent the players on the field. You must get past the …

Model illustration · Image: Joe Haupt from USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 1979

MB MicroVision

The first handheld with replaceable modules is Milton Bradley's MicroVision. Milton Bradley (abbreviated MB) is very successful at the beginning with the …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1980

Missile Vader

Missile Vader is one of many LCD games released by Bandai Electronics. Missile Vader (also known as "Missile Invader" or "Space Play" in Germany) is a game …

Handheld · 1980

Nintendo Game & Watch

Nintendo produced the Game & Watch series for more than 10 years, which is considered to be the predecessor of the freely programmable Game Boy. The games …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1981

Entex Select-a-game

Entex Industries released Select-a-game in 1981. It is a relatively large handheld console powered by four C batteries. Its games resemble those of Milton …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1982

Casio LCD games

Since LCD games enjoy great popularity in the 80s, the Japanese company Casio brings about 160 different play equipment of this kind to the market. Some of …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1984

Game Pocket Computer

Epoch's Game Pocket Computer is far ahead of its time: With an LCD screen with no color representation and a resolution of 75 x 64 pixels, as well as the use …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1989

Game Boy Classic

The Nintendo Game Boy launched the successful Game Boy range in 1989. Today it is also called Game Boy Classic (model DMG-01) to distinguish it from later …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1990

Atari Lynx

The development of the Lynx begins under the project name Handy by the company Epyx, but the product fails due to the development costs. Atari takes over the …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1990

Bit Corporation Gamate

The Gamate is a handheld console of the Taiwanese company Bit Corporation, which aims to create an alternative to the Game Boy of Nintendo in 1990. It is the …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1990

Hartung Game Master

The Game Master (also licensed as Systema 2000, Super Game, Game Plus and Game Tronic) entered the handheld market in 1990 against the already established and …

Model illustration · Image: Achitchcock · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 1990

PC Engine GT

The PC Engine GT is a portable version of the PC Engine, a stationary video game console from NEC and Hudson Soft. In its Japanese home, the PC Engine GT …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1991

Atari Lynx II

In 1991, Atari released the Lynx II, a revised Atari Lynx with several useful improvements.

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1991

Epoch Barcode Battler

Perhaps the most unusual handheld ever is the Commerce Conflict: Barcode Battler by Epoch. This very successful device in Japan can read barcodes of everyday …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1991

Sega Game Gear

The Game Gear is a portable game console from Sega and was positioned directly against the Nintendo Game Boy (Classic). However, he could hardly gain market …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1992

Konami Four For Four

In the 1980s and 1990s, the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" comic series was very successful. Soon after, the first video games about the Turtles will appear …

Handheld · 1992

Watara SuperVision

The SuperVision is a handheld console by Watara, which was launched as a cheap alternative to the Nintendo Game Boy. It appeared in 1992, three years after the …

Model illustration · Image: Alexis Jazz · WTFPL · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 1995

Sega Genesis Nomad

The Sega Nomad is the portable version of Mega Drive/Sega Genesis. The Nomad appears officially only in the USA and was not distributed to other countries, as …

Model illustration · Image: Evan-Amos · Public domain · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 1995

Tiger R-Zone

Tiger Electronics is an American manufacturer that has been in the electronic games business since 1978. Often it was simple LCD games, but Tiger Electronics …

Model illustration · Image: Museo8bits · CC BY-SA 2.5 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · Miguel Durán · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 1996

Nintendo Game Boy Pocket

After Nintendo launched the Game Boy in 1989, the Game Boy Pocket (GBP) was the first update of the successful Handheld console and Game Boy series in 1996. It …

Model illustration · Image: fezz · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 1997

Game.com

At its 1997 launch, Game.com was the most technically advanced handheld console. It offered Internet access through a modem, a touchscreen and familiar …

Model illustration · Image: Evan-Amos · Public domain · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 1998

