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What was the name of the first handheld electronic game?

What was the name of the first handheld electronic game?

Last updated: June 4, 2024

Did you own all the Game Boys? Did you cough it up for the PSP (I did – oops)? What about mobile games? Addicted to any?

Being able to play video games without being tethered to a TV is pretty damn cool and if you begged your parents to get one of those crappy handheld games from Walmart all those decades ago, then you know just how far things have come.

If you’ve been playing Tears of the Kingdom on your Switch, it’s time for a quick history lesson about the humble beginnings of handheld gaming.

What was the first handheld electronic game called?

 

The answer is: Auto Race. This is hard to fathom, but the first fully digital handheld game was released by Mattel in 1976 — right around the time Atari’s home system was just gaining steam.Of course, the “screen” was essentially just some lights behind plastic, and the entire thing was made of solid-state electronics. Not much compared to the power you carry around in your pocket every day now, but Mattell kicked off a trend that is only continuing to grow to this day.Source

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