TCW Podcast Episode 198 - The History of Handheld Games Part 1

Recorded in front of a live-streaming audience, we delve into the captivating history of handheld games, commencing with an unexpected origin—the pocket-sized calculator. The innovative strides made in pocket calculator technology paved the way for toy companies to venture into the realm of handheld electronic games, resulting in classics such as Mattel Football and Auto Race. As advancements and reduced production costs followed, favorites like Simon and Merlin emerged. However, the early games faced a common challenge—the limitations of display capabilities at an affordable price point. To overcome this hurdle, inventive technologies like nixie tubes, VFD displays, and LEDs were harnessed to deliver engaging gameplay experiences. Notably, the VFD display mini arcades left a lasting mark, offering some of the most captivating recreations of popular arcade titles. This is part 1 of a 3-part series, exploring the evolution of handheld gaming and revealing the creative solutions and technological milestones that have defined this interactive landscape.

How it's Made Vacuum Tubes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n4WVRKkmww

Integrated Circuits Crash Course Computer Science: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-tKOHICqrI

How Pocket Calculators Changed Electronics Forever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goB47Cgqxfs

Nixie Tube Clock: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yS5w98xmwI

Nixie Tube Calculator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k49_PG5CUAk

Eversharp Mechanical Pencil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPoL2Ny4NmA

TCW 025 - Mattel Electronics?: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/mattel-electronics/

TCW 177 - The Intellivision Part 1: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-intellivision-part-1/

TCW 178 - The Intellivision Part 2: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-intellivision-part-2/

Mattel Football: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ5TVoVD5Ss

Mattel Auto Race: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l72CDVzrtiQ

Touch Me Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV8y2oDzIeg

Simon Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MOBW8f0CU0

Merlin Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZWlIm0jy30

Inside Tokyo's tiniest luxury apartment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ7Bu_SDJgM

VFD Displays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkPSDOjhxwM

In a Minute VFD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=tAss5GJRKrg

Slot Cars Racetrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TlExU8j984

Slot Cars Racing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNg2g3oODH8

TonyTronic PacMan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX86fRdilGc

Epoch Invader From Space Handheld: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed4atls32wU

Entex Galaxian 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ov9YiOw-lvA

Entex Pac Man 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqnQzU0erno

TCW 124 - The Visions of Coleco Part 1: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-visions-of-coleco-part-1/

TCW 125 - The Visions of Coleco Part 2: http://podcast.theycreateworlds.com/e/the-visions-of-coleco-part-2/

Coleco Mini Arcade Frogger: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzOtMB-lU9c

8-Bit Guy - Mini Tabletop Arcade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuo0njOI-qE

Entex Adventure Vision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYnCwNKaVAM

Adventure Vision all 4 Games: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUwS1PipKXQ

Browser Gameplay of Adventure Vision: https://archive.org/details/adventurevision_library

New episodes are on the 1st and 15th of every month!

TCW Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @tcwpodcast

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theycreateworlds

Alex's Video Game History Blog: http://videogamehistorian.wordpress.com

Alex's book, published Dec 2019, is available at CRC Press and at major on-line retailers: http://bit.ly/TCWBOOK1

Intro Music: Josh Woodward - Airplane Mode -  Music - "Airplane Mode" by Josh Woodward. Free download: http://joshwoodward.com/song/AirplaneMode 

Outro Music: RolemMusic - Bacterial Love: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Rolemusic/Pop_Singles_Compilation_2014/01_rolemusic_-_bacterial_love 

Copyright: Attribution: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/