Handheld game console: Difference between revisions

The origins of handheld game consoles are found in handheld and tabletop electronic game devices of the 1970s and early 1980s. These electronic devices are capable of playing only a single game,<ref name="nintendo popular"/> they fit in the palm of the hand or on a tabletop, and they may make use of a variety of video displays such as [[Light-emitting diode|LED]], [[Vacuum fluorescent display|VFD]], or [[Liquid crystal display|LCD]].<ref name="electronic handheld definition">{{cite book| last = Demaria| first = Rusel|author2=Johnny L. Wilson| title = High Score! The Illustrated History of Video games| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=HJNvZLvpCEQC&q=High+Score!+The+Illustrated+History+of+Video+games| publisher = [[McGraw-Hill]]| year = 2002| page = 30| isbn = 978-0-07-222428-3}}</ref> In 1978, handheld electronic games were described by ''[[Popular Electronics]]'' magazine as "nonvideo electronic games" and "non-TV games" as distinct from devices that required use of a television screen.<ref name="nonvideogame">{{Cite journal| last = Jensen| first = Kris| title = New 1978 Electronic Games| journal = [[Popular Electronics]]|date=January 1978| pages = 33–43| url = http://www.handheldmuseum.com/BooksMagazines/Mag-PE_0178/PE0178_2.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110628172513/http://www.handheldmuseum.com/BooksMagazines/Mag-PE_0178/PE0178_2.htm| archive-date=June 28, 2011| access-date = July 17, 2016}}</ref> Handheld electronic games, in turn, find their origins in the synthesis{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} of previous handheld and tabletop [[Electromechanics|electro-mechanical]] devices such as [[Waco (toymaker)|Waco]]'s ''Electronic Tic-Tac-Toe'' (1972)<ref name="electronic handheld definition"/> Cragstan's ''Periscope-Firing Range'' (1951),<ref name="handheldmuseum">{{cite web| last = Morgan| first = Rik| title = Cragstan Periscope-Firing Range| publisher = Handheld Museum| date = August 5, 2008| url = http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Misc/CragstanPeriscope.htm| access-date = December 27, 2008}}</ref> and the emerging [[Optoelectronics|optoelectronic]]-display-driven calculator market of the early 1970s.<ref name="LED Calculators">{{Cite magazine| title = Optoelectronics Arrives| magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]]| volume = 99| issue = 14| date = April 3, 1972| url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,903443,00.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101022172145/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,903443,00.html| url-status = dead| archive-date = October 22, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Cohen Interview">{{cite web| last = Morgan| first = Rik| title = Interview with Howard Cohen.| publisher = Handheld Museum| date = August 5, 2008| url = http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Mattel/Trivia.htm| access-date = October 1, 2009}}</ref> This synthesis happened in 1976, when "Mattel began work on a line of calculator-sized sports games that became the world's first handheld electronic games. The project began when Michael Katz, Mattel's new product category marketing director, told the engineers in the electronics group to design a game the size of a calculator, using LED (light-emitting diode) technology."<ref name="ultimate history">{{cite book| last = Kent| first = Steven| title = The Ultimate History of Video Games| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=C2MH05ogU9oC&q=%22The+Ultimate+History+of+Video+Games%22| publisher = Prima Publishing| year = 2001| page = 200| isbn = 978-0-7615-3643-7}}</ref>

::our big success was something that I conceptualized—the first handheld game. I asked the design group to see if they could come up with a game that was electronic that was the same size as a calculator.

