Game.com

The Game.comTemplate:Efn is a fifth-generation handheld game console developed and released by Tiger Electronics on September 12, 1997.<ref>Template:Cite web Article date is mislabeled as April 26, 2000; the correct date can be viewed by the article's headline on this page.</ref> Designed as a multimedia device for older audiences, it aimed to combine gaming with early digital functions such as touchscreen input and limited Internet connectivity. The original model features a monochrome touchscreen, dual cartridge slots, and could be connected to a 14.4 kbit/s modem for access to e-mail and basic web functions via a proprietary interface.<ref name=AG>Template:Cite web</ref> Its name is a reference to the .com top-level domain, reflecting its Internet-related features.<ref name=VG/> It was the first game console to include a touchscreen and the first handheld to offer Internet connectivity, positioning it as an early forerunner in multifunctional handheld gaming devices.

Despite its innovations, the system struggled commercially due to a small game library and technical limitations, prompting a redesign. The Game.com Pocket Pro, a smaller version that lacked Internet capabilities, was released in mid-1999. Due to poor sales, the Game.com console line was discontinued in 2000, having sold less than 300,000 units.

History

Tiger Electronics had previously introduced its R-Zone game console in 1995 – as a competitor to Nintendo's Virtual Boy – but the system was a failure. Prior to the R-Zone, Tiger had also manufactured handheld games consisting of LCD screens with imprinted graphics.<ref name=Dunn/><ref name=Rep/>

Original version

File:Tiger-Game-Com-BR.jpg

The back of the original Game.com console

By February 1997, Tiger was planning to release a new game console as a direct competitor to Nintendo's Game Boy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Prior to its release, Tiger Electronics stated that the Game.com would "change the gaming world as we know it," while a spokesperson stated that it would be "one of this summer's hits."<ref name=playthings>Template:Cite news</ref> The Game.com, the only new game console of the year, was on display at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May 1997, with sales expected to begin in July.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Dennis Lynch of the Chicago Tribune considered the Game.com to be the "most interesting hand-held device" on display at E3, describing it as a "sort of Game Boy for adults".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Game.com was released in the United States on September 12, 1997, with a retail price of $69.95,<ref name=LA/><ref name=Plus>Template:Cite news</ref> while an Internet-access cartridge was scheduled for release in October.<ref name=sep25/><ref name=Tanner/> Lights Out was included with the console as a pack-in game and Solitaire was built into the handheld itself.<ref name=AG/><ref name=EGM94>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The console's release marked Tiger's largest product launch ever. Tiger also launched a website for the system at the domain "game.com".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Game.com was marketed with a television commercial in which a spokesperson insults gamers who ask questions about the console, while stating that it "plays more games than you idiots have brain cells";<ref name=Rep/><ref name=mother/> GamesRadar stated that the advertisement "probably didn't help matters much".<ref name=Rep/> By the end of 1997, the console had been released in the United Kingdom, at a retail price of £79.99.<ref name=Sega>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Game.com came in a black-and-white color,<ref name=Roars/> and featured a design similar to Sega's Game Gear console.<ref name=playthings/><ref name=Plus/> The screen is larger than the Game Boy's and has higher resolution.<ref name=Plus/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Game.com included a phone directory, a calculator, and a calendar,<ref name=LA>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=VG/> and had an older target audience with its PDA features. Tiger designed the console's features to be simple and cheap.<ref name=Tanner>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The device was powered by four AA batteries,<ref name=sep25/> and an optional AC adapter was also available.<ref name=VG/> One of the major peripherals that Tiger produced for the system was the compete.com serial cable,<ref name=AG/> allowing players to connect their consoles to play multiplayer games.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The console includes two game cartridge slots.<ref name=AG/> In addition to reducing the need to swap out cartridges, this enabled Game.com games to include online elements, since both a game cartridge and the modem cartridge could be inserted at the same time.<ref name=EGM94/>

The Game.com was the first video game console to feature a touchscreen and also the first handheld video game console to have Internet connectivity.<ref name=PC/> The Game.com's black-and-white<ref name=sep25/> monochrome touchscreen measures approximately one and a half inches by two inches, and is divided into square zones that are imprinted onto the screen itself, to aid players in determining where to apply the stylus.<ref name=VG/> The touchscreen lacks a backlight.<ref name=EGM94/> The Game.com was also the first handheld gaming console to have internal memory, which is used to save information such as high scores and contact information.<ref name=EGM94/>

As 1998 opened, the Game.com was considered the only remaining viable competitor for the Game Boy, and Tiger planned to emphasize the Game.com's internet capabilities in marketing, as well as release new games based on major films and Giga Pets.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Game.com Pocket Pro

Because of poor sales with the original Game.com, Tiger developed an updated version known as the Game.com Pocket Pro.<ref name=Roars/><ref name=FT>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=Journal/> The console was shown at the American International Toy Fair in February 1999,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and was later shown along with several future games at E3 in May 1999.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Game.com Pocket Pro had been released by June 1999,<ref name=Sun>Template:Cite web</ref> with a retail price of $29.99.<ref name=Sun/><ref name=Roars/> The new console was available in five different colors: green, orange, pink, purple, and teal.<ref name=Sun/><ref name=Roars/>

