The Game.com is a fifth-generation handheld game console created and released by Tiger Electronics on September 12, 1997. It was designed for older users and aimed to combine gaming with early digital features, such as a touchscreen and limited Internet access. The first model included a black-and-white touchscreen, two cartridge slots, and a 14.4 kbit/s modem for sending emails and using basic web functions through a special system. Its name refers to the .com top-level domain, highlighting its Internet-related features. It was the first handheld console to include a touchscreen and the first to offer Internet connectivity, making it an early pioneer in multifunctional handheld gaming devices.
Although the Game.com had innovative features, it faced challenges in sales due to a limited number of games and technical issues. This led to a redesigned version called the Game.com Pocket Pro, which was smaller and did not include Internet access, except for submitting high scores. Because of weak sales, the Game.com line was discontinued in 2000, with fewer than 300,000 units sold.
History
Tiger Electronics first introduced its R-Zone game console in 1995 as a competitor to Nintendo’s Virtual Boy. However, the system was not successful. Before the R-Zone, Tiger made handheld games with LCD screens and printed images.
By February 1997, Tiger planned to release a new console to compete with Nintendo’s Game Boy. Before its release, Tiger claimed the Game.com would "change the gaming world" and predicted it would be a popular product. The Game.com was the only new console released that year. It was shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in May 1997, with sales expected to begin in July. A reporter from the Chicago Tribune called the Game.com the "most interesting handheld device" at E3, saying it was like a "Game Boy for adults."
The Game.com was released in the United States on September 12, 1997, for $69.95. A special Internet-access cartridge was planned for October. Lights Out came with the console, and Solitaire was built into the device. This was Tiger’s largest product launch. A website at "game.com" was also created. A television ad for the console featured a spokesperson who criticized gamers who asked questions, saying the console "plays more games than you idiots have brain cells." A review from GamesRadar suggested the ad may have hurt sales. The console was later released in the United Kingdom for £79.99.
The Game.com had a black-and-white design and looked similar to Sega’s Game Gear. Its screen was larger and clearer than the Game Boy’s. It included a phone directory, calculator, and calendar, targeting older players with features similar to a personal digital assistant (PDA). The device used four AA batteries, and an optional AC adapter was available. A major accessory was the compete.com serial cable, allowing multiplayer games. The console had two cartridge slots, enabling online features when paired with a modem cartridge.
The Game.com was the first handheld console with a touchscreen and Internet connectivity. Its screen was black-and-white and measured about 1.5 inches by 2 inches. The screen had square zones printed on it to help players use a stylus. It did not have a backlight. It also had internal memory to save high scores and contact information.
In 1998, the Game.com was the only major competitor to the Game Boy. Tiger focused on its Internet features and planned new games based on movies and Giga Pets.
Because sales of the original Game.com were low, Tiger released an updated version called the Game.com Pocket Pro in 1999. It was shown at the American International Toy Fair in February 1999 and at E3 in May 1999. The Pocket Pro was released in June 1999 for $29.99 and came in six colors: black (with a backlit screen), green, orange, pink, purple, and teal.
The Pocket Pro was smaller than the original, similar in size to the Game Boy Pocket. Its screen was smaller, and it had only one cartridge slot. It used two AA batteries instead of four. It included a phone directory, calendar, and calculator but did not support Internet features beyond submitting high scores.
The Game.com Pocket Pro’s main competitor was the Game Boy Color. Despite games based on popular franchises, the Game.com line sold few units and was discontinued in 2000 due to poor sales. Less than 300,000 units were sold. The idea of a touchscreen later appeared in the Nintendo DS, released in 2004.
Internet features
To use the Internet with the Game.com console, players needed an Internet cartridge and a dial-up modem, both of which were not included with the console. The Internet cartridge allowed users to read and send email messages and browse the web using text-only pages through Internet service providers. However, email messages could not be stored in the console's internal memory. Tiger, the company that made the console, provided a 14.4 kbit/s modem designed for the Game.com and also partnered with Delphi to offer an Internet service provider specifically for the console.
Later, Tiger released the Web Link cartridge, which let players connect their Game.com system to a desktop computer. With the Web Link cartridge, users could upload their high scores to the Game.com website, where they might be displayed on a webpage showing the highest scores. None of the games included with the console used the Internet feature.
