Retro Thing

Pocketeers - Handheld Games From The Mechanical Age

The first eight Pocketeers hit the UK in 1975. I was an impressionable 7-year-old when they appeared in local shops and it didn't take long for them to overrun my school, accompanied by their tell-tale rattle.

Predictably, the Pocketeers (sold in the USA as Tomy Pocket Games) were compact enough to slip into a pocket. Most were games of skill that required manipulating tiny ball bearings, but several incorporated thumbwheel-driven magnets hidden under the playfield that controlled little cars or horses.

Over the course of the next few years, British toymaker Palitoy produced a total of 46 Pocketeer titles under license from Tomy. New titles were introduced yearly and it seemed as if the craze would never end. Sadly, as with all toy crazes, things came to a grinding halt in the early eighties when a new breed of microprocessor-controlled handhelds captured the attention of kids worldwide.

My son is now a precocious 7-year-old and his Nintendo DS accompanies him everywhere. He grew up in a world infused with mp3 players, computers, video games and DVDs, yet I think he'd see these clever little mechanical toys as something really special...

The UK Pocketeers List [James Masters]
The US Pocket Games List

Win A Retro iPhone Game

[Update: Commenters Jindo Fox and DavidE each won a free copy of the game. Thanks to all who entered, there are some great post ideas here. More contests to come...]

The Great Leaping Lambrettinis is an iPhone game inspired by Nintendo's classic LCD Game & Watch series, and we have two promo codes to give away.

"The Great Leaping Lambrettinis, a famous italian circus artist family, rehearse their new and daring teeterboard act. However, the coordination among the Lambrettinis has yet to improve. Since they are all involved in the show they for once hire a coach who is not a member of the family but still a world-accepted authority in the realm of the teeterboard: YOU!

Now it's your job to assure that the Labrettinis make it to the next teeterborad and not to the next hospital."

To enter, leave a comment about a vintage device we haven't mentioned on the site (use the search box in the sidebar to check). The contest closes at midnight EDT on Sunday, October 4th, 2009. Two winners will be chosen at random.

The Great Leaping Lambrettinis on iTunes

Virtual Merlin: The Electronic Wizard Reborn

Virtual Merlin is a Windows-based emulation of Parker Brother's Merlin handheld game. It sold an astounding five million units in 1980, which was incredible for a pointy-edged toy that resembled a Cylon telephone handset.

Instead of numbers, Merlin featured a matrix of eleven back-lit touch-sensitive buttons that were used to play six mind-numbing games including tic-tac-toe, blackjack, and music machine. It had a built-in speaker that produced a variety of bleeps and bloops.

An updated version of the unit was introduced by Milton Bradley in the late 1990s, but it utterly failed to impress the Game Boy generation.

The Virtual Merlin software hasn't been updated since the late 20th century, but honestly there isn't much that needed updating anyway. You'll also need the manual [pdf] to figure out what's going on.

Visit The Official Unofficial Virtual Merlin Site [via Paul]

An Easy Way To Try NDS Homebrew Software

I became interested in the DS homebrew scene a few months ago. So, I put together a DS Homebrew Kit that includes over 20 pre-configured homebrew titles on a flash card. The package includes everything you need to run the programs on your NDS, along with a USB card reader to copy new programs from your computer to the card.

Hundreds of games and applications have been written by a loose-knit group of dedicated amateurs, and some of their work is absolutely amazing. However, getting them to run on your DS or DS Lite sometimes requires considerable patience and experimentation. After collecting a couple of dozen programs, I decided it would be fun to share my collection with others...

Check out the DS Homebrew Kit micro site

Chinavasion's Impressive Multi-Platform Retro Handheld

OK, so there's nothing retro about the sterile and unimaginitive styling of this $88 handheld game. But it's what's inside that counts, right? This candy bar sized wolf in sheep's clothing can run NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, Game Boy Advance, Neo-Geo and even some Capcom arcade games, making it appealing to budget-conscious retro gamers.

The little emulator features a 2.8-inch QVGA screen, 4GB internal memory with Mini SD card expansion, earphone jack, mini USB port, NTSC/PAL AV out, FM radio, voice recorder and itty-bitty stereo speakers. A wide range of audio and video formats are supported right out of the box, too.

