Step back to the glorious era of red LED blips and vacuum fluorescent displays before a certain gray brick took over the world.
Before the iconic gray Nintendo Game Boy arrived in 1989 and changed pocket gaming forever, kids in the late 1970s and early 1980s were happily straining their eyes over glowing red dots and binocular visors. Here's a look back at ten incredible handheld and tabletop electronic games that paved the digital way.
Mattel Electronics made history in 1976 with Auto Race, widely recognized as the first all electronic handheld game. Players steered a bright LED blip across a three lane field using simple switches. Programmed on a modified calculator chip, it kickstarted an entire industry of handheld gaming.
Sources: Wikipedia · Photo: Flickr: Joe Haupt from St. Paul, Minnesota / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Mattel Electronics followed up its racing success in 1977 with a legendary gridiron simulator. Gamers dodged slower glowing dots on a tiny red screen while hunting for a touchdown. It became a playground phenomenon that sold millions of units across the globe.
Sources: Wikipedia
Coleco entered the pocket sports arena in 1978 to challenge Mattel directly. Their device gave players actual blocking options and a forward passing mechanism. It sparked a fierce handheld rivalry during the golden age of LED gaming.
Sources: Wikipedia · Photo: Keith Pomakis / CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
Conceived by video game pioneer Ralph Baer and launched at Studio 54 in 1978, Simon tested memory with flashing colors and musical tones. The iconic flying saucer shape from Milton Bradley became an instant pop culture icon. Players competed to match increasingly complex patterns of light and sound.
Sources: Wikipedia · Photo: Shritwod / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Designed by former NASA personnel for Parker Brothers, this red device made its debut in 1978. It featured eleven backlit buttons and could run six different games, including Tic Tac Toe and Blackjack. Its built in musical mode even allowed players to record simple synth tunes.
Sources: Wikipedia · Photo: Junkyardsparkle / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Released in 1979 by Milton Bradley, the Microvision holds the title of the first handheld system to use interchangeable cartridges. Designed by Jay Smith, it featured a tiny sixteen by sixteen liquid crystal display. While limited by hardware constraints, it proved handheld consoles could be reprogrammable.
Sources: Wikipedia · Photo: Evan-Amos / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Nintendo Gunpei Yokoi got the idea for this line in 1980 after watching a bored commuter play with a pocket calculator. The wide series of LCD games featured built in clocks and directional controls. It laid the direct foundation for Nintendo future handheld dominance.
Sources: Wikipedia
Coleco revolutionized portable sports in 1979 by designing handheld units built specifically for two players sitting opposite each other. Covering football, baseball, basketball, and hockey, these dual control devices brought head to head competition right to the kitchen table.
Sources: Wikipedia
Entex Industries launched this ambitious tabletop handheld in 1981 featuring a bright vacuum fluorescent display. It used cartridge style games like Pac Man 2 and Space Invader 2 alongside graphical overlays. The system offered rare two player options before being discontinued in 1982.
Sources: Wikipedia · Photo: Jarkof01 / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Tomy thrilled gamers in 1983 with a binocular styled handheld that delivered stereoscopic 3D visuals. The device relied on ambient light passing through a top window to illuminate twin LCD panels inside. Long before modern virtual reality headsets became mainstream, this portable visor brought 3D gaming home.
Sources: Wikipedia · Photo: Joe Haupt from USA / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
These early electronic wonders proved that massive fun could come in tiny battery powered packages. Until next time, keep those AA batteries fresh and keep on gaming.
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