Games
At the time of its 1997 launch, the Game.com had several games available, compared to hundreds of games for the Game Boy. Tiger planned to have 12 games available by the end of 1997 and hoped to have up to 50 games by 1998. All these games were to be created or adapted by Tiger. Some companies showed interest in making games for the system, but Tiger did not sign any agreements at first. Tiger obtained licenses for popular game series, including Duke Nukem, Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Game prices ranged from $19 to $29. The size of the game cartridges was 16 megabits.
When the Pocket Pro was released in 1999, the Game.com library mainly included games for older audiences. Some games planned for 1999 were exclusive to Game.com consoles. At that time, game prices ranged from $14 to $30. Twenty games were eventually released for the Game.com, most of which were developed by Tiger. The system also included the built-in game Solitaire.
The following is a list of games that were announced or known to be in development for the console but were never released.
Reception
At the time of the Game.com's release in 1997, Chris Johnston of VideoGameSpot believed the console might struggle to compete with the Game Boy. He also thought that text-based Internet and email features would not be widely appealing, calling them outdated. Johnston said the Game.com was a good system, but he noted that Nintendo had too much influence in the gaming industry. Chip and Jonathan Carter wrote that the console did not perform as well with action games compared to other types of games. However, they praised the console’s variety of features and said, "Graphically, it could perform better than the Game Boy. For sound, the Game.com outperforms other handheld systems." Four editors from Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Game.com scores of 5.5, 4.5, 5.0, and 4.0. They liked the PDA features and touchscreen but said the game collection had not yet met the console’s potential. They noted that non-scrolling games, like Wheel of Fortune, were fun and used the touchscreen well, but action games had poor visuals and screen blurring.
Dave Becker of the Wisconsin State Journal said the Game.com had advantages over the Game Boy, such as its touchscreen. He also mentioned that the Game.com’s 8-bit processor offered slightly better speed and graphics than the Game Boy’s. However, the newspaper pointed out the Game.com had a small, blurry screen. The Philadelphia Inquirer gave a negative review, criticizing the console’s Internet connectivity problems and the lack of a backlit screen, which made it hard to see in certain lighting conditions.
Steven L. Kent of the Chicago Tribune wrote that the Game.com had an elegant design, better sound, and a higher-definition screen than the Game Boy. However, he said these features did not lead to great gameplay. He noted that games like fighting, racing, and shooting games had slow frame rates, and the racing game looked like a flickering silent film. Cameron Davis of VideoGames.com said the Game.com was not meant to compete with more powerful systems like the Game Boy Color. He praised the touchscreen’s sensitivity and ease of use but criticized the screen’s squared zones, which were distracting in games that did not require them.
GamePro criticized the Pocket Pro for lacking color on its screen and having difficult controls. However, they noted its low price and exclusive games as strengths. The Philadelphia Inquirer also criticized the Pocket Pro’s lack of color and unresponsive controls, including the stylus. They said the Pocket Pro was not a good deal even at its low price.
Brett Alan Weiss of AllGame praised the Game.com’s sound effects, calling them impressive for such a small speaker. In 2004, Kent listed the modem and PDA features as the console’s strengths but called its slow processor and weak game library weaknesses. In 2006, Engadget said Tiger Electronics was ambitious but noted the Game.com failed to excel in any area, criticizing its text-only Internet access and outdated screen.
In 2009, PC World ranked the Game.com as the ninth worst video game system ever, criticizing its Internet features, game library, low-resolution touchscreen, and its name, which tried to use Internet popularity. However, they noted its basic PDA features and a solitaire game as positives. In 2011, Mikel Reparaz of GamesRadar ranked the Game.com third on a list of failed handheld consoles, saying its licensed games looked like poor Game Boy copies. He noted the Game.com looked outdated even compared to the Game Boy Pocket and called its survival into 2000 an achievement.
In 2013, Jeff Dunn of GamesRadar criticized the Game.com’s blurry touchscreen, limited Internet features, and difficult setup process. He called the games “ugly and horrible” but said the Internet feature was smart. In 2016, Motherboard called the Game.com one of the worst consoles ever due to its poor screen quality. In 2018, Nadia Oxford of USgamer said the Game.com had a weak game library and failed quickly because of poor quality. In 2022, a working prototype of the unreleased Game.com version of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night was found online. Nick Thorpe of Retro Gamer said the prototype was more ambitious than most Game.com games and could have been one of the system’s better titles if completed.