Game.com
Sign in to saveAlso known as GCOM, Tiger Game.com
The Game.com is a fifth-generation handheld game console developed and released by Tiger Electronics on September 12, 1997. 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. Its name is a reference to the .com top-level domain, reflecting its Internet-related features. It was th
Key facts
- Information appliance.name
- Game.com
- Information appliance.logo
- 250px
- Information appliance.image
- Tiger-Game-Com-FL.jpg
- Information appliance.caption
- The original Game.com system
- Information appliance.manufacturer
- Tiger Electronics
- Information appliance.type
- Handheld game console
- Information appliance.generation
- Fifth
- Information appliance.release_date
- Game.comSeptember 12, 1997 (US)Late 1997 (UK)Game.com Pocket ProMay/June 1999 (US)
- Information appliance.lifespan
- 1997–2000
- Information appliance.price
- $69.95 (original model)$29.99 (Pocket Pro)
- Information appliance.discontinued
- 2000
- Information appliance.units_sold
- Fewer than 300,000
- Information appliance.media
- ROM cartridge
- Information appliance.power
- 4 × AA batteries or optional AC adapter (original model) 2 x AA batteries (Pocket Pro)
- Information appliance.cpu
- Sharp SM8521
- Information appliance.connectivity
- Compete.com serial cable, 14.4 kbit/s modem
- Information appliance.cpu_speed
- 10 MHz
- Information appliance.input
- Digital D-pad 8× digital buttons(A, B, C, D, Menu, Sound, Pause, On/Off) Touchscreen
via Wikipedia infobox
~16 min read
Encyclopedic overview
12 sectionsContents
- History
- Original version
- Game.com Pocket Pro
- Internet features
- Technical specifications
- Games
- Cancelled games
- Reception
- Legacy
- Notes
- References
- External links
The Game.com is a fifth-generation handheld game console developed and released by Tiger Electronics on September 12, 1997. 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. Its name is a reference to the .com top-level domain, reflecting its Internet-related features. 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 except high score submitting. Due to poor sales, the Game.com console line was discontinued in 2000, having sold less than 300,000 units.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Game.com” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.