Although it lacked color like its predecessor,<ref name=Roars/><ref name=Journal>Template:Cite news</ref> the Pocket Pro was reduced in size to be equivalent to the Game Boy Pocket.<ref name="Roars">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The screen size was also reduced, and the new console featured only one cartridge slot.<ref name=AG/> Unlike the original Game.com, the Pocket Pro required only two AA batteries.<ref name=Sun/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Game.com Pocket Pro included a phone directory, a calendar and a calculator, but lacked Internet capabilities.<ref name=FT/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Game.com Pocket Pro's primary competitor was the Game Boy Color.<ref name=Rep>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite several games based on popular franchises, the Game.com console line failed to sell in large numbers,<ref name=Rep/><ref name=Sili>Template:Cite news</ref> and was discontinued in 2000 because of poor sales.<ref name=bgr/> The Game.com was a commercial failure,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with less than 300,000 units sold, although the idea of a touchscreen would later be used successfully in the Nintendo DS, released in 2004.<ref name=Wired/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Internet features

File:GameComWebstuff.jpg

Game.com modem

Accessing the Internet required the use of an Internet cartridge and a dial-up modem, neither of which were included with the console.<ref name=Wis/><ref name=Phil/> Email messages could be read and sent on the Game.com using the Internet cartridge,<ref name=Wis/><ref name=Phil/><ref name=Wired>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and the Game.com supported text-only web browsing through Internet service providers. Email messages could not be saved to the Game.com's internal memory.<ref name=EGM94/> In addition to a Game.com-branded 14.4 kbit/s modem, Tiger also offered an Internet service provider through Delphi that was made to work specifically with the Game.com.<ref name=AG/><ref name=Phil/>

Tiger subsequently released the Web Link cartridge, allowing players to connect their system to a desktop computer. Using the Web Link cartridge, players could upload their high scores to the Game.com website for a chance to be listed on a webpage featuring the top high scores.<ref name=AG/> None of the console's games made use of the Internet feature.<ref name=bgr/>

Technical specifications

Dimensions (L x W x D)	Original: Template:Convert / Pocket Pro: Template:Convert
Processor chip	Sharp SM8521 8-Bit CPU; 10 MHz clock speed<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Display resolution	200 x 160,<ref name=EGM94/> Original: 3.5 in. / Pocket Pro: 2.8 in.
Touchscreen	12 x 10 grid-based touchscreen
Color system	Black and White, with 4 gray levels<ref name=EGM94/>
Audio	Monaural. Total of four audio channels: two 4-bit waveform generators (each with its own frequency, volume control and waveform data), one noise generator, and one direct 8-bit PCM output channel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Power source	4 AA batteries<ref name=EGM94/> (Pocket Pro: 2 AA batteries) or AC adapter
Ports	Serial Comm Port for the compete.com cable, internet cable and weblink cable; 3.5 mm Audio Out Jack for headphones; DC9 V in (AC Adapter); 2 cartridge slots (1 on the Pocket Pro)
Buttons	Power (On/Off); Action (A, B, C, D); 3 Function (Menu, Sound, Pause); 1 Eight-way Directional Pad; Volume; Contrast; Reset (On system's underside)

Games

File:GameComLightsOutCart.jpg

The Lights Out cartridge which came bundled with the console

Several games were available for the Game.com at the time of its 1997 launch,<ref name=Tanner/><ref name=sep25>Template:Cite news</ref> in comparison to hundreds of games available for the Game Boy.<ref name=Tanner/> Tiger planned to have a dozen games available by the end of 1997,<ref name=Tanner/><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and hoped to have as many as 50 games available in 1998, with all of them to be produced or adapted internally by Tiger.<ref name=Tanner/> Some third parties expressed interest in developing for the system, but Tiger decided against signing any initially.<ref name=NGen31>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Tiger secured licenses for several popular game series, including Duke Nukem, Resident Evil, and Mortal Kombat Trilogy.<ref name=Rep/><ref name=Sili/><ref name=Sega/> Game prices initially ranged between $19 and $29.<ref name=Phil/> Cartridge size was in the 16 megabit range.<ref name=NGen31/>

At the time of the Pocket Pro's 1999 release, the Game.com library consisted primarily of games intended for an older audience.<ref name=Peace/> Some games that were planned for release in 1999 would be exclusive to Game.com consoles. Game prices at that time ranged from $14 to $30.<ref name=Roars/> Twenty games were ultimately released for the Game.com,<ref name=games>Template:Cite web</ref> most of them developed internally by Tiger,<ref name=Rep/> in addition to the built-in game Solitaire.<ref name="Bad Games">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Collist

Cancelled games

The following is a list of games that were announced in various forms or known to be in development for the console but were never released.<ref name="Bad Games"/> Template:Collist

