Game.com
From Sega Retro
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| Game.com | |||||||||||||
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| Manufacturer: Tiger Electronics | |||||||||||||
| Variants: Game.com Pocket Pro | |||||||||||||
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The Game.com (pronounced "game com") was a short-lived cartridge-based handheld video game system by Tiger Electronics originally released in late 1997. Though not the first to be developed by the company (this title goes to the Tiger R-Zone), the Game.com is perhaps its most memorable foray into the market.
Contents
Overview
Despite an aggressive marketing strategy the handheld system was largely ignored by the gaming press at the time, and under-performed significantly, leading to it being pulled in the space of two years. It is a heavily criticised console, which despite being released eight years after its main rival, Nintendo's Game Boy, offers few advantages and in many areas performs worse.
Critics have highlighted the Game.com's poor screen, audio capabilities and software library, consisting of poorly programmed games, many of which fail to maintain a constant framerate. The Game.com was largely exclusive to the US and UK markets and was the first to offer limited internet capabilities, offering text-only web browsing and reading/sending email, however the system required an internet cartridge and external modem in order to do so, both of which were sold separately. It also contains two cartridge slots and a resistive touch screen, plus various pieces of built-in software such as calendars and calculators.
A cost-reduced variant, named the Game.com Pocket Pro, was released exclusively in North America in June 1999, and came in multiple colours: green, orange, pink, purple, and teal.[5] This variant was reduced in size akin to the Game Boy Pocket, along with the removal of the second cartridge slot and only requiring two AA batteries instead of four. The screen was also made smaller in size, and features a toggleable backlight. Most of the Game.com's built-in software is included, though internet capabilities have been removed.
Sega support
Despite its limited success, many big publishers backed the console during its early years, including Sega. Only two Sega games were released for the handheld, both of which were watered-down "ports" of Sega Saturn games - Sonic Jam and Fighters Megamix. Sonic Jam stands as the first Sonic the Hedgehog game to be released on a non-Sega console.
List of Sega games for the Game.com
- Fighters Megamix (?)
- Sonic Jam (?)
Other Game.com games also released for Sega systems
References
- ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/image/158678321/?clipping_id=11699807&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjE1ODY3ODMyMSwiaWF0IjoxNjg4OTg5MzQxLCJleHAiOjE2ODkwNzU3NDF9.XieAdu84DlKt83aK4L7QbrPb6q9r1n3U_GJIVVSqglc (Wayback Machine: 2023-07-10 11:43)
- ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/image/187122133/?clipping_id=11700580&fcfToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJmcmVlLXZpZXctaWQiOjE4NzEyMjEzMywiaWF0IjoxNjg4OTg5NDQ5LCJleHAiOjE2ODkwNzU4NDl9.lcjURPgeB7o1b5RiqB_HVeoqrLdBBOUwAClgAl-0thI (Wayback Machine: 2023-07-10 11:44)
- ↑ File:Gamecom US Catalogue.pdf, page 2
- ↑ Saturn Power, "December 1997" (UK; 1997-10-14), page 10
- ↑ GamePro, "July 1999" (US; 1999-xx-xx), page 44
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