[Update: It's also available from DealExtreme for $84 with free shipping]

Multi Platform Portable Gaming Entertainment Station
[via OhGizmo!, UberGizmo and sorta BB Gadgets]

Update: Pandora Open Source Gaming Console

It's been almost a year since we first mentioned the Linux-based Pandora handheld gaming platform. Back then, I predicted a Summer 2008 release - overly optimistic, as it turns out.

The unit still isn't in production, although the team is making steady progress. The prototype case was assembled in early March 2009, so the only remaining pre-production hardware tasks are the creation of the keymat and ordering a production mold for the case. If everything goes smoothly, I'm guesstimating photos of a production prototype will be plastered breathlessly on top gadget blogs in early June.

However, the OpenPandora crew made a serious blunder by opening up pre-orders last fall with impossibly optimistic delivery dates. The mistake can be chalked up to inexperience and underfunding - they need money from pre-orders to fund the initial production run. However, the appropriate time to solicit funds is once completed production prototypes are sitting on the workbench and the team is confident that delivery schedules can be met. The result was an embarrassing clusterf**k; thousands of credit card reversals and numerous bank meetings.

I still believe this could be the machine that puts open source portable gaming on the map. Gamers will no longer be at the whim of Nintendo or Sony, and there's a very real chance that skilled independent developers will be able to eke out a lucrative market selling original titles for the machine. It includes dual SD card slots and a TV output, so it's possible for Pandora to act as a media hub, too. In the meantime, it promises to be a fantastic emulation platform that supports classic PlayStation, Amiga, Super NES, Atari Jaguar and Sega Mega Drive software.

However - no matter how enthusiastic I am - I won't lay down my hard-earned money until the machine has been on the market for several months and proven itself. Caveat Emptor.

Pandora Open Source Gaming Platform

Captivated By A Dual Screen Mario Phone

I apologize in advance for subjecting you to this peculiar example of Chinese gadget excess. On the outside, it's a chubby dual screen GSM camera phone with a less-than ergonomic QWERTY keyboard.  I'd usually never dream of covering it. However, the pesky thing earned my undivided attention by inexplicably incorporating an NES game emulator under the hood.

There. I've admitted it. I'm drawn to Nintendo emulators like a teenage boy to porn bear to honey.

Rationally, I know the vast majority of NES games are virtually unplayable. Even the best ones rarely hold my attention for longer than ten minutes. But I can't stop lusting after each and every ridiculous gadget that plays Tetris or Super Maro Bros. In fact, I not-so-secretly hope someone in a dank Guangdong sweatshop is feverishly putting the finishing touches on a crosscut paper shredder with 3.5" touchscreen and 99 built-in NES games, because I am so there.

Link: ZTC 8898 2.5-inch + 2.8-inch Dual LCD PDA QWERTY Cell Phone

FC Mobile Plays Classic NES Carts Anywhere

The FC Mobile is a handheld clone of the Nintendo Entertainment System, brought to you by the same gang who created the FC Twin Console (extensively reviewed by Bohus early last year). The FC Mobile runs on three AA batteries and features a 2.4-inch color LCD. It includes AV cables to plug into your TV, although that kinda does away with the main benefit of owning a portable NES.

I suspect (but haven't confirmed) that it use a similar chip to its predecessors, which should offer reasonable but not identical game play. Bohus reported that FC Twin colors were slightly different than the originals and that the sound wasn't 100% perfect, although the game play seemed bang-on in the titles he tried.

Technabob reports that these have been popping up on eBay for around $40 or $50, and they definitely look awesomely old school with the massive NES cart sticking out of the back. I wish the styling was a little more angular (and the controller layout a bit more faithful to the original), but this still looks fun. However, the main problem is that most people don't have a stack of NES titles lying around, but garage sale season is just around the corner and NES games can often be found at thrift stores for a mere buck or two. I'd pick one up for myself, but the shipping costs to Canada are extortionate.

FC Mobile NES Clone [via Technabob]

Pandora Open Source Game System: Retro Gaming Heaven?

Shanon Shoffstall gave us a shout today about Pandora, an open source gaming platform that promises to be a retrogamer's paradise.  It crams a 4.3-inch 800x480 LCD screen, qwerty keyboard, 128MB RAM and Wi-Fi into a clamshell case only slightly larger than a Nintendo DS.