Reception

At the time of the Game.com's launch in 1997, Chris Johnston of VideoGameSpot believed that the console would have difficulty competing against the Game Boy. Johnston also believed that text-based Internet and email would attract only limited appeal, stating that such features were outdated. Johnston concluded that the Game.com "is a decent system, but Nintendo is just way too powerful in the industry."<ref name=Tanner/> Chip and Jonathan Carter wrote that the console did not play action games as well as it did with other games, although they praised the console's various options and wrote, "Graphically, we'd have to say this has the potential to perform better than Game Boy. As for sound, Game.com delivers better than any other hand-held on the market."<ref name=sep25/> A team of four Electronic Gaming Monthly editors gave the Game.com scores of 5.5, 4.5, 5.0, and 4.0. They were impressed by the PDA features and touchscreen, but commented that the games library had thus far failed to deliver on the Game.com's great potential. They elaborated that while the non-scrolling games, particularly Wheel of Fortune, were great fun and made good use of the touchscreen, the more conventional action games were disappointing and suffered from prominent screen blurring.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Wisconsin State Journal stated that the Game.com offered "some serious" advantages over the Game Boy, including its touchscreen. It was also stated that in comparison to the Game Boy, the Game.com's 8-bit processor provided "marginal improvements" in the quality of speed and graphics. The newspaper noted that the Game.com had a "tiny, somewhat blurry screen."<ref name=Wis>Template:Cite news</ref> The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote a negative review of the Game.com, particularly criticizing Internet connectivity issues. Also criticized was the system's lack of a backlit screen, as the use of exterior lighting could cause difficulty in viewing the screen, which was highly reflective.<ref name="Phil">Template:Cite news</ref>

Steven L. Kent, writing for the Chicago Tribune, wrote that the console had an elegant design, as well as better sound and a higher-definition screen than the Game Boy: "Elegant design, however, has not translated into ideal game play. Though Tiger has produced fighting, racing and shooting games for Game.com, the games have noticeably slow frame rates. The racing game looks like a flickering silent picture show."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Cameron Davis of VideoGames.com wrote, "Sure, this is no Game Boy Color-killer, but the Game.Com was never meant to be. To deride it by comparing it with more powerful and established formats would be a bit unfair". Davis also wrote, "The touch screen is pretty sensitive, but it works well - you won't need more than a few seconds to get used to it." However, he criticized the screen's squared zones: "more often than not it proves distracting when you are playing games that don't require it."<ref name=VG>Template:Cite web</ref>

GamePro criticized the Pocket Pro's lack of screen color and its difficult controls, but considered its two best qualities to be its cheap price and a game library of titles exclusive to the console.<ref name=Roars/> The Philadelphia Inquirer also criticized the Pocket Pro's lack of a color screen, as well as "frustrating" gameplay caused by the "unresponsive" controls, including the stylus. The newspaper stated that, "Even at $29.99, the pocket.pro is no bargain."<ref name=Peace>Template:Cite news</ref>

Legacy

Brett Alan Weiss of the website AllGame wrote, "The Game.com, the little system that (almost) could, constantly amazes me with the strength and scope of its sound effects. [...] It's astounding what power comes out of such a tiny little speaker."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2004, Kent included the modem and "some PDA functionality" as the console's strengths, while listing its "Slow processor" and "lackluster library of games" as weaknesses.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2006, Engadget stated that "You can't fault Tiger Electronics for their ambition," but wrote that the Game.com "didn't do any one thing particularly well", criticizing its text-only Internet access and stating that its "disappointing games were made even worse" by the "outdated" screen.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2009, PC World ranked the Game.com at number nine on its list of the 10 worst video game systems ever released, criticizing its Internet aspect, its game library, its low-resolution touchscreen, and its "Silly name that attempted to capitalize on Internet mania." However, PC World positively noted its "primitive" PDA features and its solitaire game, considered by the magazine to be the system's best game.<ref name=PC>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2011, Mikel Reparaz of GamesRadar ranked the Game.com at number 3 on a list of 7 failed handheld consoles, writing that while the Game.com had several licensed games, it "doesn't actually mean much when they all look like cruddy, poorly animated Game Boy ports." Raparaz also stated that the Game.com "looked dated even by Game Boy standards," noting that the Game Boy Pocket had a sharper display screen. Reparaz stated that the Game.com's continuation into 2000 was a "pretty significant achievement" considering its competition from the Game Boy Color.<ref name=Rep/>

In 2013, Jeff Dunn of GamesRadar criticized the Game.com for its "blurry" and "imprecise" touchscreen, as well as its "limited and unwieldy" Internet and email interfaces. Dunn also criticized the "painful" Internet setup process, and stated that all of the console's available games were "ugly and horrible." Dunn noted, however, that the Game.com's Internet aspect was a "smart" feature.<ref name=Dunn>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2016, Motherboard stated that the Game.com was "perhaps one of the worst consoles of all time," due largely to its low screen quality.<ref name=mother>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2018, Nadia Oxford of USgamer noted the Game.com's "paper-thin" library of games and stated that the console "died in record time because it was poorly-made, to say the least."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

References

<references/>

External links

• Game.com official website (archive)
• The end of the game.com