Microvision
The Microvision (aka Milton Bradley Microvision or MB Microvision) is the first handheld game console that used interchangeable cartridges and in that sense is reprogrammable. It was released by the Milton Bradley Company in November 1979 for a retail price of $49.99, equivalent to $212.00 in 2023.
A Microvision with Block Buster cartridge inserted | |
| Also known as | Milton Bradley Microvision MB Microvision |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Milton Bradley Company |
| Type | Handheld game console |
| Generation | Second generation |
| Release date | November 1979 |
| Introductory price | US$49.99 (equivalent to about $202 in 2022) |
| Discontinued | 1981 |
| Media | ROM cartridges |
| CPU | Intel 8021/TI TMS1100 (on cartridge) clocked at 100 kHz |
| Memory | 64 bytes RAM, 2K ROM |
| Display | 16 × 16 pixels resolution |
| Power | 1 × 9V battery (TMS1100 processors), 2 × 9V battery (Intel 8021 processors) |
The Microvision was designed by Jay Smith, the engineer who would later design the Vectrex video game console. The Microvision's combination of portability and a cartridge-based system led to moderate success, with Smith Engineering grossing $15 million in the first year of the system's release. However, very few cartridges, a small screen, and a lack of support from established home video game companies led to its demise in 1981. According to Satoru Okada, the former head of Nintendo's R&D1 Department, the Microvision gave birth to Game Boy, the follow-up to Game & Watch, after Nintendo designed around Microvision's limitations.