MicroVision
| |
| Developer | Milton Bradley |
|---|---|
| Type | Handheld video game console |
| Generation | Second |
| Release date | 1979 |
| Discontinued | 1981 |
| Emulated | ✓ |
The Microvision is the first handheld console to use interchangeable cartridges, first released in November 1979 by the Milton Bradley Company. Unlike later handheld consoles, the Microvision did not have an onboard microprocessor; each game cartridge included its own integrated CPU, making the console little more than a housing for the game, controls and display. Former Nintendo R&D1 Department head Satoru Okada cites the Microvision as the inspiration for the original Game Boy.
Despite its head start as the first true handheld console (unlike earlier systems such as the Game & Watch which can only play a single game or variants thereof), the Microvision was fraught with problems since its release: primitive electronics manufacturing processes in the 1970s affected its durability, making the console susceptible to electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage and screen rot.
Emulators
| Name | Platform(s) | Latest version | License | Active | Recommended | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x86 | |||||||||
| MAME |    
|
git artifacts[N 1] 0.289 libretro core[N 2] |
GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause |
✓ | ✓ | ||||
| MVEM |
|
Official Website [N 3] Repository [N 4] |
? | ✗ | ? | ||||
- ↑ CI-Windows CI-Linux CI-Macos
- ↑ As 0.251, 0.139 (2010), 0.78 (2003), 0.37b5 (2000)
- ↑ Paul Robson Blog (Developer)
- ↑ GitHub Repository