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If you grew up in the late 1980s to early 1990s, there’s a good chance you had a Tiger Electronics handheld LCD game. Heck, there’s a good chance you had a few! In a time when gaming on the go wasn’t expected to compete with the experience of gaming at home, kids everywhere were playing, collecting, and swapping these memorable devices.
The Devices
The units run on AA batteries and make use of primitive LCD screen technology, similar to what’s found in calculators and digital watches. Though not the first to create handheld games based on the tech (preceded by Mattel Electronics, Nintendo’s Game & Watch, etc.), the appeal was undoubtedly heightened by Tiger’s knack for pinning down licenses to popular franchises including comic books, films, and even existing video games. Some examples are Aladdin, Spider-Man, Double Dragon, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Street Fighter II, and that barely scratches the surface. These things were everywhere! Seemingly every retailer had shelf space dedicated to these hot-selling standalone gaming devices, and the allure was real. Impressive artwork framed the small screen as if you were holding a tiny arcade machine. It was an exciting purchase! That is…until you turn it on.
Sadly, they aren’t very fun. The basic tech used to create these games, while no doubt easier and cheaper to produce, severely limits gameplay possibilities. Every character and asset within the game must be assigned to predetermined locations, making fluid animations impossible. Static backdrop images are placed on the screen to help make sense of the extremely basic graphics, which limits each game to a single environment. Audio is exceedingly basic, comprised only of simple beeps to accent on-screen actions. The experiences were far from compelling but often enough to hold your attention if you were a young fan of the source material.
The Selling Point
It’s important to keep in mind that at the time, handheld gaming was still a novel concept. Nintendo’s Gameboy appeared a few years later in 1989, followed by a handful of competing consoles that all provided marked improvements over what Tiger had to offer. Nonetheless, their games maintained popularity well into the 1990s. Since they were self-contained units, it was a convenient and inexpensive gift option. And since the company kept up its tradition of flashy, eye-catching artwork, the damn things were just hard for kids to resist, even if we knew what we were getting into. I personally have fond memories of buying them at gas stations while out on family road trips (I told you, they were everywhere). Honestly, it was a perfectly suitable way to keep me entertained in the car.
Image source: Retroplace
http://www.retroplace.co
Image source: eBay / seller: videosportscardsplus
http://www.ebay.com
The Decline
Throughout the mid to late 1990s, Tiger released various cartridge-based systems in an effort to reclaim its declining market hold. One such product is the Tiger R-Zone, released in 1995 using the same dated LCD technology paired with prominent licensing deals the company is known for. In its original incarnation, the R-Zone incarnation included a headset that projects images onto a small reflective surface placed directly in the player’s line of sight. It’s just as strange as it sounds! The product saw various revisions that pared it down to a simpler handheld device but it ultimately failed. Not to be easily defeated, Tiger gave it another go with the Game.com…yes, that’s what it’s called. Released in 1998, its graphics and gameplay were comparable to the Nintendo Gameboy. Keep in mind, the Gameboy was released in 1989, a full nine years prior. Tiger’s inability to keep up resulted in yet another flop, effectively ending their run in the handheld gaming market…or did it?
Image source: Big Bad Toy Store
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/
The Legacy Lives On
In 2020, Tiger announced new games based on the technology and gameplay style of their original LCD handhelds. These new titles include X-Men, The Little Mermaid, and Sonic the Hedgehog 3 among others. While the revival is more likely to resonate with those who grew up playing the originals, it serves as proof that these little devices still hold a special place in the hearts of many.
