Portable game players have been available in multiple formats since the mid-1970s. They have enabled hardcore and casual video game enthusiasts to capture the experience of visiting an arcade from the palm of their hand. The natural progression of these players has been impacted by the popularity of smartphones, but they would have most likely continued to remain popular even if cell phone technology had not emerged.
The Origins of Portable Game Players
In 1976, Mattel Electronics released a handheld electronic game entitled "Mattel Auto Race." Although modern audiences would probably have a difficult time connecting with this game, it was considered to be revolutionary when it first hit store shelves. In fact, "Mattel Auto Race" was the first completely digital handheld game, and this paved the way for the relatively quick evolution of portable game players.
By the 1980s, LCD screens became popular for handheld electronics, and this provided the industry with additional options. For example, Bandai utilized two stacked LCD screens to create a 3D effect for the 1982 game "Terror House." During this same time period, companies began experimenting with games that were powered by solar energy. However, the vast majority of today's portable games require batteries.
Handheld Video Game Consoles
Although handheld electronic games are still popular, they quickly became less lucrative for their manufacturers after handheld video game consoles were released. The first console was created by Milton Bradley, and it became available in 1979. However, this new technology did not become extremely popular until Nintendo debuted the Game Boy in 1989.
The concept of having a handheld device that was capable of playing multiple different video games was exciting for children and adults, and almost 119 million Game Boy and Game Boy Color units were sold worldwide before the line was discontinued. Although there have been several additional handheld video game consoles introduced into the marketplace, Nintendo continues to dominate sales.
Mobile Gaming
Early cell phones had primitive games such as "Snake" that utilized shaded squares. However, this changed greatly as soon as manufacturers began including cameras as a standard cell phone feature. After all, the usage of a camera required increased graphic capabilities and storage space, and game developers quickly began to take advantage of the ever-expanding format.
By 2003, most cell phones had video games that included color graphics. Puzzle games and virtual pets became extremely popular, and many old-school arcade titles were revived for the mobile format. "Tetris" and "Solitaire" became bestsellers, and they are still two of the top mobile games.
The Impact of the iPhone
The first generation iPhone was introduced to consumers on June 29, 2007. This revolutionary mobile technology continues to improve with each new generation, and it has enabled companies and individuals from all over the world to create video games specifically for the iPhone format. Many of these games are available for free, and this has had a huge impact on the way that even casual gamers interact with them. After all, when your cell phone doubles as a portable game player, it is easy to get sucked into the world of gaming.
The Future of Portable Game Players
Mobile gaming is predicted to become one of the most important platforms for future video game developers. In fact, it is likely that cell phones will eventually have the technology to replace handheld gaming consoles. Either way, this is an exciting time for gamers because they can easily find high quality entertainment choices in a wide range of different portable formats.