If you grew up in the 1990s, you may remember a line of handheld consoles that was developed by a company called Tiger Electronics. These consoles were standalone games, meaning you didn't go and buy cartridges and swap them out at your own will - each unit had a single game that you could play on its monochrome display, and some of them were actually based on relatively popular franchises.
If you've recently found yourself yearning for that bit of nostalgic throwback in your life, Hasbro, who absorbed Tiger Electronics back in 1998, is bringing the standalone consoles back, as first reported by The Verge. Just like before, the handhelds will feature a monochrome LCD screen that displays the game on top of a colorful printed background, similar to how some digital watches display time. On each side of the screen are some buttons, including a directional pad on the left side and action buttons on the right.
Just like before, each unit includes a single game and its appearance is based on the included game. Right off the bat, Hasbro has scored some notable licenses, meaning there will be games based on The Little Mermaid, Transformers: Generation 2, X-Men Project X, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Each unit costs $14.99, and they're already listed on GameStop's website through the links above, though there's no clear release date yet.
It's certainly curious to see this kind of low-end hardware come out in 2020, but this is all about feeding off of nostalgia. Bandai Namco did something similar in 2017 when it released a new version of the iconic Tamagotchi. Presumably, there must have been some degree of success there if other companies are following suit.
15 Comments - Add comment