Pandora is Linux based, so it'll support numerous browsers and developers are expecting it to be an extremely capable platform for running emulators (Super NES, Playstation 1, SEGA Genesis and many others) along with homebrew titles. Best of all, they're predicting a price of £199 / $320 / €212 when it's released later this year.

If the dev team manages to pull it off, this might be the machine that puts open source portable gaming on the map. Gamers will no longer be at the whim of Nintendo or Sony, and there's a very real chance that some skilled independent developers will be able to eke out a lucrative market selling affordable original titles for the machine. It includes dual SD card slots and TV a TV output, so it's possible for Pandora to act as a media hub, too.

Even though the product pics are rendered, the system has moved beyond the vaporware stage thanks to the recent release of the Pandora dev board to select GP32/GP2X/Zodiac developers. The site claims a March or April 2008 release, but I suspect we'll have to wait until late summer at the earliest to see the final system.

What do you guys think? Will you buy one? This thing appeals to me far more than the Asus eee PC because I think it has a good chance of sparking a fervent following much like the C-64, Radio Shack CoCo and Sinclair Spectrum did in the early 80s.

Pandora: The Cortex A8 Powered Handheld Linux Console
The latest specs on atomicthumb's wiki

Korg DS-10 Virtual Analog Synth for Nintendo DS

Synthesizer company Korg and software developer AQ Interactive have announced the Korg DS-10 music production system for the Nintendo DS. The $50 package is scheduled for Japanese release in July 2008 - no word when it will officially make it across the Pacific to Thinglandia.

The DS-10 includes a pair of patchable virtual analog monosynths that are loosely based on the classic Korg MS-10. There's also a 4 part drum machine, a six track 16-step sequencer, audio effects (delay, chorus and flanger) and three note entry modes. Sadly, there's no MIDI I/O so you're restricted to creating music with the DS Stylus. One very cool feature is that multiple units can be wirelessly linked to share sounds and form your very own Nintendo orchestra.

This isn't the first time a full music production environment has been crammed into a handheld - Chocopoolp's Microbe offers similar functionality for Palm OS handhelds. However, the DS-10 marks the first time that a major instrument manufacturer has lent their name to such software. Let's hope its a sign of great things to come. [thanks to James Chung, also spotted on Create Digital Music and Music Thing]

See & hear the Korg DS-10 in action [Youtube]
The official Korg DS-10 page

Yet Another SEGA Handheld

To tell the truth, I'm getting somewhat tired of the deluge of vintage SEGA titles built into cheap "X-in-1" game units. Until now, my favorite has been the little Coleco SEGA Classics unit that includes a somewhat random assortment of Master System and Game Gear titles.

The brand new AtGames SEGA Mega Drive handheld ($40) could turn out to be the best of the bunch. It features twenty 16-bit SEGA Genesis games in a case that looks like a reworked version of the original Coleco model.

The unit includes:

• Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
• Alien Storm
• Altered Beast
• Arrow Flash
• Columns III
• Crack Down
• Decap Attack
• Dr. Robotnik´s Mean Bean Machine
• Ecco
• Ecco Jr.
• E-SWAT: Cyber Police City Under Siege
• Flick
• Gain Ground
• Golden Axe
• Jewel Master
• Kid Chameleon
• Ristar
• Sonic and Knuckles
• Shadow Dancer – The Secret of Shinobi
• The Revenge of Shinobi

Like the Coleco unit, The new AtGames design features an A/V output that switches off the screen and allows you to play on a real TV. The mini console is powered by 3 x AAA batteries and features a crisp backlit LCD display and a headphone jack. Battery life should be respectable.

About the only issue is the audio quality: a number of users have commented that the sound is OK, but not identical to the original 16-bit Genesis console. I'll be watching for these to go on sale, because I'd love a portable Genesis. [thanks for the tip, Raleigh!]

Sega Mega Drive Portable [play-asia.com]

related
SEGA Classics handheld review

Vintage Handheld Game Guts

Halloween seems like the perfect time to feature gory snapshots of eviscerated electronic games. In an attempt to ward off the ghoulish ghosts of needlessly slaughtered electronics, we present Handheld Museum's Game Guts! page. This blasphemous collection features the mysterious innards of dozens of classic handheld and tabletop games including Coleco Alien Attack, Bandai Galaxian, Mattel Classic Football, a  Nintendo tabletop and even a dismembered GCE Game Time Watch.