The result was the 1976 release of ''Auto Race''.<ref name="1up">{{cite web| last = Parish| first = Jeremy| title = PSPredecessors| publisher = 1up| date = March 28, 2005| url = http://www.1up.com/features/pspredecessors| access-date = January 10, 2008| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160721193503/http://www.1up.com/features/pspredecessors| archive-date = July 21, 2016| df = mdy-all}}</ref> Followed by ''Football'' later in 1977,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.handheldmuseum.com/Mattel/FB.htm|title=Mattel's Football (I) (1977, LED, 9 Volt, Model# 2024)|work=handheldmuseum.com|access-date=July 16, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.retroland.com/mattel-electronics-football/|title=Mattel Electronics Football|work=Retroland|access-date=July 16, 2016|archive-date=July 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710014145/http://www.retroland.com/mattel-electronics-football/|url-status=dead}}</ref> the two games were so successful that according to Katz, "these simple electronic handheld games turned into a '$400 million category.'"<ref name="electronic handheld definition"/> Mattel would later win the honor of being recognized by the industry for innovation in handheld game device displays.<ref name="Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards">{{cite web| title = Winners of 59th Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards Announced by National Television Academy at Consumer Electronics Show| work = National Television Academy of Television Arts and Sciences| date = January 8, 2008| url = http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/_pdf/tech_2k7_winners.pdf| access-date = July 16, 2016| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160721193614/http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/_pdf/tech_2k7_winners.pdf| archive-date = July 21, 2016| df = mdy-all}}</ref> Soon, other manufacturers including [[Coleco]], [[Parker Brothers]], [[Milton Bradley Company|Milton Bradley]], [[Entex Industries|Entex]], and [[Bandai]]<ref name="competitors"/> began following up with their own tabletop and handheld electronic games.

In 1987, [[Epyx]] created the Handy Game; a device that would become the Atari Lynx in 1989. It is the first color handheld console ever made, as well as the first with a [[backlight|backlit]] screen. It also features networking support with up to 17 other players, and advanced hardware that allows the zooming and scaling of sprites. The Lynx can also be turned upside down to accommodate [[Left-handedness|left-handed]] players. However, all these features came at a very high price point, which drove consumers to seek cheaper alternatives. The Lynx is also very unwieldy, consumes batteries very quickly, and lacked the third-party support enjoyed by its competitors. Due to its high price, short battery life, production shortages, a dearth of compelling games, and Nintendo's aggressive marketing campaign, and despite a redesign in 1991, the Lynx became a [[List of commercial failures in video gaming|commercial failure]]. Despite this, companies like Telegames helped to keep the system alive long past its commercial relevance, and when new owner Hasbro released the rights to develop for the public domain, independent developers like Songbird have managed to release new commercial games for the system every year until 2004's ''Winter Games''.{{clear}}

==== Sega Game Gear ====

[[File:Game-Gear-Handheld.jpg|thumb|Sega Game Gear]]

The Game.com (pronounced in TV commercials as "game com", not "game dot com", and not capitalized in marketing material) is a handheld game console released by [[Tiger Electronics]] in September 1997. It featured many new ideas for handheld consoles and was aimed at an older target audience, sporting PDA-style features and functions such as a touch screen and stylus. However, Tiger hoped it would also challenge Nintendo's Game Boy and gain a following among younger gamers too. Unlike other handheld game consoles, the first game.com consoles included two slots for game cartridges, which would not happen again until the Tapwave Zodiac, the DS and DS Lite, and could be connected to a 14.4  kbit/s modem. Later models had only a single cartridge slot.{{clear}}

The GameKing is a handheld game console released by the Chinese company TimeTop in 2004. The first model while original in design owes a large debt to Nintendo's Game Boy Advance. The second model, the GameKing 2, is believed to be inspired by Sony's PSP.<ref>[https://gizmodo.com/101781/gameking-2-portable-game-machine Gameking 2 Portable Game Machine]. Gizmodo.com (April 30, 2005). Retrieved on 2013-08-23.</ref> This model also was upgraded with a backlit screen, with a distracting background transparency (which can be removed by opening up the console). A color model, the GameKing 3 apparently exists, but was only made for a brief time and was difficult to purchase outside of Asia. Whether intentionally or not, the GameKing has the most primitive graphics of any handheld released since the Game Boy of 1989. {{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

A new version called the "F200" was released October 30, 2007, and features a touchscreen, among other changes. Followed by [[GP2X Wiz]] (2009) and [[GP2X Caanoo]] (2010).{{clear}}