Nintendo Game Boy Color

The Nintendo Game Boy Color (GBC) joined the Game Boy handheld range in 1998. It was Nintendo’s first console with a colour screen. Players had waited almost …

Model illustration · Image: JCD1981NL · Public domain · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 1998

Nintendo Game Boy Light

The Game Boy Light adds a backlight to the Game Boy Pocket. In addition, the housing has become a bit larger. From the color design there is the light in …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 1999

Bandai WonderSwan

The WonderSwan is a handheld games console with a greyscale LCD screen from Japanese manufacturer Bandai. It was developed with Koto Laboratory in Kyoto …

Model illustration · Image: Malcolm Tyrrell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 1999

Neo Geo Pocket Color

The Neo Geo Pocket Color is the successor of the monochrome handheld Neo Geo Pocket console. The portable system can display up to 146 of 4096 colours at the …

Model illustration · Image: Evan-Amos · CC0 1.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 2001

GP32 FLU (GP32-001)

The GP32 is a game console developed by Game Park. The South Korean company installs an ARM chip and uses various displays for the handheld console. The …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 2001

Nintendo Game Boy Advance

In 2001, Nintendo launched the Game Boy Advance (GBA), a successor to Game Boy Color. The hardware is fully backward compatible with an extra CPU, but offers a …

Model illustration · Image: Evan-Amos · Public domain · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 2001

Nintendo Pokémon mini

The Pokémon mini is Nintendo's smallest console with interchangeable cartridges. In the collection it is represented with the game Pokémon Puzzle Collection.

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 2003

Game Boy Advance SP

The Game Boy Advance SP is the "SP" = special version of the Nintendo Game Boy Advance with similar hardware, but about half of the size and modified display …

Model illustration · Image: Evan-Amos · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 2003

Tapwave Zodiac

The Zodiac combines a handheld games console, media player and organiser. US company Tapwave launched it in late 2003. It runs the Palm operating system …

Model illustration · Image: Evan-Amos · CC0 1.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 2003

GameKing

The GameKing I is a handheld console from Hong Kong. Although built in 2003, the machine is based on the 65C02, the successor to the 1975 MOS classic 6502. The …

Model illustration · Image: Sickertus (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · Sickertus at English Wikipedia · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 2004

Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS is a game console with two displays (a useful mnemonic is DS = Dual Screen, although it officially stands for "Developers' System") which …

Model illustration · Image: Kudo-kun · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 2004

Nokia N-Gage/N-Gage QD

For a long time Nokia was the market leader with mobile phones, but customers rarely used the phones to play at the time, but also bought mobile game consoles …

Model illustration · Image: LSDSL · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 2004

Playstation Portable

The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a Sony handheld console. It is the company's first attempt to gain a foothold in mobile game consoles, after Sony has been …

Model illustration · Image: Psp-1000.jpg: Evan-Amos derivative work: Alphathon™ (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld · 2005

GamePark GP2X

The GP2X is a handheld console produced by GamePark Holdings in South Korea. It was launched in 2005 as a successor to the GP32. Unlike its predecessor, the …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 2005

Gizmondo

The Gizmondo is a handheld console of the British company Tiger Telematics. Similar to the Nokia N-Gage and Sony's PlayStation Portable, TT has a very …

Photo: own photograph

Handheld · 2005

Nintendo Game Boy Micro

The Game Boy Micro of the Japanese company Nintendo is essentially a Game Boy Advance in a 10 × 5 × 1.8 cm small case. The case is made of thin metal instead …

Model illustration · Image: Evan-Amos · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld

Ludotronic Football

Photo: own photograph

Handheld

Nintendo Mini Classics

licensed tiny version of the classic Nintendo Game & Watch Series:

Model illustration · Image: Navajo95 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source and original on Wikimedia Commons · WebP, resized where necessary

Handheld

POP Game Space Voyage

In the 1980s, some of the so-called POP Games appear, each of which has a different theme to the basis of the game. One of them is the Space Voyage POP Game …