Abstract
This chapter provides an overview of portable video game consoles from the 1980s to the 2000s, which have not been previously discussed. The first successful handheld video game console was Nintendo's Game Boy, released in 1989, and its longevity was extended by the huge hit of Pokemon in 1996, and it remained the most popular video game console until the Game Boy Advance was released in 2000. In addition, the average age of game players has been aging, making it difficult for them to continue playing in front of the TV, and the rise in performance and development costs for portable game consoles has been slower than for home video game consoles connected to TVs.
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Notes
- 1.
Pokecom (Pocket computers) were portable computers widely used in the 1980s. It was more powerful than a functional calculator, but less than a desktop computer. It had a Qwerty-type keyboard and an LCD screen that could display a few lines of information, and it could run simple programs. The reason why Epoch released the product under the name Pokecom was because the Pokecom was positioned as an introductory device not only for engineers but also for junior and senior high school students.
- 2.
Source: Nintendo Web page Game Boy Specifications Comparison Chart for All Models
- 3.
The price of Game Boy titles varied greatly depending on the capacity of the ROM used, with titles in the later years of the hardware costing between 4 and 5000 yen.
- 4.
Tetris was a title developed by Soviet Union scientist Aleksei Pzhtonov and ported to various hardware in various countries. In Japan, the arcade version of Tetris (1988), created under license by Sega, was a big hit, and a Megadrive version porting it was scheduled for release, but the rights to sell the game on home consoles were licensed to Nintendo, so the Megadrive version was cancelled. In addition to arcades and home consoles, Tetris was also ported to various PCs in Japan.
- 5.
By attaching a non-genuine adapter sold in Akihabara and other places, software for the Mark III/Master System can be run on the Game Gear without modification.
- 6.
The Game Gear lost the competition to the Game Boy overseas as well, but did better than in Japan. The total number of units sold in Japan and abroad exceeded 10 million, and more than 80% of the hardware was sold overseas.
- 7.
- 8.
Nikkei Shimbun Newspaper, December 2, 2000.
- 9.
From the press release for the launch of WonderSwan Color, August 30, 2000.
- 10.
Nikkei Shimbun, “Bandai’s new handheld video game console with TFT LCD,” May 9, 2002.
- 11.
Bandai’s representatives knew before the launch of WonderSwan that Nintendo was planning to release a successor to Game Boy with a color LCD. When Bandai explained this to then Nintendo President Yamauchi prior to the launch of WonderSwan, he urged Bandai to be cautious, saying, “Nintendo will soon release a color version of Game Boy, and black and white won’t sell well. Bandai should avoid using black and white because it won’t sell well” (Nikkei Business Daily, August 20, 2012).
- 12.
The Game Boy Advance SP’s LCD remained reflective rather than backlit. Therefore, it was possible to play with the front light off in bright areas to improve visibility and reduce battery drain.
- 13.
Every year in mid-May, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (commonly known as E3), the largest computer game-related trade show, is held in Los Angeles, and companies often make major announcements in conjunction with this event. SCE’s announcement of its entry into the handheld video game console market was made the day before E3. The following year, SCE and Nintendo announced the PSP and DS, respectively, on the day before E3.
- 14.
Only Japan actually launched the following year, at the end of 2004, and the rest of the world did not launch until 2005.
- 15.
- 16.
The following is a quote from the speech:
So, Nintendo set its basic strategy as the “Expansion of the Gaming Population” in 2003.
We were trying to reach this goal by introducing products that can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of age, gender, or gaming experience. Internally, we had been repeatedly using such keywords as “for 5 to 95 years old” or “Let people to enjoy from the same start line.”
The first tangible game machine we offered was Nintendo DS.
We thought that we would need to renovate the user interface if we wanted everyone to start playing from the same start line, and DS ended up having very unique configuration with dual-screen, touch screen, and microphone command inputs.
- 17.
The two screens were the task that former President Yamauchi, who led Nintendo from a toy manufacturer to a world-class corporation, entrusted to President Iwata, Senior Managing Director Miyamoto, and the rest of the executive committee when he retired. Inoue (2009), p. 223.
- 18.
The touch panel is pressure-sensitive, unlike those used in current smartphones, and only one point can be recognized. Therefore, pinch-in (the action of using two fingers to zoom in on a designated spot) is not possible.
- 19.
DS Wireless Play is played when everyone has the software, while DS Download Play is played by having the other player download the game when the other player does not have the software. Naturally, download play has more restrictions.
- 20.
Goto Hiroshige no Weekly Kaigai News: Kutaragi Ken shinokataru jisedai keitai ge-muki PSP no hontou no nerai. (Hiroshige Goto’s Weekly Overseas News: Ken Kutaragi talks about the real aim of the next generation handheld video game console, the PSP.) http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2003/0829/kaigai014.htm
From today’s perspective, if one were to think of a “device that has become as popular with people as the Walkman was in the twentieth century,” it would undoubtedly be Apple’s iPod/iPhone. However, in 2003, the iPod was still just a music player, and the iPod Touch, which led to the current iPhone, was first released in 2007.
- 21.
Using the firmware update feature, the PS3 connectivity was added in 2006. Also in 2008, it became possible to connect to the PlayStation Store to purchase and play games directly. However, the ability to play illegal software (e.g., emulators of past game hardware) by installing illegally modified firmware also became a problem.
- 22.
The only exception is Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Rhtym Heaven), released in 2008. However, this was a sequel to a title released in 2006 for the Game Boy Advance, and it did not create anything new and interesting.
- 23.
Nikkei Business Online: “Sore ga PSP no shiyou da (That’s the PSP Specification),” SCE President Kutaragi Kicks Off Game Console Trouble.
http://business.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/topics/20060308/100586/?rt=nocnt
- 24.
The low-priced version released in 2006 was also a hit, and continued to sell well after the release of Monster Hunter Portable 2nd in 2007, with final sales topping 1 million copies.
- 25.
Monster Hunter Portable 2nd was a huge hit, selling more than 1 million copies of the low-priced version, and its cumulative sales in Japan exceeded 4 million units. Monster Hunter has become one of the “national game series” along with Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Pokémon.
Reference
(1) Japanese-language Document
Inoue, O. (2009). [Nintendo—Equation for creating “Surprises”] (Nintendo: “Odoroki” wo umu Houteisiki). Nihon Keizai Shimbun Publishing.
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Koyama, Y. (2023). Console Games (4) Market Reversal by Handheld Game Consoles. In: History of the Japanese Video Game Industry. Translational Systems Sciences, vol 35. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-1342-8_13
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