The Steam Deck is a handheld computer device, developed by [[Valve Corporation|Valve]], which runs [[SteamOS|SteamOS 3.0]], a tailored [[linux distro|distro]] of [[Arch Linux]] and includes support for [[Proton (software)|Proton]], a compatibility layer that allows most [[Microsoft Windows]] games to be played on the Linux-based operating system. In terms of hardware, the Deck includes a custom [[AMD APU]] based on their [[Zen 2]] and [[RDNA 2]] architectures, with the CPU running a four-core/eight-thread unit and the GPU running on eight [[compute unit]]s with a total estimated performance of 1.6 TFLOPS.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.steamdeck.com/en/tech|title=Steam Deck :: Tech Specs|website=Steam Deck}}</ref> Both the CPU and GPU use variable timing frequencies, with the CPU running between 2.4 and 3.5&nbsp;GHz and the GPU between 1.0 and 1.6&nbsp;GHz based on current processor needs.<ref name="ign announce">{{cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-deck-hands-on-impressions-details-valve-handheld-gaming-pc | title = Steam Deck: The First Hands-On With Valve's Handheld Gaming PC | first= Bo | last= Moore | date = July 15, 2021 | accessdate = July 15, 2021 | work = [[IGN]] }}</ref><ref name="eg specs">{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-07-15-valve-announces-steam-deck-a-gbp349-handheld-pc | title = Valve announces Steam Deck, a £349 handheld PC | first= Tom | last= Phillips | date = July 15, 2021 | accessdate = July 15, 2021 | work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref> Valve stated that the CPU has comparable performance to [[Ryzen 3000]] desktop computer processors and the GPU performance to the [[Radeon RX 6000 series]].<ref name="techradar more specs">{{cite web | url = https://www.techradar.com/news/valve-claims-the-steam-deck-can-handle-any-game-you-throw-at-it-including-aaas | title = Valve claims the Steam Deck can handle any game you throw at it, including AAAs | first = Jess | last= Weatherbed | date = July 23, 2021 | accessdate = July 23, 2021 | work = [[TechRadar]] }}</ref> The Deck includes 16 GB of [[LPDDR5]] [[RAM]] in a quad channel configuration.<ref name="eg specs"/><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.techradar.com/news/steam-deck-gets-a-spec-update-and-its-good-news-for-gamers | title = Steam Deck gets a spec update, and it's good news for gamers | first = John | last = Loeffler | date= July 21, 2021 | accessdate = July 22, 2021 | work = [[TechRadar]] }}</ref>

Valve revealed the Steam Deck on July 15, 2021, with pre-orders being made option the next day. The Deck was expected to ship in December 2021 to the US, Canada, the EU and the UK but was delayed to February 2022, with other regions to follow in 2022.<ref name="verge announce">{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2021/7/15/22578783/valve-steam-deck-gaming-handheld-pc | title = Valve's gaming handheld is called the Steam Deck and it's shipping in December | first= Jay | last = Peters | date = July 15, 2021 | accessdate = July 15, 2021 | work = [[The Verge]] }}</ref> Pre-orders were limited to those with [[Steam (service)|Steam]] accounts opened before June 2021 to prevent resellers from controlling access to the device.<ref name="verge announce"/> Pre-orders reservations on July 16, 2021, through the Steam storefront briefly crashed the servers due to the demand. While initial shipments are still planned by February 2022, Valve has reported to new purchasers that wider availability will be later, with the 64&nbsp;GB model and 256 GB NVMe model due in Q2 2022, and the 512 GB NVMe model by Q3 2022.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-07-17-steam-deck-expected-order-availability-now-q1-2022-64gb-or-q2-2022-256gb-512gb | title = Steam Deck expected order availability now Q1 2022 (64GB) and Q2 2022 (256GB/512GB) | first = Wesley | last =Yin-Poole | date = July 17, 2021 | accessdate = July 17, 2021 |work = [[Eurogamer]] }}</ref> Steam Deck was released on February 25, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Larabel|first=Michael|date=2022-02-25|title=For Linux Enthusiasts Especially, The Steam Deck Is An Incredible & Fun Device|url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=steam-deck-steamos-linux|access-date=2022-02-27|website=[[Phoronix]]|language=en}}</ref>

* [[LinuxVideo gaminggames and Linux]]