Background/History:
Contrary to popular belief, the first programmable handheld video game system was not Nintendo's Game Boy. While the Game Boy was the first successful handheld, the first programmable handheld was the Milton Bradley Microvision, released in 1979 - a full ten years before Nintendo's successful offering. The system was unique in that the cartridges themselves (which snapped onto the front of and were almost as large as the system) contained the main CPU.The cartridge also contained overlays for the LCD screen and buttons. The LCD screen was about 2 inches square.
What Makes It Obscure?
The technology just wasn't yet there to offer a good handheld in 1979. The system was very large; about a foot tall and four inches wide. It required a 9 volt battery (two 9-volts on early units) and drained it quickly. The system featured only 16 bytes of RAM (the Atari 2600 featured 128 bytes), and had only a 16x16 resolution. The only sound the system could output was a square wave.
The biggest factor in its obscurity is the age of the system and its durability. While the system was moderately successful 35 years ago, most of the systems have long ceased to function. The system's three main killers are screen rot, electrostatic discharge, and keypad destruction.
Screen rot is degradation of the LCD screen, causing it to darken and not correctly display the game.
ESD damage is where the microprocessor is "fried" by electrical shock. This can occur from a voltage of only a few dozen volts
Keypad destruction is where the 12-button keypad wears out from repeated use.
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