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Portable Gaming History: Now & Then

Portable gaming systems are a relatively new design.  Believe it or not, back in the old says people actually took books and notepads with them in case of boredom.  However, portable gaming devices actually go back to the 70's and 80's.

The Pioneers In Portable Gaming

Coleco and Milton-Bradley were the first companies to introduce the concept of a portable gaming device, although these machines only played one game.  The first true portable gaming consoles were developed by Milton-Bradley in 1979 and were called Microvision systems.  A Japanese company introduced a system called the Game Pocket portable gaming computer in 1984.  Neither product lasted long, and it wasn't until the early 90's when Atari and Nintendo would try to revitalize the market.

The Atari Lynx And Nintendo Game Boy

The Atari Lynx was a groundbreaking invention first being released in 1989 and was the first portable color game system ever made.  In comparison to Nintendo's Game Boy, a monochromatic and low powered device, the Lynx was considered far superior.  Unfortunately, the Lynx and Atari's subsequent Lynx II, was a commercial failure because of a lack of game developer associations, short battery life, and an aggressive marketing campaign by Nintendo.  The Game Boy, with few advantages except better battery life and lesser price, became a major hit and sold a record 220 million units.

Other Portable Systems

Other systems such as the Sega Game Gear, NEC Turbo Express, and Neo Geo Pocket (released only in Japan and Hong Kong) faced similar problems and fates as the Atari Lynx.  Nintendo Game Boy continued to dominate the market, eventually releasing a slightly improved Game Boy Color in 1998.

Game Boy Advance

Nintendo's Game Boy Advance was developed in 2001 and was considered a major improvement over the Game Boy Color system and original Game Boy design.  The design was improved upon in 2003 with the Game Boy Advance SP along with a more connective Game Boy Micro in 2005.

New Products For A New Age

Nintendo's latest project is the Nintendo DS, a drastically improved portable system with more powerful graphics and wireless VoIP technology.  It will be competing with Sony and the PSP (Playstation Portable) a system not only as graphically powerful, but also more of a portable gaming laptop than just a game console.

Portable gaming computers of the present day are a vast improvement over designs of the 80's and 90's, with more powerful hardware, connectivity features and improved battery economy.  Portable game consoles have indeed come a long way!