I was the type of kid who disassembled all of his toys. It was often enlightening when pulling apart an electromechanical game like Tomy's Blip or Atomic Pinball, but electronic devices were completely baffling because they contained a seemingly random assortment of integrated circuits. The idea of popping open an irreplaceable mint condition Nintendo Game & Watch seems too ghoulish to contemplate these days, so it's a good thing that the kind spooks at Handheld Museum have taken the time to document their autopsies for our viewing pleasure.

The Handheld Museum Game Guts! page

Improved Gamepark GP2X Portable Console: Still plays thousands of vintage games

Handheld gaming is where it's at. The Nintendo DS outsells all other gaming consoles, and it's easy to see why: excellent games, a reasonable price and extreme portability.

But not everyone wants the newest commercial games - some just want a top-notch portable platform that can emulate classic consoles and play modern hombrews. The Gamepark GP2X is your answer.

We've mentioned this little Linux-based handheld in the past, and Gamepark just announced an eagerly awaited update. The new GP2X F-200 sports a brand new touchscreen interface and a much improved 8-way digital control pad to replace the annoying little control knob on the previous model. Apart from that, the big difference is the bright white case. Like its older siblings, it runs a portable version of the MAME arcade emulator that gives you access to thousands of vintage games. It'll also play a multitude of video formats.

It's scheduled to arrive in October, no word yet on price.

GP2X F-200 Game System by Gamepark Holding [via Gizmodo]

Waco Electro Tic-Tac-Toe - First Electronic Game Ever?

Check out this little bit of gaming history.  I was reading a website about handheld electronic games, and it mentioned that 1972's Electro Tic-Tac-Toe by Waco may be the first electronic game ever.  I found the same sort of info on other sites as well.  Realizing that I have the actual game, I unearthed the old thing and started to play around with it.

You need two players (forcing you to find a second player is a lot cheaper than Waco trying to develop complex A.I.).  Using your fingers (does that count as "digital"?) you take turns sliding one of the nine little buttons on the game board.  The tile lights up either red or green, and you play tic-tac-toe like normal.

The box promises "cordless electric" - sure, it's battery powered. "Luminous markers with a slight touch & pushing"... uh, okay.  "Use your tactical skill with enjoyment".  Hmm, maybe we're not going to get many answers from the carton.

Getting back to this game's place in the record books,  I don't think that you can really call this game "electronic". To me an electronic game has to have calculations or logic going on inside its little brain.  Beeps are also nice.

Electro Tic-Tac-Toe operates entirely mechanically.  Sliding the little tiles turns on a series of lamps (not LED's, mind you), and flips a filter either to red or green.  That's it.  No electronic scoring, no computer opponent, not even a beep.  Waco brings us a clever little box of lights.  Definitely cool, but I think that we need to look elsewhere to find the first electronic game ever.

Blip: The Digital Game

It's hard to believe that a game like Tomy Blip could captivate a generation, but it was high on many Christmas lists in 1977. The game was a simple electromechanical version of Atari Pong: an LED bounced back and forth across the court, powered by a windup timer. The only reason the unit required 2 x AA batteries was to light the little LED ball on the play field. And -- although I never realized it as a kid -- there is something incredibly ironic about a unit marketed as "The Digital Game" which makes a mechanical "bZzzz... Bzzz... bzzz..." noise as you play.

Tomy sold millions of these little portables, no doubt riding on the success of Atari's much more expensive electronic TV games. I remember gazing at one for hours in the back pages of the Sears Christmas Wishbook, imagining it as far more pong-like than it really was. Perhaps the real secret of Blip's success was hidden in the tag line on the box: "Take it anywhere. No TV set is needed." Parents probably envisioned a portable game as a great way to keep kids from taking over the living room TV set so they wouldn't miss James Garner receiving his weekly pistol whippings on The Rockford Files.

[Update: Here's a link to a vintage Blip TV commercial on YouTube, via technabob in the comments. Thanks!]

Tomy Blip [handheldmuseum.com]